December 4th, 2006 - Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre

[Dead N' Bloated]

So no I.R.S tonight? Thats weird.


 

[oneway23]

Glad you folks had a blast up there...Wonder if Chris Jericho was in attendance?  And I wonder if he's still hot about Axl blowing him off as a kid...

[LittleFly]

I love waking up to GNR reviews in the morning

Sounds like an AWESOME show.  Thank you very very much for giving us the updates Vanessa!   

[a.]

Thanks everyone, and Vanessa for the updates! 

Sounds like it was a great show, and great pics too!

Really looking forward to the Calgary show tomorrow night!

Peace out,
a.

[Malcolm]

Looks like a great show...Too bad they didnt play I.R.S....that songs great live....Those are all mazing pictures to..Props to the person who took them

[Malcolm]

Concert Review: Guns N' Roses

MTS Centre, Winnipeg - December 4, 2006

By DAVID SCHMEICHEL -- Winnipeg Sun


WINNIPEG - And here we thought Axl Rose didn't have a sense of humour.

Well, the Guns N'Roses frontman laid that notion to rest about 90 minutes into last night's MTS Centre gig, when he was joined onstage by not only his new best buddy Sebastian Bach, but also myopic dimwit Bubbles (aka former Sandbox guitarist Mike Smith) of Canadian cult TV show Trailer Park Boys.

"This is a song I like to do back at the legion,"said Bubbles, after teasing the crowd with the opening riff from Rush's Closer to the Heart, then launching into his self-penned ditty Liquor and Whores. "Ah, f---, am I excited!"

The comic relief was a welcome break in what proved to be a nearly two-and-a-half hour set, one that didn't get underway until midnight on the dot, but which unfolded as smoothly as anyone could have hoped for (particularly the venue staffers who were ready to roll out an ominous-sounding 'Plan B' should the singer have decided not to go on).

There were no abrupt cancellations, no riots, and no unruly fans were tackled by a pissed-off Axl Rose. Most notably, of course, there was no pissed-off Axl Rose; in fact, except for a slight sense of anti-climax, last night's show pretty much went off without a hitch.

Sounding not at all temperamental (or hostile, or crazy, or any of the other things we worried he might be), Rose first took centre stage to the unmistakable opening riff of Welcome To the Jungle, looking every bit the rock star in a leather jacket, jeans and black shades. He took a few minutes to find his groove, rushing the lyrics at points and appearing a bit more concerned with executing his snake-shimmy dance moves than anything else.

But he soon hit his stride with It's So Easy, switching effortlessly between a spooky lower register and the ear-piercing howl that first earned him his place as one of rock's most distinctive frontmen.

"It's not that we're not into it," Rose assured the crowd of 11,000, after making reference to the repetitive nature of a touring show. "It's like dancing the tango or a bossa nova, only here we're dancing with guitars."

A pyro-heavy version of the Wings classic Live and Let Die was followed by the vaguely industrial-sounding Better (from the still unreleased Chinese Democracy album). Then Sweet Child O'Mine, on which Axl proved he can (mostly) still hit all the high notes, and an appropriately epic take on Dylan's Knockin' On Heaven's Door, which had the MTS Centre blanketed in lighters and cell phones.

After a blistering crack at You Could Be Mine, keyboardist Dizzy Reed (a holdover from the Use Your Illusion years), brought the lighters back with a piano version of the Rolling Stones? Angie, before segueing neatly into the sweeping ballad The Blues, and a cover of the UK Subs' Down On the Farm.

The other musicians backing Axl last night couldn't quite erase the memory of Slash and Duff, but they more than held their own, (though we suppose it would be tough to screw up songs as genius as Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, Patience or Night Train, all of which were note-perfect last night).

Besides, Axl with a new band is better than no Axl at all, as the brains behind 'Plan B' will no doubt agree and seriously, how many rockers require contingency plans?

Early arrivals last night were greeted by quasi-strippers the Suicide Girls, along with last-minute additions Helmet (filling in for the Eagles of Death Metal, who were unceremoniously yanked from the bill two weeks ago). Like Axl, Helmet frontman Page Hamilton is touring with a brand new band these days, and while it was good to hear the group's staccato riffs again, we couldn't help but notice their high point was the stoner-rock throwback See You Dead, which sounded an awful lot like something Eagles of Death Metal axeman Josh Homme might have cranked out with that other band of his.

As for former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, well, despite coming off as a bit of an Axl-worshipping sycophant, he still did a decent job of keeping the crowd warmed up while they waited for the real show to start, even cutting the intro to Big Guns short when fans didn't go crazy enough.

"You know I'm a f---ing Canadian, right?" he shrieked repeatedly, during a vibrato-heavy set that also included Slave To the Grind, Monkey Business, 18 and Life, and American (okay, Canadian) Metalhead. "I wanna see the Winnipeg I f---ing remember!"

Moments later, Bach proved his memory wasn't quite as good where national anthems are concerned, goofing the words to an impromptu version of O Canada. Oh, and before he left, he had security guards eject a pint-sized fan from the front row, apparently just to prove that he could.

Now what was that we were saying about not having a sense of humour?

[CheapJon]

... there are some really good pictures on that website... and what the FUCK is Ron wearing?

fincks clothes

[TrixAreForKids]

Can someone tell me what time GnR' started at?

[GypsySoul]

Can someone tell me what time GnR' started at?

"The comic relief was a welcome break in what proved to be a nearly two-and-a-half hour set, one that didn't get underway until midnight on the dot, but which unfolded as smoothly as anyone could have hoped for (particularly the venue staffers who were ready to roll out an ominous-sounding 'Plan B' should the singer have decided not to go on)."


Reading can be fun.?

[gnrgnr06]

Well I had the time of my life yesterday. I showed up with my friends around 8 15 and seen the last of the Suicide Girls and I must say some were very very hot. After the SG left Helmet came on and they fuckin sucked. Horrible performance on their part, the crowd was totally out of it.

Then around 10 00 Bach can on and blew everyone away. He was fuckin amazing and he interacted with the crowd regularly. He has pointed out a super hot chick in the crowd and got here to show her boobs in front of the camera. He also kicked some ass out of here. Bach played all the classics and some new songs he was great. He left stage around 11 10 - 11 20.

Then I left got a drink and was back around 11 50. 7 minutes later the arena goes dark and Axl and the boys come out. Less than a minute later Axl yells ? You know where the fuck you are!!!!? and the place exploded. Everyone was singing along with Axl. WTTJ, ISE, Mr Brownstone and Live and let die were all amazing performances. Then Axl does Better which got a fair amount of applause from the fans. Everything slowed down and Finck came out and did a solo which IMO wasn?t that great but the crowd was still in it. Next came Sweet Child O Mine and everyone nailed that song. Axl is fucking great. Next came Knockin on Heavens Door and You could be Mine(Axl didn?t sound too good on this one but none the less it was a great atmosphere). After a few more solos and songs November Rain started and everyone went crazy and Axl nailed everything. Definatly one of the highlights of my night. Then Bach and Bubbles came on the stage and Bubbles played the beginning to Closer to the Heart and the Liquor and Whores and the crowd was very ecstatic. Bubbles also sang with Axl on Used to Love Here and Bach and Axl did My Michelle. Then they played Patience which I did not expect and then they went out a NAILED Nightrain. Axl fucking sounded great and it was probably my favorite moment of the night. When they did their encore they started off with Chinese Democracy and Madagascar which got fairly good review from the fans. And finally Paradise City. Axl defanatly saved the best for last. This was my first Guns N Roses concert and I must say it was the best concert I?ve been to. Cheers to Axl and the boys I hope I can see another show again.

1. Welcome to the Jungle
2. It's So Easy
3. Mr. Brownstone
4. Live and Let Die
5. Better
6. Robin Solo w/ Frank & Dizzy
7. Sweet Child O' Mine
8. Knockin' on Heaven's Door
9. You Could Be Mine
10. Piano Jam / Dizzy Solo ("Angie")
11. The Blues
12. Down on the Farm
13. Richard Solo
14. Out ta Get Me
15. Piano Jam / November rain
16. Introduction of Bubbles (Trailer Park Boys) / Liquor and Whores
17. Used to Love Her
18. My Michelle
19. Patience
20. Nightrain
----------------------
21. Chinese Democracy
22. Madagascar
23. Paradise City

[Chief]

Thanks for the reviews everyone, it sounded like another stellar show!!!

Great pics too, loved them!!!   

[Giantrobott]

Love the pictures, so exited for tomorrow i can barely stand it.

[freedom78]

When did Bumblefoot lose those blonde dread/braid things?  He had 'em a week ago in Chicago. 

BTW, that pic of Robin is great!  And looks like Axl is re-growing the facial hair...must've shaved it to be more comfy during the strep.

[Re-animator]

Show last night rocked.
Got there around 9ish, missed the Suicide Girls. ?Then Helmet came on, I'm actually a fan of theirs but they weren't very good live. ?Page Hamilton's voice sounded weak. ?He talked about getting searched at the border and getting put into a room with Axl, and said that he's a very cool, down to earth guy. ?Sebastian Bach's bass player filled in because Helmet's guy wasn't allowed into the country.
The Sebastian Bach came on and he kicked ass, actually. ?Pumped the crowd up "Axl's here, he's in the building!!" got the lighters in the air for 'I Remember You'.
Then I got more drinks, apparently the MTS Centre's liquor policy was "we're going to serve for 20 minutes after Axl takes the stage" which was cool because they usually stop serving around 9:30.
Shortly after 12 the lights go down, and the intro music starts....sounds like something from a horror soundtrack. ?Crowd goes nuts for the first 4 songs, then calms down a bit after 'Live and Let Die'. ?'Better' sounded great but most people didn't recognize the tune. ?Robin's solo wasn't that great, but 'Sweet Child' more than made up for it. ?It was awesome when Axl jumped on top of the piano during the 'The Blues'. ?He looks like he's in great shape.
The show did suffer a little bit from pacing problems, but I think part of the idea with all the solos is allowing people a piss break. ?I really liked Dizzy's version of 'Angie', though. ?It was cool when Bubbles came out, but the whole parody thing kind of wore off.....
They were playing some weird music during stage changes, and Tommy seemed to be playing along with it and rocking out. Sounded very different and cool. I didn't recognize it, maybe it's from Chinese Democracy? ?A couple times during these interludes I saw Axl put his arm around Tommy and rocking along with him.
'Madagascar' was a highlight for me. ?I still think this is one of the best GnR tunes of all time. ?The imagery on the video screens during this song added so much more atmosphere. ?'Paradise City' was amazing, of course.
All in all it was an amazing night. ?I liked the stage setup with all the white and red.....I wonder if the album artwork will be similar? ?Axl's gotta get this thing out, though. ?I think the public is ready to embrace the new band, but they can't take it to the next level unless the album comes out. Period.
Hopefully next time they'll include more 'Illusions' material, I really wanted to hear 'Civil War'!

[ppbebe]

  Thanks for the reviews Re-animator gnrgnr06 and everyone.
And thanks for the setlist vanessa

Yep the pic with Robin and....is that axl in the rear? is an amazing shot ever.
the other ones are so cool too. I like ron's robe.

[jordans]

Wow, that show was off the chain.  I might be biased, but Axl Rose's voice was better than I've ever heard it. 
That was EASILY the greatest concert I've ever been to.  Perfect doesn't do the show justice.

[j redstar]

Hello to all.? I know it's a day late but I spent all of yesterday recovering from Monday's show.? I'm not going to go into a song by song review or anything but I thought I'd just add a few tidbits to the show for those who weren't there (but wish they were)!

Headed downtown early before the show to grab a pint and a meal.? Got in line around 6:15 and gooned our way into the front of the line before the doors opened as we knew people there.

When we got inside the venue we rushed to the stage.? I ended up front row at the middle-right side of the stage.? Killer spot!

Suicide girls were fun.? Helmet were boring.? That's all you need to know about the first 3 hours.

When Baz headed on stage the crowd was pumped.? Me and Baz even had a couple "moments" if you will (I knew every Skid Row song he played so he was looking at me for some songs including Piece Of Me and The Threat).

Gn'R were unfucking real!? It was my second time seeing them and it totally blew away the first time I saw 'em in '02.? Just a few notes in random order:

-This is officially a band now.? These guys blended so fucking well together it was insane.? Totally feeding off each other the whole night.

-Before they busted into DOTF they "jammed" for a bit.? God damn, it was so good I was questioning whether or not this was a jam and not a real song.? I thought to myself "this sounds kinda funky, kind of like down on the farm" and in about a minute it busted into DOTF.

-Axl, Bach, and Bubbles sang the first couple of verses of Rush's "Closer To The Heart".? Awesome to see something unique like that.? Bubbles was also singing with Gn'R and Bach for Used To Love Her.? YES!

-During Liquor and Whores Bubbles was yelling at Axl "You do the end!? You do the end!".? Well the whole crowd and band went silent with everyone looking at Axl... then about 5 seconds of silence when Axl breaks the silence singing "mustard and baloney" in this hilarious voice.? Everyone in the crowd including the band starting howling.? It was hilarious.? Truly the funniest part of the show!

-During band intros Axl said he just learned recently that, like their tour manager, Richard Fortus is From SAINT LOUIS!

-Before the show, Bumblefoot came right in front of the stage in plain clothes pulling a Suicide Girl on a board with wheels.

-Saw Mike Smith (Bubbles) chatting it up with Frank before the show behind the stage.

-During Nightrain Robin crowd surfed right on top of me!? Amazing!? I got to hold the guy up!

-During Paradise City Bumblefoot came across the entire first row so they could strum the guitar.? It was awesome as my hands were all over it.? Since I solo'd in Gn'R,? I guess that means I'm in the band now.? Do NOT ask me when CD is coming out.

-Axl explained they had their tour bus searched when they crossed the border.? He said how "Skippy the customs' dog"? went around the whole bus and stopped, looking right at their tour manager.? He said the dog only did this because the tour manager had a hotel room next to a certain Canadian singer who shall remain unnamed (at this point you can clearly see Baz on the side of the stage pumping his fists and pretending to toke the reefer).? Hilarious!

-Axl thanked the crowd and the end of the night for being "freaking amazing"

-Venue was 99% full.

When the show ended all I could think of was god damn do I ever want to see this show again.? The crowd was great.? The whole night was great.? I know I'm probably forgetting some stuff but oh well.? Next time!

 
 

[erose]

Hello to all.  I know it's a day late but I spent all of yesterday recovering from Monday's show.  I'm not going to go into a song by song review or anything but I thought I'd just add a few tidbits to the show for those who weren't there (but wish they were)!

Headed downtown early before the show to grab a pint and a meal.  Got in line around 6:15 and gooned our way into the front of the line before the doors opened as we knew people there.

When we got inside the venue we rushed to the stage.  I ended up front row at the middle-right side of the stage.  Killer spot!

Suicide girls were fun.  Helmet were boring.  That's all you need to know about the first 3 hours.

When Baz headed on stage the crowd was pumped.  Me and Baz even had a couple "moments" if you will (I knew every Skid Row song he played so he was looking at me for some songs including Piece Of Me and The Threat).

Gn'R were unfucking real!  It was my second time seeing them and it totally blew away the first time I saw 'em in '02.  Just a few notes in random order:

-This is officially a band now.  These guys blended so fucking well together it was insane.  Totally feeding off each other the whole night.

-Before they busted into DOTF they "jammed" for a bit.  God damn, it was so good I was questioning whether or not this was a jam and not a real song.  I thought to myself "this sounds kinda funky, kind of like down on the farm" and in about a minute it busted into DOTF.

-Axl, Bach, and Bubbles sang the first couple of verses of Rush's "Closer To The Heart".  Awesome to see something unique like that.  Bubbles was also singing with Gn'R and Bach for Used To Love Her.  YES!

-During Liquor and Whores Bubbles was yelling at Axl "You do the end!  You do the end!".  Well the whole crowd and band went silent with everyone looking at Axl... then about 5 seconds of silence when Axl breaks the silence singing "mustard and baloney" in this hilarious voice.  Everyone in the crowd including the band starting howling.  It was hilarious.  Truly the funniest part of the show!

-During band intros Axl said he just learned recently that, like their tour manager, Richard Fortus is From SAINT LOUIS!

-Before the show, Bumblefoot came right in front of the stage in plain clothes pulling a Suicide Girl on a board with wheels.

-Saw Mike Smith (Bubbles) chatting it up with Frank before the show behind the stage.

-During Nightrain Robin crowd surfed right on top of me!  Amazing!  I got to hold the guy up!

-During Paradise City Bumblefoot came across the entire first row so they could strum the guitar.  It was awesome as my hands were all over it.  Since I solo'd in Gn'R,  I guess that means I'm in the band now.  Do NOT ask me when CD is coming out.

-Axl explained they had their tour bus searched when they crossed the border.  He said how "Skippy the customs' dog"  went around the whole bus and stopped, looking right at their tour manager.  He said the dog only did this because the tour manager had a hotel room next to a certain Canadian singer who shall remain unnamed (at this point you can clearly see Baz on the side of the stage pumping his fists and pretending to toke the reefer).  Hilarious!

-Axl thanked the crowd and the end of the night for being "freaking amazing"

-Venue was 99% full.

When the show ended all I could think of was god damn do I ever want to see this show again.  The crowd was great.  The whole night was great.  I know I'm probably forgetting some stuff but oh well.  Next time!

 
 

awsome review, thanks alot for posting that!!

Funny ass axl quote aswell, sounds like he's having a really good time doing this thing!!

man it must be fun to a part of that fuckin' awsome organisation called gn'r!

[BrokenGlass]

God that was the best fucking night of my life! Right up front and I could almost reach out and touch Axl! Honestly, it doesn't get any better than that!

[jarmo]

Did they play IRS or not? 




/jarmo