December 6 - Calgary, AB @ Pengrowth Saddledome

[Giantrobott]

I have never been there, i usually dont go to bars but me and my gf are getting a hotel room around the saddledome so a pre party might be in order so i might check it out we'll see.

[axlrosehunny]

I booked my room at the Blackfoot inn.  Going to be in Calgary around noon.   Dont really want to pre party at the coyottes.   Would be nice to find a place with other board members though.   Any Ideas?

[tdurden]

Are bars even open in Calgary for post-parties.? ;DThe show will end about 2 am.? I am in for Coyotes unless someone comes up with a different venue.

[BattleCatX]

To be honest, I've been to Coyotes about a million times, but always at the end of a pub crawl so I'm always drunk as hell! I actually don't know exactly where it is..

The crowd is always lively, full of young bubbly blonde things on the dance floor and hot waitresses walking on the tables offering shots...

That being said, if Axl goes on late, it might be closed by the time the show's over.

BTW, I love that Helmet is gonna open! Awesome!

See y'all at the dome! 

[nonlinear]

coyote\'s is a frat boy meat market type place.  i think it would be better to have a meetup at more of a pub-type place.  there are some places on first avenue that are somewhat close to the venue.  Or anything along the train.  what about the unicorn or something along stephen ave?  We need to decide soon since the show is in like 2 days.

[Giantrobott]

So nobody knows anybody who wants to buy a couple tickets?

I booked my room at the Blackfoot inn.

I was there last night for a huge company get together with all the stores in Calgary at a Huge dinner party and a comedy show it was class all the way, it seemed like a great Hotel. Anyone know a good Hotel within walking distance of the Saddledome?

[nonlinear]

So nobody knows anybody who wants to buy a couple tickets?

I booked my room at the Blackfoot inn.

I was there last night for a huge company get together with all the stores in Calgary at a Huge dinner party and a comedy show it was class all the way, it seemed like a great Hotel. Anyone know a good Hotel within walking distance of the Saddledome?

well, the c-train goes right by the saddledome, so you can really get anything along the train.  there are tons of hotels downtown, and most are within walking distance of the train.  just pick one and use the train.

[tdurden]

Dinner at Jack Astors, Train to Coyotes, drink, drink, drink, train to Saddledome, good times to follow. Its like xmas morning!!!!

[axlrosehunny]

I am cool with a pub or something.    How about something on 17th and then just walk to the saddledome

[riotact_vancity]

hey, i assume Axl et al will be in Calgary Tuesday night (given the choice between another night in the Peg or Calgary...), where do you think they'd be partying? Only "IT" place i can think of that'd be open is Tantra, maybe Tequila, tho i really cant imagine Axl showing there....

[nonlinear]

i would say maybe mynt?  there aren't really any 'exclusive' clubs in calgary, so maybe they'll just hang out or whatever?

[nonlinear]

I am cool with a pub or something.    How about something on 17th and then just walk to the saddledome

Yea, I agree that a pub would be best. 

We could go somewhere on 17th, but it might be easier/warmer to just go somewhere downtown like the unicorn, the James Joyce, Ceili?s, or King Henry VIII.  All of those are on Stephen Ave, so it is really easy to  just hop on the train to the saddledome. 

there are also some places on first street near the dome (like the castle and bamboo tiki room) but the hood is crackhead sketchy.

[CalgaryMuscle]

 I'll be heading to the show early cause I got floor tix so I won't be going anywhere before hand. I would agree with some of you that Coyotes is not for GNR fans!! If you guys are looking for somewhere thats fairly close to the dome and has a good rock atmosphere try Morgans Pub on 17th. They are always playing GNR there and would probably appreciate the fans much more than Coyotes. Look forward to meeting you all down there!!!

[axlrosehunny]

well someone pick a place and time and i will be there!  I am driving in from Edmonton tomorrow.   I will be in the city around noon.     


Time and a place mother fuckers, for a pre party!

[axlrosehunny]

ok I am in town now.  Blackfoot inn.

Lets party!!   Where?

[axlrosehunny]

Ok I am back at the hotel.   Going to start drinking asap.

Who is going to party?

[axlrosehunny]

heading out now...

17th ave I think.   Dinner and drinks then show.

Anyone that is going out before and wants to meet up.    Call cell 7802999970

[Slash Rose]

wow, what an amazing show, first gnr concert so i basically shit myself when he came on with WTTJ

[rube]

SUBJECT: GUNS N ROSES GIG -- SADDLEDOME Review
Guns N? Roses performed a sold out show Wednesday at Pengrowth Saddledome. Attendance 14,500.

Heath McCoy
Calgary Herald

Face it folks, no matter what your ticket stub says ? no matter what Axl Rose says ? Wednesday night?s Guns N? Roses gig at Saddledome was not a Guns N? Roses show. Not really.
The G N?R that scorched the earth back in the late ?80s was not the Axl show, it was a band, and a couple of those former Gunners (Slash and Izzy anybody?) were arguably as important to the venomous chemistry as Axl himself.
Wednesday night?s gig then, was a performance by the new Axl Rose Band. Period. No matter how many Appetite For Destruction songs they played. And G N?R is missed ? big time. This is not meant as a complete write off of the Axl Band because their attack at the ?Dome was undeniable. Their spit was legit, even if their show was far too disjointed.
Rose and his seven-piece backup group came out swinging hard with the lethal licks of Welcome To The Jungle. Axl?s bright orange hair was corn-rowed and pulled back angrily tight in a pony tail. Sporting a goatee and shades, dressed in a shiny leathery shirt and blue jeans, looking a fair bit thicker than he used to, Rose did his trademark snake dance and sprinted around the stage like a teen throwing a tantrum.
Nipping at Jungle?s heels was the malicious, punk-fired It?s So Easy followed by the junkie?s mule-kick of Mr. Brownstone. The new band more than duplicated the seething acid of both, not to mention the blunt force. If anything it was Rose that was turning out to be a weak link, though the problem seemed to be more a sound issue than an actual vocal issue. If you listened, you could hear Rose hit the notes with that banshee?s wail of his ? but too often he was being drowned out in the din. Even his between song patter was hard to make out at certain points.
The few new tunes played off the eternally promised but yet to be released album Chinese Democracy did represent lulls in the show as far as crowd energy went. This doesn?t necessarily speak to the quality of the material, because much of it showed promise. It?s next to impossible to debut an unheard song in front of 14,500 fans rabid for the classics. If Axl wanted this stuff to make an impact he should have released it long ago, giving it the chance to grow on people.
Then there was the extended solos given to band members, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and the guitarists, Bumblefoot, Richard Fortus and Robin Finck, who looked like one of the Children of the Corn all growed up. These guys were all remarkable musicians, no question ? but nobody came to the ?Dome to hear soloing virtuosos they didn?t recognize. They came to hear Guns N? Roses and as far as that goes, they only got a piece of the puzzle.
That?s a shame because this show had so much going for it. Sure, the Axl Band didn?t take the stage until just before midnight. Good on ?em, really. Why should a hard rock band be expected to wrap it up before 11 p.m? This is Axl Rose not some teeny bopper group whose fans have a curfew. Not some oldie goldie whose baby boomer devotees tucker out early.
Clearly Rose envisioned a sleazy-fun, old-school hard rock show and it was delivered as such, right down to the opening acts, which included a bit of T&A from the Suicide Girls burlesque show and the industrial proto-grunge of Helmet (whose set was underwhelming). Then there was the muscular hard rock bluster of ex-Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach.
Bach, or Baz as he?s known to his fans, has become the ultimate G N?R booster on this tour, which has revived his career. Remember Dennis Hopper insanely preaching about Kurtz (Marlon Brando) in Apocalypse Now? That?s Baz?s exact relationship to Axl Rose these days.
Fortunately he channeled that manic energy into a set that shook the ?Dome. Critics of late have been slagging the guy as a hair metal reject who doesn?t belong on a high profile tour, but don?t sell Baz short because he fit this bill perfectly, whipping fans into a froth like few modern frontmen could with powerful rawk pipes and solid showmanship.
Don?t get us wrong, the main event, which went on for more than two hours, had many highlights. The menacing funk of Rocket Queen; the beautifully rendered power ballad November Rain; a furious duet with Baz on My Michelle; the rootsy nastiness of Used To Love Her ? these were awesome moments. Then there was the appearance of that bespectacled, lovable misfit Bubbles from TV?s Trailer Park Boys, who dueted with Axl on the silly but soulful country-flavoured cut Liquor and Whores off the Trailer Park Boys movie soundtrack. Truly cool.
Yeah, there were plenty of standouts. But if Rose is going to throw this grand a rock show ? a show that has fans hanging around the arena for more than six hours, he?s got to work many a kink out of his own set. And his own ego. Oh, and actually releasing Chinese Democracy might help matters greatly.
? hmccoy@theherald.canwest.com
Posted by Heath McCoy on December 7, 2006 7:26 AM MDT

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/entertainment/blog.html

[charlesfosterkane]

and when axl releases chinese democracy this guy will say 'its a great album with a lot going for it but this isn't guns n' roses.'