RoseAnna Schick of
RAS Creative is a professional writer from Canada and also big
Guns N' Roses fan. After seeing the band live in
Winnipeg, Dec 4th, she decided to write an article about the inspiring and rocking experience.
Exclusively for
GnrDaily.com, we are proud to present,
"The Axl Effect":For as long as I can remember, I?ve doled out dollars to take in concerts.
This trend began in ninth grade, with Streetheart and Aldo Nova taking to the stage for thousands of rock fans at the old Winnipeg Arena. Back then, our gaggle of junior high pals were the ?babies? in the crowd, hanging with the ?old people? and breaking curfew to catch the end of the show.
Today, even though many of the babies in the crowd are old enough to be my offspring, and my circle of concert-going friends are nearing ?old people? status ? there?s still nothing like breaking curfew and staying out much too late on a Monday night for the sake of rock ?n roll?
I?ve waited years to see Guns N? Roses, never thinking I?d actually get the chance. Rumours and reports over the years have painted lead man Axl Rose as nothing short of an SOB when it comes to performing.
He?s been labeled as temperamental and unpredictable. He?s appeared hostile, and been known to walk off stages early. He?s allegedly shown up for gigs too ?stimulated? to play. That?s providing he even shows up at all.
These days it?s considered a long shot to get a good show out of Axl Rose. So I figured I?d long since missed my chance.
A bonafide ?head-banger? in high school with an incurable heavy metal habit and big 80?s hair, oddly enough, I only started listening to Guns N Roses recently ? years after their heyday, and long after touring had ceased.
Television documentaries over the years offered different perspectives about the band, while music clubs offered complete musical retrospectives. I?m not sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way, I became a true fan.
With no hope of ever seeing them play live.
Until one day it was announced that Guns N? Roses were touring again ? and coming to town! Finally, my chance had come to be vindicated. I was going to get to see them one time in my life.
Of course the ?nay-sayers? piped up immediately. It?s not the real band. It?s only Axl Rose. It?s not this. It?s going to be that. He?s not going to show up. It?s gonna start at midnight. And so on.
Nay-saying aside, I was willing to take the chance and hooked up with an old high school friend (previous partner in crime, in fact) to venture out in near 30-below weather to see what the night ? and Axl ? would bring.
The crowd was a good mix of young and old, big and small, weird and nerdy. All shared one thing in common ? craving a good night of rock ?n roll. Collectively hoping for a show.
Hanging around the concourse between opening acts was half the fun, where we ran into other friends we hadn?t seen since high school. It truly was a blast from the past. We shared laughs and stories, and eagerly awaited what was to come.
Or perhaps what wasn?t to come.
No one was sure what time Axl would hit the stage, but it was speculated to be midnight. It was rumoured that he was for sure in the building, because members of the Winnipeg Police Service had escorted him to the venue. Regardless if that really happened, that tidbit of gossip added to the growing mystique and anticipated uncertainty.
Would he decide to play tonite?
Finally, the lights went down and the crowd began to roar. We abandoned our briefly reunited concourse clan and rushed back inside to the blackness of our seats. On the way up ? and I mean waaaaay up ? the familiar opening chords of Welcome to the Jungle began to reverberate behind us.
We were going to get a show!
Back at home-base, with only a handful of rows between us and the rafters, we had a terrific birds-eye view of the stage and pulsating crowd below. Smoke wafted in the air up there, as everyone jumped to their feet to claim some prime dancing real estate.
It was midnight. And the party had just begun.
It was apparent right off the top that Axl was in absolutely fine form ? his voice belting out the tunes, driving each note home. He nailed every vocal nuance, even adding a few new ones along the way. He was so totally ON, and gave our ears exactly what they expected.
Guns N? Roses!
The musicians who roamed the stage were spectacular ? younger guys who undoubtedly grew up influenced by Guns N? Roses, now backing up Axl. Two lead guitarists added his flair and style to the songs, freshly filling out that GN?R sound while keeping true to the classic flavour, and alternating stints of body surfing along front row fans. These guitarists were living their dream. And you could tell.
It appeared so was Axl, right there in front of our eyes, all the time groovin? and shaking, sliding and shimmying along the stage, dancing and kicking in time to the timeless tunes. His moves were mesmerizing, his energy nothing short of energizing.
He played just about every GN?R hit you could want to hear, and then some. All of my favourites were definitely on the bill, including the non-stop Mr. Brownstone, and Dylan cover Knockin? on Heaven?s Door.
He even drew from some of the more obscure tunes like Used To Love Her (But I Had To Kill Her) ? a favourite that got the entire crowd singing along for the umpteenth time.
At one point, Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys joined the band onstage ? not something I expected to see in a billion years ? performing a harmonious little number with Axl and Sebastian Bach. It was bizarre and hilarious. And far from over.
The pyrotechnics continued into the wee hours, while the band played on and on, and on some more. One gem after another, each one better than the last. The entire crowd of 11,000 was up dancing through most of it, loving every minute of it.
But sadly, as Axl sings in November Rain, ?nothing lasts forever? and the music finally stopped around 2:15am ? nearly two-and-a-half hours of full-on music later. If there was a full-on Guns N? Roses show to be had on this tour, I?m sure Winnipeg got it.
Those who braved the cold and cash and dared to break curfew were treated to an extraordinarily unforgettable performance. Axl absolutely delivered. He didn?t disappoint.
Neither did Winnipeg ? giving him such a ?warm welcome? he walked back out on stage at the end of it all declaring ?you people are amazing!?
He summed it up best when he shouted ?good f***ing night!?
Indeed it was.
Winnipeg showed Axl a good f***ing time, giving him an adulating audience with undivided attention. No doubt it provided him the opportunity to fall in love with entertaining all over again. From my vantage point, watching it happen was purely magic.
I was thoroughly rocked.
All rumours and negative perceptions of Axl Rose aside, maybe playing our frigidly cold fair city reignited his spark for the stage, rekindled that passion for performing.
Perhaps playing Winnipeg restored Axl?s faith in rock n? roll.
He certainly restored mine.
Source:
http://www.gnrdaily.com/news_detail.asp?id=379
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