Guns N' Roses in Bethlehem, PA - May 13th, 2014

[NCrazy]

Most of the reviews sounded pretty positive.

Did see a few people lament they felt Axl was maybe a bit down in the mix?  Anyone here that went think that?

Most of the reviews sounded pretty positive.

Did see a few people lament they felt Axl was maybe a bit down in the mix?  Anyone here that went think that?

.   Not sure bout down in the mix but his voice was at times awesome & other times not. Period. & no way in fuckin hell was he holding notes forever with hurricane force intensity as he was able to 3-4 yrs ago like the poster said previously. He either can't or won't because of the stress on his voice. Don't get me wrong- his voice is spectactular but not consistently as before- that's coming from an always supportive die hard fan just keepin it real.

[D-GenerationX]

That's just an honest review. 

Anyone can see you are a major fan.  Look at that sig. 

[Nicos]

Best Axl I've seen and heard so far this year. Something has definately changed in the weeks after the awards. Seeing and hearing The Seeker from yesterday... Feels like 'The Seeker' has found his mojo back. Great energy and/in vocal performance. Really really good.

[Axl4Prez2004]

Best Axl I've seen and heard so far this year. Something has definately changed in the weeks after the awards. Seeing and hearing The Seeker from yesterday... Feels like 'The Seeker' has found his mojo back. Great energy and/in vocal performance. Really really good.

So much energy in the performance...especially the verse where he's pounding his chest then pointing at the audience:
"I'm lookin for me
You're lookin for you
Were lookin at each other and we don't know what to do..."
...and did I mention the "low to high" awesomeness?   

[Siamese Democracy]

The Seeker got incredible crowd reaction. I thought Axl sounded amazing on Patience.  November Rain was great.  You don't complain about the setlist when you are actually there hearing these classic amazing songs live. 

[MNGS717]

I am here having a  drink. Just saw 'Joe' in the Casino lol what time is everyone getting in line?

Damn!  I though I was in line by then.  There were three others wearing the shirt I was!!  HA!

We got there around 5pm and found there to be about 50 people in line. 




At the front of the line fences there was a sign about no pocket camera.  I got pissed but decided that since we would be up front then I wouldn't be able to take a photo anyway without getting kicked out!!  Casino's are weird and I didn't know what would happen so I took my little camera back to the car.  Since there were not too many people in line my friend and I decided to walk through the shopping center inside the building between the venue and the casino.  I saw a couple kids near the escalator and met with them for a few minutes.  I knew as soon as I saw them that it was the opening band, "Unlocking The Truth".  I got a photo with Jarad and Alec and told them they are awesome!!
I was looking around to see if I could find a cheap disposable camera but then gave up and we went back to wait in line.


Around 7pm they let us into a big lobby where there were doors where a pile of people waited to be let inside another set of doors direct into the show room.  Very cool to meet you NCrazy and your wife.  We had a great time talking.  While we waited a woman collapsed on the floor for unknown reason then they took her away.  It was right next to us and was scary!  By now there were around 500 people in the lobby drinking and buying shirts..etc.  Around 8pm a security man tried to shout over the crowd a pep talk about being respectful to each other and not trampling anyone when they open the doors.  I laughed and said to my friend.."On your mark...Get Set.."  It was awesome!!  The second they open the door EVERYONE around us made a crazy sprint to the stage.  It was a mad dash to the front barricade that reminded me of the "Estranged" music video.  With only luck I made it to the railing for the first time ever directly in front of Ron and the giant confetti cannon.  It was so cool!  Still can't believe it and said to my friend if we go again how could it be any better! 

"Unlocking The Truth" was pretty cool as expected.  Many of their songs were more instrumental.  I know part of the attraction is their age but imagine what they can do in the future..  I feel like if they would have just played 5 songs and left the audience would have been wanting more but they played a bit longer.  Towards the end of their set I was just wanting GN'R to come out and play instead of more songs but it was fun.

GN'R came out less than an hour later with minimal stage setup.  The band blasted through the songs with little or no pause.  Some people on the rail in the center commented that they could not hear Axl well but off to the left we could hear him real good even with people singing along!!  One thing I noticed and to clear things up early during the show there was a little bit of static coming from Axl's microphone.  Of course he noticed it too but it wasn't until BETTER during the end of song I was watching him sing and the mike was pretty much dead.  Instead of smashing the microphone he stepped away from it and froze like a statue.  When he stepped back over to the mike it was working again.  A couple more time during the show I notice a little static but nothing that stopped the show!  The best for me was hearing "Catcher" for the first time, Tommy's solo, and also "The Seeker" for the first time.  Hearing "Estranged" again is just so great too! 

Like some other mentioned...I noticed within the first few MINUTES of the show DJ ran over to the far side of stage past where I was at and gave the security guard a pick and pointed to the young girl in the wheelchair so he could give it to her.  That was really kind of him because how could he even see her all the way across the room and later he played guitar with his arms around her.  Ron tossed me a pick towards the end of the show and that was awesome!  Anyway...Axl and the band were full of energy and they played hard.  At some points Axl did have some trouble but it was NOT bad...in fact more awesome than not!  I'm not a huge November Rain fan but the ending he was tearing through..."Don't you think"...it was just insane!

Did Axl throw out his mike at the end of show?  If he did I totally missed it.

After the show we went to a small fence where we could see them loading the truck.  DJ waved at us but he was talking on the phone and didn't come over.  There were only around 20 of us waiting and the security guards told us that no one was coming out and we were all to leave or we would be arrested for loitering.  My friend already agreed that we could wait until 4am or maybe later so that I could meet Axl but no luck.  We went to the slot machine and played another hour and then went home.  It was really cool to be playing slot machines and see all these people walking around wearing GN'R shirts!  Anyway...kick ass show and hope they come back again!!
-joe mngs717 


My HAND is in the bottom right corner of this photo by Mrs. Bumblefoot

[MNGS717]

[dolphins]

   Thanks so much for such an extensive review of your day, it's always great to read the experience of others plus you have written it fresh from the show so you have it to keep when you need to refer to things you will forget in the future. I'm glad you had such a great time, was this your first concert?

The t-shirt is awesome, your photos are awesome but where are photos of you with your friend or other fans? 

Sorry you didn't get to meet any of the band after waiting so long, security here also told us everyone had gone & there was no point in waiting at the gate (all 5 of us) but sure enough we told them we didn't believe them & Axl's car came out & he wound the window down & said hi to us. My biggest regret is it happened so fast I didn't get to the car in time & he didn't get out for photos.  Maybe next time.


Again thanks for sharing, it's so well written I could feel the experience with you. I felt so low after the whole experience as the adrenalin died down & I knew that it was all over. Don't you just hate it when they start playing Paradise City?    You know it's the last song.

So glad to read a positive review & that's why Axl stepped back from the microphone & stared for a while - was he getting a 'kick' from the static electricity or was it just making a static noise? It really hurts when you get a kick from static. 

Did you see Jarmo there? He was going back & forward in front of us constantly & I wanted to tap him on the shoulder but as the music was so loud we wouldn't have been able to speak anyway.

[MNGS717]

dolphins,  I was hearing a static kind of sound but not many times, but it was definitely coming from Axl's mike.  It would be for like half a second.  Axl did laugh after "BETTER" anyway. 
This was my 3rd time seeing GN'R.  I did get some photos with my friend and then a good one of my other friend Eric where there are three of us throwing huge handfuls of confetti in the air.  After Paradise City the fun does not have to end!  Did you see all the confetti down the hallways?  hahaa
I was probably standing near you for awhile when there were maybe 15 people waiting after show.  I saw a couple people with guitars and records.  I had a print of a photo I took but maybe I'll get it signed at a future show..
I saw Jarmo down front and flashed him the peace sign and he smiled and nodded.  I saw Beta and others walking by throughout the show.  It was cool being so close that I could have helped Kat by pushing buttons on her camera. hahaa

[MNGS717]

Guns N' Roses by Matt Christine Photography, on Flickr
Guns N' Roses by Matt Christine Photography, on Flickr
Guns N' Roses by Matt Christine Photography, on Flickr

[dolphins]

dolphins,  I was hearing a static kind of sound but not many times, but it was definitely coming from Axl's mike.  It would be for like half a second.  Axl did laugh after "BETTER" anyway. 
This was my 3rd time seeing GN'R.  I did get some photos with my friend and then a good one of my other friend Eric where there are three of us throwing huge handfuls of confetti in the air.  After Paradise City the fun does not have to end!  Did you see all the confetti down the hallways?  hahaa
I was probably standing near you for awhile when there were maybe 15 people waiting after show.  I saw a couple people with guitars and records.  I had a print of a photo I took but maybe I'll get it signed at a future show..
I saw Jarmo down front and flashed him the peace sign and he smiled and nodded.  I saw Beta and others walking by throughout the show.  It was cool being so close that I could have helped Kat by pushing buttons on her camera. hahaa

Sorry I wasn't at your show, I went in March in Australia & we had front row & after the concert we had passes to party with the band afterwards courtesy of BBF. That was March last year & it was the best concert I've been to & at 53 I'd been to so many. We threw bras at Axl & he smiled, I couldn't believe I was so caught up I was screaming to Axl like a 16yr old 

Got home at 3am that night/day which is hard as my party days are over but still couldn't stop watching more videos of them when I got home. They really get the adrenalin going - can't wait for them to return to Australia. As long as Axl keeps on rockin' so will I 

[NCrazy]

I am here having a  drink. Just saw 'Joe' in the Casino lol what time is everyone getting in line?

Damn!  I though I was in line by then.  There were three others wearing the shirt I was!!  HA!

We got there around 5pm and found there to be about 50 people in line. 




At the front of the line fences there was a sign about no pocket camera.  I got pissed but decided that since we would be up front then I wouldn't be able to take a photo anyway without getting kicked out!!  Casino's are weird and I didn't know what would happen so I took my little camera back to the car.  Since there were not too many people in line my friend and I decided to walk through the shopping center inside the building between the venue and the casino.  I saw a couple kids near the escalator and met with them for a few minutes.  I knew as soon as I saw them that it was the opening band, "Unlocking The Truth".  I got a photo with Jarad and Alec and told them they are awesome!!
I was looking around to see if I could find a cheap disposable camera but then gave up and we went back to wait in line.


Around 7pm they let us into a big lobby where there were doors where a pile of people waited to be let inside another set of doors direct into the show room.  Very cool to meet you NCrazy and your wife.  We had a great time talking.  While we waited a woman collapsed on the floor for unknown reason then they took her away.  It was right next to us and was scary!  By now there were around 500 people in the lobby drinking and buying shirts..etc.  Around 8pm a security man tried to shout over the crowd a pep talk about being respectful to each other and not trampling anyone when they open the doors.  I laughed and said to my friend.."On your mark...Get Set.."  It was awesome!!  The second they open the door EVERYONE around us made a crazy sprint to the stage.  It was a mad dash to the front barricade that reminded me of the "Estranged" music video.  With only luck I made it to the railing for the first time ever directly in front of Ron and the giant confetti cannon.  It was so cool!  Still can't believe it and said to my friend if we go again how could it be any better! 

"Unlocking The Truth" was pretty cool as expected.  Many of their songs were more instrumental.  I know part of the attraction is their age but imagine what they can do in the future..  I feel like if they would have just played 5 songs and left the audience would have been wanting more but they played a bit longer.  Towards the end of their set I was just wanting GN'R to come out and play instead of more songs but it was fun.

GN'R came out less than an hour later with minimal stage setup.  The band blasted through the songs with little or no pause.  Some people on the rail in the center commented that they could not hear Axl well but off to the left we could hear him real good even with people singing along!!  One thing I noticed and to clear things up early during the show there was a little bit of static coming from Axl's microphone.  Of course he noticed it too but it wasn't until BETTER during the end of song I was watching him sing and the mike was pretty much dead.  Instead of smashing the microphone he stepped away from it and froze like a statue.  When he stepped back over to the mike it was working again.  A couple more time during the show I notice a little static but nothing that stopped the show!  The best for me was hearing "Catcher" for the first time, Tommy's solo, and also "The Seeker" for the first time.  Hearing "Estranged" again is just so great too! 

Like some other mentioned...I noticed within the first few MINUTES of the show DJ ran over to the far side of stage past where I was at and gave the security guard a pick and pointed to the young girl in the wheelchair so he could give it to her.  That was really kind of him because how could he even see her all the way across the room and later he played guitar with his arms around her.  Ron tossed me a pick towards the end of the show and that was awesome!  Anyway...Axl and the band were full of energy and they played hard.  At some points Axl did have some trouble but it was NOT bad...in fact more awesome than not!  I'm not a huge November Rain fan but the ending he was tearing through..."Don't you think"...it was just insane!

Did Axl throw out his mike at the end of show?  If he did I totally missed it.

After the show we went to a small fence where we could see them loading the truck.  DJ waved at us but he was talking on the phone and didn't come over.  There were only around 20 of us waiting and the security guards told us that no one was coming out and we were all to leave or we would be arrested for loitering.  My friend already agreed that we could wait until 4am or maybe later so that I could meet Axl but no luck.  We went to the slot machine and played another hour and then went home.  It was really cool to be playing slot machines and see all these people walking around wearing GN'R shirts!  Anyway...kick ass show and hope they come back again!!
-joe mngs717 


My HAND is in the bottom right corner of this photo by Mrs. Bumblefoot

Great meeting you too! you & JOE  really helped make this a fun concert! Did We have the perfect spot or what? couldn't get any better & You guys helped my wife who has a bad back & spend mos. in the hospital before this show be safely right up front on the rail-my legs are still sore from that mad dash run once the doors opened! that was nuts! sorry you guys didn't get to meet Axman- you prolly have better odds at at winning in the casino- but hey it's all about the thrill of the chance!  As you said DJ is all heart- playing his guitar with his strap around the girl in the wheelchair's neck was very sweet of him.

 Bumble & Fortus are perfect note for note every time but I just don't feel any personality coming from those guys on stage- DJ really is the key to connecting the band to the crowd. GnR wouldn't be the same without him- I think they would be more of just a cover band, except for AXL of course who has become much more playful in his later years. As I said, his voice is not what is was from 06'-'10 but it's still fantastic & he continues to be the most charismatic entertaining frontman out there!

[sandman]

i don't have much to add to what has already been said. others have captured most of the show really well.

i am critical of this band when necessary. i don't shy away from negative comments. but there is not much to criticize from that show. the sound was amazing. Axl was in a good mood, high energy, and sounded great overall. i was sober and not just caught up in the moment. i walked around to different locations in the venue and really took everything in.

Seeker was definitely a highlight. they nail that song!! was great to hear it live. the first four songs were killer as always. It's So Easy especially!! Axl's voice sounded extremely strong. he was on fire! there were times where he was really pushing himself vocally and totally went for it. it was awesome. Patience stood out to me as a great moment during the show. This I Love as well. 

at one point he commented that the venue was nice and that they will come back in the future.     

i was in the back for the beginning of the show, and the sound was absolutely perfect. Axl's mix was perfect. i think with the volume that this band plays and the thickness of their songs makes it difficult, if not impossible, to get the sound perfect in all areas of an arena. when i saw them in camden, the volume was so overbearing that it took a few songs for my ears (and my brain!) to adjust. and i was close to the stage at that show and Axl was way too low in the mix. not once during this show did i think he needed to be louder.

[JAEBALL]

i don't have much to add to what has already been said. others have captured most of the show really well.

i am critical of this band when necessary. i don't shy away from negative comments. but there is not much to criticize from that show. the sound was amazing. Axl was in a good mood, high energy, and sounded great overall. i was sober and not just caught up in the moment. i walked around to different locations in the venue and really took everything in.

Seeker was definitely a highlight. they nail that song!! was great to hear it live. the first four songs were killer as always. It's So Easy especially!! Axl's voice sounded extremely strong. he was on fire! there were times where he was really pushing himself vocally and totally went for it. it was awesome. Patience stood out to me as a great moment during the show. This I Love as well. 

at one point he commented that the venue was nice and that they will come back in the future.     

i was in the back for the beginning of the show, and the sound was absolutely perfect. Axl's mix was perfect. i think with the volume that this band plays and the thickness of their songs makes it difficult, if not impossible, to get the sound perfect in all areas of an arena. when i saw them in camden, the volume was so overbearing that it took a few songs for my ears (and my brain!) to adjust. and i was close to the stage at that show and Axl was way too low in the mix. not once during this show did i think he needed to be louder.

Sounds good to me... I wonder why he sounds so much better than he has recently (by most accounts)

im sorry I couldn't make this show

[rebelhipi]

I think this is where someone posts a link to the seeker.

[maynard]

i literally came in my pants with this show. axl is amazing and fuck who needs slash? ashba is better than all the old and new ones. get on beta board or fuck off the haters!!!

[TheGeneralShrugged]

Years from now, serious gunners will still be talking about this show 

[D-GenerationX]

i literally came in my pants with this show. axl is amazing and fuck who needs slash? ashba is better than all the old and new ones. get on beta board or fuck off the haters!!!

Yeah, I remember my first beer.

[sjgotnitro]

I don't have much to add that was not already said positive about the show. Yes the MIC was thrown.  I was close to the whistle but I missed it and I almost knocked some poor lady over.  I felt bad.  It was a few feet further than I thought when I made a move for it.     I guess I was still buzzed at that point

I was about 10 - 15 people deep right of center and the sound was perfect for me. Everyone kicked ass.   I have no complaints about the show.  It was awesome. I have been to plenty Guns shows from 91 till now and I will say without a doubt this show was one of the best shows for me.  I hope some day they come back to Sands.

Who (Was it Del) that kept flinging picks at DJ from side stage. It was funny, it went on forever.

I saw the review from the Lehigh Live News as well, I was going to email that ass wipe. Obviously he don't know shit and he must of left early. No way he had that review typed up and ready to go that quick by 1:52 am.  I think he took the boiler plate negative comment BS and ran with it.

My only complaint was the sands staff wanting to hurry the crowd away.  I have been to other shows while they start to break down the stage and the road crew hands out picks and drum sticks.  This time you could not even begin to get close enough to ask.  The Sands staff was quick to order you away.

I wish I had the funds to go to Vegas.

 

[sandman]

i was unimpressed with some of the SA youtube clips i had seen, and i was worried that Axl was on a Vince Neil-like decline. on the clips, i thought he seemed tired and disinterested. and the vocals were so-so.

not the case at all at this show!

and i know there's alot of debate about his voice on youtube clips vs live. and all i can say is that his weakest moments sound EXTRA weak on youtube. for whatever reason, his faults really stand out, and you just can't capture the fullness of the overall sound with a phone camera. so it all sounds worse on youtube vids.

in person, when he goes high-pitched, it sounds clean. it doesn't sound bad at all. and with the music it all fits together. i spoke to a bunch of random people (i went to the show solo), and almost everyone said they couldn't believe how great Axl sounded.

this show brought back my confidence is Axl! i was a little worried there that the end was near. now i want more music and another tour!