14 Years (since Vegas HOB)!!

[LIGuns]

Wow, time flies...it's been 14 years of......? Some silence, sporadic touring, a tiny bit of controversy, a long awaited release, some cool interviews/appearances and some major lineup changes since Axl's big return at the HOB Vegas...

[GnR-NOW]

Must have been a great show to be at !! Happy new year !!!

[Bridge]

I had the bootleg for that show for awhile.  The show started at 3:38 a.m.!!   I remember Axl saying something like, "I've been taking a nap for eight years." in a somber, peaceful kind of tone.

[Sosso]

I am still looking for bootlegs from the two December 2001 shows

[NaturalLight]

I'm surprised the video never got released. Always heard rumors that people had it or that it was set for release and Axl pulled it or whatever. Oh well, it would have been cool to own at one point, but they've played a lot of shows since then.

[Gaymo, the Hobbit]

I am hoarding it

[The Wight Gunner]

The audio is excellent, apart fromsome bitch whinning about something or other  Some people really don't know when to STFU 

[MsRocknrolla]

That show was a hot mess. And I don't think it's a coincidence that GNR never performed there again.

[mortismurphy]

Ballsy move really. His first show in eight years - with a new band - and he premiered five or so new songs!

I miss that side of Axl, the creative challenging side - not the cheese merchant.

[EmilyGNR]

Ballsy move really. His first show in eight years - with a new band - and he premiered five or so new songs!

I miss that side of Axl, the creative challenging side - not the cheese merchant.

If you insist on labelling people disrespectfully, I am quite sure I can think of a few to throw your way.

Let's  start with "entitlement issues" and work our way up to "constant bitchy complainer and unsolicited amateur advice merchant"

Happy new year everyone 

[D-GenerationX]

I am still looking for bootlegs from the two December 2001 shows

Yeah, they never came out.  Odd.

[richbc]

That show was a hot mess. And I don't think it's a coincidence that GNR never performed there again.

The show was not a hot mess IMO. Except for the late start (3:30 AM) and the Mandalay Bay security making you stand in line since 7PM without sitting down, it was an awesome show. The anticipation of them taking the stage was unnerving, particularly as we had traveled from Canada and were worried Axl and Co would let us down. Once he took the stage, all was forgotten and it ranks among the top few of the 20+ GNR shows I have seen.

o
I am still looking for bootlegs from the two December 2001 shows

Yeah, they never came out.  Odd.

The reason there is no video, audio, or photos from this show is because security was adamant Axl would leave if he saw anything resembling a camera, cellphone, or video camera. Prior to and as we entered the venue, security reiterated "If Axl sees a camera, he will leave". Sounded like a broken record. Whether he would have, who knows but nobody was taking any chances..

[jarmo]

Wasn't there at the shows but there was a lot of buzz about it.
This was before social media, obviously, so the way to get info was through fan sites like this, mailinglists and news groups.

There were no instant photos back then.
Maybe some of you don't even remember how that was... 



/jarmo

[D-GenerationX]

That show was a hot mess. And I don't think it's a coincidence that GNR never performed there again.

The show was not a hot mess IMO. Except for the late start (3:30 AM) and the Mandalay Bay security making you stand in line since 7PM without sitting down, it was an awesome show. The anticipation of them taking the stage was unnerving, particularly as we had traveled from Canada and were worried Axl and Co would let us down. Once he took the stage, all was forgotten and it ranks among the top few of the 20+ GNR shows I have seen.

Are we talking about the same shows?

Because I was under the impression the "hot mess" was not the relunch show on 1.1.01, but the shows at the end of that year in December 2001.

The GNRONTOUR recap suggests is was kind of a cluster :

A very odd and entertaining show. Unlike the new band?s first show together [1.1.01], GN?R hit the stage early - around 10:52 p.m. and play ?till about 1 a.m. Axl began the show wearing a #12 Oakland Raiders Rich Gannon jersey. During ?Welcome To The Jungle,? Axl gives the finger to some people in the crowd. There were many sound problems early on in the show, with Axl often leaving the stage while the band continued to play. Tommy sang almost all of ?Oh My God.? Robin also threw his guitar down during ?Oh My God,? obviously enraged by the problems. Axl?s odd presence continued on for the rest of the night, probably since he wasn?t comfortable with his sound-piece. Later on in the show he would yell at his sound guy. Buckethead?s first guitar solo is played pretty much to cover up for the sound difficulties. He played parts of the ?Star Wars Theme? and the ?Pirates Of The Caribbean Theme.? After ?Rocket Queen,? Axl told the crowd about the band?s current status. He talked about how these shows in Vegas were the first ones he wanted to play since the UYI tour. He nonchalantly criticized Doug Goldstein for booking the European 2001 tour without his knowledge, leading Axl to find out about it through the internet! He went on to promise that the band would eventually deliver on the album. All the songs were played straight-through ? there was no encore break. The most astonishing thing is that Axl worked through the night?s problems and didn?t let the crowd down by ending the show early.

[EmilyGNR]

Wasn't there at the shows but there was a lot of buzz about it.
This was before social media, obviously, so the way to get info was through fan sites like this, mailinglists and news groups.

There were no instant photos back then.
Maybe some of you don't even remember how that was... 



/jarmo

I remember that time well, and fondly when I see all the random hatred, repetitive complaints, and tiring whining on the internet.

Was an entirely different world then, and that was a great show

[sofine11]

That show was a hot mess. And I don't think it's a coincidence that GNR never performed there again.

The show was not a hot mess IMO. Except for the late start (3:30 AM) and the Mandalay Bay security making you stand in line since 7PM without sitting down, it was an awesome show. The anticipation of them taking the stage was unnerving, particularly as we had traveled from Canada and were worried Axl and Co would let us down. Once he took the stage, all was forgotten and it ranks among the top few of the 20+ GNR shows I have seen.

Are we talking about the same shows?

Because I was under the impression the "hot mess" was not the relunch show on 1.1.01, but the shows at the end of that year in December 2001.

The GNRONTOUR recap suggests is was kind of a cluster :

A very odd and entertaining show. Unlike the new band?s first show together [1.1.01], GN?R hit the stage early - around 10:52 p.m. and play ?till about 1 a.m. Axl began the show wearing a #12 Oakland Raiders Rich Gannon jersey. During ?Welcome To The Jungle,? Axl gives the finger to some people in the crowd. There were many sound problems early on in the show, with Axl often leaving the stage while the band continued to play. Tommy sang almost all of ?Oh My God.? Robin also threw his guitar down during ?Oh My God,? obviously enraged by the problems. Axl?s odd presence continued on for the rest of the night, probably since he wasn?t comfortable with his sound-piece. Later on in the show he would yell at his sound guy. Buckethead?s first guitar solo is played pretty much to cover up for the sound difficulties. He played parts of the ?Star Wars Theme? and the ?Pirates Of The Caribbean Theme.? After ?Rocket Queen,? Axl told the crowd about the band?s current status. He talked about how these shows in Vegas were the first ones he wanted to play since the UYI tour. He nonchalantly criticized Doug Goldstein for booking the European 2001 tour without his knowledge, leading Axl to find out about it through the internet! He went on to promise that the band would eventually deliver on the album. All the songs were played straight-through ? there was no encore break. The most astonishing thing is that Axl worked through the night?s problems and didn?t let the crowd down by ending the show early.

Agreed, those late 2001 shows are notorious for being riddled with issues. Amazing how they pulled it together by August.  Once Fortus joined, in my opinion, the lineup that toured the states in late '02 was the best sounding, most dynamic Guns lineup since 1991.  I'm so glad I got to catch them in Chicago that year.  Just amazing. Shame how that tour ended. 

[D-GenerationX]

I think the 01.01.01 show is actually pretty good considering all the baggage.

[richbc]

That show was a hot mess. And I don't think it's a coincidence that GNR never performed there again.

The show was not a hot mess IMO. Except for the late start (3:30 AM) and the Mandalay Bay security making you stand in line since 7PM without sitting down, it was an awesome show. The anticipation of them taking the stage was unnerving, particularly as we had traveled from Canada and were worried Axl and Co would let us down. Once he took the stage, all was forgotten and it ranks among the top few of the 20+ GNR shows I have seen.

Are we talking about the same shows?

Because I was under the impression the "hot mess" was not the relunch show on 1.1.01, but the shows at the end of that year in December 2001.

The GNRONTOUR recap suggests is was kind of a cluster :

A very odd and entertaining show. Unlike the new band?s first show together [1.1.01], GN?R hit the stage early - around 10:52 p.m. and play ?till about 1 a.m. Axl began the show wearing a #12 Oakland Raiders Rich Gannon jersey. During ?Welcome To The Jungle,? Axl gives the finger to some people in the crowd. There were many sound problems early on in the show, with Axl often leaving the stage while the band continued to play. Tommy sang almost all of ?Oh My God.? Robin also threw his guitar down during ?Oh My God,? obviously enraged by the problems. Axl?s odd presence continued on for the rest of the night, probably since he wasn?t comfortable with his sound-piece. Later on in the show he would yell at his sound guy. Buckethead?s first guitar solo is played pretty much to cover up for the sound difficulties. He played parts of the ?Star Wars Theme? and the ?Pirates Of The Caribbean Theme.? After ?Rocket Queen,? Axl told the crowd about the band?s current status. He talked about how these shows in Vegas were the first ones he wanted to play since the UYI tour. He nonchalantly criticized Doug Goldstein for booking the European 2001 tour without his knowledge, leading Axl to find out about it through the internet! He went on to promise that the band would eventually deliver on the album. All the songs were played straight-through ? there was no encore break. The most astonishing thing is that Axl worked through the night?s problems and didn?t let the crowd down by ending the show early.

Looking at my ticket stubs as I write this.... I attended both the Jan 1, 2001 show at the House of Blues (Mandalay Bay) and the Dec 29, 2001 show at the old Joint (HRH). The report above likely references the Dec 31, 2001 show that I didn't attend, as it describes the same clothes Axl was wearing Dec 29. The HOB show is exactly as I recall, no sound issues that stick in memory (Axl was wearing a Charlie Sheen type shirt with dragon emblems front and back). 

[richbc]

Whoops, damn tablet. The commentary above (i.e. "Looking at my ticket stubs....") is mine. 

[rebelhipi]

Whoops, damn tablet. The commentary above (i.e. "Looking at my ticket stubs....") is mine. 

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