[Updates] July 23rd, 2016 East Rutherford, NJ @ Metlife Stadium (SOLD OUT)

[D-GenerationX]

Looks like Fox News took the police blotter from the Saturday night show - which was very typical for any 50,000+ event at that stadium - and tried to spin it as controversy:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/07/25/at-least-30-arrested-at-guns-n-roses-concert-in-new-jersey.html

 

Yeah it's all over the news now - though is it really typical for a show that big?

http://globalnews.ca/news/2845574/dozens-of-people-arrested-at-guns-n-roses-concert-in-new-jersey/

I joked on FB that they likely have that many at every single Giants game.

[SkeletorSerpent]

Ms. Reese, like Tracy and Roberta before her, adds an amazing layer to the backing vocals that I think has been missing since the UYI days.  And I'm not even sure if I was AWARE that it felt missing.  Now, during a lot of the UYI material especially, there is another layer to the music that really adds a ton.  She sounds great, and her work on keys, if understated, is definitely felt when it's there. I really hope that she sticks around, and they get her in the studio to record new stuff. I'd LOVE to hear her in some album material...I think it would be gangbuster. And, of all the people up on that stage last night, I think I felt for her in the heat THE MOST.  Her thick, blue, eye makeup was just melting.  To the point where, I think, by the end of the show she'd just removed it.

And lastly, we get to Dizzy.  Dizzy was, as usual, the master of the keys.  I find it hard to heap praise on him, though he deserves it, because he does what Dizzy usually does: Fades into the night, while still having a dramatic effect on the music, and musicality, of everything being played.  He is the guy lurking in the background who jumps in just as he's needed to fill that much needed part to make it all sound perfect, and then slowly slinks away until it's time to save the day, again. He is the unsung superhero of GnR, and I love every minute of his work.

And last...the crowd. I honestly don't know how to put this into words.  They were, if anything, another member of the band last night.  I know it's cliche to say it...but last night, it was true.  For every ounce of energy Axl and the boys gave out, the crowd threw 10X that much back to them.  Axl would drive the crowd wild with a scream, or some rasp, or a spot on rendition...and the crowd would go fucking nuts, and it seemed to drive Axl to do it again, and again, and again.  Slash would rip out some crazy piece of sonic wizardry, the crowd would worship the guitar god appropriately, and he would almost take it as a dare to do something even more ridiculous 2 minutes later.  The crowd was fed and in turn fed the band.  It was like watching one, big, symbiotic game of tug of war.  And what made it all the better was that the vibe in the crowd was so cool.  We were all best friends, there to see what we never, ever thought we'd see again.  A resurrection, of sorts.  And while they might STILL be the most dangerous band alive...last night the crowed was the most unified crowd alive.  Singing along to every song (and to those who dis LALD and KOHD...the crowd sung so loud during those songs, it was almost deafening...they are HUGE pleasers of most of those 55k sitting there), snake dancing at every turn, with not a hint (that I saw) of aggression, or violence, or anything other than comraderie.  And I think (I hope) the band felt that too.  The love and excitement for GnR last night was as much of the experience as anything else.  It was an amazing thing to be part of and, honestly, it's something I'll remember for the rest of my life.  No show I've ever been to, and that includes some amazing Greatful Dead and Phish shows where community is part of the deal, has had that kind of feel to it.  So, big shout out to my fellow attendees last night....because you, as much as GnR, made this one for the ages.

By the end of the show...which I think was the PERFECT length...you could feel the energy starting to wane.  Some of it was the inevitable sadness that we all knew it was coming to an end.  Some of it was the BLISTERING heat and humidity that was finally starting to take it's toll, on both the crowd and the band.  Some of it was just the inevitability that comes with a 2.5 hour set that, really, has no significant slow down...no chance to recharge before the next amazing song starts it's opening notes.  But, along with that, came this weird feeling.  It was the feeling that we had all made it through this thing together, accomplished something amazing together.  It's almost like we, band and crowd alike, had just finished a marathon, in world record setting time, all as one entity.  It felt important. It felt monumental.  And as the last notes of Paradise City hit, and the crowd started to move toward the exits, we all sort of looked at each other and said "Holy shit...what just happened?".  Like the impossible had been completed, and we were all a part of history.  As the band came out for their curtain calls, every person in that arena STOPPED, on the stairs, in front of chairs, in aisles, wherever, and ROARED their approval.  ROARED their gratefulness. ROARED their overwhelming love and appreciation for what Guns N Roses had just done, what WE had just done.  It was.....almost spiritual, at least for me.

So yeah. Fuck you. Fuck them. Fuck everybody. Fuck the world.

Because last night, The most dangerous band alive put in their audition tape to be the biggest band on the planet. Again.

And it's one hell of a compelling audition. Mission. Fucking. Accomplished.

Thank you for the insightful and well written review, pilferk! I always appreciate your passion, insight, observations, honesty, and heartfelt GNR devotion. Your posts are always original and thought-provoking.

[SkeletorSerpent]

Easy, Brownstone, CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jMi7lcrK0Q

The quality here is incredible

Yes, amazing quality!!!
I haven't seen Axl move with so much groove in many years. He is loose, and really feeling the rhythm and swing in the jams. He is slithering and sliding across the stage like a demonic serpent. This is Appetite swagger and slither. Fucking love it. Very natural. Very organic jive. Nothing forced. Nothing stiff. Nothing that could give a skeptic fuel for believing that Axl has become a parody of himself.
Axl is still the real deal.

[D-GenerationX]

Easy, Brownstone, CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jMi7lcrK0Q

The quality here is incredible

Yes, amazing quality!!!

And is that just a phone? It looks pro shot.

Even the sound is unreal.

[bjd2944]

Ms. Reese, like Tracy and Roberta before her, adds an amazing layer to the backing vocals that I think has been missing since the UYI days.  And I'm not even sure if I was AWARE that it felt missing.  Now, during a lot of the UYI material especially, there is another layer to the music that really adds a ton.  She sounds great, and her work on keys, if understated, is definitely felt when it's there. I really hope that she sticks around, and they get her in the studio to record new stuff. I'd LOVE to hear her in some album material...I think it would be gangbuster. And, of all the people up on that stage last night, I think I felt for her in the heat THE MOST.  Her thick, blue, eye makeup was just melting.  To the point where, I think, by the end of the show she'd just removed it.

And lastly, we get to Dizzy.  Dizzy was, as usual, the master of the keys.  I find it hard to heap praise on him, though he deserves it, because he does what Dizzy usually does: Fades into the night, while still having a dramatic effect on the music, and musicality, of everything being played.  He is the guy lurking in the background who jumps in just as he's needed to fill that much needed part to make it all sound perfect, and then slowly slinks away until it's time to save the day, again. He is the unsung superhero of GnR, and I love every minute of his work.

And last...the crowd. I honestly don't know how to put this into words.  They were, if anything, another member of the band last night.  I know it's cliche to say it...but last night, it was true.  For every ounce of energy Axl and the boys gave out, the crowd threw 10X that much back to them.  Axl would drive the crowd wild with a scream, or some rasp, or a spot on rendition...and the crowd would go fucking nuts, and it seemed to drive Axl to do it again, and again, and again.  Slash would rip out some crazy piece of sonic wizardry, the crowd would worship the guitar god appropriately, and he would almost take it as a dare to do something even more ridiculous 2 minutes later.  The crowd was fed and in turn fed the band.  It was like watching one, big, symbiotic game of tug of war.  And what made it all the better was that the vibe in the crowd was so cool.  We were all best friends, there to see what we never, ever thought we'd see again.  A resurrection, of sorts.  And while they might STILL be the most dangerous band alive...last night the crowed was the most unified crowd alive.  Singing along to every song (and to those who dis LALD and KOHD...the crowd sung so loud during those songs, it was almost deafening...they are HUGE pleasers of most of those 55k sitting there), snake dancing at every turn, with not a hint (that I saw) of aggression, or violence, or anything other than comraderie.  And I think (I hope) the band felt that too.  The love and excitement for GnR last night was as much of the experience as anything else.  It was an amazing thing to be part of and, honestly, it's something I'll remember for the rest of my life.  No show I've ever been to, and that includes some amazing Greatful Dead and Phish shows where community is part of the deal, has had that kind of feel to it.  So, big shout out to my fellow attendees last night....because you, as much as GnR, made this one for the ages.

By the end of the show...which I think was the PERFECT length...you could feel the energy starting to wane.  Some of it was the inevitable sadness that we all knew it was coming to an end.  Some of it was the BLISTERING heat and humidity that was finally starting to take it's toll, on both the crowd and the band.  Some of it was just the inevitability that comes with a 2.5 hour set that, really, has no significant slow down...no chance to recharge before the next amazing song starts it's opening notes.  But, along with that, came this weird feeling.  It was the feeling that we had all made it through this thing together, accomplished something amazing together.  It's almost like we, band and crowd alike, had just finished a marathon, in world record setting time, all as one entity.  It felt important. It felt monumental.  And as the last notes of Paradise City hit, and the crowd started to move toward the exits, we all sort of looked at each other and said "Holy shit...what just happened?".  Like the impossible had been completed, and we were all a part of history.  As the band came out for their curtain calls, every person in that arena STOPPED, on the stairs, in front of chairs, in aisles, wherever, and ROARED their approval.  ROARED their gratefulness. ROARED their overwhelming love and appreciation for what Guns N Roses had just done, what WE had just done.  It was.....almost spiritual, at least for me.

So yeah. Fuck you. Fuck them. Fuck everybody. Fuck the world.

Because last night, The most dangerous band alive put in their audition tape to be the biggest band on the planet. Again.

And it's one hell of a compelling audition. Mission. Fucking. Accomplished.

I agree on Melissa. I kind of questioned her role in the band when I first heard she was replacing Mother Goose, but she does bring a lot to the table. I actually feel the backing vocals primarily being her and Duff are stronger than they've been.

[Eduardo]

Easy, Brownstone, CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jMi7lcrK0Q

The quality here is incredible

Yes, amazing quality!!!

And is that just a phone? It looks pro shot.

Even the sound is unreal.

Yeah it's awesome. But it's not a phone. The guy who filmed it said on YouTube comments that it's a Panasonic T900, or something like that.

I dunno if it's possible to get this quality out of a smartphone

[pilferk]

Looks like Fox News took the police blotter from the Saturday night show - which was very typical for any 50,000+ event at that stadium - and tried to spin it as controversy:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/07/25/at-least-30-arrested-at-guns-n-roses-concert-in-new-jersey.html

 

Yeah it's all over the news now - though is it really typical for a show that big?

http://globalnews.ca/news/2845574/dozens-of-people-arrested-at-guns-n-roses-concert-in-new-jersey/

Pffft..thats a quiet, well behaved crowd for some shows or sporting events. I've seen close to that many carted out of a yanks/sox or giants/cowboys game.

[C0ma]

Looks like Fox News took the police blotter from the Saturday night show - which was very typical for any 50,000+ event at that stadium - and tried to spin it as controversy:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2016/07/25/at-least-30-arrested-at-guns-n-roses-concert-in-new-jersey.html

 

Yeah it's all over the news now - though is it really typical for a show that big?

http://globalnews.ca/news/2845574/dozens-of-people-arrested-at-guns-n-roses-concert-in-new-jersey/

Pffft..thats a quiet, well behaved crowd for some shows or sporting events. I've seen close to that many carted out of a yanks/sox or giants/cowboys game.

I've seen more people arrested at the gate of a game at Fenway with 'Yankees Suck, Jeter Swallow's" shirts... This is them just trying to manufacture a 'Most Dangerous Band in the World' story line.

[jazjme]

Those wondering about the shirt for the show,I am pretty sure it's supposed to resemblethe New Years Eve Ball in Times Square sense the fireworks and neon ball.

[Mysteron]

Ms. Reese, like Tracy and Roberta before her, adds an amazing layer to the backing vocals that I think has been missing since the UYI days.  And I'm not even sure if I was AWARE that it felt missing.  Now, during a lot of the UYI material especially, there is another layer to the music that really adds a ton.  She sounds great, and her work on keys, if understated, is definitely felt when it's there. I really hope that she sticks around, and they get her in the studio to record new stuff. I'd LOVE to hear her in some album material...I think it would be gangbuster. And, of all the people up on that stage last night, I think I felt for her in the heat THE MOST.  Her thick, blue, eye makeup was just melting.  To the point where, I think, by the end of the show she'd just removed it.

And lastly, we get to Dizzy.  Dizzy was, as usual, the master of the keys.  I find it hard to heap praise on him, though he deserves it, because he does what Dizzy usually does: Fades into the night, while still having a dramatic effect on the music, and musicality, of everything being played.  He is the guy lurking in the background who jumps in just as he's needed to fill that much needed part to make it all sound perfect, and then slowly slinks away until it's time to save the day, again. He is the unsung superhero of GnR, and I love every minute of his work.

And last...the crowd. I honestly don't know how to put this into words.  They were, if anything, another member of the band last night.  I know it's cliche to say it...but last night, it was true.  For every ounce of energy Axl and the boys gave out, the crowd threw 10X that much back to them.  Axl would drive the crowd wild with a scream, or some rasp, or a spot on rendition...and the crowd would go fucking nuts, and it seemed to drive Axl to do it again, and again, and again.  Slash would rip out some crazy piece of sonic wizardry, the crowd would worship the guitar god appropriately, and he would almost take it as a dare to do something even more ridiculous 2 minutes later.  The crowd was fed and in turn fed the band.  It was like watching one, big, symbiotic game of tug of war.  And what made it all the better was that the vibe in the crowd was so cool.  We were all best friends, there to see what we never, ever thought we'd see again.  A resurrection, of sorts.  And while they might STILL be the most dangerous band alive...last night the crowed was the most unified crowd alive.  Singing along to every song (and to those who dis LALD and KOHD...the crowd sung so loud during those songs, it was almost deafening...they are HUGE pleasers of most of those 55k sitting there), snake dancing at every turn, with not a hint (that I saw) of aggression, or violence, or anything other than comraderie.  And I think (I hope) the band felt that too.  The love and excitement for GnR last night was as much of the experience as anything else.  It was an amazing thing to be part of and, honestly, it's something I'll remember for the rest of my life.  No show I've ever been to, and that includes some amazing Greatful Dead and Phish shows where community is part of the deal, has had that kind of feel to it.  So, big shout out to my fellow attendees last night....because you, as much as GnR, made this one for the ages.

By the end of the show...which I think was the PERFECT length...you could feel the energy starting to wane.  Some of it was the inevitable sadness that we all knew it was coming to an end.  Some of it was the BLISTERING heat and humidity that was finally starting to take it's toll, on both the crowd and the band.  Some of it was just the inevitability that comes with a 2.5 hour set that, really, has no significant slow down...no chance to recharge before the next amazing song starts it's opening notes.  But, along with that, came this weird feeling.  It was the feeling that we had all made it through this thing together, accomplished something amazing together.  It's almost like we, band and crowd alike, had just finished a marathon, in world record setting time, all as one entity.  It felt important. It felt monumental.  And as the last notes of Paradise City hit, and the crowd started to move toward the exits, we all sort of looked at each other and said "Holy shit...what just happened?".  Like the impossible had been completed, and we were all a part of history.  As the band came out for their curtain calls, every person in that arena STOPPED, on the stairs, in front of chairs, in aisles, wherever, and ROARED their approval.  ROARED their gratefulness. ROARED their overwhelming love and appreciation for what Guns N Roses had just done, what WE had just done.  It was.....almost spiritual, at least for me.

So yeah. Fuck you. Fuck them. Fuck everybody. Fuck the world.

Because last night, The most dangerous band alive put in their audition tape to be the biggest band on the planet. Again.

And it's one hell of a compelling audition. Mission. Fucking. Accomplished.

Great review

I think when you go to a concert and you let yourself go, invest part of yourself to the moment, you get so much more from the experience. For a couple of hours it just about you, the band and all the people around and nothing in the world matters. You feel free

It's a small moment of magic.

[Voodoochild]

Easy, Brownstone, CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jMi7lcrK0Q

The quality here is incredible

Yes, amazing quality!!!

And is that just a phone? It looks pro shot.

Even the sound is unreal.

Yeah it's awesome. But it's not a phone. The guy who filmed it said on YouTube comments that it's a Panasonic T900, or something like that.

I dunno if it's possible to get this quality out of a smartphone

The Samsung Galaxy S7 camera is pretty good. And things are getting better on this camp. Still not beating a DSLR tho.

[CheapJon]

Best show of my life, nothing compares. There's literally nothing to piss on here, if you went to the show, you know it.

Stayed on the same hotel as Duff, shared the elevator down when we were checking out, nervously thanked him "for the show on friday" which he corrected me as saturday of course and wondered if I was Swedish since I was wearing a Graveyard t-shirt. 

[C0ma]

Yesterday Howard Stern talked briefly about the Saturday show because Gary was there and met Duff and Slash back stage. He was very complimentary, saying that Axl and Slash both sounded amazing. He said name a song and they played it, mentioning that the played for 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Where some won't be happy with the back and forth... we didn't sound super impressed with their decision to play material off of Chinese Democracy (although it sounded like he thought they only played one song)... Howard inevitably asked if Axl is 'still chubby', and Gary said yes he is, but he sounded amazing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR6maLB6JRs&list=PLEzO75e97Dx68323ind8NARy_GDyGiFNL

Starts at 1:58:50

[pilferk]

I'm just re-listening to my couple of scopes from that night...and freaking goosebumps.

They really did sound freaking amazing.....

[JAEBALL]

Best show of my life, nothing compares. There's literally nothing to piss on here, if you went to the show, you know it.

Stayed on the same hotel as Duff, shared the elevator down when we were checking out, nervously thanked him "for the show on friday" which he corrected me as saturday of course and wondered if I was Swedish since I was wearing a Graveyard t-shirt. 

Nice ! Duff is all class.

I agree about the show . Best show of my life.

[pilferk]

I would pay boucoup bucks for a proshot DVD/Blu Ray or a soundboard of this show.  Even something fan shot with consistent, high quality, balanced audio.  I'm watching the bootlegs thread, and have the one for the show, but since it's youtube sourced...it's inconsistent.  Good for what it is, for sure, but......GAH, I wanna just relive this show over and over again.

[C0ma]

I would pay boucoup bucks for a proshot DVD/Blu Ray or a soundboard of this show.  Even something fan shot with consistent, high quality, balanced audio.  I'm watching the bootlegs thread, and have the one for the show, but since it's youtube sourced...it's inconsistent.  Good for what it is, for sure, but......GAH, I wanna just relive this show over and over again.

I can't see them not releasing a show (or a compilation DVD) from this tour. If they did I would think that your observation of the slight change to the number of songs could be related to fine tuning the timing of a BluRay. Also of note the head of the production company they used for the live footage of the LA warmup gig has been very active on instragram with quick clips of backstage at MetLife as well as outside in the crowd.  https://www.instagram.com/whitepie/ might mean something might not.

I just don't see how you release the Appetite for Democracy DVD/BR and somehow miss this opportunity.

[HBK]

Melissa

 

[russkwtx]

Ms. Reese, like Tracy and Roberta before her, adds an amazing layer to the backing vocals that I think has been missing since the UYI days.  And I'm not even sure if I was AWARE that it felt missing.  Now, during a lot of the UYI material especially, there is another layer to the music that really adds a ton.  She sounds great, and her work on keys, if understated, is definitely felt when it's there. I really hope that she sticks around, and they get her in the studio to record new stuff. I'd LOVE to hear her in some album material...I think it would be gangbuster. And, of all the people up on that stage last night, I think I felt for her in the heat THE MOST.  Her thick, blue, eye makeup was just melting.  To the point where, I think, by the end of the show she'd just removed it.

And lastly, we get to Dizzy.  Dizzy was, as usual, the master of the keys.  I find it hard to heap praise on him, though he deserves it, because he does what Dizzy usually does: Fades into the night, while still having a dramatic effect on the music, and musicality, of everything being played.  He is the guy lurking in the background who jumps in just as he's needed to fill that much needed part to make it all sound perfect, and then slowly slinks away until it's time to save the day, again. He is the unsung superhero of GnR, and I love every minute of his work.

And last...the crowd. I honestly don't know how to put this into words.  They were, if anything, another member of the band last night.  I know it's cliche to say it...but last night, it was true.  For every ounce of energy Axl and the boys gave out, the crowd threw 10X that much back to them.  Axl would drive the crowd wild with a scream, or some rasp, or a spot on rendition...and the crowd would go fucking nuts, and it seemed to drive Axl to do it again, and again, and again.  Slash would rip out some crazy piece of sonic wizardry, the crowd would worship the guitar god appropriately, and he would almost take it as a dare to do something even more ridiculous 2 minutes later.  The crowd was fed and in turn fed the band.  It was like watching one, big, symbiotic game of tug of war.  And what made it all the better was that the vibe in the crowd was so cool.  We were all best friends, there to see what we never, ever thought we'd see again.  A resurrection, of sorts.  And while they might STILL be the most dangerous band alive...last night the crowed was the most unified crowd alive.  Singing along to every song (and to those who dis LALD and KOHD...the crowd sung so loud during those songs, it was almost deafening...they are HUGE pleasers of most of those 55k sitting there), snake dancing at every turn, with not a hint (that I saw) of aggression, or violence, or anything other than comraderie.  And I think (I hope) the band felt that too.  The love and excitement for GnR last night was as much of the experience as anything else.  It was an amazing thing to be part of and, honestly, it's something I'll remember for the rest of my life.  No show I've ever been to, and that includes some amazing Greatful Dead and Phish shows where community is part of the deal, has had that kind of feel to it.  So, big shout out to my fellow attendees last night....because you, as much as GnR, made this one for the ages.

By the end of the show...which I think was the PERFECT length...you could feel the energy starting to wane.  Some of it was the inevitable sadness that we all knew it was coming to an end.  Some of it was the BLISTERING heat and humidity that was finally starting to take it's toll, on both the crowd and the band.  Some of it was just the inevitability that comes with a 2.5 hour set that, really, has no significant slow down...no chance to recharge before the next amazing song starts it's opening notes.  But, along with that, came this weird feeling.  It was the feeling that we had all made it through this thing together, accomplished something amazing together.  It's almost like we, band and crowd alike, had just finished a marathon, in world record setting time, all as one entity.  It felt important. It felt monumental.  And as the last notes of Paradise City hit, and the crowd started to move toward the exits, we all sort of looked at each other and said "Holy shit...what just happened?".  Like the impossible had been completed, and we were all a part of history.  As the band came out for their curtain calls, every person in that arena STOPPED, on the stairs, in front of chairs, in aisles, wherever, and ROARED their approval.  ROARED their gratefulness. ROARED their overwhelming love and appreciation for what Guns N Roses had just done, what WE had just done.  It was.....almost spiritual, at least for me.

So yeah. Fuck you. Fuck them. Fuck everybody. Fuck the world.

Because last night, The most dangerous band alive put in their audition tape to be the biggest band on the planet. Again.

And it's one hell of a compelling audition. Mission. Fucking. Accomplished.

Wow, what an excellent review! Sounds like a magical night. I always thought that the East coast brought out the best in GNR in a way that the Midwest does not. 

[pilferk]

Wow, what an excellent review! Sounds like a magical night. I always thought that the East coast brought out the best in GNR in a way that the Midwest does not. 

Thanks!

It really was awesome.  The band sounded great. The crowd was amazing.  I honestly don't think it could have been any better (well, unless they were still playing...because lets face it, more GnR is always better!) than it was.  Everything just "worked".

I'm already planning and scheming for NEXT TIME.