GN'R Chinese Democracy On Fuckin' Tour

GUNS N’ ROSES
CHINESE DEMOCRACY ON TOUR

SETLIST ALMANAC
By Jarmo Luukkonen
Additional reviews by Izzy Joel
WWW.GNRONTOUR.COM WWW.HERETODAYGONETOHELL.COM WWW.GNRSOURCE.COM WWW.GNRONLINE.ORG

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2001-2002-2006-2007-2009-2010
Copyright © 1996 - 2010 Jarmo Luukkonen No part of this site may be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the author.
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TOUR 2001
Warm Up Shows: January 1st & 15th 2001
Europe: June / December 2001 [Rescheduled / Canceled]
Las Vegas: December 29th & 31st 2001
WORLD TOUR 2002

Asia & Europe: August 14th - 26th 2002
North America: November 2002 - January 2003 [Canceled]
WORLD TOUR 2006

Warm Up Shows: May 12th - 17th 2006
Europe: May - July 2006
Las Vegas & California: September 2006
North America: October 2006 - January 2007 [Canceled]
WORLD TOUR 2007

Japan & South Africa: April - May 2007 [Postponed / Canceled]
Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Japan: June - July 2007
WORLD TOUR 2009-2010

Asia: December 2009
Canada: January - February 2010
Secret Gig: February 12th & 15th 2010
Latin America: March - April 2010
Europe: May - June 2010
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WARM-UP SHOWS 2001
01.01.01 - House Of Blues, Las Vegas, NV, USA

attendance: 1,800
soundcheck: Welcome To The Jungle, November Rain
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Oh My God, My Michelle, Think About You, You Could
Be Mine, Sweet Child O' Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, November Rain, Out Ta Get Me, Rocket Queen, Rhiad And The Bedouins,
Chinese Democracy, Patience, The Blues, Nightrain
encore: Chicken Binge [Buckethead], Silkworms, Paradise City
audio/video recording?: audio, video [pro-shot]
notes: First show for the new line-up. Axl Rose does not disappoint the sold out crowd of 1800. At 3:32 a.m., a short animation intro is
shown on the video screen behind the stage. An animated Axl introduces himself as ‘Uncle Axl’ and the clip is almost a mock of all the
press about him in recent years. Robin Finck comes out on stage first and starts strumming the opening chords to 'Welcome To The
Jungle' very slowly. The band breaks into the song and so does the athletically-clad Axl. Sporting silver sunglasses, Adidas jogging pants
and a Chinese dragon shirt, this older and wiser Axl is better than ever. His vocals are crisp and he still can control a crowd with passion.
During songs he is running to the side of the stage to watch the band perform. The band, consisting of Dizzy Reed on keyboards, Paul
Tobias on guitar, Tommy Stinson on bass, Robin Finck on guitar, Buckethead on guitar, Bryan 'Brain' Mantia on drums and Chris
Pittman on keyboards, prove their validity as a unit throughout each song. They were tight and menacing to the ears of all in attendance.
The highlight of the show was a ‘Welcome Back’ chant that started while the band was getting ready to play ‘Patience.’ A smiling and
almost-about-to-cry Axl told the crowd that he was “embarrassed.” Consisting of mostly Appetite For Destruction tracks, the set was
blistering. ‘Think About You’ was played, which hasn’t been documented as being played since 1986! The new tracks, played for the
first time, were full of new sounds that were ready for public consumption. ‘Oh My God’ was reworked and has a new, hard edge that
makes you cringe. 'Chinese Democracy' was written by Axl after he saw the movie Kundun, he told the crowd. 'The Blues' has a piano
intro that after 10 seconds is injected with heavy guitars. ‘Silkworms’, was heavily infused by keyboards and pure rock guitars. When he
introduced the band, Axl went out of his way to thank Paul for helping him live through the past 8 years. After 'Chinese Democracy,'
with Brain playing a short drum solo, Buckethead struts the stage and starts playing nunchuks and throws them into the crowd. He then
throws out chocolate roses from a KFC bucket to crowd members (one of which was stolen from me by Mark Roulley!!). Towards the
end of the set, Buckethead plays a short, country-western style jam by himself, with Axl dancing and laughing at the side of the stage.
After ‘Paradise City,’ Axl thanks the crowd and wishes everyone a happy new year. At 5:36 a.m., after 2 hours and 4 minutes of pure
rock & roll and chaos, the show is over, leaving the 1800 concert-goers with their jaws-dropped and craving for more. The band
soundchecked at the House of Blues at 6 a.m. on Dec. 31.
L.A. TIMES (By Steve Appleford, Special To The Times): New Guns N' Roses Gets Right Back in the Jungle. Axl Rose resurfaces with a different lineup,
sounding as if he never went away. LAS VEGAS--"Good morning," Axl Rose declared with a grin New Year's morning at the House of Blues during his
first live performance with Guns N' Roses in more than seven years. "I've just woke up. I've been taking a nap for about eight years." If waiting all these
years for the return of what was the most explosive hard-rock band of its generation wasn't enough for fans, they also had to wait until nearly 4 a.m. for
Rose and the new Guns lineup to take the stage. But drama seems an inescapable part of Rose's world. The most suspense Monday revolved around the
show itself. Eight years away from the action is an eternity in the fickle world ofpop-rock, so the question on the minds of the sold-out crowd, many of
whom came from Los Angeles and paid far above face value for the $150 tickets, was whether Rose's new material and bandmates would satisfy their
appetites. The performance--whose scheduled 1 a.m. starting time was pushed back because a Goo Goo Dolls concert at the venue didn't end until after
midnight--began amid a storm of flashing lights and the familiar staccato guitar riff of "Welcome to the Jungle," the band's 1987 breakthrough hit. Rose,
appearing superbly confident, then marched abruptly to the stage, his red hair back down to his shoulders, his wailing vocals easily hitting the old
screeching high notes. For all the mystery and uncertainty that has surrounded him in recent years, it was like he'd never left. Guns N' Roses first
exploded out of the Los Angeles '80s metal scene with a sound mixing classic rock melody with real grit, raunch and dementia. If those hard-rock excesses
sometimes drifted into cliched excess, the band was never less than genuine in its bad habits, which in later years degenerated into infighting and self-
destruction. By the early '90s, Guns N' Roses seemed the rightful heirs to a certain brand of potent, defiant, straight-ahead, big rock 'n' roll, epitomized by
the Rolling Stones. The inability of the original Guns N' Roses lineup to hang together and build on the monumental stature was a tragic failure of
potential and nerve. With the likes of Rage Against the Machine and Korn crafting a new, dynamic metal blend, Rose will never again enjoy that kind of
influence, but his appearance here could mark the beginning of a new period for him as a surprisingly forceful player of contemporary rock, not unlike
the resurgence experienced by Aerosmith in the late '80s. At the House of Blues, Rose and the new Guns N' Roses band focused largely on familiar
material, which was played with unexpected fire and precision. It was an unlikely cast of characters sharing the stage, including (in the sidekick role of
Slash) the eccentric guitar virtuoso Buckethead, known for his robotic stage movements and for wearing a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket as a hat. The
band also included former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, guitarists Robin Finck and Paul Tobias, former Primus drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia,
and keyboardists Chris Pittman and Dizzy Reed, a longtime Guns sideman. The band was extra tight musically without being mechanical, clearly feeding
off its first time in front of a live audience. Buckethead and Finck were never showy as they traded sharp guitar leads during "Sweet Child o' Mine," while
the crowd sang along. The best news in Las Vegas for Guns followers was that the new material frequently held up against the band's older work. The
title song for "Chinese Democracy" (the album is scheduled for a June release) was lean, quick-paced and dramatic, constructed along dark, modern
riffing and Rose's impatient vocals. Another new rock ballad, "The Blues," was rich with melody and romantic torment. The singer also revealed a taste of
the electronic-based experiments of these last several years with a song riddled with frantic beats and panicked vocals, landing somewhere in the vicinity
of Prodigy. Fans began lining up outside the House of Blues several hours before the scheduled 1 a.m. show time, many of them proudly dressed in
vintage Guns N' Roses T-shirts. Waiting patiently at the front of the line were a pair of Los Angeles 20-year-olds, Armen Gevorkian and Garen
Garabidian, who bought their tickets online via EBay for $300 apiece. Both first discovered Guns N' Roses as children, not long after arriving as
immigrants from Iran, and they expect to attend the band's next gig, at the Rock in Rio festival later this month in Rio de Janeiro. Gevorkian had to skip
work on Sunday to be in Las Vegas. "My boss was OK with that because he knows I'm crazy," he said with a laugh. "And I was going to quit the job." Like
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many others in line, he said he was only slightly disappointed that the band on stage would not be the original lineup, saying, "Guns N' Roses is all about
Axl." That sentiment was echoed later in the show, when the crowd spontaneously began chanting: "Welcome back! Welcome back!" It was a disarming
moment even for the notoriously strong-willed frontman, who could only smile and turn his head, seemingly speechless. "Now you're embarrassing me,"
he said. Maybe so, but the most memorable aspect of Rose's long-delayed return to the stage is that the singer never came close to embarrassing himself
or the legacy of Guns N' Roses.
NY TIMES (By Neil Strauss): Axl Rose: Whoever Said Appetite for Destruction? January 2, 2001 ROCK REVIEW. LAS VEGAS, Jan. 1 One had to feel a
little sorry for Axl Rose when he performed his first concert in more than seven years at the House of Blues here at 3:30 this morning. The problem wasn't
his voice; he ran through Guns 'n' Roses warhorses like "Welcome to the Jungle," "Mr. Brownstone" and "Paradise City" with note-for- note perfection.
And the problem wasn't the band; though Guns 'n' Roses has been converted to an odd-looking eight-person outfit with only Mr. Rose and the keyboardist
Dizzy Reed remaining from former incarnations, it was an impressive, albeit different, live machine. The reason to pity Mr. Rose is that although he has
spent most of the last seven years locked in a recording studio working on new songs, in a two-hour show he felt comfortable squeezing in only a few of
them. To watch the new Mr. Rose simultaneously serious, self-mocking and self-conscious perform was to watch a man trapped, perhaps more by himself
than by his fans. "I have traversed a treacherous sea of horrors to be with you here tonight," he told the small audience, which had bought tickets ranging
from $150 on up. For most of the last decade Mr. Rose has been putting himself in competition with the rock stars who replaced Guns 'n' Roses in the
hard-rock limelight (from Nine Inch Nails to White Zombie), working with a revolving door of talented producers and musicians in an attempt to remake
his sound and teach himself more about guitar, studio production and electronic instruments. He has done everything from re-recording the "Appetite for
Destruction" album to coming up with modern electronic-industrial songs. But early on New Year's Day, when Mr. Rose and friends performed their new
songs, it was with doubt and hesitancy, as if they were pleading for acceptance. "You can write home to everybody about how it just doesn't work," Mr.
Rose said in one moment of insecurity (even though it was all working just fine). The new members of the band included Tommy Stinson (formerly of the
Replacements) on bass, Brian (Brain) Mantia (of Primus) on drums, Chris Pitman (of the Replicants) on keyboards and, on guitars, Paul Tobias, Robin
Finck (Nine Inch Nails) and Buckethead. The classic Guns 'n' Roses image of Mr. Rose and a top-hatted Slash on guitar was replaced by Mr. Rose and
the masked, mysterious, fast-food-container- hatted Buckethead, a funk-metal enigma who break-danced, spun nunchaku and brought a more liquid,
avant-garde upgrade of soloing to Guns 'n' Roses. But only in the first song of their encore, a hard-driving electronic rave-up that sounded like a
Chemical Brothers remix of Guns 'n' Roses, did the audience get a glimpse of the music that the band really seemed to want to play. And it was the
glimpse of a completely different beast than Guns 'n' Roses (with a new frontline of a beefy Mr. Rose, a mimelike Buckethead and a stormtrooper-outfitted
Mr. Finck), which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
01.15.01 - Rock City, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL

opening acts: Pato Fú, Carlinhos Brown, IRA! e Ultraje a Rigor, Papa Roach, Oasis
attendance: 200,000
soundcheck: It's So Easy, November Rain, My Michelle, Oh My God, Knockin' On Heaven's Door
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Oh My God, Think About You, You Could Be Mine,
Sossego [Robin solo], Sweet Child O' Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Madagascar, Guitar Solo [Buckethead], November Rain, Out
Ta Get Me, Rocket Queen, Chinese Democracy, Chicken Binge [Buckethead], Instrumental Jam, The Blues, Patience, Nightrain
encore: Instrumental Jam, My Michelle, Silkworms, Paradise City
audio/video recording?: video, audio
notes: GN'R rocks Rio once again, hitting the stage at 1:40 a.m. in the wee hours of Jan. 15th. The show is preceded by an animation
intro, the same as the Las Vegas, NV [01.01.01] animation intro. During 'It's So Easy,' Axl has a fan kicked out who apparently had been
wearing a GN'R=Slash t-shirt and had been taunting Axl. After 'Mr. Brownstone,' Axl speaks through a translator to say that many of the
fans are disappointed that past band members are not currently in the band. He says the ex-band members did everything they could so
that Axl couldn't be there today, to which Axl says "Fuck that!" He tells the crowd that he is hurt and that unlike Oasis, Axl and his
former members couldn't find a way to get along. He then introduces the band and gives a special speech about Paul Tobias, saying that
without Paul, there would be no more Guns N' Roses. After 'Think About You,' Axl introduces Brain to lead into 'You Could Be Mine.'
After 'You Could Be Mine,' Axl introduces Robin so Robin can speak some Portugese to the audience and play a guitar solo. Before
'Knockin' On Heaven's Door,' Axl mentions that this is a new band and it was time to do a version of the song that was more closer to the
original. Unlike the Vegas show, the ending of 'Knockin On Heaven's Door' is extended so the crowd can participate. Axl dedicates
'Madagascar,' a song on which he played guitar, to the love that the Brazilian fans have shown the band. After 'Madagascar,' Axl
introduces Buckethead so he can play an instrumental for the crowd, in which he jams on his song 'Big Sur Moon' from his Colma
album. Axl introduces Paul during 'Rocket Queen' to play the solo. After 'Rocket Queen,' Axl says that they have only done 1 show
before this and that they have already been criticized for doing the "old songs." He goes on to say that one of the reasons they play the
old songs is for everyone to see that "This new band can play the fuck out of these songs." He then introduces the band, starting with
Buckethead. After 'Chinese Democracy,' Buckethead plays a country-western style jam, which leads into a short instrumental jam. Axl
introduces 'Patience' by saying "You might know this song!" After 'Patience,' Axl tells the crowd he used to surf the internet, but to him
it seems to be a big garbage can. So he doesn't read the garbage that is written anymore, and he goes on to mention a few names of
Argentinian fans that post stuff!! Before 'Silkworms,' Axl tells the crowd that it was written by Dizzy Reed & Chris Pittman. Prior to
'Paradise City,' a Brazilian "Samba School" [Escola de Samba] comes on stage to play for a few minutes. After 'Paradise City,' Axl tells
the crowd he has been taken care of by a Brazilian family, specifically Beta, his assistant, and her 3 children. He says that she has been a
mother & manager to him, and that she has helped everyone in the band. Beta also was the translator for the night. Axl then tells the
crowd the band will "Be back next summer with a whole bunch of new songs!" The band soundchecked on the 14th between 12:30 p.m.
and 2:30 p.m.
MTV (By Kurt Loder): Guns N' Roses Kick Out The Jams At Rock In Rio. The capstone of the third night of the big Rock in Rio festival – which is being
held in a huge lot in the sun-baked suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, filled with state-of-the-art stages, grandstands, and all the usual festival midway attractions
– was the world debut of the newly resuscitated Guns N’ Roses. The already legendary L.A. band had been mysteriously missing-in-action since the
release of its last album, an inconsequential compilation of punk-metal covers called The Spaghetti Incident?, way back in 1993, following which the
group had noisily fallen apart amid a welter of interpersonal recriminations and endless lawsuits. Mercurial frontman Axl Rose had emerged from these
wranglings with legal rights to all further use of the GN’R name, and for years he’d been rumored to be working on a new album, with new musicians, in
a Los Angeles studio that was said to have been booked around the clock for his personal use. No album ever appeared, however, and as the sediment of
wasted years settled around him, Rose became a figure of rock & roll myth. It was asserted as fact within the industry that he’d become a complete
recluse, keeping vampire hours in the studio to monitor the daytime labors of his newly hired players, but otherwise remaining hidden in his mansion,
where he hosted endless dinner parties, grew fat, and started losing his hair. But now Guns N’ Roses were back – or at least Rose and the previously
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under-heralded keyboard/conga player Dizzy Reed were – and had even played a well-received warm-up gig at the House of Blues in Las Vegas on New
Year’s Eve. The new group was scheduled to take the Rock in Rio stage in the early hours of Monday morning – 1:40 a.m., to be precise – but by 1:35,
there was still no sight of them backstage (punctuality was never a GN’R hallmark), and out front, a sprawling crowd of 190,000 people, earlier primed
by two powerful sets by Papa Roach and Oasis, but weary after an hour-long wait in darkness and silence, was beginning to grow restive. Then, in the
backstage area – essentially a jerry-built clapboard dressing-room complex fronting a gravel parking lot still lightly puddled by an afternoon rain shower
– a tribe of burly security guards began sweeping away un-credentialed idlers with a snarling insistence rarely seen since the heyday of such pre-show
prima donnas as Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. Down at the end of a long road leading from a nearby helicopter landing pad, a constellation of
headlights suddenly blossomed in the tropical night. Three dark vans, attended by a swarm of motorcycle-mounted Brazilian cops, pulled into the parking
lot, disgorging the unmistakable, lanky figure of Axl Rose (not fat, not bald), who marched straight up some steps and into a dressing room. He was
followed by a very strange figure in a white, Jason-style hockey mask, wearing an inverted cardboard fried-chicken bucket on his head, and by an equally
surreal Goth-type character who looked somewhat the way Marilyn Manson might, if Manson’s lifeless corpse had been left overnight in a roomful of
famished rats. The four other members of the band followed them into the dressing room and closed the door. At 1:55, the dimmed lights on the airplane-
hangar-size Rock in Rio stage died down completely, and a giant video screen on the back wall flickered to life, bearing the words "W. Axl Rose in ‘A
Sorta Kinda Wonderful Life.’" There followed an extremely weird animated film depicting a cartoon Axl – his toe- and fingernails grown to eccentric
length, apparently on the model of the late, whacked-out billionaire Howard Hughes. He appeared to be confined to a sanitarium of some sort, and was
seen to be peeing into a plastic urine-sample cup, calling for a bedpan, and then wiping his nether parts with a page ripped from a copy of "Rolling
Drone" magazine. A cartoon night nurse appeared, straight out of an ancient porn scenario, complete with big breasts and black fishnet stockings,
bearing a syringe the size of a bazooka, at which point the cartoon Axl (or "Uncle Axl," as he called himself, in a voice that could only have been Rose’s
own) advised the no-doubt-puzzled Brazilian crowd that "Things go better with Diet Coke." The bizarre minifilm ended, and all across the stage, howling
pyro fireballs suddenly erupted into the pitch-black night, accompanied by a soaring, air-raid-siren guitar note. The stage lights slammed on, and there
they all were – the new Guns N’ Roses – ripping into "Welcome to the Jungle" as if they’d just written it a little earlier in the day. About 10 minutes into
their set, it became clear that the new GN’R is a rock & roll event of the sort that a lot of people (well, me, anyway) have been waiting for for a long, long
time. Where the reigning rap-metal acts of the moment – Korn and Limp Bizkit and their ilk – get over quite successfully on murk and muscle and pure
sonic wallop, the new GN’R – with only one-month’s worth of rehearsal (this was their second gig) – already played with a passion and precision that’s
unlikely to be matched in any other quarter anytime soon. The band’s three lead guitarists were individually exhilarating, and perfectly balanced in their
divergent styles. The underground avant-fusion virtuoso Buckethead (the guy in the disturbing Jason mask and the KFC container – he claims to have
been raised by chickens), churned out everything from screaming blues leads to orchestrally echoplexed art-rock excursions to Chet Atkins-style chicken-
picking forays (while film footage of doomed chickens flashed across the video screen behind him). Across the stage, Robin Finck (the Manson-gnawed-
by-rats figure, late of Nine Inch Nails and – a subject that remains to be explored – Cirque du Soleil) more than held his own in the noise-and-curious-
charisma department. Between the two of them, normal-guy Paul Tobias – a childhood friend of Rose’s from back in Indiana – anchored the guitar
onslaught with a complementary style that was generally modest and accommodating, but very much his own. Solos never slipped into hard-rock cliché,
but were instead constructed and deployed with a taste and level of invention rarely heard in this sort of music anymore. Rock guitar has a long and well-
mined tradition by now, of course; but this trio of players, to their considerable credit, were often able to make all the old thrills seem new again. Most of
the rampaging, 90-minute set, however, was filled with old GN’R material: "Sweet Child o’ Mine," "Mr. Brownstone," the famous Axl-at-the-piano opus
"November Rain," the still-lilting Dylan cover "Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door," and the sledge-hammer set-ender, "Paradise City." This was no oldies
show, though; as Rose himself proudly noted at one point: "This new band can play the f*** out of these songs." Indeed they could. Former Primus
drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia and ex-Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson (adding possible teen appeal in red knee pants and suspenders) shoveled out
truckloads of bottom, and two keyboardists -- Dizzy Reed and Tool associate Chris Pittman -- slathered the sound with rich layers of electronic detail.
The unmistakable center of the show, though, was Axl Rose. At 38, he remains one of the great can’t-take-your-eyes off him rock stars, twirling back and
forth across the stage (and, rather uncharacteristically, racing out into the audience, too), pausing only to lean back and emit a proverbial banshee wail
of the sort that probably occurs to such past masters as Robert Plant these days only in their dreams. He was also extremely talkative, taking time out to
berate his long-gone former Guns N’ Roses colleagues (for trying to derail his dream or something, apparently), to gently chide local Latin American
rock critics (by name!) for not knowing what the f*** they were talking about, and – totally out of the blue – to quietly urge a non-violent resolution of the
soccer violence that has long plagued relations between Brazil and its equally sports-mad neighbor, Argentina. Judging by some of the images flashing
across the onstage screen, he also retains a knowing eye for vintage (and fairly hard-core) bondage and S&M footage. So it was an exciting show – not
only for the unusually high level of musicianship, but for the unflagging spirit and intelligence of the music itself, and what that seems to promise for the
future. There really is a new Guns N’ Roses album in the pipeline. (Really.) It’s called "Chinese Democracy," and it should be out in the spring, summer,
something like that. The band played four songs from it at Rio. One of them, a gorgeous piece called "Madagascar," recalled nothing so much as the mid-
period Beatles, with all their quaint little horn ornamentations. It also sampled the voice of the great, slain civil rights hero Martin Luther King. (Rose,
who definitely runs this show, further illustrated the song’s intentions onstage with footage of King, and of the turbulent civil-rights protests of the 1960s.)
When the album comes out, pray for a tour. And definitely don’t miss it.
NY TIMES (By NEIL STRAUSS): Rock in Rio Festival: For Fun and a Better World. RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 16 - The third installment of Brazil's huge
Rock in Rio festival began on Friday with the Orquestra Sinfonica Brasileira playing"Also Sprach Zarathustra" as drummers pounded out samba-style
breakbeats and a D.J. scratched in rhythm. At the height of the pomp, three fighter planes, leaving a ceiling of smoke in their wake, dived over the heads
of the audience of 85,000 (which grew to more than 200,000 by the end of the weekend). Then the music abruptly stopped while the crowd (along with
some Brazilian radio and television stations) fell silent for three minutes to meditate on the theme of the festival: a better world. As it did so, the throng
lifted white handkerchiefs given out at the entrance gate, waving them silently from side to side above their heads. It was a beautiful moment marred only
by the America Online logo emblazoned on every one of those handkerchiefs. And so it went for the first weekend of the two-weekend festival, which ends
on Sunday: the moments of beauty (and there were plenty of them) came blemished. If one were to sit down and make a list, for every item of praise for
the festival, which in Week One featured a mix of American stars (R.E.M., Oasis, Sting, Guns 'n' Roses), Brazilian favorites (Gilberto Gil, Milton
Nascimento, Daniela Mercury, Barão Vermelho) and international acts (from Finland's Varttina to Cameroon's Henri Dikongue), there would be a
complaint. Rock in Rio III was at once impressively organized and a complete mess; a music-booking triumph and a musical insult; a social-improvement
project and a giant corporate advertisement. The contradictions of the festival were perhaps best epitomized by the many stations where representatives
for America Online spritzed hair spray in the colors of the Brazilian flag on the heads of thousands of acquiescent audience members who became
symbols of national patriotism and advertisements for American corporate imperialism. As Oasis overcame sound problems to blast its enjoyably
derivative pop, even speaking a few words of Portuguese (an effort, for them, equivalent to that of Sting speaking almost entirely in Portuguese during his
set), a different scene was unfolding nearby on a world-music stage. "Can you hear me? Can you hear the band?" the Zairian soukous innovator Ray
Lema asked over and over as the British siblings, on a main stage set far too close to the festival's world-music and Brazilian-music stages, threatened to
drown him out. Finally, unable to hear himself play, he groused: "In Congo, when we invite someone, we let them speak. And the big stage is crowding
me." As at most American festivals (the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival being a notable exception), audience members griped about difficult
circumnavigation, expensive yet inedible food, oceans of litter and messy portable toilets. Ticket buyers who came in from all over the country also felt
slighted that every night was headlined by three American or British acts while the Brazilian musicians, many of whom outsell the headliners, were stuck
playing early in the day. Yet the Brazilian acts are familiar faces while many of the North American acts, including R.E.M., Beck, Oasis and even Neil
Young, had never played in the country before. The first Rock in Rio, in 1985, made waves as South America's largest rock festival, opening up pop
promoters' eyes to a new continent on which to book international tours. The festival galvanized Brazil's metal scene with Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne
and AC/DC, and then, in the midst of the noise, threw James Taylor into the mix with surprising success. This year was in some ways a rerun: Iron
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Maiden and Guns 'n' Roses (from Rock in Rio's 1991 sequel) were back, as was Mr. Taylor, who performed the song he wrote after his 1985 experience,
"Only a Dream in Rio." In 2001 the best way to replicate the cultural impact of the 1985 heavy-metal show would have been to bring leading rappers like
Dr. Dre and DMX into the country for the first time. Yet outside a booty mix by original-school DJ Kool Herc in the dance tent, the rap and rhythm-and-
blues that is fast becoming America's most passionately embraced musical export was not represented at the festival. Nonetheless, there was still plenty to
remember from Week One. Mr. Taylor was practically weeping tears of gratitude as the crowd sang along with"You've Got a Friend." The audience
members were not so friendly to the multitalented syncretist Carlinhos Brown, pelting him with garbage when he asked them to take it easy and then
growing even more outraged when he added that a crowd in northeastern Brazil would not respond in this manner. Mr. Gil and Mr. Nascimento were
greeted more warmly when, segueing between their sets, they shared the stage for subtle, powerful duets of their hits from their new soul-churning "Gil e
Milton" album. R.E.M., jubilantly speaking of beautiful Rio, the night sky and sugar cane-alcohol cocktails, previewed uptempo new songs from a record
due this summer. Liminha, the former bassist in the seminal psychedelic band Os Mutantes, showed up in a faithful surf-rock band the Silvas, joined by
the rapper Gabriel o Pensador (Gabriel the Thinker) and the rock singer Branco Mello. And Rio's breast-baring tomboy agitator Cassia Eller snarled
versions of songs by everyone from the late Chico Science (whose backing band Nacão Zumbi also performed) to Nirvana, with a "Smells Like Teen
Spirit" that sent the crowd into a frenzy that wasn't matched until Nirvana's former drummer, Dave Grohl, took the stage with his band the Foo Fighters
later that night. By far, the most anticipated act of last weekend was Guns 'n' Roses, which took the stage at 2 a.m. for a two-hour-plus set. With his
Brazilian assistant Elizabeta Lebeis translating his speeches into Portuguese, Axl Rose tentatively and then confidently returned to controlling the beast
that, outside a New Year's Eve warmup show in Las Vegas, he hasn't seen in more than seven years: an audience. The band's recorded audio opening
strayed slightly from the "better world" festival theme, praising hate and ugliness and infidelity, but the band's new guitarist, Robin Finck (formerly of
Nine Inch Nails), put the message back on course by humoring the crowd with a metal version of the Brazilian soul standard "Sossego" ("Tranquillity").
Mr. Rose had few kind words for his former band mates (whom he accused of having "worked very hard to make sure that I could not be here tonight");
for the battling brothers of Oasis, which snidely dedicated its song "Rock and Roll Star" to him ("I am hurt and disappointed that unlike Oasis we could
not all find a way to get along," Mr. Rose said of his former band); and for the review of his Las Vegas show in The New York Times, which he
interpreted as criticizing him for playing his old songs. The truth is that Guns 'n' Roses is now two bands in one. The first is a very effective Guns 'n'
Roses cover band that happens to feature the original singer and keyboardist; the second is a very eclectic new band that if judged on its own merits
would be one of rock's most interesting current acts. Featuring the nimble, flawless leads of the science-fiction funk guitarist Buckethead, Guns 'n' Roses
unveiled one of its best new songs, "Madagascar," which with strains of classical, metal and sampling sounded like a Big Audio Dynamite remix of Iron
Butterfly's "Ball" album. Coming on like rock's Odysseus, Mr. Rose sang, "I can't find my way back anymore." Flush from the success of more than
200,000 fans' enthusiastically embracing versions of classic Guns 'n' Roses material like "My Michelle" and "Sweet Child O' Mine," Mr. Rose even held
court with fans and press at his hotel swimming pool after the show, where he took the opportunity to further disparage his old band mates.
CHINESE DEMOCRACY EUROPEAN TOUR 2001 [ RESCHEDULED & CANCELED]
06.01.01 - Rock Im Park Festival, Frankenstadion, Nürnberg, GERMANY

opening acts: Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Linkin Park, 3 Doors Down
notes: This show was canceled due to an illness with guitarist Buckethead.
06.03.01 - Rock Am Ring Festival, Eifel, Nürburgring, GERMANY

opening acts: Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Linkin Park, 3 Doors Down
06.05.01 - Waldbühne, Berlin, GERMANY

06.09.01 - London Arena, London, ENGLAND

notes: Due to an illness with guitarist Buckethead, this show was rescheduled to 12.13.01.

06.12.01 - Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre, Glasgow, SCOTLAND

06.13.01 - Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester, ENGLAND

06.14.01 - NEC Arena, Birmingham, ENGLAND

06.17.01 - Heineken Jammin' Festival, Imola, SAN MARINO

opening acts: Queen Of The Stone Age, Incubus, Placebo, Offspring
GUNS N’ ROSES -8-
06.19.01 - Plaza De Toros De Las Ventas, Madrid, SPAIN

opening act: Queen Of The Stone Age
06.20.01 - Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, SPAIN

opening act: Queen Of The Stone Age
06.22.01 - Wochen Festival, Soundarena, Wochen, SWITZERLAND

opening acts: The Black Crowes, Deftones, Queens Of The Stone Age, Ash, Wheatus, Backyard Babies
06.23.01 - Gelredome, Arnhem, HOLLAND

06.25.01 - Globen, Stockholm, SWEDEN

06.26.01 - Oslo Spektrum, Oslo, NORWAY

06.28.01 - Roskilde Festival, Copenhagen, DENMARK

06.30.01 - Rock Werchter, Werchter Festival Ground, Werchter, BELGIUM

opening acts: Das Pop, David Gray, Krezip, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Beck, Sting
12.02.01 - Gelredome, Arnhem, HOLLAND

notes: This show was canceled.


12.09.01 - Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, FINLAND





GUNS N’ ROSES -9-

CHINESE DEMOCRACY NORTH AMERICAN TOUR - 2001 IN LAS VEGAS
12.29.01 - The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA
attendance: 1,400
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Oh My God, Think About
You, You Could Be Mine, Sweet Child O' Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Out Ta Get Me, Madagascar, Rocket Queen, November
Rain, Chinese Democracy, The Blues, Acoustic Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Patience, Silkworms, My Michelle, Paradise City
audio/video recording?: no
notes: 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. Tickets were $125-250.
ALLSTAR: Guns N' Roses' Las Vegas Show Plagued By Bad Sound; Axl Rose Goes Off Onstage. Has the bloom come off the Rose? That question
lingered during Axl Rose & Co.'s two-night stint at the Joint at the Hard Rock Café Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas this New Year's weekend. Rose's
problems started even before the band took the stage Saturday (Dec. 29) for the first of two shows. After selling out last year's New Year's Eve's Vegas
show in minutes, tickets remained on sale until the day before each show. About an hour after the listed start time of 10 p.m., Rose walked out onstage in
a Rich Gannon Oakland Raiders jersey, flanked by guitarists Buckethead (dressed in highway-marking yellow pants and smock, Michael Myers mask, and
trademark KFC bucket on his head) and Paul Tobias on stage left; bassist Tommy Stinson -- who's put on a few pounds -- and Nine Inch Nails' guitarist
Robin Finck on stage right; Brian "Brain" Mantia on a raised drumset behind Rose; and keyboardists Chris Pittman and Dizzy Reed in the upper left and
right corners, respectively. Behind the band, 40 TV monitors and two giant TV screens flashed apocalyptic fireballs, psychedelic color bursts, images of
war and car-crash carnage, as well as images of the band. Guns opened the two-hour set with promise as the band ripped through "Welcome to the
Jungle," and Rose showed he's still fond of the snaky dance moves and incessant stage-wandering of his earlier GN'R days. Without a word from the
singer between songs, Guns blew through "It's So Easy," "Mr. Brownstone," and "Live and Let Die" with an energy that augured well for the evening. The
band played extremely tight and Rose's voice was in perfect form. An overlong acoustic number by Buckethead that segued from Willy Wonka-esque riffs
into the hackneyed "Eruption" served two purposes: Stopping the momentum of the set in its tracks and reminding everyone in the audience that, in Rock
God status, Buckethead is no Slash. (Slash, meanwhile, was spotted walking around the casino with his guitar in hand, though an onstage appearance
never transpired.) But on "Oh My God," no sound came through Rose's mike, and while he went looking for a replacement, Finck inexplicably threw his
guitar across stage. After the song, the band left and a tech announced, "We'll be right back." When they returned, Rose had ditched the Gannon jersey to
go shirtless under a blue-velvet British soldier-style trench coat. But the vocal problems remained throughout the night, as Rose's lyrics disappeared in
the harder-rocking moments of new Guns tracks like "Silkworms" and classics "You Could Be Mine" and "Sweet Child O' Mine." The mix problems meant
no one could hear much of Rose, at which point most of the audience had to wonder -- "Did I just pay $200 to hear Stinson's backup vocals?" Perhaps the
low moment came when the entire band sounded completely out of sync on "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." After a quick two hours, the band closed with
an inspired take on "Paradise City," and left without an encore. Most who attended the New Year's Eve show, however, opined that it was not just better
than the Saturday night show, but it was even better than last year's impressive New Year's Eve gig. It was hard not to feel robbed by the events of the
evening, even if the main problem was mostly beyond the band's control. People (including this reviewer) who sat in dreadful $250 balcony seats -- stuck
behind two rows of VIP seating that obstructed the view of the stage -- were particularly vocal in their displeasure at the venue for advertising the seats
(on Ticketmaster) as "best available," when $100 floor seats offered much better sight lines. The box office made the hollow offer to refund the tickets, at
the price of not seeing the sold-out show (i.e., you just pay for airfare and hotel to NOT see GN'R). During a 10-minute mid-concert apologia, Rose
rambled semi-coherently on how the record company, the studio, the producers, and everyone in the band "dropped the ball" in the last year until "we
didn't know what the ball was." He explained that ticket prices were so high because of the expense to do one-off shows. He said the band was working
"every fucking day," and that their new material "will knock the fucking ball out of the park." He told an anecdote about being moved when a man in an
elevator thanked him for playing a show. He claimed to have learned about Guns' cancelled European tour via the Internet, to which someone in the
audience screamed: "Aw, bullshit! Get a manager!" In his rant, Rose also said that the show last year was a farewell to the old, while this year's show
was a "taste of something new." But it was hard to believe him because Guns did not play any new songs that they hadn't already played live previously,
leaving one to wonder where Rose plans to go with his new band mates. The feeling after the show was that Rose and his band are still in search of an
identity: Right now, this incarnation is no more Guns N' Roses than the Stones would be the Stones if only Mick Jagger remained in the band.
RAMANATHAN SUNDARARAJAN, PURE ROCK PATROLLER, KNAC.com: Guns N’ Roses Live At The Joint At The Hard Rock Café Hotel & Casino,
December 29th, 2001. This is a late review of the concert. That’s cause I only just reached Sydney. I have to say that I loved every bit of the concert. Even
the things that went wrong, I hope that my criticism is constructive and that Mr. Rose would read my insights and respect my views on everything that
happened. To start off, I waited 11 hours to get into the Joint as I wanted a really good spot at GA (Golden Arena). The people there were very cool, we
talked about GN’R, music, life, etc. Met people from “GNR Bar”. When we entered the Joint, this shocked the hell outta me. We weren’t put through a
metal detector. All we were asked was if we were carrying any recording equipment. No one was even body searched. That sucked. I was very worried
about the safety of everyone including the band throughout the concert. The concert was supposed to begin at 10:00pm, but it began at 11:00pm. We were
told that earlier, so we waited inside the Joint since like 8:00. I was right near the stage when the concert started off and you could hear Axl’s voice in the
background while a video of an American soldier blowing stuff up was shown. Then they also showed money and gambling in Vegas, and the video said
something along the lines off, “There is a holy system that runs under money, a system of life, and this is the system that you have destroyed…and for this
you shall pay.” I think he was referring to the terrorists September 11th. They showed to a sickening point, money and Vegas, and then out of nowhere. I
couldn’t breathe at this point, Axl ran out and started doing “Welcome to the Jungle.” At this point, there were people trying to jump me from the back to
GUNS N’ ROSES - 10 -
get my spot. A girl grabbed my ass and said she would “suck my dick for my spot.” I was like “Bitch, get your fucking hands off me.” There were about
30 TV sets on screen that were running off a Macintosh displaying shit from what appeared to be very similar to ‘Winamp’. This wasn’t impressive to me.
Heck I am a Comp Sci student, I can fucking kick ass with a budget like the thing they got. Axl, send me a mail anytime man. I will fly over and make your
stage fucking cool. Their TV’s were very low resolution and I could actually the see the Mac title on the Window and I thought it sucked really. There was
even a time when Axl’s face was morphed and stuff, and I was like, man, with they kind of tech available, and their budget, they really needed some
Plasma screens up there doing cool shit. They played a lot of old songs as you know. Like Axl said during Rio, they did play the fuck out of those songs.
They sound very, very, very, very powerful with the current band. I think everyone was amazed. Now to Axl’s speech. This was very confusing. From what
I understood, he explained that he wasn’t aware that a European tour even existed as he was working on the new album. No one had told him, and that he
had found about it while getting on the net. And he said, “Imagine my surprise when I read that it was sold out.” He said that the management and the
record company, all they cared about was the money they were making and that was precisely why the tour was postponed not cancelled, because they
wanted to keep the money. As Axl refused to do the tour cause of time constraints, they had to cancel. Axl further talked about “Oh My God” and how
that was just in a demo tape which the management insisted be put on the Arnie soundtrack which Axl said ok to hesitantly. Axl went on to say that they
band had been working on the album for a long time, and that it kick everything else out of the fucking ball park. He said he didn’t know if we would like
it, but all he could promise was that they would work very, very hard in order to produce a kick ass album. He talked about the fact that Buckethead and
Finck hadn’t met before rehearsals for December 31st, 2000 and that was a problem. He said that there were all these people who were joining the band
and some of them didn’t want to be here but they liked the image that the celebrity that the title offered. Some of this stuff was unbelievable considering
the common presumption that Axl has strict control over everything Guns N’ Roses, it seemed unbelievable that the management would do so much
without his knowledge. The thing about Slash being there for the concert and not being let in, I didn’t see him and couldn’t vouch for that, it could just be
a rumor as I am pretty sure Slash wouldn’t bother coming in to the concert as he would know that Axl wouldn’t allow it. That just seems stupid beyond
belief. I saw Robin Finck before the concert, I didn’t recognize him however. Ha ha. I thought he was just a wannabe fan. I looked at him strange and he
looked back. He looked freaky, like his head shaved halfway. Looked mental. But in the concert got used to him. Axl looked cool. Lost a lot of weight as
we know from the WNBC interview. He nearly tripped and fell while running on the encore. Buckethead was great too. Very talented music. Can’t
compare him to Slash. Buckethead is too new-wave, cool, next generation, young, electronic guitarist. Very different from the Blues emotion filled magic
that was Slash, but great in his own way. Finck was very talented. The whole band has a Slipknot like feel to it, because there are like eight members now.
But, each one of them has distinct personalities. What was really freaky was the fact that Paul Tobias looked EXACTLY like Axl, except he had a beard
and hair like Kurt Cobain and he played guitar like Cobain as well. That freaked me out. There was a time when the mike went off and Finck’s guitar
went off and they threw that shit and walked off the stage. Axl actually walked off the stage around 4 times. There were people throwing t-shirts and KFC
buckets on stage as well as Giving Roses to Axl, which he appreciated. Concert ended with Axl throwing the mike to the audience, and that was it. They
didn’t stay to shake hands or anything. I bought a beanie and two of the Guns shirts on sale. I just want Axl to know that the concert meant a lot to me.
Also the fact that Guns had meant a lot to me when I was a kid going thru my personal issues and listening to a Guns album was the only way I could
relate and handle the situation. Thank you for everything, and I am sure you guys are gonna fucking kick ass, sell millions of records and shit. Throw me
a line in sometime. Your Fan. Through the Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Still waiting for the record.
12.31.01 - The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, NV, USA
attendance: 1,400
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Oh My God, Think About You, You Could Be Mine,
Sweet Child O' Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Madagascar, November Rain, Out Ta Get Me, Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Rocket
Queen, Chinese Democracy, Acoustic Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Patience, The Blues, Silkworms, My Michelle, Nightrain
encore: Paradise City
notes: Another New Year’s gig in Vegas – GN’R hit the stage around 11:05 p.m. and plays ‘till about 1:15 a.m. The band is in a much
more relaxed mood, most likely due to the lack of sound difficulties. Early in the show Axl wore a #44 Florida St. Seminoles football
jersey. This show definitely had a harder edge to it – the band wanted to prove that the 12.29 show was a fluke. Everyone was on fire –
Axl hitting all his vocals and both lead guitarists shredding every note! One of the night’s highlights was a flawless performance of ‘Oh
My God’ – something that hadn’t been pulled off in the band’s previous three gigs. Often during the show Axl would run off to the side
of the stage when he wasn’t singing – he was really enjoying watching the band nail every song! At 11:54 p.m. – 6 minutes before the
new year – Earl [Axl’s bodyguard] notified Axl that it was close to midnight – the band then launched into an amazing version of
‘Madagascar.’ The song finished exactly at midnight at which point the stage screens showed the Vegas strip live. Confetti was then shot
off into the crowd for a few minutes and Axl started to play piano, which eventually led into ‘November Rain.’ During Buckethead’s
guitar solo, he played parts of the ‘Star Wars Theme,’ a little of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ and also a little of Van Halen’s
‘Eruption.’ After the solo, Axl came onstage and joked, “I think Darth is in the house tonight!” After ‘My Michelle,’ Axl thanked the
crowd for coming. Again he mentioned that these Vegas shows were the first gigs he wanted to play in a very long time. At this point a
fan in the crowd – you know who you are Mark Roulley – threw a handmade towel onto the stage that said “Celebrity Deathmatch was
fixed!” Axl got a huge laugh out of this, as did Tommy. At the end of ‘Paradise City,’ Axl screamed, “Two-Thousand-Fuckin’-Two! Las
Vegas, Nevada, Good… Fuckin’… Night!!!”. Tickets Were $200-300.
AL MANCINI, ABCNews.com: Former Guns N’ Roses Guitarist Barred From Old Band’s Gig. LAS VEGAS, Dec. 31 - Guns N' Roses made a rare
concert appearance, but former member Slash wasn't allowed to see it. Saturday night's sold-out show at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino was only the
second U.S. gig that Guns have performed in eight years. Former guitarist Slash was in town for the show, but was turned away at the door. Speaking
briefly with ABCNEWS Radio, Slash said he tried to get in, but couldn't. A security guard confirmed his account, blaming band frontman Axl Rose for the
exclusion. Rose, the only member remaining from the group's classic Appetite For Destruction lineup, reportedly told the venue he would walk offstage if
he saw any of his former bandmates in the audience. European Tour? What European Tour? Most of those who made it into the venue, however, seemed
pleased with the show, despite technical difficulties that appeared to aggravate Rose. "I couldn't really hear Axl's voice," one fan said. "But you know
what? I've been waiting to See Guns N' Roses my whole life, so it was good times." According to those who saw it, the band kicked off the set with
"Welcome to The Jungle." Axl dressed in a Rich Gannon Oakland Raiders jersey and performed new material as well as classic Guns songs. "It's not the
old lineup," another fan said. "I mean, the guys weren't into it … It just wasn't Slash." Rose spoke directly to the crowd about the technical problems as
well as the band's twice-aborted European tour, and their new lineup. Rose blamed unresolved legal issues for the fact that he no longer performs with
former members of the group and said he had never committed to play the much-publicized European tour, which was postponed this summer,
rescheduled, and then canceled. In fact, he told the crowd that he learned about it on the Internet. After getting up and rounding up the crew, we ended up
eating for the 2nd time at Terrible’s buffet and then we headed down to the Hard Rock to scope out the line situation. It turned out that around 3pm ,
there had been people lining up outside so we got in there about 10 people back from the beginning. We met a lot of people in line from different places
like Japan, New York, St. Louis, and all over the country. We played cards, talked, and traded stories to pass the time. I was surprised that there were so
many younger fans there, but I think that is pretty cool. Little did we know how cold it would be later when they finally let us inside at about 7:45. Then
they started scanning our tickets and doing hand stamps before they let people inside so it could be faster. I got inside and secured a great spot, one
person behind the barrier, just a few feet away from the stage on the right side. Mark and John were in front of me, and my cousin and a few other friends
were right near me. The venue is pretty small but bigger than the House of Blues. I would estimate it holds about 1500 people. The stage setup was a bit
different, with the sides extended to have room for people to run around and many TVs on the stage which showed the video montages throughout the
show and the close-ups of the band members. Also there were teleprompters on stage near the middle but I didn’t see Axl look at them at all. On the right
and left side, they also had video screens for people who weren’t that close, and this time the picture was clear. I also noticed some human doll heads on
stage, and nunchucks and some other weird stuff on Buckethead’s side.
RAVI'S REVIEW: After a couple of hours of waiting inside, they started the show and the stage filled with smoke and the intro video started with a view
from space, panning down to the ground. It referenced the war and terrorism and showed a soldier carrying something and running away from tanks. It
was pretty cool and I enjoyed it but I couldn’t catch everything that was going on in there. Then Robin started playing the beginning riff to Welcome to
the Jungle and the band came out on stage as everyone got really wild. Axl came in with his scream and the place exploded. We were so close that we
could see all of his expressions and movements clearly. He danced around and moved the mike stand around like the old days, and for a second you might
have thought that it was 1992. We saw the signature snake dance and all of his old stage moves. He seemed more comfortable on stage and it all was
coming back to him naturally. Like last year, he sounded the best he has in years. He came out in white leather pants and a red #44 jersey that said
Seminoles on the back I think. His hair was longer than last year and he had some small braids in there. He had a big silver bracelet on the left wrist and
several cool looking rings on. I could tell that he was in great shape, probably better than ever. Later on you could see that he was ripped, he had a six
pack! I think Dizzy had a white shirt on, Chris had on a Mardi Gras mask so you couldn’t really see his face. Robin wore a black and red jumpsuit, and
he must have been really hot in there. I couldn’t really tell what Brain was wearing since the drums were so high up, to make room for the piano
underneath since the stage was pretty small. Buckethead came out with his KFC bucket on his head with the word Funeral written on it, striped overalls,
and yellow pants. Paul had a red silk shirt on and leather pants, and he reminded me of Gilby somewhat. Tommy had his plaid or checkered suit on and
he had his hair partly dyed red. Welcome to the Jungle had a great solo by Buckethead that was very reminiscent of the album version. Of course he is
adding his own fast riffing in there also, but I would say that he has improved his interpretations of the songs. Axl put the mic out into the crowd when he
sang “I wanna hear you scream!” This time, Robin impressed me a lot because he was a lot more confident. He nailed almost all of the solos and looked
like he was having a great time, doing solos on the side and in front, and running around more. He played very well, very Slash like actually and had this
strange pained expression on his face while playing some of the solos. Although he did play better the first night, there was a big improvement. I noticed
on one song he had a new guitar, an unfinished Les Paul. Axl sounded great on It’s so Easy, running around , crouching low and using his low voice.
Tommy’s bass sounded crunching on this one and he looked like he was having a great time. They must have loved playing for a live audience after being
in the studio for so long. The sound was much better this time and I could hear almost everything quite well. Unfortunately it was hard to hear the
keyboards since I was up in the front. I think it was during this song, or one of the others in the beginning that a guy from the crowd handed Axl an
American flag bandanna which he wrapped around the microphone for a while. Mr. Brownstone had some great drumming and Axl did his little
signature dance complete with the hand motions and ending with “Yowza!” Axl always sounds the best, to me, when singing the slower parts when you
can hear him clearly. The beginning of Live and Let Die was great and he screamed like someone from a horror movie. They were some of the longest
screams I’ve ever heard him do!! After the intro, they blasted into the fast part with a pyrotechnic boom. During a lot of the solos, Axl would run back
stage and get some water or just let the guitarists get the spotlight. Robin was drinking some water around this time and then he spit it into the crowd and
it got all over my hair! Oh My God sounded good this time, and had some great Buckethead effects. Paul did the solo at the end pretty well and Axl had to
pretty much stay in one place to sing it since it was pretty difficult. Think about You had another solo by Paul , who seems like he is getting better. You
Could Be Mine was one of the highlights, with some thunderous drumming and Axl kneeling up in the front to sing part of the song. They did mess up the
intro guitar part a little bit. At one point, Axl wore this police hat like he used to wear and later on he wore someone’s red baseball cap backward for a
little while. My favorite part of the song was when Axl did a high kick, ran from the right side of the stage and jumped off of a platform doing the splits. At
one point he changed into a dark blue jacket, black leather pants and a cool belt buckle and took off his shirt. Towards the end, he changed into this long
dark blue jacket with buttons going down which looked somewhat similar to the one he wore in the November Rain video. He mentioned the time at this
point and said that time was ticking away. Sweet Child O’ Mine was pretty cool to hear and it had a longer guitar solo by Robin, which was very good.
Someone also said that Chris Pitman played an acoustic guitar during this song but I didn’t hear it. I loved Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. Robin played a
short solo before the beginning that sounded like improvisation. If they work on that part it could be really great. The solos during the song were
wonderful by both Buckethead and Robin. I could see that Axl was really enjoying hearing them. This time it was a bit of a combination of the 2 versions.
The soft part sounded beautiful and then occasionally he would sing “hey hey yeahhh!” The ending was a bit extended also, which was nice to hear since
they are changing things up a little. Around this time I saw Robin hand out a beer to someone in the crowd near me! Madagascar was next, and it
sounded really great. Before the song I noticed Earl on the side of the stage saying “6 minutes left!” and the clock said 11:54. I also saw Beta, wearing
what looked like a business suit on the side of the stage and she smiled and exchanged words with Axl and Buckethead. She looked like she was having a
good time. It was one of the highlights of the night for me. His voice sounded great on that one and the part with all the voices and sound clips was very
cool. He didn’t play guitar at the show like he did in Rio. I think this is one of their best new songs and has a good chance to be a single. The song ended
right at midnight and then Axl said, ok its midnight, Happy New Year!!” At this point, all of the TV’s in the background were showing the festivities
outside and then there was a huge boom and sparks flew, then for about five minutes, a huge stream of confetti, balloons and smoke flew all over the
place. I was having trouble breathing and it got all over my clothes and hair and all over the band. Then people started to throw balloons back at the
band, who had to throw them back. It was great to have that in the middle of the show. After that was over, they brought out the piano and Axl started to
play some chords which almost sounded like a new song, but then he started into November Rain. Robin played the first solo pretty well and he was up in
front. Meanwhile Buckethead had changed his bucket according to Axl and he came out with this one that spun around. He was gone for most of the song
until the ending crescendo where he did a crazy solo. The drums were really good on this song and Axl even acknowledged it by saying that those were
some “great motherfuckin’ drums there” and then he introduced him as Brain with a big grin on his face. Axl was in a much better mood than the first
night. He did all the other intros and Robin seemed pretty happy when he was called out. Out Ta Get me was pretty cool and he stuck the mic out into the
crowd again to sing the chorus. It’s always fun to hear this one, and I noticed the drumbeat was done really well. Now Buckethead had this other bucket
on top of his normal bucket, which had the Hard Rock logo on it. Rocket Queen was also another highlight, with awesome drumming and a sweet bass
line. I saw girls in the audience taking their shirts off and Axl said with a chuckle that, “You’re distracting me from doing my job!” He would point at
them a few times during the show. Chinese Democracy sounded great, and it had some cool videos from China in the background. This star GNR logo
near the top also lit up. Axl made some appropriate gestures during the song too! I noticed the keyboard parts on this one more than most of the other
songs. After this, Buckethead did some great soloing on the acoustic guitar, which I really loved! Before he did his nunchuck routine also. Earlier in the
show he also did a great electric solo which incorporated the Star Wars theme and imperial death march, and also part of “somewhere over the
rainbow” I think. Axl said that he thought Darth Vader was in the room. It sounded really cool! Then, this butler in a tuxedo came out on stage and
served Buckethead a severed hand on a silver platter, at which point he took the hand and started playing the Eruption solo using it to tap the guitar!!
After that he threw the hand into the crowd and one of the guys behind me in line picked it up. Patience was pretty cool, and I was happy to hear it since
it’s one of my favorite songs. It featured Robin doing a solo, very different from the original but still great. Axl liked this one a lot also. He did the whistle
perfectly and would go over to Paul and Tommy and put his arms around them. The ending solo sounded great and Tommy sang backup vocals with him.
After this, the Blues came on and Axl called Dizzy out to play it in the front on the Piano. Jan and myself were yelling for Estranged though! This one was
excellent also, I love the different vocal parts on the song and the crunching guitar. Axl sounded better vocally and the band did a better version of it
compared to Rio. Silkworms was heavy. Axl looked like he was ready to kill someone when he sang this song. I like it now much more than initially. It has
a lot of aggression in it but it also has a slow part. I couldn’t hear what Axl was singing softly however. He seemed to get some of the venom back in his
voice. I think it was after this song that he grabbed a rose from someone and put it between his teeth and he had a funny look in his face. My Michelle was
a fun song and it featured Robin in the front playing the intro. It was really loud and the drums were really solid on it. Someone threw beads up on stage
that he took and was fooling around with. After this he took a break and talked to the audience a bit. He thanked everyone for coming out to the shows
and said that this was better than the other night. He started talking about the fact that these were the first shows that he wanted to do in a long time and
how the manager booked UYI without really consulting him. He said fuck that man, without mentioning his name. But Axl said. I am being polite right? I
had talked to Mark about making a sign before the trip and he had written one in marker on a towel which said, “Celebrity Deathmatch was Fixed!” and
he threw it to the crowd. Axl asked if he was the one who sent him the ad in the LA Weekly. After that someone handed it to him on stage and he said
thanks and smiled, and said that you guys are making me misty eyed again. He said “that they would tour, blah blah blah” and they would do it on their
own terms. He also mentioned that certain old member(s) were on heroin so they couldn’t get anything done. After the speech he introduced Nightrain
and the crowd went wild!! It really got people going and it sounded really cool. He would add in “I’ll never fuckin' learn” like he used to. At the end they
jammed out the song a bit more which I really loved. After this they went off stage and said good night, and a few minutes later they came back for the
encore. Axl had changed into a bright blue glittery jacket, which looked like something Elton John would wear. They started Paradise City, and he sang
in the beginning, which they never did before. He also took out this whistle with a florescent string and used it, and threw it into the crowd. I couldn’t
hear but Buckethead was doing some cool solos, along with Robin. Awesome ending to a great show. I think the band has improved from last year and I
am looking forward to the new songs even more. Afterwards, Robin jumped into the crowd and crowd surfed for a while and I turned around and helped
push him back over the barrier to the stage. “Two Thousand Fuckin’ Two!! Las Vegas, Nevada! Good Fuckin’ Night!!”
CHINESE DEMOCRACY WORLD TOUR 2002
08.14.02 - Summer Sonic Festival, Hall 3, Hong Kong Convention And Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong, CHINA
opening acts: Fake?
attendance: 2,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Browstone, Live And Let Die, Think About You, You Could Be Mine, Sweet Child
O'Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Out Ta Get Me, Madagascar, Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Piano Solo, November Rain, Rocket
Queen, Chinese Democracy, Patience, The Blues, My Michelle, Nightrain
notes: GN’R hit the stage around 10 p.m., about 90 minutes after the opening band, for their first-ever concert in China. The lineup was
Axl, Dizzy, Chris Pitman, Robin Finck, Buckethead, Brain, Tommy Stinson & newly-added rhythm guitarist Richard Fortus. During
Buckethead’s solo, he played parts of the ‘Star Wars Theme’ and ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean.’ Buckethead also did his famous nunchuk
dance, during which he threw his nunchuks into the crowd. Before ‘Chinese Democracy,’ Axl explained the title of the album and
showed the crowd [on the video screen] the artwork for the new album. The artwork is black and white and features a bicycle, with a
wall behind it that someone painted with “Guns N’ Roses!!” The video screen at the start of ‘Paradise City’ depicted the flag of China,
then several shots of Hong Kong from a car and a helicopter. During the song, pyros and fireworks were shot off followed by shots of
red and yellow confetti, which then fell from the ceiling.
KEN LAU'S REVIEW: I may have just witnessed the best rock concert I've ever seen in my life. With little or no promotion or press buzz about the show,
there were maybe at most 2,000 people in attendance. But for all those that went, I doubt anyone would forget this show anytime soon. As with tradition,
the band came on late, maybe 90 minutes after the opening band. There were actual rumours swirling down in the audience that Axl was going to pull out
last minute, and I, for one, was as nervous as a train wreck. I've been waiting 15 years to see him live, and of course, his reputation preceded him. But at
roughly 10pm, the lights dimmed, and the same voice recording as the Rio show started playing. Then the band got on stage and launched into the most
badass version of "Welcome to the Jungle" that I've ever heard. Even though I'm a huge fan of the original band, Slash, Izzy, Duff, and even Steven Adler,
I have to say this new band kicked fucking ass. Axl wore a black American football jersey and a blue bandana, and surprisingly, his voice seemed to
improve with age. After "Jungle", it was straight into "It's So Easy". In fact, I'm pretty sure he played almost the entire tracklist of "Appetite For
Destruction"."Rocket Queen", "Think About You", "Mr. Brownstone", "Nighttrain", and "Out Ta Get Me" all sounded fresh and exciting. "Sweet Child O'
Mine" was especially incredible, with Robin Finck handling Slash's opening riff, and Buckethead playing the same riff for the rest of the song. What was
amazing was that all three guitarists were beyond capable, each of them taking turns on Slash's solos. Hate to say it, but can't say Slash was missed at all.
About half-way into the show, the incredible Buckethead did his solo. To the sound of heavy drum machine, he came out with two knumbchucks, swinging
around like Bruce Lee on acid. He could actually do it! Then after throwing both knumbchucks into the audience, he went on to do some crazy
breakdancing, like a serious loon. With a yellow windbreaker, white mask and KFC bucket, he was unlike anything I've ever seen. Then he strapped on
his guitar and played choice selections of the "Star Wars" theme, "Pirates of the Caribbean" from Disneyland, a crazy computer-like solo that sounded
like a synthesizer, then a funk jam where he was actually slapping his guitar like a bass, and various nutty solos. That might of been the virtuoso highlight
of the show. After his insane solo act, the piano was rolled out where Axl twidled the keys like a classical solo. I never knew that Axl could play! He wore
the same red velvet jacket as in the video, and changed his bandana into a red one. The band launched into "November Rain", which though I never was a
big fan of the song, I loved the live version. Then they played a much shortened version of "Estranged" [this is most likely confused with another song],
really only the final climax of the song. Besides these two, the other songs from "Use Your Illusion" included "You Could Be Mine" and "Live and Let
Die". I never thought I would hear a version of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" as brilliant as their '88 show at the Ritz in New York, but the one they
played tonight was just mind-blowing. The guitars were incredibly soulful and moving, and Axl's voice! Instead of the "Aye, aye, aye, aye, aye" after the
title verse, he instead went into this incredibly high-key harmonizing. As a singer, I think he's unrivaled in the rock world, and as far as this 29 year-old is
concerned, as pointed out by one of my friends there tonight, he may be the "last great rock star" performer. No one since has surpassed his ability and
talent live on stage, in my humble opinion. He played two new songs, the first one a slow number that he didn't introduce. Before he played the second
one, he told a little anecdote why the new album is called "Chinese Democracy". He said it was because he saw a photo taken in Hong Kong, which he's
using as the new album cover. And then he showed it on the video screens, and it was a black and white picture of a bicycle with a basket, and in the wall
behind it, someone had grafittied "guns n roses"!!! He said "I didn't paint that myself, so one of you motherfuckers out there must have did it!" The crowd
went wild, and he launched into the song. Despite what many people have reported about them taking a "techno" turn, this song was pure hard rock n'
roll. Though being the first time I've heard it, I absolutely loved it!!! About the band, new guitarist Richard was excellent, sporting a goth look that I
didn't expect, hearing that he formerly played with the Psychedelic Furs. Tommy on bass provided much of the backup vocals, and the only one that
looked "normal", coming onstage in sports jacket that was gone pretty early in the show. If I didn't know that the drummer was Brain of Primus fame, I
would have sworn that he was Reni from the Stone Roses! He wore the exact fisherman's hat (though I have seen Beck's drummer wear the same thing),
and he played just like him! Very tight and just like Steven Adler on the record, though he didn't play any solos so it was hard to gauge how good he
really was. The two keyboard guys banged their heads and rocked out, though I swear to god, you could not hear them on the mix at all! Which for me
was a good thing...probably the one song where you could hear them was the first slow new song, which was had a bit of synthesizer sound, and a drum
machine beat for part of it (Brain just sat there not playing for that part). The regular set ended way too early for this lifelong fan, though it was probably
a good hour and 45 minutes. The last song might have been "Patience" (the only song from "Lies"), though I can't remember exactly. Another beautiful
rendition, Richard and Buckethead both strapped on acoustic guitars, with Robin playing the only electric. Axl did an insane job on the whistling, and this
might have been one of the best received songs of the show. The end part of the song was incredible, with the band rocking out and Axl belting out that
part with such power and beauty. The crowd just went nuts, and the whole place was practically drowned by the audience singing along. For the encore,
Robin came out by himself with a sunburst Les Paul and played a very soulful, instrumental version of "Don't Cry" [this is most likely confused with
another song]. Hard to imagine as soulful and beautiful guitar playing from the guy from Nine Inch Nails. Then the whole band came out and played the
most kickass version of "Paradise City". On the video screen, opening with a shot of the China flag, they showed shots of Hong Kong from a car and a
helicopter, which were probably taken by Axl himself today or yesterday. The song was pure energy, with Axl hitting every fucking note and wail. It was
also the visual highlight of the show, with flames bursting that you could literally feel the heat from, and then fireworks and red and yellow confetti
streaming down from the ceiling. I was right smack center, maybe 14 rows from the front, and visually, it was as if I took acid and shrooms in a Vegas
casino. Just visually fucking stunning!!!! And then the show ended, leaving I'm sure, every fucking person in the audience blown away. We came in a big
group, with hundreds of shows between us, and no one could remember a better show that they've seen. The big story of the night might have been how
incredible Axl's voice was, with none of the coarseness from the "Live Era". Big, strong, high, and perfectly in key did he sing all fucking night. His outfit
was leather pants and a black 99 football jersey for the first half of the show, and then a white 80 jersey later on (besides the red velvet jacket). Though
the stage was relatively small, he still did his share of sprinting around, and disappeared backstage every so often for a minute or two, before coming
back out. Buckethead showed why he was the man, filling in the very, very big shoes of Slash, and in his own way, probably every bit a player as Slash is.
And the band was just fucking tight. All in all, it was a truly amazing fucking show, playing every good song (that at least I fucking wanted to hear). From
a guy that was there, I'm telling you, Guns N' fucking Roses are back!!!! P.S. Axl, if you're reading this, I was the guy in the green hemp t-shrit right in
front of you on the chair, swaying along in synch with you during "Patience"!
08.17.02 - Summer Sonic Festival, Marine Stadium, Chiba, JAPAN

opening acts: Quarashi, Murderdolls, Hoobastank, Andrew W.K., The Hives, Mongol 800, Weezer
attendance: 35,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Think About You, You Could Be Mine, Sweet Child O'
Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Out Ta Get Me, Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Rhiad And The Bedouins, Madagascar, Piano Solo,
November Rain, The Blues, Acoustic Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Patience, Rocket Queen, Guitar Solo [Robin], Chinese Democracy,
Nightrain
audio/video recording?: audio
notes: GN'R played for about 2 hours, hitting the stage around 7:40 p.m. and ending around 9:40 p.m. Unusually, the Exorcist intro isn’t
played before the show. At the beginning of ‘Welcome To The Jungle,’ Axl screams, “TOKYO!!!” as Robin starts playing. After ‘Live
And Let Die,’ Axl, annoyingly says to his sound man, “If you’ve got a compressor or an EQ or a filter or anything on this, take it off.”
He then talks to crowd – “Did you have a good day? It’s very nice to see you again. I wanna thank everyone for coming tonight… and,
uh, it’s so awesome to be playing with Weezer! It’s fuckin’ cool! If you woulda told me we were gonna do a show or I could ever make
that happen based on the way the last fucking 8 years have been, I wouldn’t believe it!” The band then jumps the gun and starts playing
‘Oh My God’ for a few seconds before eventually playing ‘Think About You.’ After ‘Madagascar,’ Axl sarcastically jokes, “I think I
need my… my little friend. Can I get a piano? Did you think we… we were ever gonna come back over here? I’m talking to all of you
here tonight. Did you think I’d ever get my ass back over here to Japan? I wanted to come back over to Japan. What do ya think of these
band… this band? These motherfuckers worked pretty hard, huh? Think so? Don’t know?” To introduce ‘The Blues,’ Axl says, “OK,
now Mr. Dizzy Reed and I are gonna trade places here. This is a song that, uh, this is a song that the working title is called ‘The Blues.’”
After ‘The Blues,’ Axl again jokes, “Are we gonna do that? Are ‘choo gonna do that? Are ‘choo gonna play that thing over there? Hey
answer me, haha! Hey, hey, hey! Cool. Ladies and gentlemen, once again, Mr. Buckethead!” Right after he does what seems like a very
funny Eric Cartman [from South Park] impression. During ‘Patience,’ Axl screams, “You got me trapped here!” After the song he
explains, “I’d like to run around a little more but I’m a little bit boxed in! Towards the end of ‘Rocket Queen,’ Axl again screams, “You
know what I like!” At the end of ‘Nightrain,’ Axl does a roll-call and introduces each member of the band – “Ladies and gentlemen, Mr.
Buckethead!, Mr. Dizzy Reed, Mr. Brain Mantia, Mr. Chris Pitman, Mr. Robin Finck, now wait Richard Fortus and somewhere there’s a
Mr. Tommy Stinson, thank you, good night!” Before ‘Paradise City,’ Axl addresses the crowd, “I’d like to thank you… I’d like to thank
you for having us tonight. I apologize for taking so long to get back here. I know 1 word – domo! [which is the equivalent of ‘thanks’ in
English]” At the end of ‘Paradise City,’ Axl yells, “Tokyo, I just wanna say, you… know how to rock! Thank you!!”
08.18.02 - Summer Sonic Festival, WTC Open Air Stadium, Osaka, JAPAN
opening acts: Mongol 800, Quarashi, Murderdolls, Hoobastank, Andrew W.K., Dragon Ash, Weezer
attendance: 25,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Think About You, You Could Be Mine, Guitar Solo
[Robin], Sweet Child O' Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Out Ta Get Me, Rhiad And The Bedouins, Madagascar, Guitar Solo
[Buckethead], Piano Solo, November Rain, Rocket Queen, Nightrain, The Blues, Chinese Democracy, Acoustic Guitar Solo
[Buckethead], Patience
encore: Guitar Solo [Robin], Paradise City
notes: During ‘Welcome To The Jungle,’ Axl mistakenly sings, “I wanna hear you scream Tokyo… OSAKA!!!!” Later in the song he
laughs, “That was embarrassing!” After ‘Mr. Brownstone,’ Axl says, “I uh, I wanna say that… thank you for coming tonight! Domo. It’s
good to be here. I’m embarrassed that I… I got too excited and I said, uh, Tokyo…and I… and then I changed it to Osaka when I
realized I was a idiot! Thank you for coming.” Before ‘Think About You,’ Axl again thanks the crowd, “We wanna thank you… and I’m
sure the event would wanna thank you… for helping set the, uh, largest attendance record of this venue tonight. Thank you very much.”
At the beginning of ‘You Could Be Mine,’ Axl screams, “Kill that fuckin’ guitar!” Axl introduces ‘Rhiad And The Bedouins’ by saying,
“This is something that most of you don’t know but… we’ll play it anyway ‘cuz it… we kinda like to have fun this way!” After
‘November Rain,’ Axl asks the crowd, “Let me hear some applause for … Mr., Mr. Brain on the drums here. C’mon you can do better
than that! You don’t want to do better than that? OK, we’re gonna go home!” After ‘Nightrain,’ Axl jokes, “Paging… Mr. Dizzy Reed.
Please go to the black courtesy piano. Please go to the black courtesy piano!” Axl asks for some ‘Chinese stew’ before ‘Chinese
Democracy.’
08.23.02 - Carling Weekend Leeds Festival, Temple Newsam Park, Leeds, ENGLAND
opening acts: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Amen, Hundred Reasons, Puddle Of Mudd, NO FX, Incubus, Slipknot, The Offspring, Prodigy
attendance: 52,000
Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Out Ta Get Me, Madagascar, Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Piano Solo, November Rain, The Blues,
Patience, Rocket Queen, Nightrain
ncore: Guitar Solo [Robin], Paradise City
audio/video recording?: audio, video
notes: GN'R arrived onstage shortly past 11 p.m., due to delays with previous set changes. They played a slightly abbreviated set due to
time constraints, only playing for around 100 minutes. Axl is wearing a 2002 Oakland Raiders home jersey, #99, with his own name on
the back. During the animated 'Exorcist III' intro, Axl randomly screeches out, "Whoa-no-no-no!" After 'Live And Let Die,' Axl says,
"So I don't know... it looks like a bunch of your motherfuckers thought I might actually make it here tonight! Look at all these fuckin'
people! You like that Bucket? This is called 'Think About You.'" Axl introduces 'Sweet Child O' Mine' by announcing, "Ladies and
gentlemen, Mr. Robin Finck." After 'Sweet Child O' Mine,' Axl blushingly acknowledges the cheering crowd by saying, "Stop that,
you're embarrasing me!" During 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door,' Axl brilliantly lets out his famous wails between lines. At the end of 'Out
Ta Get Me,' Axl sings, "Take that one to your blood-pudding heart!" While Buckethead is solo-ing, he plays parts of 'Star Wars' and 'A
Pirate's Life For Me.' He also starts shredding while holding his guitar with just one hand! Prior to 'November Rain,' Axl announces,
"Well, it appears that we're gonna have an interesting evening. You see the... the city council and the promoters say we have to like end
the show. And they'll say that I'm... they could say maybe I'm enciting a riot. Now I'm not 'cuz I don't want anyone to get arrested or
anyone to get in trouble or anything like that. But I think we got a good 7 or 8 fucking songs left at least to play for you. And I didn't
fucking come all the way to fucking England to be told to go back home by some fucking asshole! All I've got for the last 8 years is shit
after shit after shit in the fucking press and Axl's this, Axl's that - I'm here to play a fucking show and we wanna play! So... if you wanna
stay, I wanna stay and we'll see what happens. Everybody - nobody try to get in trouble or anything and try to have a good time." During
the breakdown of 'November Rain,' Axl temporarily halts the song to say, "So I've been told that we've got more time... and whoever is
responsible for that I'd like to say thank you." During 'Patience,' Axl sees someone in the crowd wearing a 'Where is Slash?' shirt, to
which Axl replies, "He's in my ass! That's where Slash is! Fuckhead! Go home! After the brief encore break, Axl tells the crowd, "I
would like to seriously thank you for coming tonight. And by the looks of things, we will be seeing you again! I'd like to thank whoever
was responsible for giving us the extra time and uh... this is Mr. Robin Finck." Towards the end of 'Paradise City,' a fan breaks past
security and reachs the front left of the stage. Axl sees her and then shakes her hand before she is pulled away be security! Axl hurls his
microphone deep into the crowd at the end of 'Paradise City.'
LEEDS CARLING FESTIVAL (Dave Simpson, The Guardian): The Carling Festival's reputation as one of the more corporate pop festivals is taking a
battering. Logos are refreshingly thin on the ground and the festival seems actually geared to music. This year's bill treads a fine line between acting as a
barometer of pop at the moment (okay, no manufactured pop acts, but plenty of punk/pop/metal hybrids) and offering enough glimpses of history to place
the music in some sort of context. In this and every other respect, obtaining Guns 'n' Roses for their first UK appearance in a decade is a marvellous
coup. After a nervous additional 75 minute wait, sole original member Axl Rose finally dispels fears of incompetence, tantrums and the curfew and thrills
the biggest crowd of the weekend. Without infamous guitarist Slash, Guns don't cause riots anymore - they just sound like one. Blistering renditions of
Welcome to the Jungle and Axl's hilarious response to a heckler are delivered with equal raw feeling: "Where's Slash? He's in my ass! Fuckhead!"
Business as usual, then. Another coup is booking the Sex Pistols, although this turns out to be the Prodigy impersonating them, with the rapidly ageing
Keith Flint, a cross between Johnny Rotten and Charlie Drake. As they shift from dance to kid-friendly punk-metal, they suddenly sound very silly indeed,
with songs about date rape drug Rohypnol masquerading as shock tactics. "This is dangerous!" yells the pantomime Flint. Oh no it isn't. A day later,
much debate ensues over whether the Strokes - with one good but derivative album behind them - are worthy of a headline. A mere 40 minutes after their
arrival, their brisk but alarmingly brief set suggests not. If the main stage provides rock's past and present, the quest for the future leads to the tents.
Here, the Mercury-nominated Streets provide the most original voice of the weekend. This belongs to Mike Skinner, a sort of Brummie poet laureate for
the dance generation, whose dazzling raps on street life are met with hero worship. The oddest triumph of the weekend belongs to Texans The Polyphonic
Spree, a 25-person ensemble in white robes with assorted instruments who resemble a bizarre religious sect. Somewhere between Pet Sounds and Waco,
their absurdly gleeful, pop songs-cum-chants ("I love my soul!") result in mass euphoria. Expect them on the main stage next year, along with a
mysterious surge in orders for white robes.
GUNS UK COMEBACK DELAYED (NME.com): GUNS N' ROSES show at LEEDS CARLING WEEKEND was delayed by over an hour last night
resulting in a "very substantial overrun" for festival organisers to deal with. The band were due headline the Main Stage, due on at 10pm following The
Prodigy. However, the stage was running approximately half an hour late, fueling rumours whether the band would actually appear. They did, but not
until after 11pm - over an hour behind schedule. The Gunners then played a set running to almost two hours, not finishing until just before 1am. Their
show, the band's first in the UK in almost a decade, was similar to that on other nights in the tour, featuring a small amount of new songs and their
greatest hits. Eyewitnesses claim that at about 12.15am, just before 'November Rain', Axl announced the council and promoters wanted him to finish the
show. He said he didn't want any trouble, but he still wanted to play another 7-8 songs. He added that he had travelled a long way for the dates, and
didn't want to disappoint - much to the crowd's joy. They played two more songs, when it was announced they had been given more time, and the show
continued without disruption, ending with 'Paradise City'. Melvin Benn, a spokesperson for the festival said in a statement: "It was a very unusual night
which due to technical problems resulted in a very substantial overrun. We took a good number of steps to minimise the impact this would have on the
local environment and we do not expect this to happen again. "In view of the many thousands of fans that had waited diligently for the first Guns N' Roses
appearance in nine years, and the potential consequences of that meant an overrun became the only option." Guns 'N Roses headline London Docklands
Arena on Monday (August 26).
GUNS N' ROSES BRING LEEDS TO ITS KNEES! (Pukkelpop.com/Virtualfestivals.com): 24 August 2002 There's only one band that could so effortlessly
make underdogs of The Prodigy, and bully the promotors into jeopardising the already delicate future of a festival, so that they can perform a full set in
light of technical delays. GNR play until 1am! Despite a line-up that would rank as exceptional, without their presence (Incubus, Slipknot, Puddle of Mud,
The Offspring - The Prodigy's first English appearance since 1998!), there was but one band dominating the proceedings at the first day of the Carling
Weekend: Leeds Festival 2002. From the t-shirts, to the campsite stereos, to the abundance of bandanas and top hats in the crowd, to the backstage
gossip to the comedy tent banter, the entire site was overshadowed by a heavy fog of anticipaction. Indeed, this marked the first UK appearance by Guns
N' Roses for nine years, and represented the unveiling of an all-new line-up. The Leeds site was packed to bursting point with people of all ages wanting
to be a part of this momentous event - from the die hard nostalgia junkies to the new metal kids (who pilfered their big brothers' record collections to hear
this stuff, in the same way that their big brothers nicked their dad's Led Zeppelin), to the plain curious who simply wished to see if there is life after Slash.
From the moment the band arrived, the show effectively began, as the cavalcade of no less than eight police-escorted black stretch limosines cruised onto
the site, disappearing into the expansive sealed-off 'GNR only' area occupying half of the backstage compound. Due to 'technical difficulties' they took the
stage an hour and a half later than schedule, kicking off with a short film intro at 11.30pm (the normal curfew time for the event!). The set was virtually
identical to that of the recent Hong Kong shows, relying heavily on material from the Appetite for Destruction, with the inclusion of 2 new songs,
'Madagascar' and 'Chinese Democracy', title track from the forthcoming album. Rose was notable for his lack of costume changes (he donned black
leather trousers and an American football top throughout) and his voice which was more consistent and controlled than ever. The new band added a slick
new sheen and professional tightness to the older songs. The controversy kicked off mid-way through the set, when Rose announced, "Looks like this is
going to be an interesting night. I have just been informed by Leeds city council and the promotors [Mean Fiddler] that they want me to end the show
[due to the time constraints resulting from the earlier delays]. Now, I don't want to be accused of inciting a riot, but I didn't come all the way to England
to be told to go home again! I've had nothing but shit from the press here. Axl this, Axl that. Anyway, if you stay here, we'll keep playing and we'll see
what happens". With the festival's future at this venue already in jeopardy, due to local campaigns that nearly prevented its licence this year, the
promotors were instantly thrust into a very difficult position. In 1992, riots broke out in St. Louis (Rose was charged with incitement) and Montreal after
GNR cut their sets short. Obviously, it was decided that pulling the power just wasn't worth the risk, and Axl subsequently announced, "They're going to
let us carry on. I want to thank whoever was responsible for that". Rose reacted to a Virtual Festivals crew member's chants of "We want Slash" by
quipping, "Up my arse, that's where Slash is. Fuck off, go home". The band eventually left the stage after 1am - unheard of for a British Festival.
THE CONVICT 2001'S REVIEW: Well, ok, run down of my day. First...up very early, get in the car, out of the driveway by 8:30, get to Temple Newsham
at 10:00. Eventually, at 11:00 or so we're allowed in and i straight away head for the merchandise stands and pick up two offical GnR tour shirts and a
prodigy one. Then i picked up a Smashing Pumpkins hoodie and a cool Atari shirt from another stall using the money i got for passing my Exams.
Eventually, the first band came on *The Dillinger Escape Plan* and let me tell you...THEY SUCK! i was expecting some sorta heavy rock, but this guy
just screamed for the hell of it and the first thing the singer did was throw his Mic stand into the crowd! - 0/10 Second up was Amen, who, despite the
hype, and lack of record deal, still suck as much the first time i saw them, their amps blew out, and he dissed Axl - 1/10 Then we both went to the Radio 1
Stage to see Sparta, who i had planned to see for a while, and we were not dissapointed, top quality, check these out if you can! - 9/10 Then as we headed
towards the main stage, NOFX came on... NOFX - Again, the main stage stunk up the place, so bad in fact i fell asleep on the hill near the stage, haha -
1/10 (for the sole fact the guitarist played *some lead coz he was in Leeds*) Incubus - While i don't like this band, i felt they put in a solid performance
and on reflection had a couple of decent songs - 6/10 Then, Slipknot came on, i'm a fan of this band, and personally, i thought they didn't dissapoint, they
had a fiery, energetic set and i'm just lucky i knew the songs otherwise it woulda been the most inaudbile bollox ever - 8/10 Next, were Offspring, who
took one hour to set up their stage, god knows why, they had no fireworks or anything, and their setup was just ordinary, but they came out, much to the
crowds delight and played a good, energetic set with most of their mainstream hits such as *Original Prankster* and *Pretty Fly For A White Guy* -
7/10 Then, next up was The Prodigy, and let me say, they were fuckin awesome. DJ Maxim was the personification of coolness with his eyes done up and
cool dreads and Keith was all over the stage in a cool pink outfit. They played songs like Breathe (my favourite) Fuel My Fire, Baby's Got A Temper and
Firestarter. This was the most energetic band, they really had the crowd going, even my dad was well into it, amazing band. Then, finally, GUNS N'
ROSES!! The band 50% of the audience were there to see. There was a lengthy delay while they fixed up the stage, and now i know why the delay was so
long, but you'll find out later. Finally, the cool intro from Exorcist 3 comes on *i believe in death* etc, then, the famous Welcome To The Jungle intro
begins, and the whole crowd, including myself, went absolutely mental for the song, and when it kicked in, it was amazing, the band seemed well tuned
and tight already. I was already tired after the first song, through singing and jumping. Then right after WTTJ they kicked in with It's So Easy, which was,
as expected, well played, and full of life. Because of the late start, there was no time for between song banter, so it was song after song for the first 5 or 6.
Mr Brownstone came next, and like the rest, was exceptional. The band got through songs like Think About You, Live And Let Die (which was
AMAZING!) Knockin On Heavens Door (similar to the RIR3 version) and You Could Be Mine, which i had been looking forward to all night. The big
screens to show the bands performances were great. As sometimes the screen would record a certain bit and then play and replay it over and over again
and had cool images of war, drag racers and naked women over the songs. Soon enough, it came the time for Buckethead to do his little solo spot. First
he starts doing his funky robot dancing over a hip hop type soundtrack, then he cracks out the nunchukas and began twirling them around really fast.
Then he was given a guitar and proceeded to rip out the best solo i have seen in my life, and seeing it live made it so much better, i swear, it was so
amazing. Soon enough, Axl sits at his piano, and makes the announcement that they are past curfew, and have been told to wrap up the show...much to the
crowds annoyance.,, *But i didn't wait 8 years to come over here for you guys, it's been Axl Rose this, Axl Rose that in the press, and i am not gonna be
told what to do by some asshole, i think we still have 7-8 songs left* After that, Axl played like a little piano ditty, and after 5 or so seconds he would look
to the crowd and we would cheer back our approval. Real funny stuff, last thing i expected...then they played a full November Rain, Sweet Child Of Mine,
robin finck solo bit MADAGASCAR!!! they played it! oh god i nearly cried! and they played The Blues! amazing! i know this set is out of order, but i'm to
hyped to remember it all correctly... then, the final song was Paradise City of course, amazing, especially when it kicked in after the whistle bit, then at
the end of the song, 5 big Catherine Wheels come on, loads of confetti (i caught loads and put it on my wall) and flames, and smoke, and the band carried
on! Then it ended as soon as it began, Axl had promised to come back soon. Axl looked a picture of health, not fat at all, his hair looked cool, and his
dress sense is as weird as ever the rest of the band seemed a fully functioning unit, personally, i feel that the GnR come back will be the best thing to
happen to the music industry for a long time. this was one of the greatest days i've had, and it makes up for last years twice cancelled tour, i couldn't have
asked for a better show
LOSEYOURILLUSION'S REVIEW: Hello guys. First off I'd like to say sorry for not posting yesterday straight after the show but my every time i tried to
get in to the bar I would get an errror message. (I think it was shut, it was 5am after all) Yesterday's show was the greatest live show I have ever seen. Axl
hasn't aged a day. The man still looks 28. The new band are so tight its unbeliveable and even the people that were slagging Axl off before the show had
to say how good the show was. Axl hit every note perfectly and his voice is in awesome condision(sp). The scream's that he does during Live and Let Die
were incredible. I watched Rock in Rio yesterday morning cos I couldn't sleep and after seeing the show you can tell Axl wasn't really ready then.Now the
anger and passion the he used to sing songs with is back. Out Ta Get Me proved this. The was even ranting. Somebody must have had a where Slash sign
or something and when Axl saw it he said: "He's in my ass, that's where Slash is. Fuckhead. Go home." When Leeds council tried to stop the show at
midnight Axl sat down at the piano before November Rain and explained what was happening and said he didn't want to be blamed for causing a riot so if
we wanted them to stay they would. When the crowd roared he starting ranting saying all he's had in the press foe 8 years is shit. Axls this and Axls that
and i'm not coming all this way for some asshole to tell him to go home. He was also suprised at the size of the crowd he said look at all the fuckin people
and asked Buckethead if he liked it. At the end of the show he thanked us for coming and said "by the looks of things we'll be seeing you again" Axl wore
the black 99 shirt with Rose on the back and leather trousers and his hair looked cool. Tommy wore a checked suit and took the jacket off after about 4
songs. Buckethead was as usual. Robin wore like a black boiler suit with zips on it Richard has black trouseres and a red t-shirt. Dizzy had a black vest
top with a white star on the front. I couldn't really see Chris or Brain. I think they have changed Madagascar and The Blues, the only new songs the
played, a bit but it might just be the sound quaility. The Madagascar solo has changed and both songs seem a bit more rocky. They've also modified
KOHD and its wicked. To top everything of I was about 10 row's from the front and during the end of PC I gave Axl the Peace sign. He smiled and did it
back. I nearly died. Sorry I havn't got photos. I had my camera stolen. Thats all I can remember at the mo if you have any question post them and I
answer if I can. I just got to wait till Monday Now.
08.24.02 - Pukkelpop Festival, Pukkelpop Field, Hasselt-Kiewit, BELGIUM

opening acts: Asheton, 16 Horsepower, Stereo MC's, Suede
Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Out Ta Get Me, Madagascar, Rhiad And The Bedouins, Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Chinese
Democracy, Piano Solo, November Rain, The Blues, Patience, Rocket Queen, Guitar Solo [Buckethead], My Michelle, Nightrain
notes: At the start of 'Mr. Brownstone,' Axl asks security to throw him a t-shirt from someone in the crowd. After 'Mr. Brownstone,' Axl
questions the crowd, "Hey is uh... I don't know if I... I say it right. Do you pronounce the 'J'? How about 'Here today, gone to Belgium'
for Jarmo!" Prior to 'You Could Be Mine,' Axl raps a few lines - "Ain't no way you're gonna break my flow" - from the DMX song 'Ain't
No Way.' Before 'November Rain,' Axl thanks the crowd for having the band play at the festival. After 'Paradise City,' Axl again thanks
the crowd, "Thank you! We'll be back this way again. Thank you for coming out tonight, be safe."
WILL BAILEY'S REVIEW: "Suede’s concert (the band before GN'R) was pretty cool. I never heard of this group before, and so I was pleasantly
surprised. Because of the crowd’s incessant chanting (“Guns…N…Roses”), they couldn’t pause between songs or chat with the spectators lest the
obvious favoritism be heard. Around 10 p.m., Suede left the stage. They came back moments later for a couple encores, but the crowd was screaming
“Guns…N…Roses so loud that I’m surprised anyone heard much of those last two songs. As soon as they finished playing, they left at 10:15 without
having said a word about Axl or GN’R. I understand how strange that must have been for Suede to play to a full-house of GN’R fans, but, hey, what did
they expect? With Suede’s departure came the interminable wait for GN’R. Standing ankle-deep in mud with an aching back and feet from not being able
to sit down most of the day, I figured that after already waiting 11 years for this concert, I could tolerate anything. Besides, I knew that as soon as they
came out on stage, the hard day behind me would be forgotten. My friends and I decided to take advantage of the down time to advance closer to the
stage. We found a place just behind the barriers separating the first rows from the rest of the concert, just in front of the stage to the left of the camera.
We were about 20 meters from the stage and thus had no trouble picking out every detail of what was going on up there. The minutes ticked by, the techies
prepared the stage for the group, and everyone in the pit started fidgeting from impatience. The stage had been opened up to allow more room for GN’R.
Brain’s drums with the new logo were brought out (I took a picture of that – I hope it turns out) and the sky began to clear up after the day-long rains. I
was sweltering standing there in the middle of all these anxious GN’R fans. We were packed in like sardines. Then, at 11 p.m. – the scheduled slot for
Guns N’ Roses – everyone perked up in hopes that they would come on stage. But the techies continued preparing everything as though they had all the
time in the world. There was no sign of our group. The time inched along … 11:15, no group … 11:30, no group … and so on. People started to get really
impatient. I’ll take this opportunity to say that the people attending this concert (at least where I was standing) were completely rude and disrespectful. I
took out my notepad to jot down my comments and the set list, while the people around me were screaming “Fuck you, Axl!” and throwing up their
middle finger to the stage. I found this incredibly dumb on their part – that’s not going to make Axl come out any faster! Finally, around midnight, we
started to notice more action on stage. I saw Tommy Stinson come out and take his bass. You could feel it in the air that the concert was about to start
soon… At 12:07, to be precise, the group launched into their intro – the same one they started with in Rio with the extract of Hellraiser III. I was
thoroughly enjoying myself since I knew the intro by heart, while everyone around me started in disbelief as I screamed out the lines. “How does he know
that shit?” Then the group started playing “Welcome to the Jungle”, and the crowd went nuts. Everybody was screaming and singing along. I couldn’t
stop myself from screaming "Guns N'Fuckiiiiiin'Roseeeeeees!!!" and "Welcome To The Fuckiiiiiin' Juuuuungle! during the intro. Axl jumped on stage in
black pants and a US jersey number 80 with a purple bandana. He wasn’t wearing sunglasses like he did in Hong Kong. Buckethead was, well,
Buckethead. And Robin was wearing pretty much the same thing as he was in Rio, but he seemed much paler and was wearing a black T-shirt featuring a
skull. Richard and Tommy dressed pretty normal, nothing special to note. The same goes for the other members of the group. Two fireworks and flames
burst from the stage during the song. We were so close that we could feel the heat from the flames. The group then went into “It’s So Easy”. I went crazy
and started singing all the words at ful-lung capacity. I must have sang a little too loud because my voice is still gone today! I was dancing along with
Axl, and I swear the guys around me must have thought I had totally lost it, but I didn’t give a shit. During the song, Axl took a T-shirt from someone in
the crowd and said, "Thank you for the Hippodrome of Vincennes 1992" or something like that. Robin put a black baseball cap on his head with little
sunglasses during "It's So Easy" and "Mr. Brownstone". Axl was running all over the place and, like during the Illusion Tour, he went backstage when he
wasn’t singing. It was sort of strange to see that live after having watched it a thousand times on video. The group was very tight and played great
together. I didn’t catch a single false tune. The only small problem: The sound from the drum and bass was a bit too loud. I could still hear Axl, though,
so it really wasn’t that bad. The group then went into “Mr. Brownstone”, which sounded great. All the songs were spectacular, actually. And as strange
as it is, I didn’t think of Slash, Duff, Izzy or the others even once. The new lineup seemed so in sync and so tight that I could only think of the music.
Before "Live And Let Die", Axl said hello to the crowd. He was in a really good mood during the concert and was fooling around the entire time. All of a
sudden he says: "Wait a second, how do you guys pronounce the "g"? Anyway, this is something called (Live And Let Die in Flemish)". Everybody was
laughing. Even though I’m not a huge fan of this song done live, I still lost control during the performance. It was a powerful experience. I’d watch the
giant screens once in awhile to see the images flash up there during each song. The concert was very well filmed, and you could catch Axl’s every
expression from close-up via the screens. He seemed happy and at ease among us. During “Live And Let Die”, a girl managed to climb onto state, but
Axl was way off to the left and I don’t think he even saw her. The security guards sure did though, and she was off stage almost before she even got on! I
took photos of that, too. We’ll see how they turn out. After that, GN’R launched into four classics, such as "Think About You" and "You Could Be Mine".
They were a hundred times better performed than in Rio and Vegas. Since the beginning of the show, I couldn’t put my camera down. I took between four
and five pictures during each song – some of the stage; some of the big screen. I also managed to get Axl on film the exact moment when he jumped after
the intro to "You Could Be Mine". Obviously, he jumped around a lot less than he did 10 years ago, but his voice hasn’t slowed down a bit. He had no
trouble going from a deep sound to a high-pitched wail. He modified the interpretation of certain songs, which I though lent them a more original aspect
that spiced things up a bit. Axl then presented Robin: "Ladies and gentlemen, Mister Robin Finck", who then launched into the intro to "Sweet Child
O'Mine". Again, this is one song I’ve never been a big fan of live that completely converted me that night there. I was singing and dancing along with Axl,
and the experience was larger than life. To top off my ecstasy, they didn’t go into the annoying end they tacked onto the song during the Illusion Tour.
The version of “Heaven’s Door’ that followed was sublime, and Axl’s voice was right on with Tommy and Robin in chorus. It was really quite moving to
hear. Unfortunately, Axl didn’t have the crowd chime in at the end, but it was still something else! I largely preferred this version to the one they played in
Rio. I knew that “Out Ta Get me”, which I don’t like too much on the CD, wouldn’t impress me much live, but the atmosphere was still cool and I ended
up singing along to all the words anyway. “I’m fucking innocent!!” Right afterward came one of the best parts of the show: “Madagascar”. I’m sure that
lots of the fans of the new songs waited impatiently for this moment. The group played this song excellently, and once again, Axl slightly modified his
version from the one he sang in Rio. It came out rather good, despite a few hang-ups here and there. Like I’m sure you could have guessed, I sang this
song from start to finish, too. I knew all the words! In any case, it was a key moment of the concert, which was followed by "Rhiad & The Bedouins", a
song that has been played more during these past concert than “Silkworms and “Oh My God”. I didn’t’ like “Rhiad” too much when I heard the Vegas
show, but this time I really found myself getting into the song. It was beautifully mastered here and more lively than in Vegas. Axl then presented
Buckethead by saying: "Ladies and gentlemen, Mon Seigneur Buckethead". Everybody was laughing. Then Buckethead took out some nunchakus and did
a little demonstration before tossing them out into the crowd. Then he did a little breakdance before finally getting into his guitar work. He started out
with the theme to Star Wars, then Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. Everybody was clapping their hands to the music and laughing. When he finished his
quirky solo, he played his guitar like someone would play the bass, and everyone seemed rather impressed. At the end of this spectacle, the group came
back out and went into "Chinese Democracy". This time the song was more lively and drum-induced than the one played in Rio. Axl had since swapped
his black jersey for a white one – still with the number 80, and a black bandana. His hair hadn’t changed at all since Hong Kong. After “Chinese
Democracy”, a piano was rolled onto the stage, and Axl started a little solo. He played a few notes with his head down concentrating on the keys … da da
da … and then snapped his head up and looked right at the crowd. Everyone screamed their approval of this jaunty little performance he was giving. He
laughed and did it again. Axl and the crowd played in this manner for awhile like two old friends cracking each other up. (I took a photo of this, too. My
last photo of the roll.) And then, Axl launched into "November Rain" with no real transition. The drum started in and made the song a little more up-beat
than normal. Again, a superb interpretation of the song. Buckethead was not there during the song, but he made an appearance at the end (like in Rio).
Then, Axl told us that he would leave the piano there and that Dizzy would be playing it. Everybody knew right away he’d play “The Blues” – those who
had seen the Rio video, in any case – and he gave us a more energetic rendition of it than he did in Rio. I have to admit, though, that Axl missed a couple
beats during the song, but to be fair, he really had to reach up in the high notes to pull it off, and that can’t be easy! Toward the end of the song, he sat
down on the piano where Dizzy was playing. It put a real nice touch to concert. Between songs the crowd would chant: "Guns...N...Roses...", which made
Axl laugh on a few occasions. He would even start chanting with us once in awhile in a deep, husky voice. The whole thing was pretty comical. Then, two
old classics came: "Patience" and "Rocket Queen". Again, I couldn’t have been happier with their renditions. Reading this review, you all must think that
I’m exaggerating the quality of the performances, but you really had to be there to believe it! I was so tight! At the beginning of "Patience", Axl pretended
to be crying – another comical moment between singer and fans. “Rocket Queen” was every bit as hardcore as it was in the 80s, and Richard made sure
the main solo went off without a hitch. He definitely has more charisma than Paul, and his solo proved that. After “Rocket Queen”, Axl presented
Buckethead again saying: "Ladies and gentlemen, Mon Seigneur Buckethead", who played a solo resembling the one he played in Rio. I usually fast-
forward this part in the video, but I found it rather interested to watch it live. It’s pretty impressive to see the way he masters every bit of that instrument.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one to think so judging from the jaw-gaping expressions on the faces around me. After the solo, he took a mannequin (a life-
sized doll in foam or some sort of she-scarecrow), and put it on his back and danced with it. Then, he put his guitar down, took the mannequin, kicked it
from behind, and continued playing again – a strange site to see, but funny nonetheless. After this solo, the group came out again to play two more
classics: "My Michelle" and "Nightrain". I had the impression that Axl was getting tired toward the end of the show, but it didn’t effect his performance.
He was still in top form and still smiling. The version of “My Michelle” was really nice, very energetic and pretty different from the one played in Rio by
the fact that the group was tighter this time. When they started playing “Nightrain” everybody started going crazy. Just like in Tokyo, Axl stayed away
near the end of the song as the crowd sang the refrain: "Loaded like a freight train...", then he came back out again and sang the end of the song. Axl said
goodbye to the crowd and the group left the stage. The cries for an encore didn’t last more than a couple minutes before Robin came back on stage and
played us a nice solo that lasted a few minutes. He gave us an impressive demonstration of his musical talents – while Buckethead might have the
technical skills, Robin has the soul. Then, just as Robin finished his solo, came the intro to “Paradise City.” Not a second passed between solo and intro.
And, since we’re on the subject, nearly the whole concert was like that: one song after the other after the other with little or no pause. Everything
happened at an incredible speed. During “Paradise City” everyone in the crowd was belting out the lyrics and jumping in the mud like a single entity.
Again, the rendition was quicker and livelier than normal, which only fed the crowd’s appetite for action that night. Toward the end of the song, two
fireworks were lit from on stage as flames and confetti shot up from every direction. It was spectacular. At the end of the song, Axl said goodbye again
and told us they’d stop back again “on the same way,” implying, in my opinion, a real European tour for next year! Axl didn’t make any of his famous
speeches during the concert and didn’t speak once of the new album. But that didn’t stop the concert from being one of their best performances in a long
time. And I’m sure I won’t be the only fan who is going to remember this day for years to come! Finally, a little note for those still doubting the talent of
the new GN’R lineup: Go see them live!!! Viva GN’R!! Viva Axl!! Viva rock n’ roll and viva Chinese Democracy!!"

opening act: Weezer
attendance: 12,500
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Think About You, You Could Be Mine, Guitar Solo
[Robin], Sweet Child O' Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Out Ta Get Me, Chinese Democracy, Madagascar, Rhiad And The
Bedouins, Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Piano Solo, November Rain, The Blues, Acoustic Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Rocket Queen,
Patience, My Michelle, Nightrain
audio/video recording?: audio, video [incomplete]
notes: During 'Welcome To The Jungle,' someone tries to throw a KFC bucket onstage to Axl. Security throws the bucket back towards
the crowd. Axl sees this and says, "Throw me that... hey!" Security then tosses the bucket on stage and Axl wears it for a little while.
After 'Mr. Brownstone,' Axl says to the crowd, "How you doin? I'm doin' pretty good, thanks for asking. It's good to be here in lively old
England. See you didn't even think I knew where I was! Um... I want to uh... I wanna say that I learned that I'm as big as a house! So I
think I... I'm owed some rent money! I think that there’s a little pussy-ass writer over at NME that owes me some rent money... for livin'
inside my ass! Uh, just... just playin' around. This is 'Live And Let Die!'" Before 'Think About You,' Axl asks, "You motherfuckers hot?
OK now you're really hot, right? And you don't like ice in your soda? What's that about?!" After 'Sweet Child O' Mine,' Axl sees a sign
in the crowd and asks, "Nick, there’s some guys here with a sign here that says 'Greece Loves You.' Sorry that's an inside - Nick's from
Greece." Prior to 'Out Ta Get Me,' Axl says, "I'd also like to uh, to thank NME for helping us start things off on such a good note with a
little piece called the 'Kings Of Hong Kong.' That was really nice, thank you." After 'Chinese Democracy,' Axl says, "Now, there's been
some concern... that if we play 5 or 6 new songs, then there can't that many more on the album. Au contraire mon frère! We're just
playin' the songs we're not considering putting out as singles or anything. So you'll get 18 songs and about 10 extra tracks. And when
that... when the record company feels that has run [it's] source, then you'll get it all over again. And by that time, I should be done with
the 3rd album! So we'll see if all goes well boys and girls! And if Uncle Axl proves not to be an asshole - we'll have to see, the jury's still
out." He then turns to Tommy and asks, "Wait, was that a rant? Does that qualify as a rant or was that just nonsense? It was under 5? OK,
it's... it doesn't qualify, wasn't long enough!" Before 'The Blues,' Axl jokes, "What's that smell? Did I shit my pants? What the fuck! I
think I... I think I shit my riches! Uh, we're gonna keep the piano out. Bring down... Mr. Dizzy Reed. Mr. Dizzy Reed, please report to
the black courtesy piano. Please report to the black courtesy piano, Mr. Dizzy Reed!" At the end of 'Paradise City,' Axl screams, "God
save the Queen!" After he just drops his microphone in place, instead of hurling it into the crowd.
PARADISE CITY, AXL AND THE HIRED HELPMAKE IT LOOK SO EASY IN LONDON (Ian Winwood, Kerrang! Magazine): As the allotted showtime
of 9pm approaches, its quite something to think what might happen here if axl rose doesn’t show up. Or if he appears onstage at the morning side of
midnight, as he did at Madison square garden when he refused to leave a new york Yankees baseball game before the ninth inning. Or if he turns up on
time but decides that 15 minutes worth of music is plenty entertainment enough and calls it an evening, as he did in Montreal after his pychic had
allegedly warned him against cities beginning with th letter ‘M’. its not a bad way to pass the time before guns n’ roses – or gn’r as they seem to prefer to
be know these days – are due to take to the stage, wondering what might be if eccentricity turned to insanity and the evening turned to shit. Welcome to
the jungle, indeed. The London arena is full of people, steam and volume: the crowd isn’t quite the old school sartorial horror show you might expect, and
the air is gravid with the expectation of madness and genius. What we actually get is quality and professionalism, which is hardly the same thing at all.
What we get is a regular rock band, albeit an extremely good one. What we get is more questions thatn answers. The first thing to say. Atleast on one
level, is how good guns n roses are this evening. Or at least how good they sound, which is good enough to give the impression that this is a band of
seasoned professionals playing cover versions of songs by a band their singer used to sing for – which is really all this is. Away from the thrill of the
evening – and it was a thrill – you might wonder what the point of this tour actually is. And if you could get a tape recorder in front of axl’s mouth, then
you might ask him. Rose himself is, as always, a star – perhaps even more of a star sinse he appeasr to be, for all intenets and purposes, insane. Only
tonight he isn’t. wearing an Oakland raiders football jersey – number 80, jerry rice – leather trousers and a bandanna (anyone for the time warp?), he
glides onstage to the stuttering electric riff of ‘welcome to the jungle’ doing that dance, his hips gliding from side to side, his arms outstretched. Next
thingh you know, he’s making us laugh, railing against press reports about him being ‘ as big as a house’ (he’s actally no bigger than a garage). Then
hes speaking of the arrival of the incredibly delayed ‘chinese democracy’ album, which may or may not appear before the event of, well, Chinese
democracy. ‘It all depends on wether uncle Axl turns out to be n asshole or not,’ he says, ‘and the jury is still out on that.’ Which is pretty funny,
especially when you consider the jury actally returned in 1994, and that axl rose has been sentenced to death on all charges. Tonights concert is a
thousand miles removed from the band guns n roses used to be – or at least the type of band guns n roses used to be. It might seem obvious to say this but
‘appetite for destruction’ did not find its way into 15 million homes entirely by accident, but rather by dint of melody and authenticity. The melodies still
remain, but long gone is the sense of fatal chaos, laughable paranoia, aggressive vulnerability, cheapness, sleaze, ugliness and unpleasantness that made
this outfit – or at least the on ewho remains tonigh such a thrill. So when axl rose sings ‘ your dady worked in porno’ on ‘my michelle’, you get the sense
that its been a while since axl actually knew anyone who’s daddy worked in porno, and that this is now an exercise of nostalga. As it is for its so easy, you
could be mine, November rain patience, nightrain, mr. Brownstone, rocket queen, live and let die, sweet child o mine and all of they other songs they play
so fantastically well this evening. If there is a point to all this, it will come in the form of – don’t laugh – new music, whenever that may be. To point
toward this, guns n roses do play four new songs this evening, at least three of which – Chinese democracy, Madagascar , and the blues, the blues sounds
amazing. And as good as guns n roses are at the London arena, as great a sign off song as paradise city is to a packed and sated venue, its in the present
sense that gnr need to exist. Until then, no matter the musical quality, evenings like this will largely be about nostalga, where the bullets are blanks and
the roses are plastic.
AXL FINDS A CHANGE OF GEAR (Burhan Wazir, The Observer, Sep. 1 2002): New band, new haircut and sound, same old destructive anger: the
notorious singer is on to a winner More than 10 years ago, W Axl Rose and his group took to the stage in his home state of Indiana for the third gig of a
tour that, by its close two years later, would make Guns N'Roses the biggest band in the world. That 1991 gig came after George Bush Snr had launched
Operation Desert Storm against Saddam Hussein. 'So I don't know nothing about Iraq,' sniffed Rose from the stage at the Deer Creek Music Centre, 'but I
know what the fuck's going on out there and this band's one of the only things these kids got.' After the tour, Rose, by then a front-page tabloid rock star in
the Jim Morrison mould, disappeared from view. There have been few sightings since. These days, he lives in a secluded mountain-top residence high
above the Malibu coastline. He has spent nearly six years working on a new record, Chinese Democracy, that remains unreleased. Finally, last year,
Rose emerged for a handful of low-key live dates. 'I have traversed a treacherous sea of horrors to be with you here tonight,' he told one audience. Ten
years on, however, against the backdrop of another possible war in the Gulf, and another Bush, Rose has finally gone public with a reconfigured Guns
N'Roses. The original group - none of the other founding members are present in the current line-up - recorded four albums. First up was 1987's debut,
Appetite For Destruction, a vortex of sincere anger that introduced Rose and his band as a musical revolution against the Top Forty. The record
produced a glut of hit singles, sold 15 million copies and continues to sell around 9,000 a week. Two follow-ups, Use Your Illusions, Vol. I and II, were
released on the same day in 1991. In the UK, record stores remained open past midnight for the first time to satisfy consumer demands. The decade-long
absence, however, has stripped Rose of his relevance. In his self-imposed exile, he has been out-manoeuvred by grunge and American punk rock. And like
his contemporaries from the late Eighties, the most popular image of Rose is that of an insect-thin, volatile frontman, dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and a red
bandanna: he was a white male backlash against multicultural America. Onstage at the London Arena, Rose looks surprisingly unchanged. His voice still
alternates between a high-pitched siren, like a toddler in distress, and a nasal mumble. His flame-red hair, previously lank, is now braided neatly into
dreadlocks underneath the bandanna. And while Rose might have packed on a few pounds, his stage movements have their usual coiled fluidity. His
signature sprints to the sides of the stage remain intact. The costume changes, however, have disappeared. Rose no longer wears kilts or T-shirts with the
word 'Martyr' inscribed across them - at London Arena, he wore a long sweat-top and black trousers. In the absence of a new record, Rose and his
fledgling group play material primarily culled from Appetite For Destruction. The new line-up - featuring three guitarists and a bassist - gives GN'R a
contemporary sound. The subtly re-arranged 'Rocket Queen' and 'Mr Brownstone' sound like Nine Inch Nails-inspired, bass-heavy punk rock. Likewise,
the newer material, particularly 'Rhiad and the Bedouins', adopts dance rhythms, samples and hip-hop beats. The hiatus, furthermore, seems to have won
him a new generation of curious fans. Here, late-twentysomething men and women enthusiastically rubbed shoulders with nu-metal teenagers. The show
occasionally lapsed into the kind of stadium excesses Rose was once famed for, however - including overlong guitar solos. If Rose can curb his band's
plethoric behaviour, he should have few problems re-establishing his relevance. And let's face it, a re-energised Rose, especially on this form, would help
the state of music. Rose - who was defined by his anger, his obsession and his self-destructive tendencies - has undeniable appeal. And his teen anthems,
like all great teen anthems, remain ageless. 'They're out to get me,' he sang last Monday night. 'They won't catch me.' Rock music has undoubt edly
changed during GN'R's absence. But Rose shouldn't be miscast as a deluded recluse: he is a realist. The music industry has gone full circle, with young
consumers once again tired of mass-produced pop. This time around, Rose might not yet be offering anything more substantial than a raised middle
finger, but his new music could engender a reaction. Ten years ago, Rose gave rock music an edge of pure, authentic anger. In 2002, the contemporary
charts again need a piece of his mind.
MARK REED'S REVIEW: Normally I hate using bland clichés to describe things. But there are no other words to describe it. Guns N Roses ROCK like
bastards. Even when Axl Rose’s trousers fall down and he sings a song stock still trying to pull them up. Even when one member of the band falls over
and spends a whole song lying on his back. Even when Robin Finck, dressed as a silver-suited alien, gets hit in the face with a bottle during a solo and
doesn’t miss a note. Even when Buckethead condenses the whole of the Star Wars Trilogy theme music into a three minute speedmetal guitar solo whilst
spending the whole gig in a ski mask and a KFC bucket covering his head. Even when giant pillars of fire sprout up all over the stage. Even when that
infamous Axl Rose banshee wail unleashes itself. Even when Buckethead performs a solo that consists of a synchronised kung-fu/karate Nunchuck
demonstration and a bit of moonwalking. Even when there’s smokebombs, giant Catherine wheels throwing sparks all over the band, the air of full of
confetti, glitter, fire and smoke, and the bands kit is being thrown all over the stage at the climatic end of the gig, they are the single personification of
rock. If you want rock, you got it. From the opening chords of a gigantic "Welcome To The Jungle", to the final breakneck thrash out of "Paradise City",
there is simply no way that this band can do anything other than impress. Expectations are astoundingly high for GNR’s largest indoor date anywhere in
the world in a decade. Especially as this is the fifth date that the new look band have booked for London’s Docklands Arena. And the first time they
actually show up. And they deliver the goods. They should have a Government Health Warning. Axl Rose is simultaneously the Kylie and the Howard
Hughes of metal : He is both a paranoid meglomaniac recluse and a Metal God that spans generations (and there are a multitude of ages here, from the
50 something balding Denim brigade, to pre-pubescent children in special GNR bandanas and bootleg Offspring shirts). Uncle Axl (as he calls himself)
appears oddly humble, yet has his very own towel roadie who mops the stage up from the torrent of bottles thrown at it, and then retreats into a
mysterious black tent hidden at the back of the stage whenever there is a guitar solo. And there are plenty of those. Throughout the two and a quarter
hour, 20 song show, with an average of two solos per song, Axl manages to wander off stage to do ‘something’ about 30 times. Whenever he’s absent
what we’re left with is a new look, strange Guns N Roses that neither looks nor acts like the original band, comprising as it is of three new guitarists, a
new bassist, a new drummer, and a new keyboard player. But they still sound amazing. Even though history tells us otherwise, this is the definitive version
of Guns N Roses. There’s also a multitude of songs from the new album, due out… well, sometime. There’s the beefed-up three guitar attack of "Rhiad
And The Bedouins" which sounds absolutely colossal. There’s the epic, beautiful "Madasgascar". I have no idea what it’s about. But it rises to a
crescendo in a squall of guitars and screaming before returning to its original, tender self. There’s the big-balls-rock-out of "Chinese Democracy", and
the oddly chorus-free "The Blues". These songs are genius. And yet Axl says later on that these songs might not be even on the new album, as they have
better ones waiting to be completed in their Millionaire Rock Star Studio in the Hollywood hills. And what else? Every single song you’d want to hear is
here. Every last one. From "It’s So Easy", to "Nightrain", to "November Rain", to "Patience", to "Live And Let Die"…... When this band finally finish
their new album and get out into the big bad world and tour, the whole world will fall in love with 80’s hair metal legends all over again. I know it’s a
completely different band, but make no mistakes, Guns N Roses are the best rock band in the world. HAIL! Mark's general notes: Axl's still got it.
Whatever it is. And I want some. That spinechilling banshee wail that seems to come from nowhere still gets me. His voice is better than ever. He's an odd
mix of humble, eccentric, egotistic, and humourous. Calling himself "Uncle Axl", wiping the stage with a towel between his boots, and singing a song with
his pants round his ankles are just some of last nights highlights. And those weird female vocals on Knocking On Heavens Door..... came from Axl
himself. Yowsa! Buckethead. He's weird. But he can play better than anyone i've ever heard. I suspect he doesn't actually like "November Rain" though -
he's only on stage for the second solo of the song. Robin Finck. What was with all that weird drunk walking whenever he was playing? Tommy & Forteus.
Both look and feel like old Gunners. Richard was particularly good. He seems more into the band than anyone else. Chris Pitman. What does he do? Any
ideas? Bueller? Anyone? Anyone? Last night was absolutely brilliant. Mark my words. Anyone, ANYONE, who doubts GNR are a band, or the new
lineup, will be given a firm smack of common sense as soon as they see this band. They are the definitive line up of GNR.
JAMES' REVIEW: What a frickin' amazing show! Let me start off by saying that this was the first time I've seen GNR live so I'm in no position to argue
whether or not they were better than any past incarnation of the band - but I have to say I prefer my Rio 2001 CDs and video to any other GNR bootlegs I
have so I concede I am biased towards Axl's new (fresh) line-up. Got to the Arena at about 2.00pm and there was already a small queue, some guy had a
large card on which he was inviting people to write a message for Axl but I never got the chance to ad my two cents! By the time they let us in at about
6.30pm my feet were bloody killing me. The crowd had swelled by this time and I did notice a huge number of Brazilian flags about - those folks really do
love GNR! I also saw Buckethead in the queue! Well, a guy in a near perfect Buckethead outfit (quite a few people wear carrying KFC buckets with them).
Onr thing - that queue sure did smell of 'funny' cigarettes... When they finally let is us I was amazed to see that we were among the first into the arena and
so were lucky enough to secure a place almost on the barriers - the stage was no more than 10ft away from me and so I had a bloody brilliant view of the
entire show!!! Weezer came on at 7.00pm (30 minutes earlier than scheduled - did this mean Axl would be early...?!) and played for about 50 minutes. I'm
not a big fan but did sing along to the only two tunes I knew: the 'Hep Hep!' one and the 'Buddy Holly' one. Weezer were good, but the crowd wasn't there
to see them and it's a shame that a few arseheads let them know this by chanting "F*** OFF" and throwing bottles at the stage (I'm sure the Axl of old
would have said something about this when he came on - but 2002 Axl didn't) At around 9.00pm (30 mins late, if you believe the lead singer of Weezer
had told us) the lights dimmed and George C Scott's Exorcist "Slime!" voice boomed out over the Arena and the place went absolutely frickin' bonkers!
The stage in Docklands Arena is quite small, maybe about 80ft across and 30ft deep so I had a great view of everyone. Axl didn't look fat at all - I think
his hair looks stupid with those braid things in and he has the eyebrows of a serial killer but he looks like a frickin' rock star! In all seriousness if I saw
him in a bar I'd avoid him cos' he does look like a mean motor scooter. He wore a bandana (blue paisley I think?) heavy duty boots, black leather trousers
(pants) and a white US football top with the number 80 on it and the name 'RICE'. He didn't change his outfit during the entire set, never even took his
shirt off, although he did drop his trousers to his ankles during You Could Be Mine! (or was it Patience?). I was directly in front of Buckethead. He
started off in that yellow jacket but later changed to black. He also wore a "severed hand" glove for a few songs. There was no tombstone near him but he
did have 'funeral' printed on his bucket. He was (after Axl) the best part of the show. His guitar playing was awesome and he freaked me out by staying
motionless during the tracks until it was his turn to play! He did his breakdance/nunchuck solo (two people caught a set of nunchucks each) and during
his guitar solo he played the main theme from Star Wars and what I think is called "Luke's theme" - crowd loved this! Next to Axl and Buckethead the
other band members had a hard time registering on my radar. I couldn't see Brain behind his drums and Dizzy, Tommy, Chris and the New Guy just
seemed to 'be there' if you know what I mean. Robin Finck is hard to miss though. He was dressed in a white shiny sort of clown suit costume. He looks
like Ben Affleck from close-up. I never saw him smile once. His guitar solo seemed to be a bit boring, I got the impression he was just improvising and I
don't think it worked - he's no match for Buckethead! The band played for about 1 hour 45 minutes. The setlist was the usual one but without Silk Worms
or Oh My God which I found disappointing. I was amazed at how fresh the Appetite songs sounded (I put that down to Buckethead, his style really does
add something to what are perfect - Slash's! - guitar parts in the first place). Every track sounded great although I though Rhiad fell flat on much of the
audience, as did Madagascar and The Blues. I love those two songs but I think they are more suited to CD tracks as opposed to live performances. The
Blues was played a lot slower than I've heard before. Chinese Democracy went down a storm though! The three video walls were used to great effect.
Apart from the generic death and horror imagery I also remember drag racing during You Could Be Mine, Buckingham Palace and a Union Jack during
Paradise City, Pam Grier and Elvis during Rocket Queen, and a 50s Japanese robot cartoon during Bucket's solo! 20ft high flames, explosions and a
massive ticker-tape 'rain' at the very end added to a great evening. Axl was quite talkative throughout the set and it was great to see him smile and joke
too. He had a go at the NME (more than once) for saying he was "as big as a house", had a go at people who say because they play the same "new" songs
all the time they're the only ones ready - he said they play them because they're the ones that are NOT being considered for singles. He said the album
would be "18 tracks and 10 extras" and that "when the record company feels that record had run it's course there were be ANOTHER album and so on".
Other things I remember ... a couple behind me throwing a soft toy on stage and almost exploding in cheers when Axl picked it up and put it on his wrist
... Axl ending the show by shouting "God Save The Queen" - hope he was being sarcastic!...some wanker near me trying to barge his way to the front only
to be beaten up by some pissed off dude!...Axl playing a comedy piano tune before Rain...Axl being told by Finck that because he hadn't spoken for over 5
minutes his talk about the NME wasn't technically a rant! All in all the best gig I've ever attended by a long, long way! Merchandise was quite sparse, I
got a mug and had two of the five T-shirts that were on offer. I also managed to sneak off a few photos which should be quite good as I was so close to the
stage. More on them another day!
08.28.02 - Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY, USA

set: Welcome To The Jungle, Madagascar, Paradise City
audio/video recording?: video
notes: The band held a very secret rehearsal the day before the VMAs. They were the last act to rehearse.
08.29.02 - Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY, USA

set: Welcome To The Jungle / Madagascar / Paradise City
notes: GN'R make a very surprise appearance at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. They play a medley of 3 songs lasting nearly 9
minutes!
CHINESE DEMOCRACY NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2002
11.07.02 - GM Place, Vancouver, CANADA

opening acts: CKY, Mix Master Mike
notes: While Axl was in-flight to Vancouver, running 1 hour late, the promoters canceled the show. A riot ensued.
11.08.02 - Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA, USA

attendance: 6,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Think About You, You Could Be Mine, Knockin' On
Heaven's Door, Guitar Solo [Robin], Sweet Child O' Mine, Out Ta Get Me, My Michelle, Chinese Democracy, Madagascar, Piano Solo,
November Rain, The Blues, Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Rocket Queen, Patience, Nightrain
notes: After 'Live And Let Die,' Axl jokes, "Tom, what do you think that was? Either it was cupcake or dog shit." Tommy and Axl go on
to joke about the pyros. After 'You Could Be Mine,' Axl briefly asks, "You didn't think we'd be here, did you?" Before 'My Michelle,'
Axl comments on the problems in Vancouver, "So last night... it would appear... that, it seems to appear that someone actually called the
police to meet me at the airport before they even canceled the show. That's just... I guess that's just my imagination that someone would
possibly do such a thing. 'Cuz we know that every single human being is an honest person. OK, back to fun and games. What song
should we do? OK, uh... let's do 'My Michelle'" Axl jokes again before 'Madagascar,' "Let's see what we can fuck with next. We'd like to
thank CKY and we'd like to thank Mix Master Mike for coming here tonight to help entertain you folks. This is a song about... how
professional racing really pisses me off - this is called 'Mad-at-Nascar!'" During Buckethead’s solo, he plays parts of ‘Big Sur Moon,’
‘Star Wars Theme,’ ‘A Pirate’s Life For Me’ & ‘Hog Bitch Stomp.’ Axl and Tommy joke around before 'Nightrain' about if the whistle
should be blown before the song starts or not.
TACOMA BRACES FOR ROSE! (Gordo): Hot on the heels of their first riot in ten years, Guns-n-Roses storm the Tacoma/Seatle area tonight for what
has become the vitriolic kick-off of their N.American jaunt. Tacoma Dome marketing directors, confirm that Rose and co, are in Seatle, and the show is
"on". In addition, the show is garnering so much attention the spokesperson "has been on the phone all day. I have never seen a show get so much
attention, in fact the Rolling Stones, Tool, and The Boss never created such a hullabalo. It is the talk of the town. I've never seen anything like it--
Television and radio stations from all over the country are here. It's crazy!" Tacoma Dome spokesmen confirm that Clear Channel representatives told
her airplane problems, coupled with weather forced the delay of Rose's arrival in Vancouver last night--which prompted the GM Place promoters to
cancel the show. Rose, with delays, was expected to arrive in Vancouver at 9:00 p.m. and reportedly would have arrived at GM Place "no later than 9:45
p.m." stated a spokemen, leading to speculation of a "quick trigger to cancel by GM Place promoters." Conflicting reports continue to flood the internet,
as skeptism surrounds official explanations of last nights wanton events. Ticket sales in Tacoma are "brisk and have picked up dramatically today due to
the publicity," stated a TacomDome spokesman. Tonights seating arrangement will accomodate up to 12,000 fans, and is similar to Tool's set-up last
month. Over 7,000 tickets have been sold as of 2 p.m. pacific time, with lines forming at the booths. "We are expecting a sold-out show." Tacoma Dome
officials have beefed up security in case Rose, noted for his eccentric nature, incites a riot. Guns-n-Roses next event is in Boise, ID on Monday evening at
the BoiseDome.
THE LOLLIPOP KID'S REVIEW: Sorry if this seems a bit rushed. I got out of the T-dome at 12:04 and I have my review up by 12:40.That is pretty good
if u ask me! Merchandise Lots of Tshirts we havent seen ( i think they were 35 bucks, maybe 25) They even had a purple basketbal jersey that said Gnr on
front and "Rose 8" on back. They had GnR belt buckles for all you hicks too! Let's see here. I am not really gonna get too much into the opening bands.
CKY wasn't that special. I mean, they seem like a decent band, and they DEFINITELY tried to get the crowd into it, but I dont think anyone knew their
songs. They started it off by shouting, "Do any of you even know who the fuck we are?! We're CKY!" Mix Master Mike was cool though. I thought there
was more energy coming from him, although most people didnt get into a lot of the music he played. There was one cool mix that people started getting
into, Disturbed's Down with the Sickness and RATM Bull's on Parade. He also played stuff by the Beasties, NERD, House of Pain,Linkin Park, Rob
Zombie, Busta Rhymes... Crowd estimation: Hell if I know. 5 or 6 thousand. *shrugs* Anyway, on to the main shiznit. GnR was "supposed" to take the
stage at around 9. They came on at 9:50. How I love to wait! The stage. There were two levels to the stage. The main stage and then a smaller elevated
stage (for drums and keys) that was connected to the main stage by two sets of stairs (about five stairs in each set) On each side of the main stage there
were these slightly elevated "wings" things as I call them. So Axl or whoever could race from one wing, across the main stage, and then onto the other
wing. I was surprised that nobody tripped trying to do that. Behind the elevated second stage were three video screens. Behind that were 8 long golden
tapestries that had Chinese writing on them. They opened with the same intro they have been doing forever. The one from RIR 3 if you need to be
reminded. Kicks into WTTJ. Next was It's so Easy. I noticed that Buckethead was moving around more on stage than I have usually seen him do. He was
on the small elevated stage next to Brain and the drums quite a bit. Costumes: Axl: same outfit throughout. White Raiders jersey #80, black leather pants,
red bandana, braids. Robin: Black button up shirt, black pants. It also looked like he cut his hair shorter in back. It made him look like an old bald man. I
didnt like it. He also wore black and white tuxedo shoes. (bUt he is still the coolest dude I know!) Tommy: Gray (I think) t-shirt, gray (i think) pants.
Fortus: Black and white checked pants. Gray T-shirt with "LiP" on it. Brain: Red baseball cap. Sleeveless red t'shirt. Couldnt read what it said on it.
Buckethead: Cargo beige khakis, blue top, dark cape. Next came Brownstone. Then LALD. Flames burst from the stage on this song, and scared the shit
out of me at first with loud bangs and stuff. Pictures of bombs exploding were on the screens. Axl let out 3 really long, and pretty damn good screams on
this track too. Flames lasted for most of the song. It also looked like Robin wore a black motorcycle helmet during this song. One of those small ones
people used to wear back in the day. *dont quote me on that!) Think about you. YCBM. After YCBM Axl says, "you didn't think we'd be here, did you?"
Next is KOHD. Finck Solo-solo cuts into SCOM. Finck also switches from a black guitar to a brownish one. He uses the brown one the rest of the show.
ROBIN KICKS ASS on the solos for this one! Best I have ever heard him do for SCOM. Place goes dark and on video screen there is a short movie
showing some redneck sherrif saying something like, "I dont know who you are, but we dont like that kind of attitude around here." Cuts into Out ta Get
me. Next Axl says something like, (Dont quote me on this) "It would appear axl called the police before I even cancelled the show. (then he says something
about honesty." Then, "Now back to fun and games. What song should we do?" My Michelle. (Says something about cup holders) Robin Finck solo-cuts
into Chinese Democracy (chinese writing on screen) After CD finished Axl thanks CKY and MMM for entertaining the crowd earlier. Next he says (I
think!) "'This is a song about how professional racing pisses me off." Madagascar. (Shows clips on civil rights movement on screen) Next axl says "lemme
see the piano. You guys gettin' ready for the interlude?" November Rain. Buckethead offstage for song until last part. Showers of sparks come down at the
end of NR. The Blues (This song of all the new ones played seemed to get the best crowd reaction. Axl did a good job singing here.) Axl introduces
Buckethead. First Bucket does the nunchucks. Then he does a kick ass dance. The crowd LOVES it. Buckethead plays a bunch of stuff. There was one I
didn't know, then something off Colma. Star Wars. Pirates of the Carribean. Chicken Binge. (I think the crowd really loved Bucket!) Rocket Queen. Axl
seems to miss a few bars on this song. (Introduces Fortus during RQ too) Next is Patience. Axl puts on a mini KFC hat on his head. Then he puts another
one on his chin. (Two mini KFC buckets at once!) Then he puts them both on his ears. Bumps into Tommy and starts laughing. Axl gets the crowd to wave
their arms at the end of the song. Next you hear the Night train whistle blow. "Fuckin whistle," laughs Axl. Night Train. Axl puts on cowboy hat. Encore:
Robin solo, Paradise City. So that's it. No new songs. Not much of an explanation. It was just one of GnR's regular shows. Fortus was the shit, though! He
was all over the place and really brough Robin and Tommy into the fray with him. Fortus has such a better stage presence than Tobias. I sorta noticed
that Buckethead really didnt go near anyone the entire night, unless he was on the elevated stage next to Brain and the drums and keyboarders. Oh well, I
dont know what else to say.
JEFF BOERIO'S REVIEW: CKY played from 7:30 - 8:05. Lukewarm reception. They didn't get much PA so you couldn't hear a lot of stuff. Mix Master
Mike played from 8:25pm until 9:00pm. DJ stuff might be OK for clubs n' stuff, but this is a rock n' roll show. Maybe I'm old. It didn't fit at all. Lights
went down at 9:48pm. 9:55 the video started. Here's the set list: Welcome to the Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live and Let Die, Think About You,
You Could Be Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Sweet Child O' Mine, Out Ta Get Me, My Michelle, Chinese Democracy, Madagascar, November Rain,
The Blues, Buckethead's solo, Rocket Queen, Patience, Nightrain. The encore was Paradise City. Show was over at 12:05am. Things of note. The
impression I had from sitting in the arena was that GNR was supposed to go on at 9:30pm. However, I noticed the paperwork while I was backstage that
saig Guns was supposed to be on at 9:05pm. OK, but it didn't seem like an hour late; it seemed to flow right. From where I was sitting, the PA was all
over the map. Sometimes I could hear Axl, sometimes I couldn't. I thought perhaps the same sound engineer that was used in Vegas (that I didn't like) was
here, but that's not the case. So I dunno. After YCBM, he said "I'll bet you didn't think we'd be here." Those were about as many words at one time that he
said to the crowd. There was no long rant or anything. He did make a snide comment about Vancouver, but I didn't completely understand what he said. I
gotta listen to the KISW stuff. Lots of pyro during many songs. They're gonna have to be careful, or someone's gonna wind up like Hetfield. Stage is pretty
cool, but my angle was pretty tight for most of the show. Three video screens behind the stage and huge tapestries behind that with Chinese lettering.
Lights were pretty cool. The shirt that Richard was wearing said "PiL not "LiP" as previously reported. During Patience, I thought Tommy was gonna
completely lose it he was laughing so hard. Someone had thrown a couple of mini KFC buckets on stage with elastic on them, so you could wear it like a
birthday hat. Axl picked them up and put one on. He looked ridiculous. Then he took the other one and put it on upside down so it was on his chin. Then
he put one on each ear, and eventually one over each cheek and it looked like a gas mask. Expect an article in the LA Times. It should be interesting
because the guy was sitting right next to Rebecca and me. I helped him get a bunch of facts straight (song titles, list, people in the band, etc). Also talked
about lots of stuff about the state of GNR today. I have no idea what will get printed, but I probably said too much. After the show, I got to talk with Del
for a bit. Also spoke with Dizzy, Robin, Richard and Tommy briefly. 11/7 was Robin's birthday, and he was kinda bummed that he didn't get to play on his
birthday. They were all extremely surprised at how the Vancouver stuff went down. All in all, it seemed like Guns was just getting warmed up when the
show was over. Hopefully the folks in Boise and everyone else down the line will get a great show!
AXL BLOWS OUT THROAT, DONS CHICKEN BUCKET FOR GLITCHY GUNS TOUR LAUNCH (Kurt Loder, MTV.com): TACOMA, Washington —
Crawling from the wreckage of their noisily aborted tour kickoff in Vancouver the night before — which ended in a fan riot and a bloody, club-wielding
response by local police (see "Fans Riot After Guns N' Roses Tour Kickoff Canceled: Kurt Loder Reports" ) — Guns N' Roses came charging into the
Tacoma Dome, about 45 minutes outside of Seattle, with considerable pent-up energy on Friday. Unfortunately, there wasn't quite enough of it to entirely
overcome some annoying technical obstacles that laid in wait. The Dome is a boomy place at best; with only about half of its 22,500 seats occupied, as
was the case with this show, the resulting sonic wallow often obscured the band's remarkable precision. On top of that, singer Axl Rose's microphone line
slowly deteriorated throughout the course of the two-hour-plus set: By the end, his trademark wail was jabbing in and out of the mix so erratically that he
started overcompensating, and finished the night (we were told) with blown vocal cords. These sound problems obscured some of the best efforts of an
impressive band. The new Guns N' Roses is a big group — three guitars and two keyboards along with bass and drums — and the level of its
musicianship is unusually high. One-time Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson and ex-Primus drummer Brian Mantia propel the band with the requisite
bottom-end muscle, but with rare agility, too. Chris Pittman is extraordinarily flamboyant for a guy who traffics in keyboards. And former Nine Inch
Nails guitarist Robin Finck, who tempers his screaming leads with soulful control, is also a maestro of pure, string-ripping noise. And then there's
Buckethead. You know that a guy wearing a deadpan white mask and a fried-chicken bucket on his head is becoming a serious cult star when a couple
dozen fans turn up in the audience sporting KFC headware of their own. And you definitely know the news is out when Axl Rose himself, midway through
the old Guns hit "Patience," straps on a little mini-bucket, too. But the really riveting thing about Buckethead — who's a veteran of the avant-funk-fusion
scene — isn't his get-up; it's the jaw-dropping precision with which he can tear through a finger-blurring solo. He's super-fast and lyrical at the same
time. He also does a robot-dance interlude that has to be witnessed to be fully appreciated. All of the band's instrumental fireworks (and the show's
explosive, old-school pyrotechnics) serve to illuminate the charismatic presence of Axl Rose, of course. His inimitable shriek remains ... well, inimitable
— and he can still hold those keening notes beyond what might seem to be normal human ability. He also probably racks up as much non-stop sprint
mileage onstage as most frontmen half his age. Chinese Democracy, the new Guns album Rose has been promising for the past decade, won't be out 'til
February. (Yes — so they say!) Therefore, the new band's repertoire is heavily studded with vintage tunes: "Welcome to the Jungle," of course, and
"Paradise City." And everybody gets to sing along to "Sweet Child O' Mine," too, and "November Rain," "Live and Let Die," and "Mr. Brownstone." Even
"Oh My God." (Well, maybe not.) But the future of Guns N' Roses lies in the direction of the handful of new songs the group is currently playing: the
gorgeous ballad "Madagascar," the gut-shaking "Rhiad" and the monumentally riffed-out "Chinese Democracy" itself. These songs, largely composed by
Rose and the whole band (there are "probably hundreds" of others, according to keyboardist Dizzy Reed, probably exaggerating a bit), could sustain the
ongoing GN'R project into a new creative era. It'd be nice to have them stick around.
GUNS CAN'T ARRIVE UNTIL ROSE DOES (Robert Hilburn, LA Times): Day 1, singer's tardiness spurred disaster. Day 2, they're rocking along the
comeback trail. TACOMA, Wash. -- Welcome back to the jungle. After nine years on the sidelines, Guns N' Roses, the most popular and volatile American
hard-rock band of the '80s, is on the loose again in the U.S. And one thing's for sure: The second day of the tour was better than the first. It got off to a
disastrous start Thursday when hundreds of fans rioted in Vancouver, Canada, after the concert there was canceled because lead singer Axl Rose's plane
was still hours away in California. A dozen people were arrested in the resulting melee, and damage to the General Motors Place arena was estimated at
$100,000. On Friday, before 6,000 fans at the Tacoma Dome here, it was back to the music as Rose led the new Guns lineup through a frequently
spectacular display of the dynamics that made GNR such an exciting attraction a decade ago. "You didn't think we'd be here, did you?" Rose joked early
in the show. Though the band had to battle sound problems in the massive building, the musicians seemed as explosive at times as the accompanying
pyrotechnics. Encouraged by the strong crowd response, Rose was in such good spirits that he even strapped a mini-KFC bucket to his head late in the
set, imitating the stage trademark of Bucket-head, the avant-garde guitarist who is a centerpiece of the new Guns cast. The contrast between the
Vancouver flare-up and the Tacoma dynamics was a reminder of the contradictions that Guns N' Roses represented at its peak. From the moment Rose, a
high school dropout from Indiana, stepped on stage at Hollywood clubs in the early '80s, he was labeled the new Jim Morrison -- a wild child whose tales
of demons and desperation seemed a little too real just to be products of a fertile imagination. In public, Rose frequently acted so impulsively in stressful
moments that he seemed like someone who had been dropped into a hostile world and was fighting back with the clawing tenacity of a trapped alley cat.
This led to ugly incidents, such as the time in 1991 in St. Louis when he jumped into the crowd to grab a camera from a fan and then left the stage,
spurring a rampage that resulted in injuries and $200,000 in damage. Rose acknowledged his inner turmoil and turned to therapy the same year. What
made Rose matter to millions of rock fans was that he could write about his tensions and the rock lifestyle with raw, unfiltered images. The signature song
"Welcome to the Jungle" spoke about the decadence and glamour of the Hollywood music scene with a vividness that makes it the hard-rock equivalent of
the Eagles' "Hotel California." At the same time, Rose could express lost innocence with rare tenderness and vulnerability in such memorable songs as
"Sweet Child O' Mine" and "November Rain." It was a magical combination, and his partners in GNR presented the music with a mix of bravado and self-
affirmation. But the band split apart after a 1993 tour and Rose set about putting together a new version of Guns N' Roses and working on a new album.
The only topic of conversation here Friday as popular as the Vancouver cancellation was what GNR was going to be like without guitarist Slash and the
other original members. The new lineup has played a few dates over the last two years, and reviews have been generally positive. But the real test is this
ambitious U.S. tour, which includes stops at the San Diego Sports Arena on Dec. 27 and at the Forum in Inglewood on Jan. 3 and 4. Ultimately, Rose
needs to convince us that he still has something to offer, and there were moments during Friday's concert when you were impatient for him to get on with
that process. Rather than rethink the old material and put the songs in new and revealing contexts, Rose seemed too content to merely take us back to the
'80s. While much of the material remains stirring, some of the tunes, including "Think About You" and "My Michelle," feel dated. There was also a
distance at times between the musicians and the music. It was as if they felt straitjacketed having to step into another band's shoes. The most touching
moments came when Rose seemed the most introspective. When he sang Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" early in the set, there was a solemnity
about him, as if he were thinking about all those who have passed away in his own life, both literally and figuratively. He was equally moving at the piano
when he sang "November Rain." In the few times he turned to new songs that presumably will be on the new album, which is due next year, Rose seemed
consistently engaged, and the band responded well to stepping beyond the shadow of GNR. Where his singing on the high-energy tunes sometimes seemed
unduly shrill, he exhibited added character and feeling on the newer numbers. As the tour proceeds, Rose should preview more new songs to show more
of who he is today, personally and musically. He also can't afford any more incidents like Vancouver. Though common sense says it would have been
smart to be in Vancouver early in the day, like the rest of the band, for the start of the tour, Rose's manager, Merck Mercuriadis, said backstage Friday
that Rose prefers to arrive at the arena just before show time. In this case, Rose's itinerary would have put him at the GM Place in time to go on at 10
p.m., as scheduled, but he was delayed in getting to the airport by traffic, the manager said. He added that the plane would have been in Vancouver in
time for Rose to go on by 11 p.m., and that he tried to convince arena officials to let the show start late, with Rose covering overtime costs. Instead, arena
management canceled the show before fans got into the building, perhaps fearing an even greater reaction later if there were any other delays in Rose's
arrival. The arena manager declined to discuss the cancellation Friday. If the Vancouver blowup involved another artist, it might be dismissed as simply
an isolated incident. But with Rose's history, it raised a red flag. As the tour proceeds across the country, he needs to understand that his conduct may be
as important as his music in convincing the rock world that he again deserves its attention.
11.11.02 - Idaho Center Arena, Nampa, ID, USA

attendance: 4,400
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Madagascar, Think About You, You Could Be Mine,
Guitar Solo [Robin], Sweet Child O' Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Out Ta Get Me, Piano Solo, November Rain, Rocket Queen,
Guitar Solo [Buckethead], My Michelle, The Blues, Chinese Democracy, Patience, Nightrain
audio/video recording?: audio [incomplete]
notes: The show started around 10:30 p.m. and lasted for about 2 hours.
AXL'S 'APPETITE' RETURNS (Michael Deeds, The Idaho Statesman): It´s been nine years since Guns N´ Roses´ last tour and studio album, and
although singer Axl Rose may have been living in one of those time capsules like Brendan Fraser in "Blast from the Past," the rest of the world has moved
on. There´s been grunge, crossover divas, pop-punk, boy bands, and if we´re lucky, we may plow through this nasty Christina Aguilera trend by 2003.
Even more pressing than the question of whether Axl Rose still rocks is whether anyone wants to rock with him. Sure, we all remember Guns N´ Roses.
But do we want to peek into that whiskey-stained scrapbook again? It´s easier to write off a Guns N´ Roses comeback as a scam, another washed-up
rocker trying to relive the glory days while the other original band members enter rehab for the umpteenth time or wash up on shore somewhere. But
there´s a problem: The album. "Appetite for Destruction" -- that resilient, gracefully aging hard-rock epic -- makes it impossible to ignore these return-of-
the-bad-boy shenanigans. The memories are painful, but the truth is, we were listening to Winger when Guns N´ Roses came knocking. This band
singlehandedly revitalized rock music. Until Rose gives us a reason to doubt him, we can´t. We owe the man. "Appetite" was life-changing, but it feels
even bigger now. The first full-length album from Guns N´ Roses, it took 10 months to crack the Top 100. During that time, Rose, guitarist Slash and the
rest of the sleazy G N´ R circus toured with leather-clad hellraisers such as The Cult, Motley Crue, Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden. When fans finally
realized what they were hearing, "Appetite" roared up the charts on an adrenaline-fueled rampage. Three Top 10 singles -- "Sweet Child O´ Mine,"
"Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City" -- propelled it to No. 1 for five weeks. It took nearly three years for "Appetite" to drop off the Billboard
charts. It was that good. Meanwhile, Guns N´ Roses took over the universe. Rose milked his image as an innocent Midwesterner turned nasty by the sins
of Hollywood. He frightened parents with silly posturing and dangerous quirks (his name was an anagram for "oral sex".) He even wrote lyrics that
offended ("immigrants and faggots" in the song "One in a Million"). But this guy was no Eminem. Rose was too wasted, too out of control to have a truly
threatening agenda. Meanwhile, Slash was a perfect sideman -- hairy, talented and rarely photographed without a Jack Daniel´s bottle present. Everyone
saw the obvious influences -- Rose was a younger, more belligerent Steven Tyler, Slash was a drunker, goofier Joe Perry -- but Guns N´ Roses rocked so
hard that nobody cared. G N´ R is often viewed as a figment of the ´80s, but this group was still as huge as ever in 1991, which is when Guns N´ Roses
started to lose touch with reality. Even as flannel-clad slackers from Seattle worked to usher hair-metal out the door, Rose was pushing new egotistical
boundaries with the ambitious "Use Your Illusion I and II" albums -- separate, simultaneous Guns N´ Roses releases. Both went seven times platinum,
thanks in part to MTV, which aired that ostentatious, orchestral "November Rain" video every 5 minutes. Rose had traded his sweat-stained wifebeater
for a white tuxedo. G N´ R´s raw energy had given way to one man´s pompous vision. The End was getting close. By this time, drugs and boozing were
catching up to G N´ R, which had always reveled in its own debauchery. Two band members had come and gone. By the mid-1990s, Guns N´ Roses, like
so many rock bands before it, had fallen victim to its own excess. Slash left the group. Lawsuits were filed. Rose´s girlfriend, model Stephanie Seymour,
dumped him and claimed abuse. Rose disappeared In retrospect, the demise of G N´ R wasn´t as jarring as it should have been. Blame it on Kurt Cobain,
who was there to ease us into another evolutionary stage of modern rock. Somehow, G N´ R just sort of faded away into rock oblivion, dying of natural
causes. But Rose remains a figure of myth and mystique, which creates haunting questions as he launches a North American tour with a bunch of hired
musicians, calling this entourage Guns N´ Roses. Why isn´t Slash in this band? Will the new G N´ R album, supposedly titled "Chinese Democracy," ever
be released? Will a Guns N´ Roses concert still make your girlfriend (or, more likely, wife) want to jump your bones when you get home? The first
question is a no-brainer: Rose doesn´t want Slash in the band. In fact, he doesn´t want Slash in the building. Slash was banned from attending a G N´ R
show in Las Vegas last year. The second question is tougher. Although we´ve heard new G N´ R songs such as the epic ballad "Madagascar," nobody
knows when this album will be released. Touring without an album isn´t new for G N´ R, however. That´s precisely what the band did in May of 1991, five
months before the release of the "Use Your Illusion" records. As for the effect Guns N´ Roses concerts will have on fans? Well, that´s not clear, either.
Ticket sales on this tour have been erratic so far, with two particularly slow-selling concerts in the Northwest. Obviously, some fans are on the fence
about Guns N´ Roses. The group´s recent, sluggish performance on the MTV Video Music Awards -- featuring a chunkier, 40-year-old Rose with
cornrowed hair -- didn´t help much. For the eternal optimist, though, Guns N´ Roses has a chance. There´s a core audience that remembers being
knocked on their butts by this band. If Rose delivers the right stuff in "Chinese Democracy," he could make an argument for relevance in 2002. It´s hard
not to root for him. In his own eccentric way, Rose obviously wants to welcome us back into his jungle. What remains to be seen is whether he can create
a future for G N´ R, or if, in the end, he´s gonna die there. Nampa show still a go Although Axl Rose did not show up Thursday in Vancouver, B.C. for the
first show on Guns N' Roses' tour, the Nampa concert is still scheduled to go on. However, if Rose doesn't show up for the band's Seattle show Friday
(Nov. 8), the entire tour likely will be canceled. In other words, if Rose shows up in Seattle, expect him to show up in Nampa.
DAYS OF GUNS N' ROSES ARE OVER (Michael Deeds, The Idaho Statesman): Welcome to the jumble. If there was ever any doubt that the return of
Guns N’ Roses would be an epic mess, singer Axl Rose has all but erased it just three dates into the group’s North American tour. Check that: Two dates.
Rose, the group’s lone original member, didn’t bother showing up for the tour debut in Vancouver, B.C., last week, transforming it into a bloody, mace-
spraying clash between angry fans and local police. (Rose’s record label blamed flight problems for the cancellation; Rose blamed venue management.)
G N’ R performed in Tacoma, Wash., last Friday, but even then, vocal problems hampered the evening. That made show No. 2 at the half-empty Idaho
Center all the more depressing for expectant G N’ R fans. The night dragged on for nearly four-and-a-half hours and served as a soporific warning to the
rest of the hopeful hard-rock world: Guns N’ Roses is not back. All that’s really back is Rose’s oversized rock-star ego, which easily dwarfed his ragged,
barely audible voice. Nothing about this concert made much sense. Two opening acts - rock band CKY and turntable whiz Mixmaster Mike - had been
added to the bill, presumably to provide Rose ample time to arrive. If it wasn’t disturbing enough that a DJ was opening for Guns N’ Roses (what has the
world come to?), fans suffered through well over an hour of dead time afterward while Rose lounged backstage. Chants of “Axl, Axl!” fermented into a
bitter chorus of boos as fans realized that, yes, Rose is a tardy jerk, and, wow, those bright house lights were illuminating an embarrassingly sparse
crowd. Of course, all was forgiven when Guns N’ Roses exploded onto the bi-level stage in an avalanche of pyrotechnics and flash - at 10:20 p.m. But if
the excited fans were looking for a time warp back to 1987, well, it wasn’t happening. Guns N’ Roses, once a lethal hard-rock machine that transcended
the sum of its few parts, has become a convoluted, eight-member circus. Guitarist Slash, whom Rose refuses to welcome back to the fold, has been
replaced by not one, not two, but three men. (Slash must be one helluva player, eh?) Rose also employs two keyboardists, including longtime member
Dizzy Reed, who moonlighted on congas during “Welcome to the Jungle.” (Yes, congas on “Welcome to the Jungle.” Repeat: Exactly what has the world
come to?) Of course, none of this mattered, because Rose’s singing could be heard only intermittently. He strained to project his voice over the band’s
boomy barrage, which included a sluggish “Out Ta Get Me,” a blues-free “My Michelle” and a gut-rattling “Nightrain.” Even when Rose sat at the
piano for the grandiose “November Rain” or the ballad “Patience,” his vocals lost the battle. Dressed in three different oversized sports jerseys
(including one from the Idaho Steelheads), Rose worked to atone for the problems, scurrying across the stage, his arms outstretched like a hysterical
blind woman's. He often stopped to sing on the sides of the platform, inches away from teleprompters that rolled lyrics. Some of the 4,400 fans sneaked
away early. Others just chugged more beer and rawked on. G N’ R offered just three tunes from the supposedly forthcoming “Chinese Democracy”
album. Instead, Guns N’ Roses rolled through classics such as “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Live and Let Die” and “It’s So Easy.” But the songs were
methodical. Despite G N’ R’s talented new cast, it came across as a disparate, motley crew that’s incapable of reviving G N’ R’s soul. The sleaze-blues of
Guns N’ Roses has metamorphosed into a mechanical-rock onslaught. Of the guitar trio, goth-fashion slave Robin Finck of Nine Inch Nails fame conjured
up the most heartfelt solos. Session man Richard Fortus wielded his ax with a raucous freedom reminiscent of G N’ R’s glory days. Then there was the
eerie Buckethead, who looks like the missing member of Insane Clown Posse. Wearing a Michael Myers-like white mask on his face and a KFC bucket on
his head, Buckethead spewed shredding guitar riffs, did a ghoulish robot dance - and gave a bizarre, between-song nunchucks exhibition. But his hyped
guitar playing was like the fast-food franchise advertised on his dome: Efficient, speedy and lacking any personal touch. G N’ R occasionally found a
modest dose of energy lurking in its biggest hits. During the encore, the audience even sang along with “Paradise City,” augmented by more deafening
explosions and a nifty confetti shower. But by this time, Rose wasn’t fooling anyone: Nampa was not “Paradise City.” When he rushed to the microphone
to unleash the song’s trademark opening whistle blow ... surprise, fans couldn’t hear it. Probably just as well. In the case of this tour, Guns N’ Roses isn’t
signaling the start of anything worth listening to.
11.14.02 - Target Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA

attendance: 8,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Think About You, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You
Could Be Mine, Guitar Solo [Robin], Sweet Child O' Mine, Out Ta Get Me, Rocket Queen, Piano Solo, November Rain, Madagascar,
Guitar Solo [Buckethead], My Michelle, The Blues, Chinese Democracy, Patience, Nightrain
notes: For the second show in a row, the band hit the stage after 10:30 p.m.
GUNS N' ROSES: DYING HARD WITH A VENGEANCE? (Laura Singara, Star Tribune, 11.13.2002): An Axl To Grind Ghosts N' Ruins. Guitar N' Rasp.
Back in 1992, Nirvana may have briefly seemed like the soul of wit. But Dave Grohl's MTV Video Music Awards taunting of Guns N' Roses' dethroned
metal man--"Hi Axl. Hi Axl... Where's Axl?"--seemed too cruel even at the time. After all, costume metal was already moribund. It was more fun to decode
"married/buried" riddles than to watch the single-entendre video of a rock star wedding where the frontman's Victoria's Secret model girlfriend ends up
in a coffin. And thus, taking Axl down to the Paradise City devolved into just taking him down. The Honeymoon: For those of us 1980s Classic Radio
Rockers too young and brainwashed to slide over to the dark side or be saved by real punk, us who had resisted the hot-tubbing tease of the hair metal
and cleaved to the cock-rawkin' authenticity of the moldy oldies that buzzard-like Zoo-jocks fed us, Axl's arrival on the mainstream scene was a godsend.
He was pure Hollywood, sure, but not box-office Poison. He wasn't scary, but he definitely wasn't joking around. With his angel face and devil strut he
welcomed us to the L.A. jungle with a n-n-n-nuh-nuh-nobody's-fault-but-mine bravura. And for the first time, we considered making some space on the
Robert Plant pedestal for a new crooner who dripped more vinegar than honey. He was hot. He could howl. And during that four-year-long comet blast,
before grunge and alt-rock truly squashed him, Axl provided a universal strip-malled under-the-bridge-kegger soundtrack for suburban kids too timid to
appropriate hip hop (or too racist to embrace it). (My pal who sang, "Take me down to the Paradise City/ Where everyone reads Will by G. Gordon
Liddy" really nailed a certain segment of GNR's gun-show fan base.) But ever since his Seattlite trouncing, we seem to care more about where Axl is, how
he must feel, what he's cooking up, than we do about any other hair-metal icon. Everybody else is Behind the Music-ed out--Tommy Lee is redecorating
fans' houses on MTV and Bret Michaels is whining about his insulin, which makes him sound like your uncle rubbing BenGay on his old football knee. Axl
retains some of his mystique. But he was always an odd duck, as Chuck Klosterman points out in his section of Fargo Rock City that ponders Axl's
decision in the "Estranged" video to frolic underwater with dolphins. What could it have meant? Was it some kind of portent? For some reason, we still
care. Hell, Spin slapped his mug on the cover twice post-heyday, most recently to bestow upon him the honor of best metal album of all time (with GNR
beating out Zeppelin), and in 1999 just to speculate about his whereabouts, physically, artistically, and psychologically. The issues flew off the stands.
Now that crybaby nu metal is beginning its decline, by Axl-ine logic, it's high time for the GNR reunion tour. Maybe that's because the ass-shake boogie
of GNR has more in common with the new rock's back bands like the White Stripes than all that broken-home Korn- husking. And at this exact moment of
bash-groovy reverie, even the tykes seem to be jumping on the upcoming show tickets--like emo kids reaching back for Weezer, but much weirder and
kitschier. They were sweet children themselves when "Sweet Child o' Mine" played on their older sibs' tape decks, so maybe for them it's like going back
to grammar school. (Axl even kind of looked like a creepy old Botoxed marm on MTV's 2002 Video Music Awards show.) The new record? Well, as you
know, he's had Tommy Stinson locked in his basement (delaying the fabled Replacements reunion) just in case Mr. Rose got a flash of inspiration for the
tracks of his years-in-the-concepting and now supposedly done Chinese Democracy album. The tour has begun--in China, for real, though nobody still
has a clue what illusion he's using, politically speaking. Anyway, he's Gone N' Returned, and there's suddenly a lot of him to go around. Replacements
reunion? Stinson says Westerberg blew it (Reggie Royston, Pioneer Press): • Who: Guns N' Roses with Mixmaster Mike and CYK• When: 7:30 p.m.
today• Where: Target Center, Minneapolis• Tickets: $65-$35• Call: (651) 989-5151 Praising a heavy-metal icon is the last thing one would expect of a
punk rocker, let alone local hero Tommy Stinson of the Replacements, whose brand of loose garage rock put the Twin Cities on the map in the '80s. But
apparently praise is all Stinson has for Axl Rose, frontman for the rock outfit Guns N' Roses, with whom Stinson has been playing bass the past four
years. "[Axl] is a lot bigger than I ever really thought about when I got into this," said Stinson, who will perform with the band tonight at Target Center.
"He is such a huge star. Even 10 years after the last tour, people are still dying to see him up there. It's really impressive and crazy." What's impressive is
that Guns N' Roses is touring at all. This latest outing marks the band's first major concert series in 10 years, a decade in which pop music styles have
whisked swiftly past the era of teased hair with no major releases from GNR in between. After the huge public exits of marquee guitarists Slash and Izzy
Stradlin, Axl Rose kicked out — or forced out — the remaining GNR roster and withdrew from the public eye, taking on the image of a music producer
who had gone the route of celebrity hermit William Randolph Hearst. When Axl did make it out, he was usually overweight and hairier than ZZ Top,
talking about the ever-changing lineup for the forthcoming "Chinese Democracy" album— a lineup consisting of punk bassist Stinson; ex-Primus
drummer Brain; Robin Finck, formerly of Nine Inch Nails; and others, including a masked avant-garde guitarist who wears a KFC pail for a hat and
goes by the name Buckethead. With that maddeningly eclectic group (and rumors that the reclusive Rose was a tyrant with whom Interscope Records was
locked into a contract), many doubted that Guns N' Roses would go on. But Stinson, who describes the studio collaboration with the musicians as
"magical," tells of a much different experience with Axl. "I'm probably way more of a control freak than he is," Stinson said in a phone interview. "I know
him as someone who's easy to work with, someone I like working with. If I were to compare him to anyone else, I would say he's one of the easier people
I've had to work with in my years, you know what I mean... ?" That not so subtle barb was directed toward former Replacements singer Paul Westerberg,
with whom Stinson seems to be publicly feuding. No doubt, Stinson is still smarting over his former bandmate's recent comments in newspapers and
magazines deriding him for joining Guns N' Roses, whose glam-rock image and bloated musical approach seem the antithesis of punk. In an article in the
Star Tribune last week, Westerberg was quoted as saying: "People don't move to Los Angeles to be a musician or a songwriter. They go to be a star.
That's what Tommy is doing... " The remark and others like it haven't sat well with Stinson, who moved to California shortly after his group Perfect went
bust in 1997. He began jamming with GNR after mutual friends introduced them the next year. "[Westerberg]'s gone out on a limb to say a bunch of
nonsense that's made me look bad, that's made Axl look bad, that's made him [Axl] feel bad... . It's just lame," Stinson said. "It's really unnecessary, for
one. I don't appreciate it, and Axl doesn't deserve any of it." With a recent Westerberg tour and rumors that his old bassist teamed up with him on the
latest Westerberg album, many in the Twin Cities rock community have been hoping for a reunion of the punks who put Minnesota on the map. Stinson's
statements, however, don't sound encouraging. He maintains that he is not in an exclusive contract with Guns N' Roses and can record with anyone he
chooses but that a Replacements reunion is now out of the question for both professional and personal reasons. "This is my priority, and my other priority
is the rest of my life. It was never a possibility of doing a Replacement reunion while I was in Guns N' Roses, and I'm in this for a while," he said. "And I
tell you right now, there ain't going to be one. As a matter of fact, there will not be a Replacements reunion ever. "He [Westerberg] blew it."
GUNS N' ROSES FANS NEEDED PATIENCE (Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune): Guns N' Roses fans -- or what's left of them -- have waited 10
years for the decadent hard-rock band to reemerge, so what's an extra hour or two? That may have been the thinking of Guns guru Axl Rose on Thursday,
when his wholly reorganized but still notoriously unorganized group was about 70 minutes late taking the stage at the Target Center. Unlike last week's
canceled concert in Vancouver, British Columbia -- which resulted in riots and about $100,000 in damage to the arena after Axl's plane was reportedly
delayed -- the Minneapolis show did go on. But the 8,000 or so fans had to wait until 10:40 p.m. The wait was compounded by the fact that Rose, 40, has
been living like a hermit in Los Angeles for the past decade. He had a falling-out with the other original members of GNR, and has hired a new crew that
includes former Replacements bassist and local boy Tommy Stinson, plus former members of Nine Inch Nails and Primus, as well as the mysterious KFC-
bucket-wearing guitarist Buckethead. Rose has also delayed release of the band's album, "Chinese Democracy," since 2000. However impatient fans had
grown, the tension was lifted as Rose took the stage in a Vikings jersey and asked his familiar question, "Do you know where you are?" That line, from
the visceral show opener "Welcome to the Jungle," was answered confidently as the band tore through two other classics, "It's So Easy" and "Mr.
Brownstone." Judging by the first 45 minutes, which also included covers of "Live and Let Die" and "Knocking on Heaven's Door" (songs the band
played heavily in its 1988-92 heyday), the greatest thing that can be said of the new Gunners is that they do a great job of mimicking the old ones. "Sweet
Child O' Mine," in particular, raised the nostalgia level to bliss. Even the handful of new songs played later in the concert sounded rock-steady but were
not a whole lot different from the GNR classics. Rose apologized to the crowd for not introducing more new material. "We're still withholding," he said,
which was his way of segueing into the older song "Patience" at the end of the show. The band encored with a drawn-out "Paradise City." Personality-
wise, Rose did not come off as the weird, reclusive nut-case that many think he's become. With his red hair long and braided, he played the role of the
consummate rock star, doing his wavering dance moves and runaround antics. He was even chatty and poked fun at how the press has portrayed him.
"My name is Fat Bastard, and these are the Yes Men," he said. One of those Yes Men, Buckethead, made up for Rose's lack of freak-showiness. Before a
guitar solo that found him wailing through the "Star Wars" theme, the masked guitarist spent a couple minutes swinging numchucks and break-dancing.
The most off-kilter aspect of the concert, though, was its hi-fi lights-camera-action production. The stage show was full of glitches, and it seemed
excessive for an only half-full arena. What's more, with all the tricks on hand, you'd think they could have better hidden the five plain-sight teleprompters
from which Axl could read all his lyrics. The timing of the new Guns N' Roses tour was probably the most interesting thing about Thursday's concert.
When the original band emerged from the Hollywood rock scene in 1987 with the landmark album "Appetite for Destruction," they were seen as the
guttural, decadent antithesis of polished pretty-boy hair bands like Poison and Def Leppard. Then came Nirvana four years later, and suddenly GNR was
the band that was overly glamorous and commercial. Today, way more rock bands on the radio sound like Nirvana than GNR, so maybe it's time for the
pendulum to swing back. This new Guns lineup certainly sounds enough like the old one to make the case for a revival. Unfortunately, it also sounds so
much like like the old GNR that it can't be sold as anything but a remake.
11.15.02 - Fargodome, Fargo, ND, USA

attendance: 6,575
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Think About You, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You
Could Be Mine, Sweet Child O' Mine, Out Ta Get Me, Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Piano Solo, November Rain, Rocket Queen,
Madagascar, The Blues, Chinese Democracy, Patience, My Michelle, Nightrain
notes: GN'R hit the stage around 10:08 p.m., with Axl wearing a University of North Dakota white Sioux jersey. The band played an
extended jam as an intro to 'Rocket Queen.' For the 2nd night in a row, Axl mentions Izzy while saying that 'You Could Be Mine' was
written about Izzy's girlfriend Angela.
GN’R HAS ENERGY, BUT NOT PERSONALITY (John Lamb, The Forum): When Axl Rose finally appeared on the Fargodome stage at 10:15 Friday
night and asked, “Do you know where you are,” it seemed many in the crowd were ready to ask in response, “Do you know what time it is?” The lead
singer and a new version of Guns N’ Roses made the crowd of 6,575 wait nearly an hour after warm-up sets by CKY and Mix Master Mike. Fans made
good use of the wait to pack beer lines and loosen up limbs and vocal chords for the ensuing two-hour set of fist-pumping rock. Despite being backed by
all new Gunners (the sole exception being keyboardist Dizzy Reed) Axl led the group through a faithful set of GN’R classics. The group exploded onto the
stage with “Welcome to the Jungle,” then launched into “It’s so Easy” and “Mister Brownstone” from 1987’s debut, “Appetite for Destruction.” Though
packing the same firepower as the original lineup, the new gunslingers lacked the same sleazy cohesiveness. When GN’R charged out of L.A. in ’87 they
were the antithesis of pretty boy glam bands. Schooled in the blues and punk, the founding five rolled through boozy romps like a musical gutter. The old
tunes still carry the same electric charge, but the band’s personality is non-existent. Gone is the cigarette dangling guitar tandem of Slash and Izzy
Stradlin, replaced by the gothic Richard Fortus, the Klingon-like Robin Finck and Buckethead – a man who wears a KFC bucket on his head and a plain
white mask. Adding even starker contrast to the set was a checkered-suited Tommy Stinson, who looked downright over-dressed. Buckethead was the real
revelation to the crowd and delivered the most entertaining moments of the concert. He played Slash’s solos with blistering, note-for-note accuracy, then
gave a nunchucks demonstration before kicking into a robot dance. With his guitar strapped on again, he played some wickedly funky solos before
blasting into a “Star Wars” medley, then threw out toys to the crowd. A mystery man wrapped in a cape with a bucket on his head, proficient in martial
arts and guitar playing, Buckethead appears to be Maxim magazine’s idea of a renaissance man. Not to be outdone, Axl never let his faltering vocals get
the best of him. He ran from one end of the stage to the other, wailing lyrics off TelePrompTers. He only seemed to rest when he sat behind a piano for
versions of “November Rain” and “Madagascar.” The latter song, expected to be on “Chinese Democracy,” the first album from the band in a decade,
played with video clips from civil rights demonstrations. In a way it’s nice to see that Axl has matured and developed a sense of social consciousness. In
his prime, the one-time bad boy of rock was notorious for spouting politically incorrect epithets in sin-soaked songs. Now at 40, he seems to have
mellowed and subsequently lost his edge. The most controversial part of the show was Axl appearing in a UND Fighting Sioux hockey jersey. Thankfully,
the classic songs haven’t changed, no matter who is playing them. The show at the Fargodome was probably the best GN’R tribute show most people will
ever see.
11.17.02 - Mark Of The Quad Cities, Moline, IL, USA

attendance: 5,000
set: Welcome To To Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Think About You, Guitar
Solo [Robin], Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Piano Solo, November Rain, Out Ta Get Me,
Madagascar, Rocket Queen, The Blues, Chinese Democracy, Patience, My Michelle, Nightrain
notes: Another solid show on Richard Fortus' birthday. A ring fell off Axl's hand during 'You Could Be Mine' and landed somewhere in
the crowd.
HIRED GUNS: AXL ROSE HITS ROAD WITH REFORMULATED BAND (David Burke , Quad-City Times): Tommy Stinson says he can understand the
skepticism. The bass player and veteran of several bands, most notably The Replacements, knows that his new role in Guns N' Roses he'll be among seven
musicians taking the stage with lead singer Axl Rose and keyboard player Dizzy Reed. "When I took this gig, it was for the reason that no one else had -
supposedly - ever done this in rock, resumed the band name with the leader and try to do a whole other thing, but still do the same thing. That's the most
interesting concept I can imagine," Stinson, 36, said before a show Monday in Boise, Idaho. "All I can to do eliminate that (skepticism) is show up and do
my gig. I don't really spend any time worrying about it, or giving it much thought. I'm working with this guy that I like working with, I like the music we're
playing. I think it's turning out exactly that way. I don't give a (crap) what people think, as long as they come out to the shows, and they have fun and we
have fun." After The Replacements' 1991 demise, Stinson formed the group Bash & Pop in 1993, and Perfect in '96. He had a record deal "that I could
see going down the tubes" in 1998, when he auditioned for Rose. The next day, he was told the job was his if he wanted it. "I've always wanted to do
something interesting, whether it was my own stuff or whatever. I've done a lot of crazy (stuff) musically over the last 10 years," he said. He played on a
reformulated new Guns N' Roses album, "Chinese Democracy," that has been delayed several time by its record label. An Asian tour over the summer
proved successful, and the band made its re-emergence in August during the MTV Video Awards. From 1987 to '93, Guns N' Roses hit with songs
including "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Paradise City," "Patience" and "Welcome to the Jungle." Stinson said he had no problem stepping in and playing
songs that weren't necessarily his - although several songs from "Chinese Democracy" will be part of the concert. "We've played the old songs enough
that they're almost like ours, in a regard that we've taken them on and put our own spin on them," Stinson said. "We feel, in a weird sort of way, that they
are our songs. Physically speaking, they're demanding rock songs, and you have to man up and put yourselves into them." Guns N' Roses' North
American tour got off on a wrong chord last week in Vancouver, British Columbia, as the concert was canceled at the last minute. Rose was en route to
the concert, Stinson said, and the rest of the band was already in the arena doing an MTV interview. Fans lining up outside began to riot, causing
damage to the arena. "We could have easily played that show," Stinson said of the concert, pulled by the producer. "We got the short end of the stick on it.
I don't think it's a good thing when fans trash the building and take it out on the band or the venue. . None of that is a good thing going around." The
fourth stop of the concert will be at The Mark of the Quad-Cities, Moline. "Our first gig, as any first gig I've ever done on a tour (last Friday in Tacoma,
Wash.), was getting it all sort of sorted out, technically speaking. A dry run, in a way," he said. "(But) it did go a lot better than a lot of first gigs. "There's
a learning curve on this sort of thing. It takes a couple of days. We'll be smokin' by Moline." Even though Stinson and the rest of the band - Nine Inch
Nails guitarist Robin Finck, Love Spit Love guitarist Richard Fortus, Replicants keyboard player Chris Pitman, Primus drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia
and a guitarist known only as Buckethead - have "completely different walks of musical life," but have already jelled with a good chemistry. Stinson says
he is considering a lengthy future with Guns N' Roses. "I have no expectations whatsoever," he said. "As long as we're having fun with it and people are
having fun seeing it, I think I could be involved for an indefinite amount of time."
JEFF SHELDEN'S REVIEW: Just got back from Moline (2:40 minute drive in which I almost ran out of gas it is 2:53 AM).... I had great seats thanks to a
swap with Holtz. Fourth row on Buckets side. They played the same songs they've been playing...I'm sure we'll sort out the exact order later on...but a few
notes. Richord Fortus' birthday. He impressed me the most. Talk about a step up from Paul! I think he is better than Gilby and puts forth more energy
onstage than Izzy appeared to from the videos I've watched of those days. Axl sporting a Tennessee football jersey until the encore when he wears a
hockey jersey for whatever team plays in that arena. Bucket head wearing all black with a navy blue apron tied around his neck like a cape. Robin in
black. Dizzy sporting a gnr tank top. Straight in Jungle...no intro video. Also no intro video for Out Ta Get Me later on in the night. After Brownstone Axl
suggested that the crowd not throw stuff as they had some problems at a previous show where somebody hit the lighting board. During You Could be
Mine Axl was making a gesture with his hand and a ring flew off and into the crowd which prompted Axl to yell for Earl (during the song) and point him
to the place where it landed. The security couldn't figure out who had it, even though Axl knew and was pointing the whole time. He got very pissed off
that he had to keep yelling during the song. He ended up running offstage and then finishing the song sitting down and off to the side. Axl started My
Michelle with the second verse. When he got to the part where he was supposed to do the second verse he sort of mumbled through the words realizing his
mistake. Extended Paradise City Guitar jam as Axl had Fortus play the solos at the end instead of Buckethead. Not a very good crowd. Place hold 10,000
and there was hardly anyone up in the second bowl. Didn't seem to get any reaction on the solos or Madagascar. Chinese got a little applause. That is it
for this write up...I may do something a little more formal later on, but I'm tired and Chicago is tomorrow. See you all on tour.
11.18.02 - Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL, USA

attendance: 18,500
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Think About You, You
Could Be Mine, Guitar Solo [Robin], Sweet Child O' Mine, Out Ta Get Me, Piano Solo, November Rain, Madagascar, Guitar Solo
[Buckethead], Rocket Queen, The Blues, My Michelle, Patience, Chinese Democracy, Nightrain
notes: At some point during the show, Axl says, "“Psychologically, you could consider this a reunion tour, because I’ve managed to find
enough pieces of my mind in order to be with you here tonight.”
AXL STICKS TO GUNS AS `BAND' PLAYS ON (Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune): When Guns N' Roses plays Allstate Arena on Monday, it will mark the
group's first Chicago concert since it performed a marathon show at the same facility, then known as Rosemont Horizon, in April 1992. Back then,
George Bush was president, Saddam Hussein was first on Bush's hit list and Billy Corgan was toiling in an indie rock band. So have things really
changed? For Guns N' Roses, absolutely. It has been nine years and counting since the group released a studio album, a span that has witnessed the
departures of lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Gilby Clarke, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum. Save for reclusive vocalist Axl Rose,
the sole holdover musician is keyboardist Dizzy Reed, either the most patient or bored person on earth. The Guns N' Roses that fans will see Monday is a
completely different lot. Rose, who is not granting interviews, has spent the last nine years rebuilding the band, frustrating his record label and
purportedly recording upward of 80 songs. Ostensibly, perfection requires time--and plenty of it. After auditioning a slew of drummers, guitarists and
producers, Rose finally debuted the new Gunners in concert on New Year's Day 2001, his first show in 7 1/2 years. Three other dates followed, but the
group reneged on a scheduled European tour -- twice. Last August, GNR managed to honor several Asian and European commitments and, in September,
announced a full-scale tour that launched Nov. 7 at GM Place in Vancouver. Show didn't go on Well, not really. The show never happened. In its place, a
riot ensued. If this sounds familiar, it's because it's the third such insurgence associated with the band. Chicago fans have twice suffered the
consequences. Due to a now-famous St. Louis melee, precipitated by Rose's hastily diving into the audience to take a prohibited video camera away from
a fan, GNR's July 4, 1991, show at Tinley Park's World Music Theatre was canceled. So was the second night of its April 1992 stand at Rosemont
Horizon, after Rose fled the country in order to postpone his arrest stemming from the St. Louis incident. Neither show was rescheduled. This time,
however, a perplexing decision by facility management may be to blame. While initial media reports reprimanded Rose as a no-show, the matter is more
complex. GM Place's gates were never opened, leaving thousands waiting outside. Then, upon hearing that Rose hadn't yet arrived in town, at 7:40 p.m.,
10 minutes after the first opening act was to have taken the stage, GM Place managers canceled the show. By 8 p.m., angry concertgoers were smashing
windows, glass doors and ticket kiosks. Shortly thereafter, police reinforcements arrived, and the blood started to spill. Meanwhile, his band already
inside the venue, Rose was en route aboard an airplane and estimated to be running an hour late. (By comparison, GNR took the stage nearly 2 1/2 hours
late here in April 1992 and proceeded to play for three hours.) The band's spokesman said mechanical and weather problems grounded the singer's
plane, forcing a late takeoff. The second attempt at opening night, held in Seattle on Nov. 8, actually took place. Aside from the venue's infamous echoey
acoustics, which were aggravated by a half-capacity crowd, and problems with Rose's microphone feeds, the band received positive reviews. In soap-
opera fashion, Rose allegedly damaged some vocal cords while overcompensating for the technical glitches, though no additional fallout has resulted --
yet. To Rose's credit, he has assembled an outfit of mercenaries for this tour that, thanks to a triple-guitar attack, has a bigger, tighter sound and more
musical proficiency than the first incarnation. If nothing else, GNR II is a veritable freak show. New band members First, there's Rose, who has traded his
long, stringy red hair, Charles Manson T-shirt, and workout shorts for braided dreadlocks, an Oakland Raiders jersey and baggy pants. Some implied
Rose opted for loose clothing to conceal his girth, but recent paparazzi photos reveal he's not fat; he's just not as lean. Buckethead, an avant-garde
guitarist who has worked with everyone from Iggy Pop to Bootsy Collins, spells Slash and likely will play an interlude with nunchucks. Tall, lanky, and
mute, Buckethead claims to have been raised by chickens in a chicken coop, conceals his face with a white Michael Myers "Halloween" goalie mask and
wears an inverted Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket atop his head. He's also fond of yellow raincoats. (I'm not making this up.) Flanking Buckethead on
guitar are ex-Nine Inch Nail Robin Finck, whose pale face and gothic dress make him look as if he has been dead for five days, and Richard Fortus of the
Psychedelic Furs and Love Spit Love, whose outward appearance, by comparison, is lackluster. Rose enlisted one of Minneapolis' formative punks in ex-
Replacement bassist Tommy Stinson. Brian "Brain" Mantia, formerly of Primus, mans the drums. Allegedly, Mantia's attraction to the project was the
opportunity to jam with Buckethead. Rounding out this circus are keyboardists Reed and Chris Pitman, who have recorded with Tool. The band's highly
anticipated "Chinese Democracy" album has yet to surface, but a plausible rumor pegs its release for February 2003. Don't hold your breath, but hey, at
least it's got a title. Though many believed Rose was heading in an industrial direction on the new album, all but one of the five new songs introduced on
tour sound like classic GNR. Still, it's anyone's guess what the final product will resemble. Despite its prolonged absence and lack of a new album, GNR
is playing large stadiums, giving Rose the opportunity to prove his skeptics wrong and attempt a near-impossible ascent -- complicated further by the
Vancouver riot -- back to the top. It should be exciting, but if you go, please remember that Axl still hates cameras. Some things never change.
LAFAYETTE'S AXL ROSE HEADS BACK TO FAME (Tim Brouk, Lafayette Journal and Courier): Greater Lafayette has national recognition for a few
things -- Purdue University, the Tippecanoe Battlefield and Fort Ouiatenon. And Lafayette is significant to rock 'n' roll fans as the birthplace of W. Axl
Rose, lead singer for Guns N' Roses and one of the most famous rock stars in history. People who pass through or move to town often wonder if any
remnants of Rose, who was known as Bill Bailey during most of his Lafayette years, still linger in Lafayette. Rose moved from Lafayette to Los Angeles
seeking a change in 1982. "Some friends and I would joke 'Where's the big, gold Axl statue at?' when we would come to Lafayette," said John Wekluk, a
senior English major at Purdue who is originally from Portage. Wekluk has tickets to see Rose live at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Allstate Arena in Chicago.
The current tour is Guns 'N' Roses' first in about 10 years. While Guns N' Roses hasn't performed in Indiana since a July 1992 concert in Indianapolis,
Rose, 40, has made almost annual sneak visits to Lafayette to visit family and Arni's on Elmwood Avenue. Arni's owner Brad Cohen said Rose's last visit
was a little over a year ago to pick up some pizzas to go. Cohen said he more often ships pizzas out to Rose's home in Malibu, Calif. Sometimes it's a
couple pies while other times Arni's has catered parties hosted by Axl. "I tease people that I'm one of the few that has access to Axl's credit card number,"
Cohen said. Just after Guns N' Roses performed at the 1992 Indianapolis concert, Rose took a table in the Toys in the Attic Room at Arni's with an
entourage of body guards. A crowd of about 30 fans formed as Rose was leaving in a limousine. Rose smiled and waved at the crowd before he departed.
The excitement from the strawberry blond, headband sporting singer's sighting did not die down for awhile. "Weeks after his visit, we had cute little
college girls come in and want to sit in the actual booth Axl sat in," Cohen said. "They wanted to be close to his blood and sweat so to speak." Cohen,
who owns Guns N' Roses' first two releases Appetite for Destruction and Lies, added that no one could remember which table he sat in and would point to
any open table in the room and tell customers "That's the one." "My dad (the late Arni Cohen) wasn't a big listener of Guns N' Roses, but we had fun with
the celebrity status Arni's got by his visits," Cohen said. "I appreciate the fact that he's an Arni's fan. I respect his choice in pizza." Amused Clothing
manager Jay Buck recalled one memorable night in 1988 when Rose was eating dinner with family at Arni's. Buck was only 15 working at his first job at
Arni's, but he was picked to serve Rose's table. "I wasn't a big fan of Axl Rose. That's why they sent me out there," Buck remembered. "Everyone else
would have been 'Hey, can I have your autograph?' " The night was even more memorable as Buck tripped over a purse that was sitting in the aisle that
belonged to Rose's mother. Buck was carrying a large tray full of sodas that landed all over Rose and his family. Buck said the sticky and drenched rock
star wasn't mad as he saw the guilty purse was in the way, but most of Buck's co-workers thought he did it on purpose. Buck attended Jefferson High
School when Appetite for Destruction hit the scene, and its singles "Welcome to the Jungle," "Paradise City" and "Sweet Child O' Mine" were all over the
airwaves. Rose also went to Jefferson and would have been in the class of 1980 if he had not dropped out. "A lot of teachers said he didn't do well so don't
look up to him," Buck said. Fifteen years later, Buck still isn't a big fan of Rose's. "I'll listen to it when someone is singing at karaoke," Buck said. As the
1990s started, a series of events further propelled Rose as a household name and into the media spotlight. In the summer of 1991, Rose incited a riot at a
St. Louis amphitheater when he jumped into the crowd to attack a photographer and then ended the set prematurely. During the 1992 mega tour of Guns
N' Roses, Metallica and Faith No More, Rose started another riot in Montreal when he refused to take the stage. Another Canadian riot erupted at a Guns
N' Roses concert on Nov. 7 when the band were no-shows in Vancouver. Charges were pressed for Rose's actions in the St. Louis incident. Rick Mummey
was a DJ at WKHY 93.5 FM when Rose was being sought by St. Louis authorities, and he offered a $1,000 "bounty" for Rose to be brought to the classic
rock station to explain his actions. Rose did not appear, but Mummey, now a DJ for WGLM FM, received a large number of calls when Rose seemed to be
making news everyday from people claiming to know singer. Some calls were legit while others came from "brother's uncle's mechanic's third cousins."
The early '90s also saw Rose distance himself from the band. Soon after the 1991 release of the Use Your Illusion albums, original rhythm guitarist and
fellow Lafayette chum Izzy Stradlin (aka: Jeff Isbell) left Guns N' Roses. Rose also spoke out to the press and in concert about his thoughts on Lafayette
and Indiana. A review of the 1992 Guns N' Roses Indianapolis show in the Journal and Courier included the statement that Rose "blasted Indiana for
being the conservative, backwards state the sent Dan Quayle to the vice presidential office," and "he referred to Indiana as a state that produces corn and
drugs and is overrun by Japanese car factories." "I wish he wouldn't be so down on it (Indiana), but, hey, that's his right," Buck said. Around this time,
another Lafayette native was making some noise in the rock world. Shannon Hoon provided back up vocals on the Use Your Illusion hit "Don't Cry," and
his band Blind Melon was starting to get noticed. Lafayette guitar virtuoso Michael Kelsey was in a band with Hoon called Styff Kitten in Lafayette, and
he said the band covered an early demo version of the song. Kelsey went with Hoon to Los Angeles for awhile and met Rose at the Rainbow Room on
Sunset Strip. Kelsey said Rose was nice and the two made small talk for a few minutes. Kelsey was a big Axl Rose fan. "When Appetite for Destruction
came out, it raised the bar for rock 'n' roll," Kelsey said. "It wasn't the candy-like stuff that was out before then." Soon after Guns N' Roses released The
Spaghetti Incident?, a 1993 album of cover songs, Rose fell off the map. Drummer Matt Sorum, original guitarist Slash and original bassist Duff
McKagan left the Guns N' Roses camp. Rose, who retained the rights to the name Guns N' Roses via a signed contract from the rest of the band, started
work on a new album and he is still putting final touches on it. The current Guns N' Roses still features keyboardist Dizzy Reed who joined for Use Your
Illusion and now includes guitarists Buckethead and Nine Inch Nails' Robin Finck, former Primus drummer Brian Mantia, and former Replacements
bassist Tommy Stinson. Musicians who appeared on sessions for the upcoming Guns N' Roses release include Josh Freese, Moby, Dave Navarro, and
Brian May. Guns N' Roses looked close to releasing the album, titled Chinese Democracy, in 1999 when the track "Oh My God" appeared on the End of
Days soundtrack. Guns N' Roses once again grabbed headlines, this time positive, in late August when the band made a surprise appearance at the MTV
Video Music Awards. At the end of the program, host Jimmy Fallon jumped like a pogo stick with excitement as he introduced the band. An explosion of
confetti engulfed the stage as the band launched into the familiar chords of "Welcome to the Jungle." Rose looked to have filled out to a normal build
instead of his emaciated Appetite days, and he had his hair in hundreds of tiny braids. "They're probably not real. His hair was thin before," Wekluk said.
Rose introduced the slower, new song called "Madagascar" before closing with "Paradise City." Wekluk thought "his voice was a little goofy just for that
performance," but Wekluk has heard bootleg recordings over the Internet from Guns N' Roses' European tour and found Rose's voice to be as good as it
was in the '90s. Kelsey and Mummey are one of the millions of fans who are anxiously awaiting the new Guns N' Roses release. "I'm sure he's settled
down over the years. It'll be interesting to see what he comes up with," Mummey said. "After 10 years, it should be interesting." Kelsey added, "I don't
know who could do that in their career -- to be on top of the world and then have so much bad stuff go on and then still be popular. A lot of other people's
careers would have died." If you go WHAT: Guns N' Roses with Mix Master Mike and CKY. WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Monday. WHERE: Allstate Arena,
Chicago. HOW MUCH: $35 to $65.
GUNS N' ROSES / NOV. 18, 2002 / CHICAGO (ALLSTATE ARENA) REVIEW (Jeff Vrabel, Billboard.com): "Dude, is that an original?" one Guns N'
Roses fan incredulously asked another at the Allstate Arena in Chicago last night (Nov. 18), pointing out a graying "Appetite for Destruction" T-shirt and
staring at it like it was a Topps Mickey Mantle rookie. Similar exchanges could be heard throughout the Chicago stop on the GNR "reunion" tour -- a
term used in the loosest possible sense. It was a show that, at the very least, finally rewarded fans who've been waiting to retrieve their faded GNR gear
from the closet for 10 years. That's way more than just a little patience. But as W. Axl Rose and his new cast of anonymous sidemen proved last night,
while the shirts may have been original, the music was anything but. For two hours, Rose and his overstuffed band fought to emulate the glory days of the
long-dead Old Guns, but could only muster an off-target, glitchy set that virtually cried out for Slash or Izzy Stradlin to ride in and rescue it. Sure, the
opening notes to "Welcome to the Jungle" sent shock waves through a sold-out crowd that didn't seem to mind the Slashlessness one little bit, and the
audience received the arrival of each song in the "Appetite"-heavy set with a raucous, nostalgic glee. In sparse, scattered moments, Guns N' Roses
seemed to be back. Sort of. But really, in what world could this be called "back?" There's no Duff, no Izzy, not even Teddy "Zig Zag" Andreadis on the
harmonica. Yeah, those are definitely "Appetite" songs being dusted off, but the whole affair seems like a weird accident. It smacks of inauthenticity. It's
just doesn't seem right. It took three guitarists to try to fill the role of Slash, the band frequently missed changes and cues, and Rose himself was a
letdown, his voice the victim either of the world's worst microphone technician or pure rust. The difference between Guns 2002 and Guns 1992, the last
time they played Chicago, is like the difference between the '98 Bulls and the '99 Bulls. The old band was legendary for its churning, super-charged
grooves as much as its rock-star excesses; it burst with visceral power on stage. There was something organic and human and brutal about the
transcendent "Paradise City," the destructive "Welcome to the Jungle" and the still-elegiac "Sweet Child O' Mine," and when the band drew raves as the
second coming of the Stones, for a while, it didn't seem all that off-base. This new band, by contrast, seems like nothing more than parts welded to each
other. There's ex-Replacement Tommy Stinson on bass, ex-Primus drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia, and lone Guns holdover Dizzy Reed on keyboards (one
wonders how he alone escaped the brunt of Rose's lash for so long). They were a ragged machine that often struggled to stay on the same beat, let alone
muster up enough swagger to draw comparisons to the original. In fact, the new Guns N' Roses seems to have no interest in staking any claim to the old
material at all. They're playing Slash's notes, Xeroxing drummer Matt Sorum's beats, playing bass like Duff McKagan played bass. And there's too many
of them. With two keyboardists and three guitarists, Guns' new sound is certainly fleshed out, but between the bizarre Buckethead, ex-Nine Inch Nails
guitarist Robin Finck, and Richard Fortus, it was like a joust for playing time. Early in the show, takes on the punkier tracks "Think About You," "It's So
Easy," and even "Mr. Brownstone" were all over the map, and Buckethead and Finck's cracks at Slash's solos on "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "You Could
Be Mine" were littered with flat notes. Of particular offense was Finck's massacre of the "November Rain" solo, which was his worst offense of the night
until he wandered directly in the path of a charging Axl during "Patience." Then there's the matter of Rose, who, in recent years, has taken to the rock
spotlight like John Steinbeck would take to book signings at Borders. As his near-wreck with Finck proved, his stage demeanor remains untouched -- he
still prowls the arena like a predator hunting down the next note, still sprints across the stage, still does his shimmy dance with workmanlike precision.
One rumor that can be quashed is the one about Axl's supposed chunkiness. On this night, he appeared lean and energetic, though he's swapped his
Charles Manson t-shirts, bandanas, and wince-inducingly short spandex trunks for football jerseys (Michael Vick's and Chicago's own Brian Urlacher's,
in this case), workout pants, and dreadlocks. Most importantly, it's clear that, poor sound mix or not, his voice doesn't have the juice it once did. He
sounded especially strained on "November Rain" and "My Michelle." Still, all was not lost. Rose's voice finally snapped into place and conjured up the
Axl of old on "Nightrain," while "Paradise City" and "Sweet Child O' Mine" quickly became house sing-alongs that drowned out the singer. The band
wasn't without its moments, either, catching fire midway through "You Could Be Mine" and blazing through "Nightrain" as well. But there's still no hard
evidence that this comeback will finally result in Rose's alleged "Chinese Democracy" album. GNR debuted just three new songs, one of which (the
vaguely industrial title track) worked up a decent lather. The other new offerings were the unremarkable ballads "The Blues" and "Madagascar," the
latter of which may prove the most problematic to Rose. With its drum machines and hip-hop beat, "Madagascar" was the most logical link to oddly-
selected opener Mixmaster Mike, who tore his turntables up with spitfire precision and skill but received a surprisingly hostile response from the crowd.
This should be alarming news to Rose. If, as rumored, his new material is heavy on the industrial bells and whistles, and Mike fares as poorly on the rest
of the tour as he did in Chicago, Rose may want to consider bagging the electronic business and dialing up Slash after all. At this point, you might be
hard-pressed to find anyone who wouldn't think that's a good call. The original incarnation of Guns N' Roses was a perfect snapshot of the time; a furious
blend of hedonistic, whiskey-soaked, guitar-and-groove rock n' flippin' roll. This incarnation is too little, too late. "Been hiding out and layin' low, it's
nothin' new to me," Rose spit on the "Appetite" anti-establishment anthem "Out Ta Get Me," but though his decade-long slumber has given them new
meaning, on this night, the words clanged hollowly off the walls of the arena.
11.21.02 - The Palace Of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI, USA

attendance: 10,000
Could Be Mine, Guitar Solo [Robin], Sweet Child O' Mine, Out Ta Get Me, Piano Solo, November Rain, Guitar Solo [Buckethead],
Rocket Queen, Madagascar, The Blues, Rhiad And The Bedouins, Chinese Democracy, Patience
notes: First live performance of 'Rhiad And The Bedouins' on the North American tour. Due to several problems while playing
'Patience,' - the show is over after the song.
GUNS N' ROSES TAKES STAGE BUT NOT AUDIENCE (Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press): Ten years is a long time to disappear in rock 'n' roll.
Expectations mount, doubts start to simmer. That's the spot occupied by Axl Rose Thursday night as he headed into the Palace of Auburn Hills, where
10,000 fans gathered for the latest stop on the first Guns N' Roses tour in a decade. Of course, purists will tell you that wasn't GNR who took the Palace
stage in traditionally tardy fashion (the show started after 10:30 p.m.). The band that once stood behind the writhing Rose - Slash, Izzy Stradlin and the
rest - have long parted ways with their mercurial front man. On paper, the new Axl N' Friends lineup is solid, with prominent players including former
Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson and freako guitarist Buckethead. In a big way, the success of a GNR show in 2002 rests firmly on Axl Rose and his
larynx. Rose's vocals showed glimpses of promise early, punctuating "Welcome to the Jungle" with familiar primal shrieks and summoning a throaty
growl for "Mr. Brownstone." But as the night moved on, his 40-year-old voice got away from him too often, and on songs like "Knockin' on Heaven's
Door" and "Think About You" Rose was reduced to a slippery caterwaul. Axl, sporting a Red Wings jersey, wasn't short of energy, frequently dashing to
the wings of the stage and taking full advantage of the tiered stage. He slowed down just once, to park at a center stage piano for the lighter-invoking
ballad "November Rain." Buckethead led a three-guitar attack with effortlessly lithe licks that occasionally got lost amid the band's ample wall of sound.
Thursday night's ensemble, in fact, was far more technically smooth than the original GNR cast could ever hope to be. But that was part of the problem.
For all the tight recreations offered up on a night fully stocked with greatest hits -- "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Paradise City," "Rocket Queen" -- it was easy
to notice what was missing. The Guns N' Roses name bears a rich legacy: scrappy, unpredictable, explosive, soulful. None of those adjectives applied to
Thursday's performance, which often felt like a proficient GNR tribute helmed by a guy who reminded everyone of Axl Rose.
JEFF SHELDEN'S REVIEW: Got there a half an hour before the doors opened at 6. Bought a "I survived the Palace" shirt and found a spot with my
friend first row/ right up against the barracade to the left of the Axl jut out (Buckets side). CKY went on real late. 8:30. They kept thanking us for not
minding that they were late, but the guitar player got into it with a fan in the first row who was shouting for GNR and actually spit on him during the
show. Then when it was over he jumped off the stage and started throwing punches at this guy. Security pulled him away...he got back up on the stage
walked off and then threw his guitar into the crowd. Mix Master Mike came on a bit later and played until 9:35 or so, I actually thought he was good this
time (compared to Moline & Chicago). Then the wait began. Real long. 10:30 and the lights and curtain go down and we get Axl in a Bret Hull Red
Wings jersey and Jungle/ Easy/ Brownstone/ Live & Let Die/ Heaven's Door and Think About You in rapid succession. Bucket was cool. He did Star Wars
and When You Wish Upon a star and the crowd seemed to dig him and his toys. Rocket Queen was cool...not much of a jam up front. And then it was time
for the 4 new songs. After the Blues you could see Axl calling for an audible. And then Tommy saying into his band mic (at the amps) which only the band
can hear what they were going to play. And it is Rhiad! Axl messed up a few words on this one and was looking at the telemprompter for help....the only
time of the night really. Patience is next and it seemed like Axl was a step behing the band on some of the lyrics during this one. I think they main messup
though which set it all off was when Brain didn't pick up the beat after "The Lights they shine so bright" part when the band starts to play a little louder. If
you've seen the new band play this song you'll know what I'm talking about maybe. So Axl has to sing that verse a second time and then they pick it up.
Well...when you have to sing the light shine so bright and have a special effect go off it is kinda embarrassing. After that verse Axl tosses the mic in the air
and walks out. Fink starts up the end of the song as usual and Axl comes back out to finish it and then says good night. Lights go up a minute later. Very
weird, I thought they might re-group backstage get it together and then just play a longer encore, but that was not in the cards I guess. As far as people
walking out...it was f'n late. People have to go to work and nobody actually lives by this venue. It is a long drive home for most people and they got done
with the four new songs at 12:10 for goodness sake. Everyone up front with me was digging the show for real. By all means up until Patience this was the
best show I've see on the tour. Next stop for me is Toronto!
EREEPER'S REVIEW: Well let me start by saying I'm not pissed off at the band. I am still going to buy the album and I will go to another show even if I
have to wait almost ten years again. I'm going to give my take on what happened last night. Some parts were mind blowing and others were just shocking.
At about 7:15 turned to 101.1 fm in Detroit and caught the last part of the Axl interview. Pulled into the Palace at about 7:45 and it was strangely silent. I
thought my prayers were answered. CKWHY was not going to be there. Needless to say they showed up late and they still SUCK. They were held up at the
airport and they bitched about that and how you can't get peanuts. They bitched that you can only get dairy and the asshole guitar player is lactose
intolerant. At least maybe he read my interview the other day because he didn't try any of his cheesy Pete Townsend windmills. Next MMM came on. I
may have been a little critical of him the other day in my Chicago review. He played a more enjoyable set tonight and the crowd loved him. I thought he
was much improved and didn't play the extent of rap that he played the other night. He also had a Jango Fett action figure on the turntable which I
thought was cool. During the intermissions I had several interest conversations. I met Mohawk one of the local DJ's in Lansing. He proudly told me that
G&R were just Axl and Izzy. He actually thought Izzy was in the band. So I spent about ten minutes giving him the new G&R 101 and telling him about
the Chicago show. I saw only one buckethead custome tonight. It was unique because the guy painted his face white, had the bucket, and the yellow rain
coat. The guy who has his ticket listed on gnrontour.com was in my section so I went to talk to him. He was a cool cat from Canada and said he had
tickets to the Toronto show as well. I asked him if he was booting and he said he had no connections with gnrontour.com except just scanning and sending
his tickets. I also saw schnoogans_37 just like I do at every Michigan concert now. He caught the first part of the Axl interview and I had caught the
second part so we filled each other in on what we had missed. We talked about Chicago and Guns N' Posers. I also got to see the kick ass GN'P shirts.
The crowd was different from Chicago it was more diverse. More people seemed clueless about this band and were skeptical. Unfortanetly I think the
band lost a lot of fans last night. Instead of people leaving pumped up it was a lot of shock, anger, and dissappointment. The band tore it up when they
came out to Jungle. Axl had a Brett Hull Red Wings Jersey on. That is #17. Adds up to 8 ya know. The rest of the band was in all black. Robin had a black
outfit with blank knickers and red socks which were cool. Buckethead had his usually and Chris and Tommy wore all black. Fortus wore black pants and
a grey t-shirt. Dizzy wore a cut-off Colorado Rockies jersey that was black. Maybe that was foreshadowing to the funeral theme. The band was great
going through the usual songs in the usual order. People were excited and jumping and somewhere along the line the crowd lost its enthusiam. The floor
didn't look like it got dull, but in the seats people were sitting and when they played the block of new songs people started to leave to go home. I mean a
lot of people. At that point I felt the crowd didn't diserve this show. My God, we were the first stop to hear Rhiad and most people showed no interest. My
vibe of the band was that they were doing great, but not quite as remarkable as Chicago. During Live and Let Die in '91 Axl really wanted everyone to
sing the part where it goes you know you did, you know you did, you know you did. Well back in '91 before the album was released no one could do that.
Last night when the crowd did it he was like a maestro waving his arms and it pleased him that people 12 years later now sing to that part. During Think
About You that band made a few mistakes and Patience was the worse version I ever heard. Other than that I enjoyed all the songs. I didn't see Axl throw
his mic during Patience and walk off, but my wife did. The song was so awful was watching Buckethead and Fortus to see what they were doing with the
accoustic guitars. Anyway peope really started leaving after Patience and I was about to make my move to get better seats and then the house lights came
on. Everyone was stunned. Where was the finale. When the roadie took Axl's mic stand off I knew it was time to get out. Thank God everyone left
peacefully. What should have been one of the better shows on the tour with the debut of Rhiad has now turned into a bizarre event. People will be talking
about this show, but not for the right reasons. I even felt like something was missing and then I think about Axl D in Vancouver who didn't even get to
hear one note and consider myself fortunate to see two shows in the same week. Would I feel so shocked if I wasn't expecting an encore or if I knew all the
songs that they have played every night so far except for last night? Maybe Patience was the classic closer G&R style. Because in the time I've been a fan
of this band you never know what to expect and that is part of what is desirable. Don't let this show discourage anyone from going to future shows and I'm
sure they will be great more often than not. I'm now envious of everyone who has tickets to future shows because I wish I was right there with you.
PEACE!!!
11.22.02 - Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

attendance: 6,000
Could Be Mine, Guitar Solo [Robin], Sweet Child O' Mine, Out Ta Get Me, Madagascar, Piano Solo, November Rain, Guitar Solo
[Buckethead], Rocket Queen, The Blues, Patience, Chinese Democracy, Nightrain
notes: This date was originally tentatively scheduled for Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY.
DAVID JAKIELO'S REVIEW: For all the bad that has been said about the Detroit show, the Pittsburgh show was the complete opposite. This was an
amazing show. I really didn't think Axl's voice could hold up all show, but it did. He was holding notes longer during certain songs (especially Live and
Let Die) than he did 10 years ago. I don't know how this guy does it. Security checks were HORRIBLE. I was going to buy a decent tape recorder and
tape it to my leg to bootleg this show, but figured they would find it. The guy didn't even pat me down, he just told me to go. They were doing this to most
people so there should definitely be some bootlegs out there. I loved how about 10 kids immediately began to mosh during the start of the show. There is
always the bodybuilder on steriods who takes his shirt off and wants to hurt someone. All the other fans sort of looked at them and got the message across
that this isn't what GNR is about. I never understood moshing...I just felt it was something entertaining, yet dumb to do while a bad performance was
happening. Thankfully, GNR is entertaining enough for people to just watch and go crazy. CKY really ruined it for themselves when one of their guitarists
tried to get the crowd to hate him. This made no sense to me and made what seems to be a decent band come off bad. Mix Master Mike either really,
really cool and entertaining or rather boring. He's weird as an opener but the new generation of Guns N Roses fans will love this type of thing. The old
gunners really seemed to dislike it. I loved the parts that played Rob Zombie, Rage Against The Machine, etc. but other parts really dragged. A Nelly song
should NEVER be played at a GNR show. MMM ended around 9:30. From this point GNR cameras would scan the crowd looking for girls to flash. Many
went for it.including two girls that decided to make out briefly. During this time I headed to the back and a bunch of people were saying how they hate Axl
and he'll never show up. One guy yelled how he was leaving soon if he didn't show up.so I started talking to him. His last GNR show was San Diego 10
years ago. He didn't know too much about the new band and never heard the songs. He said if they didn't show at 10:30 he was leaving. Hopefully he
stayed till 10:47 when GNR finally came on.or else he missed one hell of a show. I noticed many people getting very upset about Axl, saying how they
hated him. That there lies the beauty of Axl Rose. One minute an arena filled with people hate his guts.then he shows up and transforms into the greatest
guy in the world. The show kicked off to a great and flawless start with Jungle, It's So Easy, and Brownstone. One song right after another, no breaks. Axl
was wearing a Jerome Bettis home jersey, white shoes, and black silky ADIDAS pants. Live and Let Die was UNREAL. How he held the screams that long
is beyond me. During this song I felt the need to yell out, "HE'S BACK." At this point the place was rocking and it put a smile on my face to see people
just getting off to the whole experience. Things slowed down with Knockin' On Heaven's Door. We all know Axl's voice has changed from 10 years ago,
but the voice he has now makes for a much smoother version of the song. Axl then dedicated Think About You to all the girls in the audience who flashed
the crowd. Another note to keep in mind is how Axl was running around like a wild man but still managed to sing fine without seeming out of breath. A
powerful version of You Could Be Mine followed. Then Robin played his intro to Sweet Child and everyone went crazy as you'd expect. People can say,
Slash this, Slash that.and I loved Slash but Robin does it just as well. Somewhere around this point Axl switched to a Mario Lemieux jersey and said
something to the effect of, "I know you people are gamblers (I remember reading about a Pittsburgh show years ago where he said "I don't know much
about Pittsburgh except I lost a lot of money because of the Steelers).did you really think I was gonna show up?" Out Ta Get Me Played and then Axl said
how people aren't happy about them not playing new songs but tonight would be more of a nostalgia night. However, he wanted to play a new
song.Madagascar. I think this is the best new song, really strong. If you want to get looks from people, as if to say, "you are a sick freak" make sure to
sing the lyrics to Madagascar. All of us have heard the new songs since the RIR 3 show, and tend to not realize how hardly anyone has heard the new
songs. I wonder how much of a percent of the audience has heard those songs, I bet very little. People didn't seem real sure how to take it, but by the end
dug it. More of a reception for this song than the other new ones because of the MTV Video Awards exposure. Axl then asked for a piano, he joked around
playing one intro, then played some sweet intro into November Rain. Not sure what that second intro was, but if it's the beginning of a new song, he has
something. There might be nothing better than when Axl is on singing November Rain, and tonight he was on. The fire effects are a great effect. Everyone
was digging the Buckethead solo. Some people find him weird, and he is but he can play. He played the same songs he has been playing on the tour, Star
Wars, Pirates Life For Me, etc. Very entertaining and he seems to be getting a cult following. Next was Rocket Queen, followed by The Blues. Dizzy
played piano for The Blues. Axl stood on top of the piano for the closing of the song. I think this song contains the best lyrics out of the new songs. The
last verse of the song is something everyone has felt at least once in their life. Due to the Detroit incident, I was worried that the show would end with
Patience. Thankfully it didn't, on this night they played it the way it should be played. Around this time Axl mentioned how he was at a restaurant and this
girl seemed excited to see him. First she wanted an autograph, then he ate, she wanted a picture, than after she wanted to talk him again. "Then she
began to rip me a new @#%$." Axl asked her where she heard things she was saying and she said, "I read them on the Internet." Really funny stuff.
Maybe she asked him about THIS I LOVE which seems to be a subject and a burning question that will never die. Anyway, Axl said how the Internet is a
great tool and even he learns things going on in his band on there. "I'll read something, then call someone and they'll say 'I didn't know that' and then
add, 'oh yeah, I did hear about that." Chinese Democracy rocked and the fire effects made it even more impressive. A teen sitting behind me said "if he
can sing like this on a record, he's gonna sell a lot of @#%$ records again." The guy he was with responded..this guy can sing his ass off." They were
both right.and anyone who says "Axl is too old, out of shape, etc." Has no idea what they are talking about.I'm sure he's proving it in other cities like he
proved it in Pittsburgh, he's for real and so is the rest of the band. I can't stress enough what they proved tonight. Nightrain played, leading into the
encore of Robin and Paradise City. Before Paradise City Axl was waving a Terrible Towel, which is a legendary item dealing with the Pittsburgh
Steelers. Axl sure knows all the tricks. Paradise City had the smoke, fireworks, confetti, etc. I'm probably forgetting certain things but it's late.someone
else will fill in what I missed. Bottom line is this, GNR is back. The crowd was filled with fans whose GNR shirts were a little tighter than when they
bought them 10 years ago and new fans. People were into it. The older people sat at times, which is a bummer, but that happens. Going to this concert
and getting off on it..and looking around and seeing people my age, who weren't old enough to experience the Use Your Illusion tour but discovered GNR
on their own.will make you feel very, very happy. We are all very lucky that this is happening around the country..don't miss out, and take a friend. Axl
Rose has done what few have done in the past. He captured one generation and is on the right track to not only recapture them but also capture a whole
new generation, with the help of an excellent, tight band. One final comment. I was seated in a way so that I could see the backstage area too. Well, at one
point I saw Axl go back there (in the middle of a song) and he saw this older lady sitting on the steps. Not sure who the older lady was but Axl had a big
smile on his face and jokingly acted like he was going to kick her down the steps. This wasn't for show, he's a happy man. Axl once wrote, "I want to get to
a place mentally where I can say, 'Hey, this is me, capture it,' and I'm not there yet. I'm trying to get myself healthy." Axl Rose is finally there, he's
healthy.
11.24.02 - Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH, USA

attendance: 9,500
Could Be Mine, Guitar Solo [Robin], Sweet Child O' Mine, Madagascar, Out Ta Get Me, Piano Solo, November Rain, Guitar Solo
[Buckethead], Rocket Queen, The Blues, My Michelle, Patience, Chinese Democracy, Nightrain
notes: The band hit the stage around 9:45 p.m. After 'You Could Be Mine,' Axl talks to a fan named Steven in the front row for about 30
seconds.
GUNS N' ROSES FINALLY SEES A NEW ALBUM ON THE HORIZON (John Soeder, Cleveland Plain Dealer Pop Music Critic): Mark the words of
keyboardist Dizzy Reed: The new Guns N' Roses album will see the light of day - finally! - in 2003. It's called "Chinese Democracy." But a more fitting
title may have been "Appetite for Procrastination." The oft-delayed project has been in the works for years. It should be in stores by June, according to
Reed. "There are just a few odds and ends left to do - a couple of finishing touches, a couple of vocals - and we need to mix it," he said. In the meantime,
GN'R - long MIA, except for a handful of one-off gigs - is mounting its first North American tour since 1993. The hard-rock group, fronted by enigmatic
live wire Axl Rose, performs Sunday at Gund Arena. Speaking by phone last week from a Chicago hotel, Reed said it feels "utterly fantastic" to be back on
the road. "It's the right time to get out there and to let people know there's still rock 'n' roll to be played," he said. "People seem to be having fun. And so
are we." Granted, neither the band nor its fans had much fun at General Motors Place in Vancouver, B.C., where the tour was supposed to get under way
Nov. 7. A riot ensued when the venue canceled the opening-night show at the last minute because there was no sign of Rose. "Axl was en route," said
Reed, who was backstage with other band members in Vancouver before all hell broke loose. Disgruntled concertgoers pelted police and security guards
with rocks and smashed windows at the arena. "It had little to do with us and everything to do with the owners of the building," Reed said. "They panicked
and pulled the plug." Rose & Co. did perform the following night in Tacoma, Wash. Two weeks into the tour, they've been getting mixed reviews, with
some accounts mentioning half-full venues. "Some shows weren't sellouts, but I wouldn't call them half-full," Reed said. "The people who were there were
having a great time. They were losing their minds. That's what counts to me." Rose, who co-founded They're joined by drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia
(formerly of Primus), bass player Tommy Stinson (Replacements), keyboardist Chris Pitman (Replicants) and three guitarists: Richard Fortus
(Psychedelic Furs), Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails) and Buckethead, a masked man who sports a KFC bucket on his head. GN'R in the mid- '80s, and
Reed, who joined in 1990, are the only holdovers from the band's pre-grunge heyday left in the lineup. "It's funny - if you took any pair of us, none of us
would've started a band together," said Reed, 39. "We've had to work hard at the chemistry. But everyone is so talented, it works. You add Axl and it
works even better. "In the old band, I came along a bit later, when the chemistry was already established. It grew out of playing clubs and bars in
Hollywood. I used to go to all the shows. I saw it happen." In a separate interview, Stinson said the motley new members of GN'R have at least one thing
in common: They want to make rock 'n' roll history. "This has never been done before," he said. "The lead singer takes the band name, for something as
big as Guns N' Roses was, and continues with an entirely different lineup - no one has really done it, certainly not with any success. So there's a lot riding
on this." Four ex-members of GN'R - Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum and Izzy Stradlin - have been auditioning singers for a new band of their own,
although Rose holds the rights to the Guns N' Roses name. "I wish them the best," Reed said. "If they want to go out and hit the road, cool. No one can
stop them. They're great players in their own right." Stinson, 36, was brought into the GN'R fold four years ago. "I was doing a session with a friend of
mine who played drums for GN'R at the time, Josh Freese," he said. "He was joking about them needing a new bass player. I laughed and said I'd play
bass. The next day, they called. I learned about four or five songs. A day or so after the audition, they called and said, 'If you want it, you're in.' And I
took it. "I wasn't much of a GN'R fan . . . when I was making [Replacements] records. We were a different breed. But you couldn't help but hear the GN'R
stuff on the radio and on MTV every 10 minutes because it was the flavor of the day." GN'R burst out of Los Angeles in 1987 with the debut album
"Appetite for Destruction," which sold 15 million copies in the United States alone. It spawned the No. 1 hit "Sweet Child o' Mine." The group hasn't
released a batch of all-new original material since 1991, when GN'R simultaneously unloaded two full-length efforts, "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use
Your Illusion II." Whether or not "Chinese Democracy" proves worth the wait remains to be heard. At any rate, it promises to be a bit of a departure.
"For a GN'R record, it's pretty diverse," Stinson said. "It's not straight down the rock 'n' roll road. It's all over the place, in a good way. It has a little bit
of everything - the old Guns N' Roses vibe, ballads, a couple of pop songs." On "Chinese Democracy," Rose delivers "more soulful singing," Stinson said.
"You really get to hear some different tones in his voice which don't lend themselves to traditional bluesy riff-rock. And the lyrics are a lot more in-depth,
with deeper sentiment and emotion than some of the earlier stuff." Speaking of Rose - depicted two years ago in a Rolling Stone cover story as a reclusive,
night-dwelling, psychic-consulting control freak - is he . . . OK? "I'll tell you why I'm still with the guy: He's got my back," Stinson said. "He's the most
loyal guy you could ever meet. There's a lot of love in him. There's a real person there who goes way beyond his historical past, you know?" Rose is "one
of the most thoughtful people I know," Reed said. "He's one of the smartest, too. Musically, he's close to being a genius, if he isn't one. He can take any
idea and once he adds his thing to it, it turns into magic. I love the guy." Alongside "Welcome to the Jungle," "Paradise City," "Patience" and other
vintage GN'R tunes, the band's recent set lists have showcased several "Chinese Democracy" songs, including the title track and "Madagascar." "The new
songs are working out great," Stinson said. "The old ones are fun to play, too. We've taken some liberties, but you'll definitely recognize them. We don't
do disco versions of anything. We've all just taken what was there and made it our own." The new Guns N' Roses sounds "like GN'R should sound in
2002," Reed said. "Hopefully, I see us fitting in on the radio, on MTV and at an arena near you."
SCHNOOGANS 37'S REVIEW: Well I just got back from the 4 hour drive back from Cleveland....it's almost 5AM, I should be sleeping, but I know you
people want to know all about the show so I'll do my best to fill in....some may overlap the other review... It all started when I found 8th row tickets (floor)
for 35 bucks last minute yesterday on ebay. I figured I had to go for that price and that good of a seat so I bought the ticket, had to meet the broker at a
bar near the Gund Arena (The Winking Lizard---nice bar) to pick them up. Got there around 7:30, got my tickets, and started heading to the arena.... As
I'm walking I pass a bar playing 'Sweet Child O' Mine'....so naturally I had to go in and check it out....next song up came 'Dead Horse', turns out the bar
was like playing Appetite, Lies, and the Illusions on Random, people were going apeshit with each new song that came on....very cool. Finally get over to
the arena, missed CKY (Oh no!), asked if they got booed again and was told they werent and were actually really well recieved....hmm. Mix Master Mike
came on....I dont care, I like the guy....DJing shit isnt for everyone, but I thought it was a fun way to fill time before GNR. Crowd wasnt exactly going
nuts, but they sure werent booing either. Really nice crowd, nice atmosphere, which I think carried over to GNR and Axl.....because Id never seen Axl in a
better mood than he was tonight....anyways crowd gives the Mix Master decent applause, no boos whatsoever, pretty cool. GNR came on about 10:10,
pretty early for Axl. They used that new intro, which listening to it for the second time I can finally tell what it is....it's the sound of an orchestra warming
up, like at the beginning of the Fantasia movies.....just a mess of orchestral instruments warming up for a show....pretty cool. Axl wore a 27 Browns
jersey? changed to a 2 Browns Jersey? Then a Cleveland Indians Jersey. If you wanted to see Axl in a talkative mood I hope you were in Cleveland
tonight. He could barely shut his mouth. His attitude the whole night was like a kid on christmas. He was just having way too much fun from the get-go
and was ULTRA- personable. He asked the crowd if he'd worn the right Jersey...then started doing a voice "I just dont get Axl, what is he trying to be?
Hip hop with those Jerseys", talked about how he just liked to wear jerseys, lay off. Then came him talking to a guy in the front row. In between songs he
came out smiling and was like "Wait a minute. I have to ask this guy whats wrong. You look bummed. Are you not having a good time? I want you to get
your moneys worth." Sits down to chat with the guy. Finds out his name is Steve. "Hey everyone, this is Steve." Steve says hes having a great time, so Axl
concludes that steve just has problems with expressing him emotions and it's all good. This was hilarious. Very representative of the mood Axl was in.
When Axl introduced Richard, he told a story. He said that following Richard's first audition with the band he flew back home and at the airport someone
ran up to him and said "Hey Izzy, can I get your autograph?" Axl said he took it as a good omen and signed him on. As Axl sat down to play November
Rain he quickly launched into another song.....that wasnt one of the normal intros, then he leaned forward to sing....for a split second I thought it was a
new song....then he sang "Youuuu....are suchhhh...an asssshole, Nooone knows how much of an assssholllle you arrrrre" Then he looked up and said
"Oops wrong song" and started the funny double-time intro....just some fun playing around from Axl. Axl talked about "I bet when I was a kid, singing in
church choir, this was not quit what they expected me to end up doing...." Then he even launched into singing a little bit of "Jesus lovvves the litttle
children...." In between two songs Axl just started breathing heavy into the mic doing a 'toking a joint' sound. Then he was like "I smell something out
there.....and I don't think it's cigarrettes....I think this is what you call a contact high" He thanked the crowd for being 'gamblers' by coming out to see the
band. He said everyone in the crowd was a bit of a gambler. Then he talked about watching CNN and the Vancouver Riot footage.....he said he saw a
woman babbling about ....(doing woman voice) "Oh my goodness it was horrible it was just like a movie...." "And then the voiceover comes over" (he does
a really funny deep, professional voiceoever voice) "But this..........was NO movie." It was pretty funny, especially since Axl seemed to just be enjoying
himself so much telling all these stories.... Just before Chinese Democracy, Axl told the crowd that he could "very much feel the love here". And it was
obvious he could too, he treated the crowd all night long like a bunch of old friends. He was very happy when he said this and it looked like he really
meant it. Axl talked about how the production engineer or something like that for the band was from Cleveland....so "If the show sucks, I'm not taking all
the blame, It's partly Clevelands fault". Before Bucketheads dance and solo, He told the 'buckethead story', about Bucket being brought by aliens and
raised in a coup and that he needed to do a little artistic expression about all that for us... At the very end of the night, in between Robins final solo and
Paradise City, He stopped things and took a moment to once again thank the crowd.....then said "Thank you.........this is Paradise City", to which the
crowd went apeshit. Overall, just an amazingly fun show. I ended up being only 4 rows from the stage because of the way the stage was set up....so that
was very cool. A couple things of note.....Richard played the first solo's on November Rain instead of Robin, then Buckethead played the last one as
usual......and Axl's one lyrical fuck up of the night was on "My Michelle"......he started the song with "Sowin' all your wild oats" but quickly realized his
mistake and morphed into the first verse by the second line.....at the time I was like "Oh no, please, not another Detroit", but it was a quick recover and
Axl quickly forgot about it. Just another nice personal moment, the girls I was sitting next to screamed to Richard who was sitting on the front of the stage
playing Patience and he stopped playing to look up and wave, he seemed kind of surprised to hear his name get yelled. That was cool. Setlist was the
usual suspects....no Rhiad, but they did My Michelle, Nightrain, And paradise City, so I was very very happy. Arena was about 60% full I'd say, but the
people who were there were cool as fuck. Axl's voice was great, but a bit cleaner than in Detroit, I thought he sounded a touch better and more gravely in
Detroit. Also he ran much faster and more often at this show than in Detroit....so maybe that has something to do with it. He sounded great though, just a
little more like he did in Tacoma. I cant think of anything more, I'm tired....Oh except that when I stopped at Burger King on the way home, there was one
other guy in the store besides me, I walked in behind him and he walked up to the counter and said "ya'll got tacos?"......at Burger King........maybe it's
just late and Im a little delirious, but I found that hilarious. Guess I'll wrap this one up....Hope you all enjoy it. Once again, Great show, and Axl in one of
the best moods I've ever seen....cant wait to see them next week.....this has helped me put the whole nasty detroit ending out of my mind.
11.25.02 - Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH, USA

attendance: 6,000
[Buckethead], Rocket Queen, The Blues, Chinese Democracy, Patience, Nightrain
notes: This show was originally scheduled for 11.19.02. GN'R hits the stage around 10:10 p.m. and plays the usual set for 2 hours.
ROSE'S FREAK SHOW COMING TO TOWN (Compiled by Aaron Beck, Jerry Dannemiller and Curtis Schieber, Columbus Dispatch): * Guns N' Roses,
CKY, Mixmaster Mike -- 7:30 p.m. Monday in Nationwide Arena, 200 W. Nationwide Blvd. (1-800645-2657) Guns N' Roses 2003 is another name for
Felix Cavaliere and the Rascals or any other state fair act with one holdout and a different beat. Original member Axl Rose leads this freak show.
Buckethead, a guitarist whose stage gear leaves nothing to the imagination, wears a KFC bucket on his head. The drummer is named Brain. The
keyboard player is Dizzy Reed. Bassist Tommy Stinson was a Replacement, and guitarist Richard Fortus played sessions for 'N Sync. The tour's scheduled
debut show in Vancouver, British Columbia, was a bust. Rose was late, making the promoter and the arena folk nervous. The show was canceled. The de
facto debut show -- Tacoma, Wash. -- drew 6,000 fans and mixed reaction from reviewers. Philadelphia metal band CKY, whose music has been featured
on the MTV low-art thrill-ride Jackass, will perform first, followed by a set by daredevil DJ Mixmaster Mike. CKY drummer Jess Margera, phoning last
week from Fargo, N.D., said the band received the call to open the tour during a two-day drive from a Tony Hawk skateboard/rock festival in Detroit to a
club gig in San Diego. "We were 400 miles from San Diego when they told us to drive to Vancouver,'' Margera said. "We got there that night at 6:30,
loaded in, sound checked, and we were hanging out in the dressing room when we heard the message over the speaker system: 'The show has been
canceled.'"It would have been horrible, but we got some great footage of broken windows and crap.'' CKY had played four shows before Margera called.
He said Axl Rose "is a gentleman.''"We've been hanging out with (Guns N' Roses) at the after-parties,'' Margera said. "They're great guys. Everybody
tells these horror stories about Axl, but he's as nice as can be to us.'' Tickets cost $31 to $56 at Ticketmaster and the arena box office.
FANS FEW, BUT SHOW STILL ROCKS (Aaron Beck, Columbus Dispatch): Fewer than 6,000 people visited Nationwide Arena on Monday night to see
the 2002 version of Guns N' Roses, which includes one original member: Axl Rose. Once the lights went down, however, the underattended show could
have been taking place in a filled Brazilian soccer stadium. A production that probably made the Columbus power grid dim, a batch of oldies (the band
played the bulk of Appetite for Destruction) and the anticipation by a crowd that had waited more than a decade -- and more than an hour between
Mixmaster Mike and the time Guns N' Roses took the stage -- all fueled the buzzing mood. Welcome to the Jungle, a natural opener, was flat. The volume
was uncharacteristically low for an arena-rock show. Rose's voice sounded wrecked. The mix was muddy. But starting with song two, It's So Easy, the six-
man band didn't let up until two hours later (12:10 a.m.) with the encore, Paradise City. When he wasn't playing Elton John at a black grand piano
(November Rain), Rose ran the sprawling stage all night. His screeching voice was strong throughout. Rose, a 40-year-old Hoosier, was dressed in baggy
tracks pants, white athletic shoes -- as blinding as his severely bleached teeth -- and a series of oversize Buckeyes and Blue Jackets jerseys. His shoulder-
length braids and un-rocklike gold rings on his fingers fit in perfectly with today's Guns N' Roses, a group of eccentrics. Guitarist Slash used to be a fan
favorite, but if mascots are what people crave, they don't have to look any further than one of the three guitarists. The man with an upside-down KFC
bucket on his head and a white, expressionless mask on his face, Buckethead, plays guitar a la the Eddie Van Halen school of inventive, classical metal.
His solo consisted of demonstrating nunchakus and break dancing, playing pieces of the Star Wars theme and Old MacDonald and tossing action figures
into the crowd. Basically, he screwed around for a few minutes. His intricate picking suggested that soloing during Sweet Child o' Mine (a show
highlight) does not worry him. Frank Zappa would have loved it. Rose seemed to get a kick out of the guy and the rest of the band, which also includes
occasional Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck, 'N Sync session guitarist Richard Fortus, former Primus drummer Brain, former Replacements bassist
Tommy Stinson and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pittman. The new lineup sounds tight, and watching them play made one realize: This ain't no
state fair version throwing something together to pay the rent. The band played three new songs. Two were sprawling power-ballad types on par with
November Rain. There was no sign of the industrial rock route Rose took to record the one song the band has released in 10 years, Oh My God. Perhaps
the tunes are from Chinese Democracy, the album Rose says will come out next year (uh-huh). Rose and company knew the people came for the hits, and
the group did a nice job of not bogging down the show with unfamiliar music. The evening was expertly paced and without lulls. Sure, the 2002 version
isn't as drunk, sleazy and reckless as the Izzy-Slash-Duff-Axl-Adler combo that started this whole thing in '85, but, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome
back Guns N' Roses.
OHIOFAN'S REVIEW: GNR put on a great show! But first... CKY came on at exactly 7:30 and played for about a half of an hour. They did seven songs
and were politely received by the crowd. I didn't hear any boos, but the applause wasn't very loud either. They talked about how they've already had a
good experience with Ohio crowds, probably talking about Cleveland's concert. After about twenty minutes, Mixmaster Mike started doing his thing. He
wasn't bad - obviously very talented. He played for about forty minutes and got a much louder ovation than CKY did. The next hour was spent trying to
get the girls in the audience to take off their tops. Not a bad way to kill the time. Anyway, on to the good stuff. At about 10:10, we hear the opening chords
of WTTJ. The crowd just goes nuts! Axl comes out and yells: "Do you know where the fuck you are, Columbus?" For the next two hours, Axl and company
simply gave us our money's worth and then some! For those of you wondering, Axl came out with a white OSU jersey, #27. He later switched to the Red
OSU #27 jersey. He said at one point that he has been wearing OSU jerseys for a long time. He then switched to a generic Columbus Blue Jackets jersey,
then back to the white OSU one for Paradise City. I checked the current roster and there isn't a #27 listed for OSU right now. I'm not from this area, so
maybe #27 means something to somebody, but I definitely don't know. Back to the show. Axl sounded GREAT. The best he has in years. Especially during
LALD - he let out a couple of long wails during that one - very nice. Plenty of pyrotechnics used in that song too. He didn't really talk to us until after
Think About You. He then comes out, and in a Ricky Ricardo voice, tells us: "You got some 'splaining to do." He then talks about the OSU riots of last
weekend. Obviously in a very good mood, he tells us that when he saw the reports of the riots on TV, he checked his watch and thought he was late for the
show or something ("What, am I late already?"). He also says, mockingly, that he would never, ever be involved in something like a riot, much to the
delight of the crowd. After Out Ta Get Me, Axl did that little football jersey rant he did in Cleveland, then tells us a little about Buckethead. However,
tonight Axl says that he "*has* to mention" that Buckethead's father went to OSU. Then he introduces the next song as Mad At NASCAR. "Damn seatbelt
rules!" After that song and before November Rain, he briefly talks about a memory he has of Ted Nugent playing down south and him asking the crowd
for some "Nashville Pussy." I think I missed part of this, so I'm unsure of what the hell that had to do with anything. During Buckethead's solo, he played
"Old MacDonald Had A Farm", then uses a synthesizer to record the last little bit of his solo. After that starts playing on a loop, he sets his guitar down
and brings out a bag of what looked like sealed toys. I was on the floor, but wasn't close enough to see what he was giving out. Anybody else know? I have
to say that all three new songs were received well by the crowd. Some people already knew the words to them, especially Madagascar (since it was played
on MTV). Patience came and went without incident. Afterwards, Axl briefly mentions that Rock N' Roll is such a "friendlier sport" than football. Then he
hears some guys up front asking for Nightrain. He then actually asks the Security Guard to hand his microphone to the guy, so he can ask for the next
song! The guy yells out Nightrain, Axl gets the mic back, and the band launches into an awesome version of an old favorite of mine. Afterwards, he says
"Columbus, Ohio; Ohio State; Good Night!" The band leaves the stage, but not for long. Robin comes out and starts a solo, which leads into Paradise
City. Axl throws his whistle into the crowd after he uses it. Near the end of the song, rotating fireworks and confetti machines go off, making the stage
alive with color. And Axl ends it with the classic "GOOD. FUCKING. NIGHT!!!" Whew. I'm sorry I wrote a book, but I promised myself that I would stay
up and type all this out before I forgot some of it. Axl sounded great. Yes, you could hear him over the band. He was really enjoying himself, interacting
with the crowd. Several times he grabbed the hands of the people on the sides of the stage. And I can't forget to talk about the band! Man, they played the
fuck out of the old songs! I've been a GNR fan ever since I heard WTTJ on the radio, but, honestly, I didn't miss any of the old guys tonight. Sometime
during the show, Axl thanked us for coming out and checking out the new band. Believe me, I was thanking him for sharing them with us! I hope you all
get the chance to see these guys in concert. Again, it is well worth it.
11.26.02 - HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY, USA

notes: This show was scrapped in the planning stages - tickets never went on sale.
11.27.02 - Pepsi Arena, Albany, NY, USA

attendance: 10,000
Could Be Mine, Guitar Solo [Robin], Sweet Child O' Mine, Out Ta Get Me, Piano Solo, November Rain, Madagascar, Guitar Solo
[Buckethead], Rocket Queen, The Blues, Chinese Democracy, Patience, My Michelle, Nightrain
notes: Axl goes into a long rant about the new band and how the press is reacting to the new band.
MICHAEL ECK, ALBANY TIMES UNION: Axl Rose brings his new supergroup to the Pepsi just in time to haul them all down to the Equinox
Thanksgiving. Rose is joined on the "Chinese Democracy Tour" by three guitarists (the bizarre Buckethead, Nine Inch Nails alum Robin Finck and one-
time Love Spit Love gunslinger Richard Fortus), bassist Tommy Stinson (of the Replacements), drummer Brian Mantia (formerly of Primus) and longtime
keyboardist Dizzy Reed. Needless to say the show will be all spectacle and little substance, but who cares -- it's GNR, baby.
AXLDEMOCRACY'S REVIEW: I'll take first things first. Took Amtrak from NYC to Albany and it was a pleasant ride. Got to ride in Business Class with
the big shots and while everyone else read their Wall Street Journals I busted out my Blender magazine with a very dirty looking Christina Aguilera on
the cover. No G N' R mentions in this months issue, so unless you want to read about Christina's nipple ring I wouldn't suggest picking up this months
issue. On Amtrak I got to talk to a guy by the name of Steve who I met last year in Vegas and who, like many other Gunners, spends a lot of time and
money travelling to see the band. He is a real cool guy and we had a real nice talk. It also turns out he knows Eva from here at the bar -so that was pretty
cool. Ok -on to the show. Me and my two friends get to the Pepsi Arena around 4pm and start lining up with about 7 other people who are there. Let me
say this, the Pepsi Arena security guards suck some balls. First off, they have one guy -well kid outside in charge of the line trying to arrange the General
Admission line. This 19 year old kid is out there trying to arrange the line outside and he does not know what the fuck he is talking about or doing. He
tells us we shouldnt be lining up this early -cause when they open the doors everyone is just gonna bum rush inside anyway and we will lose our spots. He
also says there is nothing he can do about it if people start cutting the line. People start buming out so I pull this kid over to the side and tell him that if he
isnt gonna police the line, then everyone who is here right now, will. The kid was so terrified to tell people who were arriving to the venue, where the line
started and to have their purses open and keys out when they are letting people in. He was having other fans on the line say it to other fans! It was pretty
funny -yet sad. If this was a MAJOR city, and the crowd was more rowdy and troublesome -this could have gotten ugly QUICK. After being in Vancouver,
all I wanted was a smooth experience, and if that meant me, my friends, and anyone else on line had to be involved with organizing the line and getting
shit like that together, then it was fine with me. So at around 6:30 they open the doors. The line goes smooth and everyone gets a wrist band. Me and my
two friends get to the front of the stage -against the barricade in front of Finck's side of course. It brought back memories from Vegas last year -I was in
the same exact spot in Albany as I was for the two shows in Vegas last year, so it was pretty fuckin cool. We start talking to the venue security working the
show -and they were all cool guys. Definitely more organized and tougher than the security guards outside working the show. This one guy was real cool
and me and my friends were talking to him. It turns out he was leaving in about 20 minutes to go pick up Axl at the airport and escort him to the arena.
That made me feel much much better, knowing that Axl was on his way. Yep, I was still feeling the bad memories of Vancouver -what can I say. An
experience like that sticks with ya, and it is going to take me a while to get over it. CKY takes the stage a little after 7:30 and they are surprisingly good.
Much better than what people have been giving them credit for. The guitarist in the band looks like Dave Navarro a bit when he has his hair in his face,
and he does the Pete Townsend Windmill any chance he gets, but he is real into it, and plays to the crowd and that got the crowd into it. I thought they
rocked and were real supportive of G N' R -saying how they were psyched to be on this tour and this was gonna be a kick ass show. They played a hard
set and got a nice reception. Next up was Mix Master Mike. I like pretty much every type of music -rap, hip hop, and good techno. I was looking forward
to MMM but when he got on and played, it just wasnt happening for me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the concept -I think having someone like this
involved on the tour is great -the crossover in genre is not the problem. Where the problem lies is MMM stage set up. Basically, he doesnt have one. All
he has going is the turntables he is scratching on and blow up dolls that blow side to side as he scratches. At a rock show, that is not going to cut it. What
he should have had is go go dancers on each side of the stage dancing in cages, or even break dancers on stage dancing to the music, and/or a screen
behind him playing trippy ass images to the music he was scratching to. If this was a dance club this would not be a problem -cause everyone is doing
whatever and into other things. But at a rock show, and for a rock audience, they want something to watch while they listen, something to keep them
jamming with the music. Watching MMM just scratch away was not fun. I have a lot of respect for the guy, -I have respect for a lot of good DJs, but his
stage set up hurt his performance, and it could have been much better. His set list was real cool, a lot of good tunes he was scratching too -but it got old
fast, and it had a lot to do again with the stage set up. Before G N' R took the stage the famous G N' R tour game "Show Us Your Tits" was played. There
were many contestants at the show which I was surprised by -I thought Albany would be more conservative, but hey I'm not complaining. Though it was
fun for the first few minutes, like Mix Master Mike's set it got old pretty fast. I'm probably in the minority when I say this, but I was bored. I mean yeah it's
always fun to see girls get naked, but I wanted to see G N' R and if I wanted naked girls, I could have stayed in NYC and went to FlashDancers or Scores.
I also found it a little tasteless -esp. the camera guys who had a lot of shitty things to say while they were filming the girls (also about Axl which I got real
pissed about but that's a whole other story). They even propositioned some girls in the front -offering them a backstage pass -pretty shitty stuff. The girls
seemed real slutty and VERY groupish and were looking exactly for that so I guess it was good for them, but it just made me shake my head in disgust.
Well, I guess some things never change at G N' R shows. Around 10:30pm "Show Us Your Tits" ended, and the lights went out. The curtain rises and the
stage is revealed. All I have to say is KICK ASS!" The stage set up rocks. The screens/monitors they got going on, with the two levels, and the wings on
the side, the chinese banners, just looked awesome. There was some ambient music playing in the background, but no "Exorcist" or "Network" intro.
Finck starts "Jungle" and he walks out with Tommy. Finck is dressed in a kick ass black silk suit, with funky socks and cool boots and a kick ass hat, much
like the one the wrestler The Undertaker use to wear back in the day. Tommy is dressed in black pants and a funky t-shirt with the number 78 on it. Brain
takes his seat at the drums dressed in a yellow flannel, bucket hat he wore at MTV Awards and sunglasses. Dizzy and Chris get on their keys. Dizzy is
wearing black G N' R tank to, and Chris has a nice dress shirt on with leather pants and a ski hat. Buckethead slowly appears -almost like Bela Lugosi in
the old Dracula films. You don't actually see him appear -he just sort of shows up. Creepy, yet kick ass! He is wearing gray slacks, gray windbreaker with
blue flannel underneath, and a black cape. Axl screams "You know where you are..." and the show officially starts. Axl takes the stage in a New York
Rangers third jersey -which I was fuckin psyched about being that hockey is my fav sport and the Rangers are my team! Only thing I was disappointed
with was no name or number on the back -he should have had Messier on the back -it would have been a nice metaphor being that Messier is the best
leader in all of sports, and Axl is the best front man in all of music. Anyway, Axl and the band were full of energy and just kicked fuckin ass. The whole
band (except Bhead -he got into it later on) were all over the stage, interacting with the crowd and just having a great time. After "Live and Let Die" Axl
speaks to the crowd for the first time and tells us a story about a girl who came up to him the other night and in a dumb and nasal voice says "Why is Paul
McCartney playing your song?" Axl says "I thought that was really funny." I believe "KOHD" was next, so the set list was a little different. Same songs,
but different order. During "KOHD" I hear some asshole screaming VERY LOUD to Axl "Hey Axl, you fuckin asshole. Where's Slash!!? Axl you fuckin
suck!" So I look to my right and see the fuckin punk who is talking shit. I tell him to shut the fuck up and he continues to talk shit. Everyone around us is
yelling at him to end it, but he continues. So I reach over and snuff him/smack him in the head real hard and tell him to go the fuck home. He looks at me
bewildered as 20 other people around me start yelling at him too. I put the middle finger right in his face and tell him he is an asshole. Before I know it,
one of Axl's security guys who looks like an ex-football player and who was in front of the stage the whole show, comes over and grabs the guy and tells
him something in his ear. The guy didnt say anything after that, and when I looked over for him a few songs later, he was gone, which was good and bad
cause after the show it would have been nice to have a nice friendly conversation with him Anyway, back to the show - Axl switched into a New York
Yankees jersey before November Rain and sang the "Asshole Intro" and then apologized and said it was the wrong song. He then played the funny intro
where he looks at the crowd. He then played a deep emotional intro which sounded a lot like the piano solo used in the "Making of Estranged" video.
Very chilling and hauntingly beautiful. Brain then did the drum intro and started November Rain. I believe it was after this song that Axl first really spoke
of the old band, especially Slash, though he may have said things that I am talking about now a little earlier in the show. It's hard to remember cause I'm
so overtired and need sleep. He started off saying how he has not spoken often on this tour so far, but not to worry cause it was still early and he was just
getting warmed up. He made the comparission to De LaHoya and Vargas and how Slash likes to run his mouth in the press about Axl and G N' R. Axl got
very emotional at this point and started talking about all the shit he went through to get this band together and how they are being treated unfair by the
people reviewing the shows and by fans, but people don't or refuse to understand what happened with the old band. He also addressed the people who say
"There wouldnt be a November Rain or Estranged if there wasnt Slash" and Axl says "These people don't realize though how hard it was for me to get
him to play those songs." He talked about Slash and Duff being bad cops and Axl called himself the sheriff I believe. He said that he has wanted to stay
quiet about this for a while, but he wants his side of the story to be told as well, cause all we have heard are lies. He got very into this at this point and
told us we had all been lied to and taken advantage of at our expense and it wasnt fair. He said he wants us to hear and know the truth and that everyone
has the truth in them -it's just up to the individual to decide if they want to recognize it or not. He brought this point up later on in the show again when he
went on another rant about Slash and the old band. He also talked about how the press says he has no integrity left, and that he doesnt give a fuck
anymore. He said "Yep, I have no intergrity left and dont give a fuck that is why I am here tonight and that is why the band is here tonight and that is why
were are going to make this thing work..." He then said that now somebody will record this rant on an MP3, go home and transcribe, and the press will
talk about what a bad guy Axl is. It was classic Axl and I loved every minute of it cause it was Axl speaking his mind on what went down with the old band
and just confronting everyone who continues to try and hold him and the new band back and from moving FORWARD. Before "Patience" he was ranting
again about the above and then said "People don't understand that Slash and Duff didn't want to be a part of a lot of the songs that were written -and
people don't know the arguments that we had at Can Am (?) studios about songs they would and would not play-and here is one of them" -and "Patience"
started. At this point Axl was in a NY Giants Michael Strahan Jersey and the show was going amazing. Axl was really into the crowd and the crowd was
really good. Except my friend who is a huge Jets fan and was bumed Axl didnt represent Gang Green During "Nightrain" Axl made eye contact with me -
which he was doing all night which was kick ass -and I gave him the peace sign with real emotion and he gave me the famous Axl smile and nod and gave
the peace sign right back to me the same way. It was fuckin awesome!!! Almost another "Rocket Queen" moment for me The set ended with "Paradise
City" and confetti was everywhere!!! I am still picking out confetti out of my pockets! I took off my clothes when I got home and confetti was coming out of
the inside of my clothes, it was insane! It was an amazing fuckin show. This band just gets better and better with each show they play and though I
thought they were AWESOME for those three shows in Vegas, this show they were just so much more tighter and together. They are truly a band now.
They are like a muscle. It gets developed, it grows, and then it just continues to get stronger and stronger the more you work on it. The more shows they
play the better they get, and when they kick off the next leg of the tour -they are going to really be something special -esp. playing the new songs. They
play the new songs we have all heard already with so much emotion -you can just tell the album is going to be something they are all proud of and are
going to fight tooth and nail for. On a side note, I got to talk with Mr. Loder the other day and he will be in Boston this weekend covering the show, and
will make yet another attempt to interview Axl. He said "I have managed to NOT interview Axl on three continents now (Rio, Vancouver, Tacoma)" and
also said he is not getting his hopes up about getting an interview done in Boston. But like I told him, if Axl is gonna give a deep and lengthy interview it
is going to be with him. He also said "The Garden show will be the big one for this band..." I can't wait! So whoever has not seen the show yet, youre in
for a real treat. Everyone enjoy and have fun. Last night started for me G N' R 3 times in 8 days! Hartford should be rocking and the Garden should
really be something special.
11.29.02 - AirCanada Centre, Toronto, CANADA

attendance: 14,000
Could Be Mine, Guitar Solo [Robin], Sweet Child O' Mine, Out Ta Get Me, Piano Solo, November Rain, Guitar Solo [Buckethead],
Rocket Queen, Madagascar, The Blues, My Michelle, Chinese Democracy, Patience, Nightrain
notes: Axl mentions the Montreal riot during the show and asks the crowd how many of them were there. He then also mentions Lars
and says he will talk about him later, which he never does.
GUNS N ROSES THRILL TORONTO CROWD WITH VINTAGE SET, FAR CRY FROM VCR EXPERIENCE (Angela Pacienza, Canadian Press):
TORONTO (CP) - The 1980s returned to Toronto on Friday night in all their pyrotechnic, metal-rock glamour - albeit nearly an hour late. Led by an
energetic Axl Rose, Guns N' Roses stormed onto the stage at the Air Canada Centre - the band's first trip to a Canadian city since the riot in Vancouver
on what was to be the band's opening night of the Chinese Democracy world tour - answering the all-too familiar question: "Do you know where you
are?" With green flood lights swirling wildly, Welcome to the Jungle kicked off a vintage Guns N Roses set of songs taken mostly from Appetite For
Destruction and Use Your Illusion I and II. For a while it seemed the show would not happen. Rose and the clan were 50 minutes late getting to the stage.
Cameramen tried to keep the audience occupied by displaying crowd shots of what seemed to be a Toronto version of Girls Gone Wild - hot young women
in cleavage-revealing tanks tops flashing their breasts - on the two big screens on either side of the stage. It's raunchy appeal seemed to wear off after a
while, the crowd's chants of "G and R" grew dimmer and at least one scuffle broke out in the aisles. But the approximately 14,000 fans thought the wait
was well worth it, clapping and singing along for the majority of the show. A charismatic Rose, 40, wearing a Maple Leafs hockey jersey, put on a
vigorous show filled with lots of frenzied rock 'n roll energy. He sprinted from one end of the stage to the other, his long braided hair whipping through
the air in a show all its own. His notorious wailing was on full display, although the enthusiastic crowd often drowned his voice out chanting along with
every word. Vintage hits were trotted out throughout the two-hour show including Live and Let Die, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, Sweet Child O Mine,
You Could Be Mine, Mr. Brownstone, Patience, and Paradise City. November Rain saw Rose playing a grand piano under a waterfall of fireworks. New
songs from the upcoming Chinese Democracy album included the title song. The multi-tiered stage, allowing Rose lots of running space, sat on top of a
large red circle with Chinese symbols. Multi-coloured flood lights worked overtime. Explosive, old-school fireworks pumped up the crowd and brought
'80s-style glamour rock to the arena. It's the band's first North American tour since 1993. Rose has been busy trying to finish the new album since 2000.
It's expected to be released in February. After a falling out with his band, Rose formed a new crew for the tour, retaining only keyboardist Dizzy Reed.
New additions include former Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck, bassist Tommy Stinson from the Replacements, ex-Primus drummer Brian Mantia
and avant-garde guitarist Buckethead. Wearing a white mask and a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on his head, Buckethead's solo - which also included
playing the Star Wars theme song and several minutes of waving numchucks and break-dancing - was clearly a crowd pleaser. Judging by the reception
to his performance and the fan in the second-row who wore a KFC bucket throughout the show, Buckethead is quickly establishing a cult-like following
on the tour. Much has been said about Rose's chops not aging well but a shaky sound system made it difficult to know for sure. It should be noted that five
teleprompters, in clear view, were scattered on the stage, scrolling through lyrics for Rose. The rocker, however, has remained confident about his
abilities. "To the ones who are negative and want to see either myself or the new band fall on their faces, personally I can't pass up an opportunity to
upset so many of them in one quick swoop. I get misty-eyed just thinking about it," he said prior to the tour. Regardless of the sound, the lively crowd
enthusiastically bopped up and down to the music, enjoying the old-school flavours released with every rock-steady anthem performed. Cigarette lighters
were whipped out and flames proudly displayed during all the ballads. The scene was a far cry from the riot in Vancouver on Nov. 7 after the opening
show of the band's North American leg of the world tour was cancelled when Rose missed his flight. Thousands of fans rioted for about an hour outside
GM Place in downtown Vancouver. Police used pepper spray to disperse the rioters. It wasn't the first time chaos has erupted at a Guns N Roses show. At
a concert in Santiago, Chile, in 1992, 10 people were hurt and 178 people were arrested. The group's departure from the country was delayed for about
nine hours while authorities searched their private plane for drugs. Nothing was found. In 1991, Rose precipitated a riot in a St. Louis suburb by jumping
off the stage and attacking a fan videotaping the concert. Sixty people were hurt and the Riverport Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, Mo., was wrecked.
Several lawsuits were filed and Rose was charged with assault and property damage. Rose never surrendered to face the charges and was arrested a year
later by federal agents at Kennedy International Airport in New York as he returned from a European tour. He was eventually put on probation for two
years and ordered to donate $50,000 to five social service organizations. The rockers entered the music scene in 1985, earning fans with their punk-
infused heavy metal sound. The band's heydays were between 1987 and 1992 when Welcome to The Jungle, Paradise City, Sweet Child O' Mine and
November Rain dominated the airwaves. The band has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide.
GUNS 'N ROSES T.O. CONCERT COHESIVE, POWERFUL (Dominic Patten, CTV.ca): TORONTO — The fact that they actually showed up and the fact
that there wasn't a riot would deem Friday night's Guns 'N Roses show at the Air Canada Centre a success. Not that the hoards of police and the strict
ACC staff were going to take any chances. The police were outside and inside the arena and they made their presence very visible to anyone who might
have been thinking of repeating the riot that took place at the cancelled show in Vancouver earlier this month. The ACC turned off the taps at 9:30 p.m.
ET because it had been decided the crowd was liquored up enough. A fight that broke out in the upper stands was quelled by security so fast there wasn't
even a second punch laid. And while the tunes being played over the sound system were like listening to your dream punk rock mix CD, people were
getting antsy. I head a few guys behind me muttering to themselves. "You don't think they've bailed do you?" "Naw, dude that's just Axl being Axl. He'll
come on when he feels like it." Well, the GNR frontman and his crew didn't take the stage until almost 10:40 p.m. ET, by which time even the mulletheads
and the geezers had gotten bored of watching pretty girls in the audience gyrate and flash their breasts on the giant video screens set up around the stage.
But as soon as the opening chords of the band's classic "Welcome to the Jungle" started and Axl, in a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, screeched in to the mic
"Do you know where you are, you're in the jungle baby" all was forgiven. Throughout the band's two hour set, that love and dedication from the 16,000
plus audience forgave a band that is still finding its touring legs. This was the 12th stop on the band's North American "Chinese Democracy" tour, which
Axl has said "is going to go off and on for the next two or three years" and will see the band release at least two new albums worth of material. Let's hope
the band doesn't hit too many bumps in the road, because they still have to work out how to put on a show. Axl Rose is the only original member of GNR
in the band today. Since the mid-nineties, through lawsuits, busts, and slagging from his former bandmates in the media, Axl's been retooling the band to
meet his musical vision, going through producers and players to find the perfect line-up. The current band is the result. The new band, described by
surprisingly chatty, can no doubt play. The mysterious Buckethead's guitar solo that turned into a stunning Wagnerian rendition of the Star Wars theme
proved that. But in that example also lays the problem. Buckethead's solo was so long I watched the first part of it, went to get a drink, came all the way
back to my seat and he was still playing. People were looking at their watches, and most of these fans love that type of stuff. There is a real core of a
really good, down and dirty rock 'n roll band in former Primus drummer Brian Mantia, former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, and guitar player
Richards Fortus. Time after time last night, the three locked into grooves that were tighter than a vice. In comparison, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris
Pitman, and dueling lead guitarists Robin Finck, formerly of Nine Inch Nails, and Buckethead were too remote, too clean. Most of the time, it was like
these guys didn't want to break much of a sweat. Sure, they had all the pyrotechnics and sure they played all the hits and almost all of the band's 1987
major label debut "Appetite For Destruction" and sometimes they really cooked in that way that reminds you that GNR were once the most dangerous and
probably best rock'n roll band in the world. But last night's the show lacked focus and because of that the energy lagged. It was a collection of little
things. Numerous technical problems and inconsistent sound levels. The stage going dark between every song, which essentially pulled the plug on the
crowd's roar. Or Axl oddly leaving the stage during every instrumental section of every song. Was he going back to sip tea for his throat? Who knows. Or
Buckethead's wandering around the stage between solos like he didn't know what to do with himself. Maybe Axl has to let the new guys off the leash more,
or maybe they get kind of bored playing other people's songs. I think the latter might be the case, because when they launched into the as yet unreleased
new songs like "Chinese Democracy" it all became much more cohesive and powerful. Was it a great show? No. Was it a good show? Yes. And would I
say go see them again? Yes. You know why? Because once the usual GNR controversy of riots and temper tantrums dies down and they are just a working
band on tour, and once people start to hear and know the new songs, well, then Guns 'N Roses, this Guns 'N Roses, will truly kick. And that will be a sight
to see.
KYRIE'S REVIEW: I had planned to post both my Toronto review and my London review at the same time, but since I’ve got a few hours to kill, here’s my
review of last night’s show at the ACC. Just for the record I haven’t read any of the other reviews of the show yet, I wanted to put this down first. If you
want to skip the next few paragraphs and head to the GNR stuff, go for it. The next bit is all pre-show stuff. Arrived at the venue with a bunch of friends
towards the end of CKY’s set. We were patted down and run over with a metal detector, so I’m not sure if we’ll be seeing any bootlegs of this show. Then
again the search wasn’t THAT thorough. Got in, checked out some T-shirts, but I’m not up to spending 45$ on one when they’re half that elsewhere (yes,
I’m cheap). CKY – from what I saw of them, they sounded like a modern rock/metal band. Didn’t stand out, but I didn’t hear any boos during the two
songs I heard. Maybe they decided not to bash the town they were playing in this time? I might see more of them tonight. We got to our seats – about 25
rows back in the middle of the floor. The place was only about half full or two thirds at that point, but it would fill up later. In the meantime we chilled
and waited for Mix Master Mike. Some fun stuff to note, when they were setting up MMM’s stage props, one of the balloons seemed to malfunction and
went off half inflated. One side of the arena, in the lower bowl, there was an entire row of Buckethead fans, each with a KFC pail on their head. Pretty
cool. Mike came on, and was a huge disappointment. Honestly I went into it with an open mind. I hit clubs every so often, and a DJ/MC doing some
scratching can be decent. But the arena setting just wasn’t right. To his credit, he played a lot more rock (I think) than people reported in past shows. But
that actually hurt his set – a lot of those songs don’t sound right scratched, it just doesn’t work. And Linkin Park scratched? No thanks. He got the best
reaction when he just let songs play while going to switch records. Except then he’d come back and scratch more just when the song was getting good. He
tried to get the crowd going, but they just weren’t into it. Towards the end of what seemed like over an hour, he started getting some boos. The biggest
round of applause was when he finally left the stage. He also got a few cheers for his Jam Master Jay tribute, and while I appreciate it, it wasn’t very
good. He basically mixed two vocal excerpts, so it went like this: “Jam Master Jay – Rest In Peace”. He repeated it about six times. Would have been
better off just playing a RUN-DMC track. His Beastie’s scratching was good, but that’s his own shit, so it had better be. I saw Beastie’s at Lollapalooza
when the Pumpkin’s played – go see them. Skip Mike when he’s on his own. After MMM, the wait set in. The LONG wait. I think Mike was done shortly
after nine. Within minutes, the chick watch began. I’ll say this – there are some hot chicks in Toronto. I know ‘cause I’ve lived there a long time. But
damn, they’re timid. A lot of teasing, but no flesh. This is the horny bastard in me speaking by the way. Anyhow, for the first thirty minutes, the biggest
cheers were for a guy caught on camera taking hauls off a joint. They put him up every few minutes. He looked pretty trashed and it was pretty funny. One
of the camera men got on the mic, and said “I’m gonna say this once – guys, keep your shirts on. Girls – bring ‘em out!”. A couple of jokers had been
showing off for the camera, which is what brought it about. Anyhow after that half hour and a lot of hot gals teasing, one finally got brave enough and
flashed. That got some others going. I’d like to thank the girls for the entertainment, and especially the ones bold enough to make out with one another
and the one gal who loved the camera and dropped her pants as well – they made a long wait (nearly an hour and a half I think) bearable. One scrap did
break out, but it calmed down pretty quick. Seriously, I get why we need the flesh show now – otherwise, boredom would just lead to mayhem. Oh, and on
a humorous note – “security” on the floor for the most part was a couple of female ushers who were old enough to be my mom and looked pretty
embarrassed during the flashing. I felt kind of bad for them – fish out of water. The big beefy guys stayed up by the front, and the cops stayed in the
background. One other comment – chairs on the floor SUCK. They were close together and gave little room for dancing/moving/whatever. I know people
complain about moshing at a GNR show, but I’d much rather have that than the fucking seats if it means an open floor. I kept jamming my knees on the
seat in front of me. By 10PM the place was filled. I’m guessing 15,000 plus. Close to a sellout. Even the nosebleeds were packed. I could see the one
section they released tickets for that day, and by the time GNR took the stage most of it was filled. Which happened to be at about 10:30. At that point, the
people with seats beside the stage – who were able to see behind the curtain – stood up and started cheering. At which point everyone got up and started
cheering. The lights went out, and after a few minutes the curtain dropped. The opening riffs of Jungle started, and everyone jumped! No exorcist intro or
any other intro, just the “new” jungle intro that they’ve been doing throughout the tour (which sounds really cool imo, with the reverb or whatever). They
actually played the riffs a couple times before everyone was set and Axl took the stage. And then they tore into it. Crowd went nuts. I don’t have an eye for
fashion, so I’m going to skip the “what did they wear” part of the review that seems to have become tradition. Except to say that Axl started out wearing
a Leaf’s home jersey (white with blue lettering), #26 (I think that’s Healy’s number, he’s a callup, I don’t know why they didn’t give him someone good,
like Sundin or Tucker or Mogilny). Halfway through he switched to the Leafs road jersey (blue with white lettering), generic with no number. He wore
that until Paradise City, when he came out in a Raptors jersey (#15), then a Blue Jays Jersey, and then another one I didn’t recognize – maybe our
Lacrosse team, or arena league football team or something. Three shirts in one song – the old Axl is back! Assume that the rest of the band was wearing
clothes. Anyhow, the setlist goes something like this: Welcome to the Jungle It’s So Easy Mr. Brownstone Live and Let Die Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
You Could Be Mine Think About You Sweet Child O’ Mine Out Ta Get Me November Rain Rocket Queen Madagascar The Blues My Michelle Chinese
Democracy Patience Nighttrain Paradise City That’s probably a bit out of order, I wasn’t writing it down or anything. They didn’t play Rhiad.
Madagascar live gave me fucking chills. The light display they use during it is REALLY cool, and it sounds really sweet. Also, the Blues, I’ve been liking
this song more and more, and it kicked ass live last night. Axl used his gravely voice that he doesn’t bring out all too often anymore, and that got a big
cheer. In fact, every scream he let out got a big cheer. As for vocals, he was on all night. No fuckups, no wrong verses that I noticed, except in My
Michelle, I think he forgot to turn the mic on at first, because I didn’t hear the first line at all. At the end of the song, he mentioned seeing a really hot
chick in the stands wearing a schoolgirl outfit – uniform skirt and shit – and said that had him particularly motivated during that tune. He said “I think
maybe that’s what Michelle looks like” or something. Sound was good from where I was, although in the first few songs the vocals could have been
louder. They got the volume on the mic up after Live and Let Die. The first five songs they played straight through, I was almost ready to start chanting
“speech”. After Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door, Axl finally started talking. I’ll give you a rundown of all his comments (he didn’t talk too much). First, he
said there were a lot of hot women in Toronto, and wondered how the fuck the Leafs and Raptors can concentrate on playing the game with so many
chicks around. Then he said “Who wants to watch a puck and a net when you can see the girls” or something like that. That brought about some jeers
(Toronto bleeds hockey) and he said he was just joking “with 16,000 or so of my closest friends”. That got lots of cheers, and he laughed and said he
“took that from David Lee Roth’s little book” or something to that effect, because David Lee Roth isn’t doing fuck all these days. It made more sense last
night, but my memory is shot. David Lee Roth annoys me so I was laughing my ass off. Later, he did that Columbus bit again. He said “So we had an
“incident” in Vancouver... and then I went to Columbus, and Ohio State had won and they tore up the town and I was like what, am I late already?”.
Something like that. Got a good laugh. He seemed in a good mood all night. His best speech, I think, was about the critics. He talked about people saying
the songs were dated – “Well no fucking shit”. Said sometimes you have to draw things out for people. This is the first leg of the tour, the eleventh show,
and they’re doing old material. That’ll change. Then he talked about critics themselves, being pretty fucking sad having a job writing about other
people’s lives because they don’t have one of their own. “Sometimes they give thumbs up, and sometimes they have their thumb up their asses”. He
brought up Montreal – asked how many people were at the “infamous” Montreal show – and said he’d talk about Lars a little later. Only he didn’t.
Maybe tonight? I hope. I used to be a Metallica fan. Since they turned into a bunch of greedy fucking assholes, I haven’t listened to any Metallica CD
once. This is my own personal rant here. Fuck them. They were a band who got their fucking record deal BECAUSE of music piracy, because people went
to their early shows and bootlegged them and passed them around to friends and the band got a huge buzz going surrounding it. So if they want to
complain about people using MP3s, fuck em. I bought Kill ‘Em All and And Justice For All and the Black Album and I’ll never buy anything Metallica is
involved with again. Been pissed about this for years and I rant about it whenever I can... Back to GNR. Buckethead stole the fucking show. Some idiot
behind me yelled Slash when he was introduced, and literally like six people around him told him to fuck off at the same time. That shut him up. Bhead’s
solo was amazing, it’s one thing to hear and another thing to watch, and everyone seemed generally impressed. When Axl introduced the band, Dizzy got
the biggest cheer, and Buckethead was introduced last. Axl’s words – “the last person you ever thought I’d pull out of a hat – no pun intended. Left by
aliens in a chicken coop... Mr. Buckethead”. He really awed a lot of people with that solo. Gave out his toys again. I will say that looping those notes
during the solo when he gives out toys – not such a great idea. It confused some people, they were like “you mean he wasn’t playing”? Most of them
figured it out or someone told them what the deal was. The one letdown for me was November Rain. The intro he did was really cool – I’m hoping its a
new song. But they’ve divided the solos up now. Richard does the first one, and he was off. I really didn’t like it. Robin’s was decent, and Buckethead did
the final solo. That owned. But they should let Buckethead solo for the whole song. Richard has other places where he shines. He runs around like crazy,
and the new solo at the end of The Blues that he does is really sweet. Rocket Queen & Nighttrain are the best live songs of the list. They really got
everyone going. A LOT of people screaming for Patience also. All three new songs got a decent response. It’s too bad Axl didn’t introduce them. Chinese
Democracy had the pyro going, from 25 rows back I could feel the heat. Dunno what Buckethead must feel like standing there in a mask next too ‘em.
Paradise City had people going nuts. All in all it was a good show. I would have liked that have heard Axl speak a little more, or a change in the setlist,
but I think it’s going to be standard until at least MSG. Although I’m hoping for Rhiad tonight – and a comment about our friend Lars. This is getting
long so I’ll wrap it up. One thing. Axl’s right about the critics. Whoever the morons are who wrote the band doesn’t have chemistry, they just stand
around or play with Axl – bullshit. Bucket and Robin dueled, Richard and Robin seemed to have a lot of fun together, Tommy was around with everyone
now and then, Bucket went up on the risers with Brain and Dizzy and Chris – they’ve got great chemistry. Seemed like they were all into it. Axl played
around with everyone also, and Buckethead moved a LOT more than people have mentioned in the past. Ran around a bit. Pulled the dummy out at the
end. And his nun-chukkas and robot dance were really sweet.
11.30.02 - John Labatt Centre, London, CANADA

attendance: 9,000
[Buckethead], Rocket Queen, Chinese Democracy, The Blues, My Michelle, Patience, Nightrain
notes: This date was originally tentatively scheduled for Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY.
EXTRA SECURITY ORDERED FOR GNR CONCERT (Joe Matyas, London Free Press): The John Labatt Centre will have extra security for tonight's
Guns N' Roses concert, but not because the group sparked a riot in Vancouver on Nov. 7. It's normal for an entertainment venue to have heavier security
for a rock concert than a pop event, general manager Brian Ohl said yesterday. "The security is different for a Guns N' Roses than it is for the Righteous
Brothers. "We look at each act individually and decide what's appropriate based on what kind of group it is and what kind of history it has." Ohl said he's
not worried there will be a recurrence of the Vancouver trouble. He said that was the first date on the tour and there hasn't been any other bad news
since. Angry fans using metal barriers to smash windows rioted for an hour outside downtown Vancouver's GM Place after it was announced the Guns N'
Roses show had been cancelled because lead singer Axl Rose hadn't arrived in the city. A band official later said poor weather delayed Rose's scheduled
flight from Los Angeles. The singer said he was in the air and on the way when GM Place cancelled the show. Ohl said concert contracts are detailed
documents providing protection for both venues and performers for failure to live up to commitments. He said he's not worried about a no-show in
London, considering Guns N' Roses has played 10 dates since Vancouver. "I'll be concerned if they don't show in Toronto, but that's not likely to happen.
"I've been in this business for a long time and cancellations on the day of a performance are rare." A sellout is expected by concert time but Ohl said a
few tickets may still be available from a final block of $79 seats released yesterday.
GUNS A BLAZIN (James Reaney, London Free Press): A Rose by any other name would have simply been too late for his own party. Fortunately for
arrogant Axl Rose, his fans will wait just about forever for a taste of their Guns N' Roses hero. But the cheers from the standing crowd of about 9,000 fans
at the John Labatt Centre last night showed rock star Axl Rose will always be right on time for his people. When he emerged about 11 p.m. last night for
the Guns N' Roses classic Welcome to the Jungle, it was welcome to Axl-land and the party was on. Much of the show was too late for deadlines to be
reviewed, but Axl showed his hockey smarts by sporting a Team Canada jersey. In Michigan, he'd worn a Red Wings jersey. In Toronto on Friday night,
he was a Leaf. London was lucky. It had the Axl for every fan. Rose holds the rights to the Guns N' Roses name. One star is emerging from the collection
of Rose's new hires since he fell out with most of his old Gunmates. That would be the guitarist known as Buckethead. He earned that name as a masked
man wearing a KFC bucket on his dome. Vintage hits have trotted out all tour long, including Live and Let Die (the McCartney-Bond item), Knockin' on
Heaven's Door (the Bob Dylan tune), Sweet Child o' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Mr. Brownstone, Patience and Paradise City. November Rain has Rose
playing a grand piano under a waterfall of fireworks. Much has been said by critics along the tour about Rose's chops not aging well, but a shaky sound
system made it difficult to know for sure. It's the band's -- or, more correctly, the Axl-dominated band's -- first North American tour since 1993. The only
other former GNR member on the tour is keyboardist Dizzy Reed, who came on board for 1991's Use Your Illusion I and II. The rest of the lineup is Brian
(Brain) Mantia (formerly of Primus), bass player Tommy Stinson (from the Replacements), keyboardist Chris Pitman (Replicants) and three guitarists:
Richard Fortus (Psychedelic Furs), Robin Finck (Nine Inch Nails) and Buckethead. The hired hands have all been working with Rose and Reed on the
long-awaited new GNR album, Chinese Democracy. Its release is set for 2003, as soon as February. The album has been delayed so many times that
cynics have said there will be democracy in China before Axl finishes Chinese Democracy. Meanwhile, GNR's former duelling guitarists Slash and Izzy
Stradlin and two other former GNR members, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum -- have been auditioning singers for a new band of their own. "I wish them
the best," Reed has told a U.S. rock writer. "If they want to go out and hit the road, cool. No one can stop them. They're great players in their own right."
Last night, the centre had extra security. It's normal for an entertainment venue to have heavier security for a rock concert than a pop event, general
manager Brian Ohl said. Fans rioted in Vancouver after Rose's non-arrival cancelled a Nov. 7 concert meant to open the North American leg of GNR's
world tour. Rose had missed his flight from Los Angeles. Police used pepper spray to end the hour-long melee outside GM Place. At a concert 10 years
ago tomorrow in Santiago, Chile, 10 people were hurt and 178 people arrested. The group's departure from the country was delayed about nine hours as
authorities searched their private plane in vain for drugs. In 1991, Rose precipitated a riot in Maryland Heights, Mo., a St. Louis suburb, by jumping off
the stage and attacking a fan videotaping the concert. Sixty people were hurt and the concert building was wrecked. Rose was eventually put on probation
for two years and ordered to donate $50,000 to five social service organizations. GNR entered the music scene in 1985, earning fans with their punk-
infused heavy metal sound. The band's heydays were between 1987 and 1992, when Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, Sweet Child o' Mine and
November Rain dominated the airwaves. The band has sold more than 80 million albums.
JOSEE'S REVIEW: The next day we drove the two hours separating Toronto from London and about 10 kilometres away from London, we got caught in a
snow storm. But we finally arrived there. We thought London would be the nowhere land, but it’s a very nice little city. GNR were playing at the brand
new John Labatt Centre. We decided to arrive at the show around 8h45. This time, we had floor tickets, 7th row. We were right beside the alley
separating the first and second section of the floor. Great seats really and the view was promising to be awesome!!! Mix Master Mike had not even begin
yet and he played like an hour and fifteen minutes. I guess GNR were probably late because of the storm. They started the show at 11h. But this time,
everybody rushed in front, close to the stage. My friend and I did the same thing and believe it or not, we were able to go in the front row, right in the
middle, and stay there for the whole show!! At first security was trying to push people back. But they eventually stopped trying to send people back to
their seats and they concentrated on not letting more people come. But we were there and we stayed there! And what an amazing night! That’s a dream
come true, seeing GNR in the middle of the front row!! The show was just as good as the day before, and even better for us! I had more occasions to look
at the other members that night. All of them are really good players. They are all really into it and they have a good interaction with each other and the
crowd. They play with emotions and it shows that they are happy to be there. The one who impressed me the most is Buckethead. Maybe that’s because he
was the one I was less looking forward to see…You know, a guy with a KFC Bucket on his head is not the most inspiring thing to me. But that was
BEFORE I saw him play live. I kept hearing good things about him, but I didn’t have an opinion myself. But I can honestly say the guy is an amazing
player. He’s talented and his solos are captivating. And although he is discreet, he has charisma. When Axl introduced the band, this time Brain had some
sort of small plastic balls in his mouth or something like that and he threw them out. It was pretty funny! Axl was still in a good mood. He talked a bit less
but he made a speech about China and what is going on there. Seeing him that close was totally cool. He sings these songs with so much emotions, the old
ones and the new ones. You can see the emotions on his face as he sings. He seems in such a good shape. You have to see this man in a live show, to see
his energy. It’s contagious! I mean, you have not seen anything if you have not seen Axl Rose live. It’s totally worth the money, the wait, the drive or
everything else. Right upon that first show in Toronto, GNR was not my favourite live performance. But that changed now. They totally rock! If I’m not
mistaking, the set list was the same as in Toronto. To conclude, if you are hesitating to see this band live, don’t. You shouldn’t be because they are a good
band and you’ll have a great time for sure. I personally had the time of my life. It’s an experience I will not forget! And I recommend it to every GNR fan,
whether you liked this band for a long time or you’re just starting to get into it now. Long live GNR!
KYRIE'S REVIEW: I'll keep this one short since my Toronto review was LONG. The drive to London was nuts. Hit whiteouts and heavy snow. Missed the
opening acts. For some odd reason (especially after Mix Master Mike in Toronto) I wasn't disappointed. The flesh show started sometime around 10:15 I
guess. Thanks again to all the ladies keeping us occupied during the wait. London girls seemed a lot more adventerous than Toronto - no big wait for the
first person to go. Four or five girls in a row dropped their pants right away and that got the ball rolling. The place was packed - sellout or very close to
it. Crowd was REALLY into things a lot more than Toronto. I was a lot closer to the front than last night. That was a blessing and a curse - the crowd
drowned out most of Axl's speeches. The view was much better though! The vocals came through decently though, and he got a lot of applause throughout
the night for his singing - mainly the screams. What I did catch of his speeches, were about them playing more new songs on the next leg of the tour. And
he talked about the drive here - "that was interesting" or something. LOL. Yes, it was. The setlist was the same as Friday night, just mixed up a bit. No
Rhiad. Buckethead did some different stuff in his solo. Different toys as well I think. The martial arts deal is really cool. That boy's had some training or
fakes it really well. Highlights of the show - November Rain was fucking solid tonight. Richard did much better with his solo, was dead on. Also great in
The Blues again. Madagascar went over really well. Crowd just kind of swayed to it, since they didn't know it, but I heard a lot of people saying it was a
cool song. A lot of positive comments after the show also. A lot of people screaming in the streets as well. I'm thinking GNR will definately go back to
London later in the tour. I was real skeptical of them playing a town that small - it's 300,000 or so. A university town, which helps. But this was a packed
house and the crowd was really into it, and that puts some of the earlier US stops to shame. I'd definately head back there again, even if it's a bitch to
drive to. Security was a bitch. TWO searches and a metal dector. No motherly women working the floor - all big beefy guys, and they made their presence
known. A lot of assholes among that bunch. The older dudes were all cool - they were in charge and vetrens of this shit. Some of the younger guys were
pricks, pushing people out of their way when they walked through the crowd. A LOT of people got taken off the floor for not having tickets. I dunno how
they got in with all the security checks. In the Blues (I think) someone got up into the rafters. There's two walkways WAY up high at the top of the rink.
They spotlighted him and he ran like the fucking battery bunny, they had someone up there chasing him, but they never caught him. That was kinda
surreal. If he'd had a gun, Axl could have had a hole in him. Or if he was nuts, or tripped, he could have fallen to his death. I'm not sure how many people
noticed it, security got smart and took the spotlights off him pretty quick. Axl did notice (I saw him look up) but never let on. Funniest part of the night
was Axl playing with the cops. There were a LOT of uniforms. Security was way more intense than the ACC. Anyhow, early in the night he wanted to get
this lady cop to smile, and she finally did. Then during Out Ta Get Me, as he sang "they push me in a corner just to get me to fight", he was over by the
cops in the corner of the stage singing right to that gal and three or four other uniforms. Was really funny. I think I preferred this show, just because the
crowd was so much better. I hope some bootlegs turn up, but since security was just nuts... then again I hear there's a Toronto boot around, gotta get my
hands on that. I'm out... hope you all have fun at your shows!
SCHNOOGANS 37'S REVIEW: Well, I suppose I'll write one of these suckers up for you guys, got home REAL late last night and needed my sleep (I
should be writing a paper today), but here I am, finally.: Well, this show was kind of special for me because I was taking my dad. I bought him a ticket for
Christmas (2nd row dead center floor nonetheless), because I kind of wanted him to see what I spend so much money and time on, and also because back
when I thought Rio was going to be the very first show, he was going to pay for us to fly down to see it because he knew how important it was for me to
go....we were talking to travel agents at the time the Vegas show was announced, which I went to instead (and saved thousands of dollars)... The trip over:
Holy cow. We left VERY early, got to the venue at like 5PM and they werent letting people go in yet....being downtown, the parking lot at this place fit
about 20 cars so I dont know where everyone parked, but we got one of the last spaces. There was a full blown blizzard going down at this time and threw
the opening acts. I just KNEW axl wasnt gonna show. I could just feel it. If Axl was waiting til last minute to come in from Toronto he was going to have a
hellish time with traffic which was nearly stopped on the highways. My dad and I hung out at a big building next door that was a sort of indoor flea
market. Very odd. A bunch of little stands in one store, maybe you canadians have a lot of these, I dont know....found a book in there that had a bunch of
funny stories about Axl in it....that was kind of cool....read that to pass time.... Headed back over to the arena at about 6. Doors opened at 6:30. They had
metal detectors and all, and they went off on me, but the lady was like "youre fine, its probably just change or something", so it was a little more relaxed
than some of the US searches Id been through. Got our seats, they were just incredible. Absolute dead center in front of the stage and only one row back.
CKY played, and my dad actually kind of liked them. They sounded really good at this show, maybe I didnt give them enough of a chance in Detroit, but
they did what they did well and with a lot of energy. Crowd loved them.... ....here was one of the funnier parts of the night. We had THE drunk guy of the
night sitting right behind us.....mullet, goatee, all of that.....and he was hilarious with CKY. CKY is on stage in between songs and the place is pretty quiet
and CKY says "What the fucks up Ontario?" to which this guy screams back "What the fucks up CKY!?" Then in between songs he yells up "WHERE ARE
YOU FROM" they respond "Philadelphia" He yells back "I'M FROM LONDON!". Everyone was cracking up. They were like "Dont worry, we arent die
hard Flyers fans or anything." Drunk guy yells, very sincerely, "DO YOU LIKE THE MAPLE LEAFS??" It just made for a really really entertaining
night, this guy... Good crowd response for both CKY and Mix Master Mike. (Drunk guy, during very quiet moment yells to Mix Master Mike..."DO YOU
HAVE ANY AC/DC!??") The whole show was started very late...probably due to weather, CKY went on well after 8. So it was about 11:05 when the lights
dimmed for Jungle.... GNR came on and this crowd was DEAFENING. If theres a bit of confusion about most of the things Axl said all night it was
because he was literally drowned out. I have never heard a crowd this LOUD. It was incredible. After the first or second song even Axl noted "This is
quite the loud crowd tonight!" I spoke to security, this show was SOLD OUT. And the amazing thing was that even in that horrible weather I was hard
pressed to find a vacant seat anywhere, everyone seemed to still manage to get there for it. Axl was in the most 'excited' mood Ive ever seen him. Even
when nothing was going on he was leaping up and down like a kid on christmas.....he ran across the stage like it was 92....faster than either of the other
two shows I went to. His voice sounded great, but he still sounded the best in Detroit. In my last review (The cleveland show) I mentioned that Robin often
played a bit sloppy on the leads and missed notes and that Fortus should be awarded more leads to play. For those that think constructive criticism is
bashing, ya'll can fuck off, because not only did Robin seem far more focused at this show (he looked UNCONSCIOUS during sweet child.....which is
good) and he really did nail the solos at this show---I was VERY impressed with Robin this go around, but Fortus was also given another solo....at this
show Fortus played the solos for Think about you, Rocket Queen, and the first solo for November Rain (Finck took the second, Bucket the third, kinda
nice) As for Axl's comments, he spoke little one liners occasionally that were virtually impossible to hear due to the crowd....but he did ask "Just how
much snow do you people get around here??" which was pretty funny, and he had a LONG rant after Chinese Democracy about china.... He asked if
anyone had ever been to China, and commented on how when he was in China in his motel room he could watch MTV, and HBO, and CNN, and all these
channels, but these were forbidden to the actual chinese people and that most of them dont even have TV sets to begin with and those that do watch
government programming. He also stated that in China you can have a trial behind closed doors, be executed the next day, and your family has no idea
whats going on. He said it was just interesting how its just a country FILLED with people who are just terrified to be there. He also mentioned going to
see chairman Mao. They have his body entombed in glass there and you can line up in a big line and you walk along and theres chairman Mao....then I
think he realized hed been just kind of talking about china for quite a while and was like "Well anyways, back to the show". Despite starting at 11:05, they
played a full show including My Michelle (No Rhiad, thats still a Detroit exclusive), the show wrapped at 1:10 so it was a nice full 2 hours and 5 minutes
of show.....OH, Axl also did mention at the end that he looked forward to coming back there soon when he would play "a bunch of new songs, and a
longer show"....so it looks like the new songs that start getting into rotation may just be additions....we could be seeing some 2 and a half hour GNR
shows next summer.... He was in a great mood, definitely the best crowd so far that Ive been to....great response to the new songs (LOTS of people knew
the words! It was nuts!). And now the one truly, truly bizarre moment of the show, for me and my dad personally.... I had told my dad, who is a HUGE
arlo guthrie fan, that in Detroit, during his solo, Bucket had played a bit of "Alices Restaurant", so I was kind of hoping hed do it again here. Usually he
seems to do Pirates of the Carribean or When you wish upon a star though.... Anyways, its a running joke in my family about my dad and the song "Its a
small world". He hates it, with a passion, it drove him nuts as a kid or something. It's one of the families biggest inside jokes, people will often give him
music boxes and such that play the tune just as jokes.....it's one of the most well known things about my dad that that song is just this inside joke amongst
the family and that it drives him nuts, it just seems to show up everywhere for him.... So theres bucket doing his solo, and my dad's hoping to hear a little
of one of his favorite songs...."Alices Restaurant", bucket reaches the end of the solo.....and launches into "It's a Small World". My dad and I were both
almost crying with laughter. We COULD NOT believe it, I swore to my dad I had NEVER heard Buckethead play that during one his solos, it wasnt a
regular thing. It was just a very very strange moment and a very cool moment for me and my dad. We were laughing in disbelief about it on the whole way
home. "Even at a GNR concert I cant get away from that song!" But that was the night in a nutshell, Axl wore some Canada jerseys, Maple leafs, etc. I
didnt take much note. Had an absolute blast though, and my dad really enjoyed it too and appreciated me taking him. So all in all, a great night. I don't
have any real negative comments from this show, where Robin was a bit sloppy before, he was playing perfectly....and even Fortus was given a new lead
since the last show I went to.... And Gnfnr2k.....If you have any problems with this review or any of my honest opinions this go around, you can kiss my
fucking ass, in fact you can do that anyways. Please stay away from me, and I'll stay away from you. But once again, amazing show, loudest so far, and
Axl the most pumped up so far of all the 6 shows with the new band Ive been to....
12.02.02 - FleetCenter, Boston, MA, USA

attendance: 12,000
[Buckethead], Rocket Queen, The Blues, Chinese Democracy, Patience, My Michelle, Nightrain
notes: Axl is in good spirits, donning a Red Sox jersey, then a Celtics Paul Pierce #34 jersey and then a Boston Bruins jersey.
KEYBOARDIST STICKS TO HIS GUNS N' ROSES (Sarah Rodman, Boston Herald): It seems fitting that the one person who has stuck with Axl Rose
through all the drama surrounding Guns N' Roses in the past decade is named Dizzy. A little loss of equilibrium would be a natural reaction to the radical
ups and downs that the one-time L.A. metal gods, who play the FleetCenter tomorrow, have been through since their last two albums of original material
were released in 1991. But keyboardist Dizzy Reed believes fans and critics of the band will be pleased when ``Chinese Democracy'' finally arrives in
record stores next year. That remains to be seen and heard. This is, after all, an album that has been in the works for seven long years . . . an album over
which control became such a thorny issue that guitarists Slash, Izzy Stradlin and Gilby Clarke, drummer Matt Sorum and bassist Duff McKagan all
preferred to leave the multiplatinum group rather than wrestle with the temperamental Rose. The amiable Reed has never wavered in his loyalty to Rose -
who rescued the keyboardist from homelessness with an offer to join the band in 1990 - and believes people will see why when the album is finally
released. `Ì definitely believe in it a thousand percent and I have no plan B,'' he said with a laugh from an Albany tour stop. Musically, Reed said, the
album will combine the contributions and influences of the new members with the unmistakable guitar ferocity and epic pop contortions of the much-loved
material from the `Àppetite for Destruction'' and `Ùse Your Illusion'' albums. ``There's something new around every corner, like an amusement park,''
he said, referring to the disparate new sounds. ``When you add the guitars and you add Axl, that's what makes it work, and that's what makes it Guns N'
Roses. There's a little something for everybody, and I think people will dig it.'' Reed stresses that ``Chinese Democracy'' is very much a band project, with
all new members contributing and collaborating, and not just The Axl Rose Show, even though the singer is acknowledged as a benevolent dictator with
ultimate veto powers. For the record, Guns N' Roses - which has sold 80 million records - is now a very large democratic group, an octet sporting solid
industry pedigrees.cw2 In addition to Reed and Rose, band members are drummer Brian Mantia, late of Primus; former Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin
Finck; bassist Tommy Stinson, a founding member of beloved garage punk band the Replacements; keyboardist Chris Pitman, who has recorded with
Tool and Blinker the Star; bizarro avant guitarist Buckethead, he of the KFC chapeau and ``Halloween'' mask; and guitarist Richard Fortus, who has
played with everyone from the Psychedelic Furs to 'N Sync. (Upon hearing that last bit of news, Reed is gleeful. `Ì'm going start giving him (expletive)
tonight, because I didn't know that.'') That being said, do these eight people really add up to something that should be called Guns N' Roses? ``To me,
having been there through the entire thing, it wasn't like Axl said, ÒK, everyone, you're gone and here's a new band and we're Guns N' Roses,' '' Reed
said. `Èveryone else from the old band chose to quit, and they quit one at a time, and they were replaced by someone else, so to me it still is Guns N'
Roses.'' And to some fans as well. Reed reports that the crowds, although only half-capacity in some cities, have been ``going nuts - it's been really cool.''
(They went a little too nuts in Vancouver, B.C., causing $100,000 damage when the opening show of the tour was canceled at the last minute.) The crowds
are not only eating up such classics as ``Welcome to the Jungle'' and ``Sweet Child O' Mine,'' said Reed, they're also grooving to the four new ``Chinese''
tunes in the show. ``Some people actually know the words to some of the songs, which is kind of strange,'' said the 39-year-old Cleveland-bred rocker.
``The magic of the Internet seems to have something to do with that.'' As far as magic happening between band members, Reed said, it hasn't been easy
accommodating eight creative musicians. `Ìt's been kind of a struggle at times, but everyone's professional and everyone knows what's at stake here, how
big this could be, so everyone's come in ready to work, and most of the people have been able to put their egos aside when they need to,'' he said. Playing
live has helped them gel as a band, and for his part Reed is having a ball. `Ì live to get up onstage and perform, and so to be able to do it in front of lots
and lots of crazy people who are digging it, that's what it's all about.'' He will be relieved when the record finally comes out, however, admitting with a
laugh that there were times when he felt like saying to Rose, ``Dude, it's ready!''``To be honest, I thought we were close a few times,'' he said. `Ànd then
something happened, someone quit or the bottom has fallen out in some way. Occasionally there's been a one-step-forward, two-steps-back kind of thing
going on. ``But,'' he adds decisively, `ìt's very close to being ready.'' Guns N' Roses plays the FleetCenter tomorrow. Tickets are $35-$65. Call 617-931-
2000.
NEW GUNS ALMOST AS GOOD (Sarah Rodman, Boston Herald): Guns N' Roses, at the FleetCenter, last night. It was better than most people probably
expected it would be, but not quite as amazing as it could've been. You didn't have to be a fanatical Guns N' Roses purist to look at the disparate
collection of musicians who arrived onstage 90 minutes late at the FleetCenter last night and think that, as good as the new guys are as players - and
some of them are amazing - the blood, sweat and tears connection to the music just wasn't there. But even though the eight men onstage looked like they
all belonged to different bands - which most of them used to - they still managed to hit some ferocious hard rock heights that had the surprisingly packed
arena screaming themselves hoarse, perhaps getting out all the howls they've stored up over the last 10 years waiting for the return of the L.A. rockers.
Given his dismal performance at the MTV Music Video Awards it was a thrill to hear Axl Rose - in a genial, goofy mood - hitting those familiar high notes
as he asked the audience, ``Do you know where you are?'' in the full throttle opener ``Welcome to the Jungle.'' He also snagged every shredded whoa-oh-
oh during ``Sweet Child O' Mine'' and ably whined his way through the grandiose ballad ``November Rain.'' The 40-year-old Rose - who sported Red Sox,
Celtics and Bruins jerseys throughout the night - proved he's in fighting shape as well, careening around the stage, jumping off platforms and generally
flailing about as he worked out the gruff growls of the galloping `Ìt's So Easy'' and the fiery boogie of ``Mr. Brownstone.'' A few new tunes, from the
long-in-coming Chinese Democracy album, made it into the set including the lilting ``Madagascar'' and the anthemic title track. Each of the guys in the
band held their own, bringing precision to the proceedings with special kudos going to the three guitarists - Robin Finck, KFC-bucket adorned axeman
Buckethead and Richard Fortus - who took turns playing Slash's familiar, searing licks and monster drummer Brian Brain Mantia. At midnight, as this
was still being written, Buckethead had just finished up his bizarre midshow guitar solo/nunchucka display/robot dance/Star Wars Theme recital and the
band had kicked into ``Chinese Democracy,'' the 13th song of what was reportedly a 16-song set. Although to some fans, the GNR onstage last night at
the Fleet was only an incredible simulation, it was a convincing re-enactment for the nostalgic and appreciative crowd.
GNFNR2K'S REVIEW: ok im really tired but im going to write a quick review and i hope this makes sense The fleet center was packed, it was a near sell
out, very few empty seats, and i would think they were sold but the scalpers couldnt sell them. First off, cky they sucked. Nuff said. Mix master mike, i was
very impressed. I didnt think i was going to like him but he was really good. It takes a lot of talent to do what he does, and i liked it. I rant into killing
vector in his BH custom, it was great, he got a lot of comements and he has a funny story to tell you all, but i wont ruin it for him, ill let him tell it. My
brother and I talked to him for 1/2 the nite and he was very cool. I ran into ang and bonnie, let me just say WOW!! you two are very pretty and your hair
was cool. Tomass, i saw you for a few and im sorry we didnt get to chat, i hope u are glad you went to the show. My michelle, it was nice meeting you and
talkin to u for a few, and did i see you flash? OR was that someone else? I think that is everyone i ran into, if not, sorry im just tired. Now on to the show.
all i have to say is, this is thebest concert i have ever gone to. Before tonite i thought tool was (2 mons ago) but this band has come along way since rio.
Axl was wearing a red sox jersery then he changed into celtics jesery, then finally into a bruins jersery. Axl sound better than ever, and the bootlegs dont
do him justice. HE sounds better than he did back in late 92/ early 93. HE was running around like a mad man, people around me where like DAMN axl
sounds great and i cant belive he is running around like that. Axl's mic was turned up very loud and you could hear him perfect, there was NO audio
problems at all. Axl had a few rants, the one about Vancover, the reviews about the songs sounding dated, and one im sorry to say about Izzy. HE said,
izzy was always pissed he couldnt hear himself, but that is because the tech would always turn is amp down bc he was always so far gone he would be
playing the wrong song in the wrong key. Axl seemed in a great mood and he was very playful. HE did that piano thing where he looks at teh crowd and
people loved it. HE also kept doing this little dance (of joy) and people got a kick out of it. I was very impressed with axl everyone else was also. I have
never heard a crowd THAT loud before for a show, i have been to over 50 shows and this the crowd was really into it. BH was wearing all black. His solo
was awesome, and everyone seemed to love it, esp when he played starwars, and someother song, whihc i forget the name, He then started handing out
toys. His robot dance was great too and the crowd ate it up. He was dead on tonite and sounded great, i think everyone was amazed how great this guy
was, and he got the loudest ovation when axl was going thru band intros. For the people that think BH doesnt do much, he was running round the stage
like a mad man, even amost tripped a few times too. Robin was wearing a white suit, he played pretty good, but he fucked up his nov rain solo and one
other. HIs first solo i thought was ok but his 2nd the one before PC was awesome. Finck is getting better at playing the old songs, he didnt fuck up LALD,
he playedthat perfect which i was inpressed with. Another thing which stuck out. Im not sure if it has always been this way, but BH took the first two
SCOM solos and robin had the last. I could have swore before it was reversed. BTW robin played the into perfect, i know on a few of the boots he fucked
them up but tonite he played it great. Fortus, i forget what he was wearing, but he reminds me of izzy. He played pretty damn good but he to fucked up his
Nov rain solo. I dont know what it was with that song on this nite but robin and richard messed up. My bro even told me, that didnt sound right. ABout the
YCMB into, i dont know if they fucked up or changed it, but it didnt different, but after the into it was played flawelessly. Tommy was wearing all plaid,
and he seemed to have he most fun. He looks like he really enjoys being up there and he played the songs very well and i didnt hear him fuck up once.
Brain, ihave no clue what he was wearing but he didnt fuck up once, he sounded great. Dizzy and Chris, i also forget what they were wearing but t hey did
a good job. All i have to say is, people really need to go see this tour. They new band is IMO better than the old band. They played the songs pretty much
prefect with just a few ruff spots but that is the beaty of playing live. If this show doesnt get a great review then who ever gives it should be fired. The
whole band has now gelled and they sound great together. The new band played PC better than the old band. DAmn this song with 3 guitarist sound very
powerful. About the new songs, the crowd was realy into them and they were well recieved. I did see a few people singing along to them. After the show,
going outside, everyone was screaming and cheering, Axl is fucking back and axl sounded great etc etc. That is my review for now the set list was the
same but there were in a diff order than most shows IE KOHD was one of the first songs played. If i had to rate this show id give a 9.5/10 I would have
given it a 10/10 if they had nailed Nov rain. I loved this show, and i only wish i was going to see them in ct or ny.
BONNIE MARKO'S REVIEW: So I just got back from the Boston show at the Fleet Center. In a word, it was great. I forgot to bring a pen so I don't have
the setlist, but I'm sure that will be posted a lot anyway. Instead I'll just post my observations: Dress: Axl wore Red Sox (booo!!!), Bruins, and Celtics
jerseys (that's enough of that - if hes not wearing tight spandex or little to no clothing, I have no interest in his dress =p) Tommy wore his checked outfit.
Buckethead wore all black with a gray cape. Robin wore a tight white suit which I enjoyed (maybe its just the Jimmy Page fan in me) Dizzy wore a POW
MIA shirt I believe. With those cool dreds, who cares what shirt he has on? Chris & Brain I couldn't see well enough. Fortus wore some suitlike outfit I
believe. Audience: The Fleet Center seemed pretty packed - not so much that I wasn't able to *upgrade* my seats a little, but the crowd was quite an
impressive sight. And most people were standing during the entire show. There were those who sat down during The Blues, but I noticed some of them
then stood up for Chinese Democracy. I also saw a few KFC buckets in the crowd (one guy was in full Buckethead dress - quite impressive, and I believe
he had some people fooled for a little). Then of course there were some Slashes. I'm surprised that I didn't see any Axls, though my friend and I both did
our hair in braids in honor of him. :) Lemme tell you, Bostonians know how to have a good time. Prior to GN'Rs set the cameraman kept the crowd busy
by scanning for flashing girls, which is always fun for the whole family. People were pretty respectful of the opening acts - there were some who booed
during CKY's set and cheered when their stage setup was taken down, but people seemed to really enjoy Mix Master Mike. And of course, the crowd
seemed really into GN'Rs set, and I think Axl liked us as a result. After all, he did a fair amount of talking... Axl's speeches At first Axl's speeches were
short - a thank you here and there, always cutting it short with a "without further ado..", but he did make some comments. At one point he said how critics
had remarked that the material sounded dated, to which he replied "No shit. That's the point". He did the band intros & gave a long one for Buckethead
before his solo (very cute, about his "upbringing"). A few times he did some impressions (either that, or just talking in that voice he gets when he imitates
people), but I couldn't understand what he said. Once he stopped and said hey to us all...in a joking, caring voice he asked us how we've been, remarked
that it's been a long time since weve seen each other and we look good. Very cute. Another time he also started by saying that he'd like to talk about some
of his old friends, at which point you could actually hear people in the crowd go "oh no...", although of course we wanted to hear what he'd say. He said
how Izzy had said he couldn't hear himself when he played on stage. Axl explained that that was because Izzy was usually so messed up on drugs that he'd
be playing completely different songs on stage, so he'd go to his amp and turn it up, then when he turned his back to it these roadies who were waiting by
his amps would turn them back down. Axl seemed in a good mood when telling this story - at least, he was laughing as he was telling it. Songs/Band: I
really enjoyed the new songs live. I still would love to hear OMG and Rhyad (Rhiad? Rhyiad?) live though. There were points in songs where the CD or
former live versions would have that patented Axl screech, which is missing now. But besides that, his voice still sounds great. I really enjoyed
Buckethead's solo - cool guitar playing, and the dancing, etc only won me over more to his quirkiness. I also liked Robin's solos, I enjoy his style of
playing. Fortus is just all over the place! Does Chris really need a keyboard that bends over like that? I thought I read that they now play Rocket Queen
with a funky interlude, but they didn't do anything like that tonight. Axl is the one I was focused on the most. After years of watching videos of him
perform live, I guess I had a certain expectation of the kind of charisma he'd exude when I actually saw him in person. The old Axl had more of a
recklessness about him in that exciting yet dangerous sense that you didn't know if he'd make it out alive. Well, he has, and he's matured, and now we
seem to see less anger and more of that offbeat sense of humor of his, which is probably a good thing for his well-being. Essentially, he's obviously not the
man he was years ago, but hes still one hell of a frontman! Overall, I think this was a great show for all in attendance. The best part about it, is that I get
to relive it in a few days at MSG!!! :)
12.03.02 - Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT, USA

[Buckethead], Rocket Queen, The Blues, Chinese Democracy, Patience, Nightrain
GUNS N' ROSES, SORT OF, PLAYS THE CIVIC CENTER (Eric R. Danton, Hartford Courant): At its height, Guns N' Roses was untouchable. The
band's turbo-aggressive debut, 1987's "Appetite for Destruction," was one of the most culturally important albums of the 1980s - heck, and '90s - and
single-handedly cleared away the glam-metal detritus littering the music industry. The All Music Guide describes the band as raucous, sleazy,
confrontational, rebellious and hostile. All of those are true. With the banshee voice of Axl Rose and the deafening guitar riffs of Slash, Guns N' Roses
pioneered an extra-nihilistic brand of hedonism with songs about violence, sex, violence and drugs. And sex. Trouble is, the musicians lived the life they
sang about, which prompted a decline nearly as spectacular as the band's ascent. Rose is now the only remaining band member from the "Appetite" era,
having fallen out with everyone else. For years he has been rumored to be nearly finished with a supposedly brilliant comeback album, "Chinese
Democracy," but - much like the real thing - it never actually happens A re-constituted Gun N' Roses performed at the MTV Video Music Awards in
August and hits the Hartford Civic Center on Tuesday night. Rose has assembled a group of excellent musicians, including guitarist Buckethead (who
does, in fact, wear a KFC bucket on his head) and former Primus drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show are $56.50 and $36.50.
Information: 860-727-8010.
REFITTED GUNS N' ROSES DOES OK (Eric R. Danton, Hartford Courant): "Chinese Democracy Starts Now," read the Guns N' Roses T-shirts for sale
Tuesday night at the Hartford Civic Center. "Now" was apparently a synonym for "whenever Axl Rose feels good and ready to start," which didn't happen
until 10:40, after an hourlong display of what concertgoer Ryan Adams called "Hessian pageantry" - bare female skin on the video screens on either side
of the stage. When Rose and the group of musicians he insists is Guns N' Roses finally took the stage to the riotous opening chords of "Welcome to the
Jungle," however, the preceding hourlong set from Mixmaster Mike and the intervening Breast Hour almost seemed worthwhile. After all, it had been
nearly a decade since the band's last North American tour, in 1993. The group pretty much imploded after that, with just about everyone but Rose calling
it quits. Since then, Axl has spent years (and a lot of money) feverishly working on an album called "Chinese Democracy," an alleged masterpiece so
astounding that it seemed as though mere mortal ears might not be worthy of hearing it. But no, "Chinese Democracy" is said to be almost ready, and
Rose is back on the road with Guns N' Roses. Kind of. No, he and guitarist Slash haven't settled their differences; there's no Duff McKagan on bass.
Instead, Rose assembled a lineup of top-quality pros, including guitarists Buckethead, Robin Finck and Richard Fortus; bassist Tommy Stinson, of
Replacements fame; keyboardists Chris Pitman and Dizzy Reed, who joined the band in 1990; and drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia, formerly of Primus.
They are outstanding musicians, capable of playing whatever they're asked to. Buckethead, Finck and Fortus did a fine job re-creating the guitar parts on
"Sweet Child O' Mine," "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and "November Rain," among others, but it took all three of them to equal the Slash-Izzy Stradlin
combination of old. Buckethead is the least emotive guitar player ever. Wearing an expressionless Michael Myers "Halloween" mask and a KFC bucket
on his head, he seemed to hardly move while playing, yet he kept popping up in different places on stage. Creepy. Rose sounded surprisingly good - much
better, in fact, than he did during the band's surprise appearance on the MTV Video Music Awards in August. His vocals are more brittle now, and he
can't belt out the high notes the way he once did, but he wailed fittingly on "Sweet Child" and sounded aggressive enough on "Mr. Brownstone." Punk-
metal hybrid CKY opened the show.
GUNS ‘N POSERS ROCK HARTFORD (Tommy Stiles, The Recorder, Central Connecticut State U.): Last Tuesday, Guns N’ Roses made their first
performance at the Hartford Civic Center in over a decade. Before the concert started at 7:30pm, Channel 3 news did a live broadcast from outside the
Civic Center, telling viewers about how riots were known to break out at Guns N’ Roses concerts. They also mentioned how there were going to be extra
policemen on duty at the concert, to make sure that things didn’t get out of hand. Finally, concert time rolled around at 7:30pm. Accompanying Guns N’
Roses on their tour were not one, but three opening acts. First to take the stage was CKY, who did a short but entertaining set. The second opening act
immediately followed, and featured the talented but semi boring DJ Mix Master Mike, who is most famous for working with the Beastie Boys. His
performance lasted until about 9:15, and Guns N’ Roses were supposed to take the stage right afterward at 9:30. Because of lead singer Axl Rose and his
knack for showing up at concerts late if at all, this never came to pass. Instead of watching a live Guns N’ Roses performance at 9:30, everyone in the
Civic Center was treated to an hour long live episode of girls gone wild. With so many trashy women flaunting themselves, it reminded me why I often
prefer to be single. The following day on WCCC, even radio personality Mike Picozzi commented on the annoyingly long intermission and said, “How
much of that did we really need to see?” It definitely got old after a while. At around 10:35, Guns N’ Roses finally took the stage and ripped open the
show with “Welcome To the Jungle” while parading around the stage wearing a Hartford Wolfpack hockey jersey. During the concert, they performed
nine out of twelve tracks from their debut album “Appetite for Destruction” performing obscure songs such as “It’s So Easy,” and the pretty power
ballad, “Think About You.” During the concert, they also did other classics such as “November Rain,” “Knockin’ on Heavens Door,” and “You Could
Be Mine.” Only three of their songs that night were from their long awaited upcoming album “Chinese Democracy,” which still has no definite release
date. The new band itself was phenomenal, but even still the concert wasn’t the same without the original band members. Axl hung up the spandex and
traded them in for a Wolfpack Hockey Jersey, and a Uconn basketball jersey. Gone were the days of Matt Sorum thundering away on the drums, while
Izzy Stradlin’ and Duff McKagan sung the background vocals. Perhaps the most visible presence that was missing that night was former lead guitarist
Slash, and his trademark black top hat. It took three guitarists to fill his role. In 1996, Guns N’ Roses split up for a variety of reasons, one major reason
being a conflict in creativity. While Slash and the other band members wanted to stay true to their ways, Axl wanted to experiment with a sound along the
line of Nine Inch Nails and Prodigy. Because an agreement couldn’t be made, Axl fired his band mates, bought rights to the band name, and hired a new
lineup. In a way the concert was a disappointment. After promising a new album for almost five years, and finally doing a concert for the first time in a
decade, Axl came back with his gothic looking lineup of new band members, only to cover old songs. This was something that could have been done over
six years ago. To me, the concert was a performance by a glorified Guns N’ Roses tribute band, fronted by the original GNR lead singer. It was almost
contradictive of Axl to come back with a new band, only to go over old stuff. The behavior of the crowd that night was atrocious. Females were doing
anything to get noticed by the camera crew. The bathroom on the lower level was filled with cigarette and pot smoke, along with trashed people. Thanks
to the useless deadbeat Hartford cops, nothing was done to keep the rowdy people at bay, even though their main purpose was to prevent a riot from
erupting. Because I have no tolerance for stupid people, I pointed out to a Hartford cop that there were people getting trashed in the bathroom. Instead of
doing something about it, he stood there with his arms crossed and replied, “Well, it’s a concert, you’ve got to expect people to do things like that.” Then
I remembered that I was talking to a Hartford cop, and that I had to expect him not to do his job. It was nice to know that my tax dollars were being
wasted that night so Hartford’s finest could watch a free Guns N’ Roses concert. Overall though, it was still good to see Axl back in action, even though
his interest in touring may be short lived. The memory of Guns N’ Roses blowing off a concert at Lake Compounce over ten years ago is still fresh in the
minds of many people. Last November, they pulled a no show on their opening night in Canada, causing a riot to break out. Recently, they blew off a
concert in Philadelphia. It should be interesting to see if their new album will ever come out. At the rate that they’re going, democracy may actually exist
in China before the album gets released. Either that, or Hartford will surprise everyone by finally getting real cops.
AXLD'S REVIEW: Killing Vector, great review. Yep, that was me in my Joe Montana Jersey -I was second row center. The show was AMAZING but I had
a very bad experience when the show was over with a member of the G N' R crew that I wont discuss publicly. All I can say is that I am very disappointed
in this person - and the people they are giving backstage passes to are basically whores. So if youre a girl and youre a whore -youre in luck. You get to go
backstage! What a fuckin joke. Anyway, the show rocked. EVeryone covered everything already. The crowd SUCKED. I was in the second row (I was
originally in the third row but guess what? The people who had the tickets for second row in front of me decided not to show up.) So I was second row
and I might as well had been in the front row cause the two assholes in front of me smoked pot the whole time and sat in their chairs with their arms
folded -as well as many other people in the first five rows. Two college frat fuckheads yelled at Axl the whole night to play "Estranged." But I didn't let it
ruin the show for me. Axl made eye contact with me the whole show and smiled and not to sound like im blowing smoke up my ass, but me and my sister
were like the only ones front center rocking out during the ENTIRE fuckin show. I dont know about any of you people, but the next day after a G N' R
show I am so sore. My whole body is beaten up -basically cause I get so passionate and rock out so hard at the show that I physically drain myself. I try to
give back all the energy Axl and the band gives off -and I mean that in every true sense of the word. Anyway, like in Albany I was totally fuckin rockin out
-while most of the "fans" in these great seats were just like "Oh, Axl Rose...cool." During Live and Let Die Axl even started waving to the crowd in the
upper levels to show some fuckin life cause people were pretty tame. Anyway, Axl kept looking at me and my sis rockin out. Axl loved it and at the end of
Madagascar I was jumping up and down as I was doing most of the show, so pumped up, and Axl looked at me and smiled and jumped up and down a
bunch of times just like me and then rocked out, and then got back to his "meditation" stance and ended the song that way. It was fuckin awesome! KIlling
Vector you remember seeing Axl doing that? Robin saw me a bunch of times and smiled at me cause I was giving him so much support. TOmmy did the
same. Of course I was screaming Robin's name any chance I got -especially when he soloed. So the show was amazing, but the end of the show was a
huge disappointment. It really really made me sad, and I wish I could share it with you all, but I'm going to take the high road and not talk about it
anymore. All I'll say is that the G N' R crew really should take a look at themselves in the mirror, and they should be more rewarding to true fans instead
of being the horny selfish egotistical dickheads that most of them are. By the way -that meet and greet story that so called "fan" told was right on,
unfortunately. Like I said before, if youre a slut- youre going backstage! So congrats to you. I'm having second thoughs about going to the MSG show
right now after what happened tonight. Yeah I want to see the show of course, but having to see some of the people who work for G N' R after the
experience I had tonight, is going to be pretty uncomfortable.
12.05.02 - Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA

attendance: 20,000
Could Be Mine, Guitar Solo [Robin], Sweet Child O' Mine, Out Ta Get Me, Piano Solo, November Rain, Chinese Democracy,
Madagascar, Guitar Solo [Buckethead], Rocket Queen, The Blues, My Michelle, Patience, Nightrain
notes: pending...
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (Marc Spitz, New York Post): December 1, 2002 -- If frontman Axl Rose shows up for the much-anticipated, sold-out Guns
N' Roses show at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 5, it will mark almost exactly 10 years since the band last performed at the famous venue.
Unfortunately, this a big "if." And it's not exactly the same band either. Founding GN'R guitarists Slash and Izzy Stradlin, and bassist Duff McKagan, are
long gone (they recently announced the formation of a new group, with onetime Guns drummer Matt Sorum and a yet-to-be named singer). The new
Guns, which includes former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson and a kabuki-masked guitarist named Buckethead, doesn't resemble the old Guns.
Neither does the heftier, braided, 41-year-old Rose, who owns the rights to the band's name. Still, he is no more predictable now than he was back in
1992. In September, following a spotty performance at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, Guns N' Roses announced dates for the Chinese Democracy
tour - an idea Rose, to the frustration of his devoted fans, had flirted with for years. The band's first full tour since 1993 was set to open on Nov. 7 in
Vancouver, British Columbia, but was canceled shortly after fans began taking their seats at the General Motors Place arena. Depending on who you
ask, Rose was either en route to the venue via jet or grounded in Los Angeles. Either way, impatient authorities pulled the plug. When keyed up fans were
informed that they weren't going to get their Guns, a riot ensued, resulting in several arrests and thousands of dollars in property damage. Even old
bandmate Slash commented, "what better way to open a Guns N' Roses tour" by having Rose go AWOL for the first gig. While the Garden show has long
been sold out, many fans are not sure what they're in for . . . if anything. On one hand, this has always been part of what made GN'R shows so exciting.
"Once Axl gets comfortable being on the road again, he may realize that he's been long overdue," says GN'R fan and former MTV veejay Matt Pinfield,
who adds that he hopes for a show that starts "relatively on time." On the other hand, the 11-year wait for a new studio album, inflated ticket prices
(cheaper seats went for $70) and the reconstruction surgery on the band's beloved original line-up - and, apparently Rose's face - have also left many
fans weary of Rose's antics. " 'Appetite for Destruction' was my life when I was 10 years old, but that's not Axl Rose anymore," says Lauren Blake, 22.
"That's Mickey Rourke singing for the band." Still, when Guns N' Roses are on, there's no better rock 'n' roll show in the world. When they're off, you'll
probably regret you didn't stay home and watch "Scrubs." Those debating whether or not to try to procure last minute tickets from scalpers should take
note of the following pros n' cons.
ROCK PICK (Dan Aquilante, New York Post): GUNS N' POSERS: Beating the odds that he had too powerful an appetite for destruction, Axl Rose has
cleaned up his act and is again fronting a band he calls Guns N' Roses. Rose is the only tie to the original outfit of the same name that redefined
obnoxious rock star behavior as well as offered some of the best neo-metal of the late '80 and early '90s. This tour got off to a rocky start earlier this
month in Canada, when GN'R didn't bother to show up, sparking a mini-riot at the arena where the fans trashed the joint. Expect Axl to actually show at
the Garden gig on Thursday. He is also expected to dust off most of the band's greatest hits for the show, as well as offer some new material he's been
working on. The concert is supposed to start at 8 p.m., but Axl has never been on time in his life, so 8 is just an approximation. Tickets are $42-$80.
Madison Square Garden, Seventh Avenue at 32nd Street: (212) 465-6741.
REVIEW (Chuck Klosterman, Spin Magazine): There was a sense that the entire existence of Guns N' Roses - a tenuous entity if ever there was one- hung
in the balance on December 5, 2002 . It was the day of New York City's first major snowstorm of the season, and the evening of GN'R's sold-out
performance at Madison Square Garden. And 10 p.m was make-or-break time for the winter of Axl Rose's discontent. For most of last year, the
elaborately braided Midwestern madman had an appetite for miscalculation : His MTV performance last August was suspect; the subsequent Guns tour
sketchy ( there was a riot after a no-show in Vancouver, and there were half-empty arenas across the Midwest). Plus, there 's still no glimpse of Chinese
Democracy, arguably the only album in rock history to be postponed for more then eight years. This was it, pretty much: If the New York show tanked, the
very idea of blues based, boogie ballad, big-hair booze rock was going to be as dead as the diplodocus. And Axl seemed to realize this. And Axl seemed to
understand that it was finally time to be a band for real. And for the first time since.....well, since forever. Guns N' Roses went onstage early and played
real @#%$ rock music for two @#%$ hours (19 songs, three of them new). Against seemingly unfathomable odds, the reinvented Guns N' Roses were
remarkably awesome. What's so surprising about the 2002 GN'R assault is that they're less bloated than the lineup that packed arenas on the Use You
Illusion tours during the early 90's. "November Rain" still runs in the neighborhood of 12 minutes, buy it no longer seems masturbatory; "Patience" is
still melodramatic, but that melodrama feels anthemic (and even a tad nostalgic). Instead of just being about attitude and reckless abandon and finding
drugs, this neo-Guns is focused on the art of arena size rock. What always made Rose so interesting was that he overtly strove to be hyper-epic, and that's
the one thing about him that hasn't changed: On "Madagascar" (a new song), the band flirts with Zeppelin's "Kashmir" (sonically and sort of
geographically); " The Blues" is like Side One of the Houses Of The Holy performed by mid-period Stevie Wonder; the track "Chinese Democracy" is
akin to quasi-political White Zombie. If this ridiculous album ever comes out, I'm going to buy it 3 times. Certainly, there is something flummoxing about
hearing old Guns music reproduced by seven random strangers who had no part in it's creation; and it's weird to hear a sober Tommy Stinson (ex
replacements) sing Duff Mckagan 's harmonies on "It's so easy" and to watch Robin Finck (still in Nine Inch Nails) shred the opening chords of "Sweet
Child O' Mine" on a les paul that looks exactly like the one Slash used to play on MTV. But they do replicate everything perfectly - maybe not too
perfectly. The new star of the band is indisputably Buckethead, the avant-garde metallectual who wears a Kentucky Fried Chicken container on his dome
and whose enigmatic guitar solo's deploy almost every genre of geek culture: "Star Wars. nunchakus(!) "robot dancing," prog rock. blue grass(!!!) and
action figures (which he tossed into the crowd). What any of this really means remains unclear, particularly since promoter Clear Channel canceled the
tour after Rose failed to show up for the next stop in Philadelphia (causing yet another crowd riot). Perhaps that glam-rock diplodocus is dead, and
considering Axl's inherent insanity (he delivered two ad hominem attacks against New York Times critic Jon Pareles for something written in 1991), it's
hard to imagine Guns N' Roses ever becoming the relevant, important force they were back when George W. Bush's dad was dropping smart bombs on
Baghdad. But GN'R at MSG did prove one thing: Axl Rose never needed a face full of Botox or Vernon Reid's hair or five years in the deserts of Sedona.
He just needed to try.
NO LONGER THE BAD-BOY SEX SYMBOL BUT STILL LIGHT ON HIS FEET (Jon Pareles, New York Times): Axl Rose went bounding across the stage
of Madison Square Garden on Thursday night like a man trying to make up for lost time: exactly what he is. A decade ago his band, Guns N' Roses, was
the epitome of hard-rock: swaggering and alluring, reckless and skillful, playing songs about Hollywood lowlife and stormy romance with bare-knuckled
ferocity. Then it fell apart. Mr. Rose got rid of the band's founding members, keeping only a keyboardist who joined in 1990, Dizzy Reed. Mr. Rose has
been working for a decade on a sequel to the 1991 albums, "Use Your Illusion" I and II. The new Guns N' Roses made its debut in 2001, and it has been
touring the world this year, while the long-awaited album, "Chinese Democracy" (Geffen), is due next year. Onstage Mr. Rose jokingly called the concert
a reunion because, he said, "I managed to get enough of myself together to do this." Mr. Rose sought to start where he left off. As at past shows, a video
crew searched during intermission for women willing to take off their shirts; there were fewer volunteers now that early fans are 10 years older. When he
appeared, he was no longer the bad-boy sex symbol he was, but a portly-looking character in long blond dreadlocks and a succession of giant sports
jerseys. The set included another hoary Guns N' Roses ploy: a denunciation of the press, including a 1991 review in The New York Times. Mr. Rose's is
still playing the self-righteous underdog. Running around the stage, he worked hard to please the crowd. There were only three new songs — two ballads,
"Madagascar" and "The Blues," and a rocker, "Chinese Democracy" — but the sold-out audience happily sang along with familiar ones. Mr. Rose trotted
out his old stage moves, a snake-hipped swivel and a kind of skipping strut. He's still light on his feet. But the songs weren't. The old Guns N' Roses was a
nervy wrangle of guitars, with Slash's bluesy leads goading Mr. Rose's voice or curling around power chords. The new one is an unyielding wall of sound.
Tommy Stinson, on bass, was in the Replacements, and Robin Finck, on guitar, was in Nine Inch Nails. Buckethead, on speed-demon lead guitar, replaces
Slash in the role of wearing a funny hat: a fried-chicken bucket. For all its precision, the new Guns N' Roses doesn't have a glimmer of the blues, which
could give the music breathing spaces and ironies. It plowed through songs with little change from start to finish, leaving Mr. Rose to rattle off the sleaze
chronicles of "Mr. Brownstone" or "Welcome to the Jungle" as if they were elocution exercises. Guns N' Roses was once touted as the next Rolling
Stones; on Thursday it, like the Stones, was an oldies act, but without the Stones' spontaneity or huge repertory. Although the rockers turned mechanical,
the new band was just right for the bombast of power ballads like "November Rain." When Mr. Rose reached for high notes, something else had changed:
the serrated rasp that used to slice the sentimentality out of his ballads had smoothed out and disappeared, making him sound almost like Geddy Lee of
Rush. In "Madagascar," a song about soul-searching, a montage of civil-rights clips played during the big crescendo. Perhaps Mr. Rose, the aging bad
boy, is gearing up for a second act as an inspirational balladeer.
BRIAN BANK'S REVIEW: JUST GOT HOME FROM MSG! HERE IS MY REVIEW: The night starts by meeting four friends for some grub. Then we walk
down 8th Avenue toward MSG and see the big lighted sign: "Tonight/Guns N' Roses/Sold Out" CKY: As far as I'm concerned, they should add an "SU" to
the beginning of their name. Mix Master Mike: He was really cool. He spun a lot of rock songs (Zep's Immigrant Song, Metallica's Seek And Destroy, a
few RATM songs, etc.). Overall, a great choice for opening acts. Guns N' Roses: They hit the stage around 9:50 or so (not exactly sure). The introduction
was some slow keyboard music. The crowd went nuts with the opening notes to WTTJ. The opening pyrotechnics set the mood for the song.the band
smoked through it. Axl clearly demonstrated to NY that the VMA performance was a fluke. Then ISE, which rocked. I was surprised to see Buckethead
running around so much Mr. Brownstone came next, then Live And Let Die. Once again, the crowd went nuts for the pyrotechnics. KOHD was next, the
lighters immediately lighting up, although the applause didn't come in until the first line. I don't think most people realized what song it was until then!
Think About You next, which got a tremendous reaction. YCBM was a true shock.the band played it right on. Better than any bootleg I've heard to date.
Then Finck's solo came and was surprisingly good. I've heard complaints about him.I'd have to say that next to Axl, tonight was Robin's night. Obviously
the place went ballistic for SCOM, which featured an unbelievable RF solo. OTGM was next, followed by the night's first true rant. (Quotes are from
memory.) "Is Conan here? Is Mr. Conan O'Brien here? I hear he's on a diet. Well, everybody has to take a break from a diet every now and then." He
slowly walks to center stage with a box of Krispy Kreme donuts. "So I got him a box of donuts, Krispy Kreme donuts. Axl's white trash gourmet." He
proceeded to throw a few donuts into the crowd. Then he handed the box into the crowd and told some guy to pass them out. (When I left, some chick went
running to some guy with a corner of the box."Look what I got, look what I got!") I guess a retaliation for Conan's VMA comments. Then they brought the
piano out. Axl started the solo with the asshole song (You are an asshole, blah blah blah.woops. Wrong song." Then the back and forth comedy routine.
Then the deep and soulful solo. Then November Rain. Fortus did a killer job on the first solo. Finck did an okay job on the second. Buckethead stole the
song with his outro solo. Next, Axl gave a short speech and the band played Chinese Democracy, which got a decent response. Next Madagascar, which
got a better response. Then he introduced the band and Buckethead did his thing, starting with the nun chucks and robot dance to pre-recorded music
with Brain on drums. When he got his guitar, he played some theme (not sure what song), followed by a guitar solo, Big Sur Moon, Star Wars, another
solo (thumb slapping), Hog Bitch Stomp, Pirate's Life For Me, Wonka In Slaughter Zone. To clear this up, he played Wonka once through, using his foot
pedal to loop it. As the loop played, he handed out gifts. (This was not pre-recorded as some reports claim; it was a loop of his playing from seconds
before.) Rocket Queen next, then The Blues (best response of all the new songs). The solos in The Blues were amazing. Axl sang the end from atop the
piano. Next, Axl gave his "the news say we sound dated" speech and ripped into My Michelle, which got an amazing reaction from the crowd. Next a
speech about "my old friends, my former friends, my probably never really friends friends," or something like that. Patience. Then Nightrain. Holy shit
Buckethead shreds on that song. The crowd was nuts. I looked around toward the end of the song.every seat as filled. I was in the 300s and was still
standing from the opening notes to WTTJ. People in the 400s were standing. The crowd was sold.GN'R is back in NYC! After a few minutes, Finck came
out and did another solo, which was great. Then Paradise City. With the pyrotechnics, the confetti and the three guitarists all soloing, the crowd went
fucking nuts. And the best part of the whole fucking night.Axl's closing line: "SEE YOU NEXT SUMMER!" Axl's jersey selection: Rangers home, Rangers
away, Yankees home, unknown (black), Knicks home, Giants away (some of this may be incorrect).
IZABEL OLIVIERA'S REVIEW: Hey guys, Ok, so this won't be much of a review, because there has been many on the list...I'll write down my
experience... I know this will be long enough, although I'm sure it'll be worth reading ;) It all started the day of the show, when I talked to Mark. He said
he'd be there for the MSG All Access tour at 3pm. Since I was by myself, I decided to go too. Got there 20 mins late, but I made it to the best part of the
tour. Mark wasn't there... So, at the end of the tour I was with those kids, and after having heard it all about the best tickets being released at the last
minute, we decided to check it out at the box office. Well, I ended up getting Row C, Section 3, seat 14 (aisle between sections 2 and 3). The thing is (and I
didn't know that when I bought the ticket) rows A and B were only on the sides, so the fact was that I was FRONT ROW right in the middle of the stage!!!
I couldn't believe how lucky I got! I hardly knew it was just starting :) So, then I finally met the guys, and we hung out for a while. It was really cool to
meet some of the hardcore GN'R fans :) We went to Mustang Sally's but it was too crowded, so we ended up at Mustang Harry's (me and my soaking wet
feet) ;) When I finally got to my seat I couldn't believe it. I swear, it was *THE BEST* seat in the place. Not one to the left, not one to the right. This was
the one. It was awesome!! I had taken a brazilian flag, and the other side said "I came from Brazil JUST to see GN'R" So, when GN'R finally took the
stage, I could notice that the first thing Axl took a glimpse of was my sign!! :) Although I could tell he hadn't read it, it was cool. Then, at the end of Think
About You, I showed him the flag, and he looked and smiled. I turned it around and then I could see he read my sign :) During the show I could see the
guys checking it out, it was great. At the end of SCOM, at the "oh no no no no no..." part (when Axl always does the same gesture), he saw me doing it at
the same time he was and kinda pointed at me and smiled. Also, I don't know if you guys noticed this for I haven't seen anyone mention it, but during Out
ta Get Me, on the "I'm fuckin' innocent" part, Axl hit his chest really hard, it was moving. After this, he came in with the box of Donuts and ranted about
O'Brien and stuff (I love those rants!). Then he walks to the middle of the stage, opens the box, gets the first donut, throws it DIRECTLY into my hands
and said "Here, have a donut". :)) Then, during Chinese Democracy, Tommy saw me singing the lyrics and lifted his eyebrows and smiled. When he saw
me singing again during Madagascar and said "Wow". Then Bucket did his thing and I thought it was really cool. And it got even better when I got TWO
of the toys he gave the crowd. :)) One was a Bendable Gumby and the other one a Terminator 2 that I ended up giving to John M. So, after Paradise City,
still BLOWN AWAY by the show, I saw John M had found an After Show pass!! Talk about luck!! Jan and I tried to sneak in too, but we couldn't. So, after
a while, John comes out and he has decided to leave. I asked him if I could have the pass, promising to give it back to him the next day. He agreed :) So, I
went it. Apparently it was just an open bar party. I could see why John left, everyone knew each other and I was totally out of place. But I saw Earl there,
so I got some drink and decided to stay for a while. Then, Robin showed up. Then Tommy. I just said hi to both of them... they were really excited talking
to some people... family and friends I guess. Then, when Dizzy came, he looked at me and said an exciting hi. I somehow thought he remembered me from
Rio and asked. He said he resembled me. I told him the concert had been great and all and he said he had loved it too. Pretty cool. By the way, he looks
great. Richard was also there, and when I got a chance I came over and told him how amazing the show was. He said: "Thank you. You're brazilian,
right?" :) PS: I just have to say it (once more) how much this guy looks like Izzy!! It's amazing. So, I sat down and then this guy Jason came up to me and
we started talking. He was friends with Michael Barbiero, that worked in Appetite. He introduced me to Michael and then we talked until like 1:30. Then
he said he was leaving, but I decided to stay when I saw Del James. I went over to say hi and, sweet as usual, he remembered me and gave me a big smile
and a hug. He also gave me a shirt. It wasn't one of the ones for sale, so it was pretty cool. It has the logo on the front and under GN'R it has the skyline
of NYC. In the back it has a big clock and it says "Madison Square Garden SOLD OUT 15 MINUTES Motha Fuckaz" :) Anyway... I was going to leave
but as I was asking the security guard at the door where I could find a pay phone, I saw Axl coming. Needless to say I turned around and stayed :) I was a
little high (the only thing I had eaten the whole day was the donut ;)) and didn't even get nervous. As soon as he came in, people started to approach. I
told him I had come from Brazil to see them and he said "Yeah, that was a great sign" :) He also said he'd be in Brazil next Spring and gave me a
handshake. :) After that he kind of (tried to) walk around the place. He moved really slowly though, for people were always around him. I wanted to hear
what he was talking about, but I couldn't hear much. About 30 minutes later, he sat on a chair. And many people had left already, so there were like 8
people around his table talking to him. At first I was only listening, but he stayed there for so long it gave me time to sober up completely :) So, here are
some cool things: He was smoking some cuban cigar. He said he doesn't smoke cigarretes anymore, but those cigars (he said the name, but I forgot) make
him relax. He was wearing a white long sleeve shirt, khaki pants and brown shoes. And I could see his braids really close, they're a mix of blond, white
and red. By the way, he does look great. Anyway, someone asked him if he was going to keep on wearing the jerseys and he said yes, because those are
pretty cool (I forgot to mention that Mike Piasa (sp?) was there too) and he likes the way people have been responding to it. He talked a bit about Izzy. He
said that him composing with the old members is just a way of making some extra bucks, because he isn't touring with them. He talked about the Chicago
review and that he just HAD to say something about it, because he knows they SMOKED. He said that Robin was pretty pissed at the review. Again he
mentioned how happy he is with the new band and that it's cool to see how these guys really take pleasure in playing with GN'R. He said that back when
Appetite was recorded he had this vibe with the old band, but that the Illusions were pretty tough to put together and that he had to work really hard to
make it. He said the old guys never wanted to be that big. At this point he said "if yoy're happy playing with AC/Dc or Michael Jackson good for you, but
that's not what I wanted to do". Of course he talked about Slash. He said Slash is really good at what he does but he wouldn't bring in any good material.
Axl said he'd be more than happy to record something from Slash if he thought that was good, but that he just "couldn't see the GN'R name in something
like Be The Ball". Can't blame him.... I asked him if it didn't bother him to see all those bad thing being said about him, and why he doesn't speak out, and
say the truth. He said he's been speaking out a little more and that we'll know it all when it's time. But he says he won't be giving out interviews about
what happened because that would be promoting the old members and he doesn't want to do that. He's kinda tired of the press... I mentioned the radio
interviews and he talked about that Rolling Stone piece and how RS has a competent staff... and if you won't cooperate they'll do a piece on you like that.
He also talked about some crap that people said about his interview on gnronline.com (maybe that's why it hasn't been updated for so long...) He also
said they weren't recording a video in China, he was only writing there.. but that there will be videos coming out. Axl also mentioned that Catcher in the
Rye will be on the third record. He said that CD will be a very intense record and the second one will be more of introspective. He said they'll keep on
touring and that he really enphasized they'd be back in the summer at the end of the show because this is going to happen (which makes me wonder about
these cancellations...) At this point someone asked if CD was coming out in 2002, and he said no (kinda obvious, but....) He also mentioned how happy he
was to see people supporting him, and that selling out the Garden meant a lot. Anyway... there was more, but I can't remember everything now. At around
3am he stood up and sat at another table. I took it as a hint and left. But before leaving I went up to him and told him how much I loved his rants and that
he should speak out more. He smiled and said "Thanks". I told him I'd see him in Philly the next day, he nodded and I left. He did too not too long after
this, for I saw he wasn't there anymore after I had called my friend. On a side note, I couldn't really tell if Axl was sick. Of course it can happen all of a
sudden, but he looked ok to me. He looked tired, but ok. I can't wait to know what happened in Philly. I had made it to 10th row in section 2! :( The people
that started the riot were really into trashing the place down, it sucked. My first reaction was like "I knew it". I had had a strange feeling the whole day.
Then I got pissed, and then just let down. So, after having wasted a whole day in NY because of that (it was my first time there), I came back and got
drunk. lol. Wow, that's enough. Gotta go :)
12.06.02 - First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA

notes: GN'R's set was canceled around 11 p.m. the night of the show, after CKY & Mix Master Mike played their opening sets. A riot
ensued - read the articles for info & pictures.
AXL ROSE BRINGS RELOADED GUNS (Tom Moon, Philadelphia Inquirer): Tommy Stinson, longtime veteran of the rock wars, actually sounds
defensive. "We're not the Guns N' Roses cover band," the former Replacements bassist and current Axl Rose sidekick says, a bit petulantly, referring to
one snarky description that's been following the reconstituted hard-rock band around on its first tour since the early '90s. "I'll accept the 'Village People
of Rock.' No use pretending otherwise - this is something different from the old band. We didn't want to sound like a cover band learning these songs, and
you'll hear it - we're adding our own thing to them. If I could be so bold, we're playing more aggressively than the old band." To be sure, the motley crew
that famously erratic frontman Rose is bringing to the area for two performances this weekend - tonight's show at the First Union Center is sold out,
while tickets remain for Sunday's appearance at the First Union Spectrum - isn't the same group that last tore up arenas in 1993. The new G&R is
essentially a Rose-assembled cast with three guitarists (including Buckethead, the NY noise merchant), two keyboardists (one is Dizzy Reed, who, having
joined the band in 1990, is the lone returning veteran) and drummer Brian Mantia (who has worked with Primus). For five nights a week over much of
the last five years, these musicians and others have been sequestered in Los Angeles studios, writing and recording with Rose for the first new Guns
material since 1991, which is tentatively titled Chinese Democracy. Stinson says that after several changes of producers, the opus is ready to be mixed.
"It's gotten to the point where the songs have evolved over time, and they can't be any better. It needs to be mixed now." It was the writing process that
stretched the record into a massive marathon, Stinson explains. "Axl doesn't bring in a song and tell everybody how it goes... . He'll take one idea, then
ask somebody else to finish it. He's trying to draw the best out of each individual." Those who go to the shows will be able to hear the fruits of this
extensive labor, which has involved several producers, including Queen mentor Roy Thomas Baker. In addition to surveying songs from the band's
multiplatinum 1987 debut, Appetite for Destruction, and 1991's two-disc Use Your Illusion I and II, the band has been playing three or four new songs
each night. Keyboardist Reed, who reupped with Rose because "I had absolutely nothing to fall back on," says the response has been phenomenal:
"People are totally into it. I know the old band left a mark, and no matter what we do, some people are going to think we're crazy. But people seem to
really like the new songs." And, Stinson says, Rose has surprised everyone around him: "As we've gotten into the tour, he's really put his groove on. His
voice is sounding amazing - he's just ripping through these songs." As for Rose's famously turbulent personal life, Stinson says he considers Rose a friend,
and is constantly amazed by what's written about him. "Most of what the public thinks about Axl Rose is misconceptions. I trust him with my life, and I
definitely feel more a part of a band now than I ever did in any other situation. I think it's an intrigue thing, where those misconceptions meet myth, and
legend is what draws people to him. That's the rock-and-roll part. You want to see him fall apart. You want to see the car crash."
DAVID'S REVIEW: Tuesday, December 10, 2002 AXL, WHERE ART THOU? Last Friday, my friends Will, Diane and I went to Philadelphia to see Guns
'N' Roses in concert. Those of you who read entertainment news already know what happened. Those of you who don't, buckle up... 8:30pm - TAILGATE-
A-PALOOZA We get to the First Union Center (colloquially known as the “F.U. Center”) in Philadelphia about an hour after the show is slated to start.
Will’s heard rumors that they don’t go on until 10pm anyway, so no damage done. (In retrospect we may have missed the earliest opening act, but I'm not
sad). I’ve never seen this many tailgate parties in my life. Just about one for every row. And it’s cold out. People who look like they’ve never listened to
GNR in their life (black men and women in their 30’s) are walking around trying to sell t-shirts. (Then again, I’m black and almost thirty and I own three
of their CDs. But I still don’t LOOK like I listen to them). After the now-routine patting down by the guards we enter and are given passes that allow us to
buy tix for the Sunday night GNR show for only ten dollars more. Will is very tempted. The crowd inside is a surprisingly eclectic mix. There’s a fair
number of teenage girls. Plenty of biker-looking types (but a lamentable dearth of leather pants). Plenty of yuppies. Plenty of trailer folk. (You’d think
rednecks and frat boys wouldn’t have any common ground. You’d be wrong.) And the age range is pretty wide. I’d say teens to early forties. I’m reminded
at this point that this year marks roughly the 15th anniversary of Guns ‘N’ Roses. I’m less surprised by the older crowd. We also see some people wearing
buckets on their head. An important thing to keep in mind at this point is that GNR isn’t really GNR anymore. Now it’s “Axl and a Bunch of Guys Who
Were Never In GNR.” Not unlike the “The Rhythm Section of CCR and Some Other Guys” band I saw at the Harley Davidson Festival. Still, one band
member has been added who’s a cut above the rest mostly because he has a funny name and wears a bucket on his head. I am speaking, of course, about
Buckethead. Buckethead is a sort of guitar virtuoso who wears a kind of sad-clown mask and a (presumably empty) Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on his
head. He doesn’t speak. He has a handler who speaks for him. He had a chicken coop built to record in for GNR’s new album - which hasn’t come out
yet. There are Buckethead t-shirts for sale. Will passes up this opportunity in order to buy a GNR belt buckle for a friend of his who couldn’t make it.
Buckethead has his own fans. Unfortunately, their presence as individuals who love people who wear containers will not be a sufficiently calming
influence on tonight’s proceedings. 9pm - ON THE SURPRISING LACK OF CROSSOVER APPEAL BETWEEN HIP HOP AND HEAVY METAL I’d been
pretty psyched when I’d heard that Mixmaster Mike might be opening for GNR. I didn’t take the audience into account when I got psyched. Mixmaster
Mike is the DJ for The Beastie Boys and he’s a motherfucker. Even from the nosebleeds, watching him onstage (when the cheesy graphics don’t get in the
way) is amazing. He’s able to play the turntables the way Steve Vai is able to tickle a guitar. He masters it in ways I can’t imagine pulling off myself. And
for a while, this works. He has some fans in the audience. And he mixes in some hard metal to please the crowd. And then there’s the guy two rows up
wearing the Confederate flag bandana - Confederatehead. He and his friends are the first in our section to start the chant: “GUNS…AND…ROSES!!!
GUNS…AND…ROSES!!!” (Anyone who’s heard their anti-press rant “Get in the Ring” will recognize the mantra). A few people join in and then it fades
out. Fists in the air, he tries to rally more support. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. But as the show wears on and Mixmaster Mike does less mixing
and more just putting records on (he starts to sound like someone indecisively flipping through a car radio, Will observes) the rest of the crowd begins to
see Confederatehead’s point. By the last third of Mixmaster Mike’s set, just about the whole crowd is booing. And no amount of remixing “Immigrant
Song” can assuage them. Still, trooper that he is, Mike appears to finish out his set, his shouts of “What up, Philly!?” every third or fourth song having
gone largely unanswered. He’s able to get cheers throughout the set by yelling out “Y’all ready for Guns ‘N’ Roses?” and I’m thinking to myself “Dude!
You’re just making them angrier!” I think the only reason he’s still alive is his Sixers jersey. 10pm - AXL, WAKE UP! Mixmaster Mike finishes his set
around 9:45pm to the delight of the audience. They start piping in recorded music again. By 10pm, the crowd has entered the “let’s cheer everytime a
song ends cos’ that means the bands about to go on, right?” phase of the evening. These are Guns ‘N’ Roses fans. Don’t they know that the band is
notoriously late? I don’t actually expect them until 11pm. I say to Will, “It’s 10pm - you know that means? That’s right, one hour until they wake Axl!”
Much of the next thirty minutes is spent fabricating the wake-up routine of everyone’s favorite middle-aged bad boy. 10:15pm - Axl hits “snooze” for the
third time. 10:20pm - Buckethead sits next to the bed quietly whispering “Aaax-uuuuhl” over and over again. 10:25pm - Buckethead grabs Axl’s nose,
shutting his nasal passages and forcing him to wake up. By 10:30pm it becomes clear that none of this has happened. However, we’ve had plenty to
entertain us in the interim. - The largest sign in the arena reads “Welcome to Comcast Country”. I spend a moment wondering what “flavor” is located
in Comcast Country. - Someone had the foresight to wear a Giants jersey in the middle of a sports arena in Philadelphia. A whole section yells
“ASSHOLE” at him for about five minutes. - Confederatehead divides his time between yelling and raising his fists in the air and chatting casually with
the guy in the EVENT STAFF t-shirt. When he does sit down, it’s on the stairs next to his friend (well, I hope it’s a friend). I begin to wonder if
Confederatehead actually has a ticket. I also flirt with the notion of changing my band’s name to EVENT STAFF in order to save money on promotional
t-shirts. - Of the numerous yuppie/fratboys seated in front of us, one is clearly more enthusiastic about this show than the others. This is evidenced by the
fact that every time he comes back from getting a beer (which is often) he yells very loudly to his friends. This isn’t just “Hello!” or “Hey!” or “Rock
On!” This is more like “AAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” every five minutes for no reason
whatsoever. I keep wondering if I should change him. It seems like he’s trying to be ironic, cheering mindlessly to mock fans who cheer mindlessly, but
I’m beginning to think even he isn’t sure if he’s being ironic anymore. To his credit, Yellhead maintains his enthusiasm through the next phase of the
night. 10:30pm - AXL, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THINGS HOLY - WAKE! UP! So, remember how after every song the audience would
cheer? Now they’re booing. This is a bad sign. The Rob Zombie song that we heard playing at the top of the hour is playing again - for the third time.
This is also a bad sign. I offer to run out to the car and get some mix tapes for the people in the sound booth. I don’t think they hear me. Of the myriad
things the audience yells (besides “Booo!” and “Aaaasssshooole!” which sounds remarkably like “Axxxx-uuuuuhl”) is the chant “Sell some beer! Sell
some beer!” which I’m assuming is because it’s after last call. Someone else yells “Sell some pot! Sell some pot!” I think this is a much better idea, as the
crowd could use a “time out”. As the hour grinds to a close, things begin to, uh, trickle from above. Pieces of paper. Cups. Little things. Like drops of
rain before a storm. But I keep thinking that at 11pm the lights will go down and all will be forgiven. 11pm - HALLELUJIAH, IT’S RAINING CHAIRS!!!
11:05 rolls around and I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this. I remember that GNR cancelled a show in Vancouver and the crowd rioted. I know
that in previous tours GNR failed to show up or left early and there were riots. This wasn’t every show, though. The chances of actually attending a riot
show are pretty slim. I then realize I beat the odds in Fantasy Football, too. At this point, the sound guys in the open mixing booth in the middle of the
floor (and crowd) below us do something that sound guys don’t usually do before a show. They cover up the equipment. Then they do something else a
little out of the ordinary. They get into a huddle and make a run for it. Then the ushers on the floor do something similar. They get into a little huddle. And
then they run for their lives. Hmmm. I think to myself. That’s strange. Then all hell breaks loose. As if on cue, the whole crowd roars and people start
throwing everything available from the balcony onto the floor below. We get doused with what we hope is coke and I cover my head with my jacket as
people around us start kicking their chairs. It’s pandemonium on the floor below and already many people have left. On the floor chairs are being kicked
over a bit more easily (they’re not bolted down). Up where we are, the bolts don’t last long (what did the chairs ever do to anybody?) and up they come
and down they go. Someone on a cell phone in front of us says that there are about 50 cops parked outside. Strangely, I’m not panicked. It’s a weirder
feeling than that. It’s a feeling of “If I stick around here, something bad will happen. But I honestly don’t know how long I have to stick around before
that something bad happens. And I’m a little curious.” Fortunately, we all come to our senses and decide to at least see what’s going on in the hallway. I
figure things might be worse out there since there’s food and beer there for the looting, but when I peek I see that people are actually leaving in a pretty
orderly manner. We make a break for it. In another strange turn of events, this is the easiest it’s ever been to leave a venue after (or I guess, technically in
this case, before) a show. We’re out of the arena in under three minutes and out of the parking lot in about ten or fifteen. I went to see the Wizards play a
few weeks ago and nobody rioted (or did much of anything, actually) and it took us a freakin’ hour to get out of the garage. On our way out of the parking
lot, I see two people each carrying pieces of chair to their car. I’m sure that will fill out that dinette set nicely. And those same people from before are still
trying to sell GNR tees in the parking lot. God bless ‘em. Our half of the parking lot doesn’t really have any cops but the “front” of the building has many
sirens. Not so much cop cars as trucks and a fire engine. When I left I didn’t see anything on fire but, y’know, better safe than sorry. Diane points out that
tonight “it really was the F.U. Center.” As we get back on the freeway, she calls her cousin, a Philly local, who says that about ten minutes ago they
announced that the show had been cancelled due to “inclement weather.” Funny, that weather didn’t stop Mixmaster Mike from making it to the show
from the same location. (Later they report than an undisclosed member of the band was “ill”) Just say it: Axl had a
hangover/overdose/litigation/hangnail and was unable to perform. We’ll understand. If there’s one thing us Guns and Roses fans are, it’s patient and
understanding. “Said woman, take it slow And things will be just fine You and I just need a little patience.” Too true, Axl. Too true.
12.08.02 - First Union Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA, USA

notes: This date was originally planned for First Union Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA. In early November 2002, it was canceled and
rescheduled for First Union Spectrum in Philadelphia.
GUNS N ROSES ADD SECOND DATE: Guns ‘N’ Roses To Attempt World Record In Philadelphia Guns ‘N’ Roses Adds Second Date In Philadelphia ---
December 8 At Spectrum Band To Make Shortest Distance Traveled Between Rock Shows When Band Plays First Union Center On December 6 And
Neighboring First Union Spectrum On December 8 Guns ‘n’ Roses will attempt to enter the Guinness Book of World Records in Philadelphia, PA, when
they become only the second act to play back-to-back shows at the First Union Center (December 6) and trek 758-feet, nine-and-a-half inches across the
parking lot to the neighboring First Union Spectrum (December . Tickets for the newly added second date go on sale on Saturday, November 16 at 10
a.m. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed back-to-back performances at the First Union Spectrum on September 24, l999, and then moved
everything across the parking lot to the First Union Center on September 25, l999. Arena owners Comcast-Spectacor will once again contact the
Guinness Book of World Records for consideration for a new record - “The Shortest Distance Ever Traveled Between Arena Rock Shows.” The record
was submitted in l999, however Guinness couldn’t create a category for the record. Guns N' Roses originally exploded onto the music scene in 1985 with
their own ferocious brand of rock n' roll. They were riding a wave of frenzied musical energy, extreme behavior, and thrilling live performances led by
the sheer force of nature that was, is and continues to be the legendary W. Axl Rose. In the process they have sold more than 80 million records. Guns ‘n’
Roses return with the "Chinese Democracy" World Tour, their first full tour since 1993, featuring a full-bang, high-octane "Chinese Democracy" world
tour production. Fans will witness the sonic assault of the 'Guns N' Roses experience', that will feature a mixture of classic GN'R songs and new material
from their forthcoming album. Nearly nine years have passed since Guns N' Roses embarked on their last world tour. Fortunately, the most important
piece is still in place and for people wondering where Axl Rose has been, he's been busy writing and recording a new album, "Chinese Democracy", that
promises to surpass all of his previous efforts. Keyboard player Dizzy Reed has been in GN'R since 1991 and along with Axl is the holdover from the
band's previous line-up. New to the fold are three guitarists: Robin Finck, formerly of Nine Inch Nails, guitar phenomenon Buckethead, and Richard
Fortus. Rounding out the all-star line-up is bassist Tommy Stinson from The Replacements, a second keyboard player Chris Pitman, and Brian "Brain"
Mantia formerly of Primus on drums. Tickets for the newly added Guns ‘n’ Roses show at the First Union Spectrum on Sunday, December 8, are $35, $45
and $65 and will go on sale on Saturday, November 16 at 10 a.m. at the First Union Center box office and all Ticketmaster locations throughout the
Philadelphia-area. Tickets will also be available through Ticketmaster phone charge at 215-336-2000 or online at ticketmaster.com.
12.09.02 - MCI Center, Washington, DC, USA

12.11.02 - Bi-Lo Center, Greenville, SC, USA

12.13.02 - Ice Palace, Tampa, FL, USA

12.14.02 - Coral Sky Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL, USA

notes: This show was canceled. This date was originally planned for the Ft. Lauderdale area.
12.16.02 - Gulf Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, MS, USA

12.17.02 - Compaq Center, Houston, TX, USA

12.19.02 - American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX, USA

12.21.02 - Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, NM, USA

notes: This show was canceled. This date was originally tentatively scheduled for American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX.
12.22.02 - America West Arena, Phoenix, AZ, USA

12.27.02 - San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA, USA

12.28.02 - Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, NV, USA
12.30.02 - ARCO Arena, Sacramento, CA, USA

12.31.02 - HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA, USA

01.03.03 - Great Western Forum, Los Angeles, CA, USA

01.04.03 - Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA, USA

notes: This show was never officially confirmed.
05.30.04 - Rock City, Bela Vista Park, Lisbon, PORTUGAL

opening acts: Xutos & Pontapés, Charlie Brown Jr., Evanescence
notes: Rock In Rio IV, the scheduled appearance was officially canceled on 3.30.04.
ROCK IN RIO 4 CANCELATION. AXL'S STATEMENT REGARDING THE CANCELATION: The band has been put in an untenable position by guitarist
Buckethead and his untimely departure. During his tenure with the band Buckethead has been inconsistent and erratic in both his behavior and
commitment - despite being under contract - creating uncertainty and confusion and making it virtually impossible to move forward with recording,
rehearsals and live plans with confidence. His transient lifestyle has made it impossible for even his closest friends to have nearly any form of
communication with him whatsoever. Last time I talked to Bucket, he called to tell me he had bought a bootleg DVD off EBay and how proud he was to be
in Guns and how impressed he was with everyone's performance. Then, in February we got word from Brain that Bucket had called him and said he was
back in Guns!? Apparently, according to Bucket he had been "Gone" but had turned himself around and was really excited to do Rio-Lisbon and a
European tour. Somewhere in the following month things changed once again. According to those who have actually spoken with Buckethead it appears
his plans were to secure a recording contract with Sanctuary Records which I encouraged my management to make available to him, quit GN'R and to
use his involvement in the upcoming Guns release to immediately promote his individual efforts...Nice guy! There is not a member of this camp that is not
hurt, upset and ultimately disappointed by this event, and more to the point - if not this individual, certainly this individual's choices. Regardless of
anyone's opinions of me and what I may or may not deserve, clearly the fans, individuals in this band, management, crew and our support group do not
deserve this type of treatment. We as a whole, definitely feel that we afforded Bucket every accommodation perhaps so much so that it may be that we or
more precisely, I may have done Guns a disservice and unintentionally allowed Guns to be put in this position. On behalf of Guns N' Roses and myself I
apologize to the fans who planned to see us at Rock In Rio - Lisbon. The festival and its tradition mean a lot to me personally and I sincerely do not enjoy
being robbed by one of our own of the opportunity to be the first artist to play it for the third time. I would also like to express my gratitude to those who
chose to embrace Buckethead's role in Guns and support our new line up. We greatly appreciate Bucket's contributions and remain open to "discussions"
as there are obviously several issues to resolve. In the meantime rather than dwelling on the negative, Guns will be moving forward and surprisingly
(without giving away any details) this unfortunate set of circumstances may have given us the opportunity to take our recording that one extra step
further. Regardless we hope to announce a release date within the next few months. Sincerely, W. Axl Rose
WARM-UP SHOWS 2006
05.12.06 - Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY, USA

opening acts: Shakerleg, Bullet For My Valentine
attendance: 3,800
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Better, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine,
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Madagascar, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Out Ta Get Me, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo,
November Rain, My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Chinese Democracy, There Was A Time, Patience, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo, I.R.S.,
Nightrain
encore: Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City
notes: First show for the new third guitarist Ron Thal, aka Bumblefoot. Robin Finck now sports long hair and a beard, Axl is wearing
jeans and a button-down black shirt. At one point Axl says "People are talking because they think they know what's going on inside Guns
N' Roses, but they have no idea." He also talked about New York City: "New York City, my new Paradise City" and later on "I've been
here in New York a little while, and like a good student I've been studying hard, studying every night, sometimes until the wee hours of
the morning. (Big Smile and cheering) New York has almost killed me a couple times studying". Then when he played his new songs, "I
heard a couple of you singing the new songs. Downloading motherfuckers!". Before T.W.A.T., Tommy comments to Axl, "I'm having a
really good fucking time, are you?" to which Axl replied, "You have no idea how much that meant". Robin crowd surfs after Nightrain.
GUNS N' ROSES LIVE: BASICALLY AXL WITH A GN'R COVER BAND, BUT GREAT ANYWAY (Chris Harris & Daniel Montalto, MTV.com): ... And
the band hit the stage just an hour and 15 minutes late! That was the main question on the minds of the 3,300 people who packed the Hammerstein
Ballroom here on Friday night. And if the unpredictable, reclusive Axl did come through, as promised, to take the stage with his current incarnation of
Guns N' Roses, would the much-rumored reunion of expatriates Slash and Izzy Stradlin also materialize? "I have my doubts," said Josh, a 24-year-old
GN'R fan who drove down from Boston and coughed up $200 for a scalped ticket. "I was at the 2002 concert in Philadelphia, when he didn't show, and I
was pissed. I thought it would never happen again. Guns is the best band ever. And if I see Slash tonight, I'll sh-- myself." At around 11 p.m., the sell-out
crowd — which included actor Ethan Hawke and Skid Row's Sebastian Bach — got some answers. Approximately an hour and 15 minutes after Guns
were due to storm the Hammerstein stage, Rose emerged with his latest configuration, which — at the moment anyway — consists of keyboardists Dizzy
Reed (the sole holdover from the Use Your Illusion-era lineup) and Chris Pittman, ex-Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, former Primus kitman Brian
"Brain" Mantia and three guitarists: erstwhile Nine Inch Nails member Robin Finck, ex-Psychedelic Furs axeman Richard Fortus and Ron "Bumblefoot"
Thal, a New York musician hired just last week to replace long-departed virtuoso Buckethead. But it wasn't until the show's end, at around 1:30 a.m., that
the realization set in that that sometimes rumors are just that: Slash and Stradlin were no where to be found. The audience (which ranged in age from
not-yet-old-enough-to-vote to "Grandma? Is that you?," with the median age appearing to be around 35) welcomed Rose — who was clad in a pleather
shirt unbuttoned to reveal a crucifix hanging from a large necklace, tattered blue jeans, designer shades and his cornrows tied back in a ponytail — and
the band with thunderous cheers and screams as the band launched into its opener, "Welcome to the Jungle." The gig was Rose's first in more than three
years, and the first of four sold-out "warm-up" shows preceding GN'R's summer's worth of European festival appearances; the second concert went off
Sunday night, with the third set for Monday (May 15), and the fourth on Wednesday (see "Guns N' Roses Line Up Two New York Shows,"). The New York
shows are Guns N' Roses' first since the ill-fated global comeback tour of 2002, which sputtered to a halt following the band's performance at New York's
Madison Square Garden; he didn't take the stage for the following day's booking in Philadelphia, the crowd rioted, and the remaining dates were axed
(see "It's Extra Official: Promoter Says GN'R Tour Totally Off"). Halfway through "Jungle," Rose was sopping wet — not since Patrick Ewing last hit the
hardwood has one man sweated so profusely after just two minutes of physical exertion. As he roared, "I, I wanna hear you scream," Axl unleashed his
signature serpentine sway. Fire blasts and roman candle-esque pyrotechnics exploded at all the appropriate moments, and the heat from these on-stage
detonations could even be felt by those huddled around the venue's back bar area. Indeed, the feel of the set was energized and huge: This was a stadium-
sized performance inside a theater-sized venue; it was as if the band were playing for 50,000 fans. Rose, 44, scampered around the stage like a
schizophrenic with a hard-to-reach back itch, defying the extra poundage he's visibly added. However, his voice isn't what it once was: At several points
during the 19-song set, it appeared Rose couldn't sustain certain notes, taking breathers here and there or simply deferring to the crowd. Although his
pipes were smooth for most of the night, they failed him on at least two critical occasions: "Sweet Child O' Mine" and Paul McCartney's "Live and Let
Die" (see "Axl Rose Named Coolest Old Person In Teen Mag Poll — Right After 'Grandparents' "). The band also stumbled at times, most noticeably
during "Better" — one of several new songs that have leaked online and are believed to be from Rose's decade-in-the-making LP Chinese Democracy,
which he said in a recent interview should be out this fall. The crowd even sang along with many of the leaked tracks, which also included "Madagascar,"
"There Was a Time," "I.R.S.," "The Blues" and the album's title track (see "Are Guns N' Roses Finally Coming Back? The Signs Are There ..."). But the
audience came to hear the classics, even if they were being performed by Axl and what basically amounts to a GN'R cover band. The floor at the
Hammerstein seemed to buckle under the weight of the foot-stomping, horn-wielding mob during "It's So Easy," "Mr. Brownstone" and Bob Dylan's
"Knocking on Heaven's Door," which Axl introduced by saying, "This is about a place I've been one too many times." The night's most memorable
moments came with "November Rain," "Patience," and the confetti-coated closer, "Paradise City," which inspired a sea of butane-fueled light. Even the
night's opening act, Bullet for My Valentine, couldn't resist rockin' out at the bar, even if it was in jest. At one point, Bach joined Rose onstage and the
pair belted out "My Michele," signaling an official, belated end to a long-running feud that many may have forgotten about. Sunday night's performance
brought virtually the same set, with one additional song tossed in to the mix: Appetite for Destruction's closer, "Rocket Queen." Rose seemed more
comfortable during the second show and interacted with the audience, shaking hands and talking to fans; the show felt more organic overall. Sure, this
wasn't 1991, and yes, it was Rose standing up there with a bunch of hired guns that doesn't seem capable of holding a candle to the band's classic lineup
— but regardless, the energy and the essence of GN'R remains intact. To true fans, hearing Axl sing those songs, and seeing his rosy mug, was enough to
justify that hundreds they'd dropped on tickets and $85 GN'R hockey jerseys. "I'm just psyched," said Terry, a 40-year-old fan from Long Island, after the
show. "They nailed it. This was even better than I imagined. It didn't matter to me what they played — I was going to love it regardless."
NO RIOTS AS GUNS N' ROSES ROCK NEW YORK (Charley Rogulewski, Rollingstone.com): Axl and an all-new G n' R rip through two of four
Hammerstein shows Police reported that Friday night's line to get into the first of four Guns n' Roses warm-up shows at New York's Hammerstein
Ballroom spanned nearly five blocks. A late sound check prevented fans, decked out in vintage G n' R tees and swilling booze in brown paper bags (some
of whom were later served public drinking tickets), from entering at the scheduled door time of 7:30 p.m. At around 8:15 p.m., the line began to inch
forward, bringing fans waiting since 11 a.m. closer to the door. At neighboring bars, laid-back tailgaters were getting lit to classic Guns n' Roses
singalongs. With anticipation mounting, devotees were hoping for at least one G n' R song out of Axl before he possibly walked offstage -- a "Welcome to
the Jungle" opener? Others feared that the man himself wouldn't go on at all, and the collective buzz would only lead to rioting. With the pile-up
outdoors, Bullet for My Valentine received a bigger crowd than usual for an opening act. But another hour of the Hammerstein mix tape would pass, with
the crowd shouting out the "Hey" in Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll, Part 2" on autopilot. Finally, at 11:02 p.m., the house lights went dark. "Are you
ready? Let me hear you. Are you ready?" came an announcement from offstage. An ambient bass and string overture was drowned by the thunderous
roar of the crowd, which grew even louder at the opening guitar riffs and pyrotechnic explosions of -- surprise -- "Welcome to the Jungle." With Axl
Rose's piercing howl, the crowd was assured at last the show was actually happening. Dressed in a black leather shirt and big, black, bug-eyed
sunglasses, Axl, charismatic as ever, flew across the stage zigzagging between the seven members of the new Guns n' Roses lineup -- guitarists Robin
Finck, Rich Fortus, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, bassist Tommy Stinson, drummer Brain, keyboardist Chris Pittman and Dizzy Reed. 1987's Appetite for
Destruction classics "It's So Easy" and "Mr. Brownstone" followed. Axl and Co. would go on to perform almost every song of the 1987 chart-topping
release during the first two nights, but while the evening was basically dominated by old G n' R classics, Axl didn't hog the spotlight. Each of the three
guitarists took the front of the stage for solos. Axl, however, was the rock icon, and he pulled some larger-than-life moves, stretching his arms out in time
with the flames that shot from the stage during the chorus to "Live and Let Die." While Friday night's crowd didn't start surfing until an hour in, during
another Appetite for Destruction staple "Out Ta Get Me," Sunday night's audience -- not as crowded, with scalpers dumping last-minute tickets at thirty
bucks a pop -- featured an instant mosh pit. Fans were surfing by the second number, "It's So Easy." "Damn!" Axl pointed out at Sunday's crowd. "We
had people screamin' their heads off Friday, but you guys are kickin' the shit out of them! Happy Mother's Day, motherfuckers!" Axl would eventually
dedicate Sunday night's show to his mom and rekindled buddy, Sebastian Bach, whom he said he hadn't talked to in thirteen years. "I was trying to save
my life, and [Bach] was trying to destroy his," Axl told the crowd. Both nights, Bach took the stage screaming "You're fucking crazy!" before the two
buddies, arm in arm, launched into "My Michelle." Low points included guitarists Robin Finck and Rich Fortus delivering an unexpected yet oddly
powerful dueling guitar instrumental of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" -- which probably only Fred Durst enjoyed. Yes, Durst was among the VIP
crowd, which also included Lenny Kravitz, comedian Jimmy Fallon, Goo Goo Dolls frontman Johnny Rzeznik, and actors Mickey Rourke and Shannon
Elizabeth. The most moving moment in the show was probably "November Rain," with Axl on the ivories, singing "Do you need some time on your own/
Do you need some time all alone/Everybody needs some time on their own" -- letting his lyrics speak for ten years recovering from Guns n' Roses' messy
breakup. "I think we're doing pretty fuckin' all right, considering we have a guitarist that joined our band last week," quipped the frontman, referring to
Bumblefoot during the song's signature intermission on Sunday night. The weekend shows also included staples "Patience," "Sweet Child O' Mine," "You
Could Be Mine," "Rocket Queen" and the encore, "Paradise City" -- with Axl coining New York his new "Paradise City." Each show ended with a shower
of confetti -- a shower that, in the dim light, seemed to herald a real return for Guns n' Roses, or at least a sign that Axl is out to rock again. With Axl out
of rock & roll rehab, he's no longer a notorious recluse -- just notorious. As for one of rock's most famous unreleased albums, Chinese Democracy -- the
band played a few already leaked tracks, including "Madagascar," "Better" and "IRS" -- Axl had just a few words. "In regards to our new record . . . hold
your breath for a little longer for that," he said. "I want to thank you for that." No problem, Axl. Lighters up: "Everybody needs some time ... on their
own."
'WARM-UP SHOW' FOR GUNS N' ROSES (Ben Ratliff, New York Times, 5.13.2006): Rock and roll audiences want to identify with the guy singing the
song; they need to, in fact. But you’d be hard-pressed to prove that the crowd at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Friday night was identifying with W. Axl
Rose. What does he represent, at this stage of the game? Survival? Re-invention? Creative control? The tortured artist? The persistence of the yowl? If
the spirit of his age resides in him, his long postponement of an infamous album has diluted that spirit somewhat. But if the physical reality of Mr. Rose -
dressed L.A. style in a leather shirt and jeans and wearing a large silver cross, his hair corn-rowed and pulled back - wasn’t an easy figure to identify
with, his voice and body language did the job instead. When he sang “Paradise City,” the crowd adopted a yowl in kind; when he danced in his
undulating movements, like the letter S turning itself inside out, the men and women in the audience involuntarily moved that way too. Friday night’s
concert was the first of four Guns N’ Roses shows at Hammerstein Ballroom. On stage, Mr. Rose called them “warm-up shows” for the band’s European
tour, which begins May 25 in Madrid. It’s fair to assume that the large-theater shows will have clearer sound and more effective stagecraft; Mr. Rose’s
voice sounded strong, even in his highest nasal shrieks, but the band wasn’t using the warm-up time to experiment. The set list of the two-hours-plus
show, complete with flash pots and confetti, came pretty close to what an only slightly different version of the band was playing four years ago, on its last
tour. Mr. Rose is the only original member left in the quintessential ‘80s hard-rock band, and this has been the case since 1997. The newest of the seven
musicians backing up Mr. Rose on Friday, one of its three guitarists, is Ron Thal, also known as Bumblefoot. (One of his guitars has been designed to
look like the bottom of a foot, with bumblebee stripes.) He takes up the role of the pyrotechnic shredder, vacated in 2004 by the guitarist Buckethead. At
certain points in the show, including a few discontinuous unaccompanied solos, he accelerated to impressively fast chromatic runs; he also played some
lavish, Hendrix-influenced blues language. Why this band’s gut-level songs now require the ornamentation of a wizardly guitarist at all remains unclear.
It makes the band more atemporal, more Vegas-y, than necessary. It was the group’s principal guitarist, Robin Finck, who made the sweetest and most
grounded music of the night, and seemed most comfortable at work. An off-and-on member of the band for nine years now, Mr. Finck assumed most of the
lines in the old songs formerly played by the guitarist Slash. But when he improvised, he spun out simple patterns, shaking the guitar’s neck and getting
warmth and resonance out of each note or chord; his own unaccompanied solo, just before the concert’s final number, was a beautifully coherent, non-
shredding couple of minutes, the best of the less-familiar music played in the show. He gave himself to the crowd, even literally, diving in to the audience
three times. The less-familiar songs were, actually, kind of familiar. That infamous, postponed Guns N’ Roses album, of course, is “Chinese Democracy,”
which has been in the making for much of the last decade, and still has not been scheduled for release. Some of its songs included in the concert—“The
Blues,” “Better,” “Madagascar,” “Chinese Democracy,” “There Was a Time,” and “IRS”—are easy enough to find on the internet, in leaked demos
and bootlegged live performances. And in the concert, the new songs distinguished themselves visually as well as sonically, with serious-looking video
backdrops: stained-glass details, religious portraiture, Martin Luther King speeches. The crowd didn’t go nuts for them. Most of the new songs are
dystopian, tense, portentous, finally a bit inconclusive; they dabble in electronic rhythms, big keyboard sounds and droning repetition. They didn’t
produce much catharsis, on stage or in the audience. “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and “Patience,” on the other hand, were among the set’s old songs that
motored along on earthy, meaty riffs, and provoked the fully expected but still astonishing spectacle of a full house roaring along with every word.
GUNS N' ROSES (David Sprague, Daily Variety, 5.15.2006): (Hammerstein Ballroom; New York; 3300 capacity; $63.) Presented by Live Nation.
Opened and reviewed May 12, 2006. Also May 14, 15, 17. Band: Axl Rose, Robin Finck, Tommy Stinson, Ron Thal, Richard Fortus, Dizzy Reed, Brian
Mantia. Axl Rose has been so reclusive and obsessive in the years since Guns N' Roses' last full-on foray into the public eye, but he hasn't, based on
Friday's appearance at the Hammerstein Ballroom, missed a step. Rose careened through a two-hour perf with all of the manic energy and banshee vocal
agility of the band's heyday. True to form, Rose tested aud patience by taking a -- to say the least -- relaxed attitude towards timely performance, taking
the stage a full 90 minutes after opening act Bullet for My Valentine finished. Having waited more than a decade for the chance to glimpse the new-model
G n' R in action, however, fans didn't seem prone to grumbling about the additional delay. The singer wasted little time in breaking out the red meat,
firing off a feral opening salvo of "Welcome to the Jungle" and "It's So Easy" that crackled with live-wire intensity. Impressive though Rose's voice was
during the bulk of the set, he did come up noticeably winded after a few of his stage-crossing sprints. This version of the band -- other than Rose, only
keyboardist Dizzy Reed has appeared on officially-released studio material -- didn't add perceptibly to the arrangements of the set's battle-tested tunes.
On the other hand, the musicians didn't slip into tribute-band mimicry -- primary guitarist Robin Finck, in particular, made an impression through leads
that bristled with steely cool, a stark contrast to the sensual bluesiness of the departed Slash. For most of the house, of course, the elephant in the room
was "Chinese Democracy" -- the album Rose has been tweaking fanatically lo these many years. The set -- which didn't end until well after one A.M.,
featured a surprisingly generous helping of the disc's songs, which ran the gamut from gripping to baffling. The tense, menacing "I.R.S." fell squarely into
the former category, its dark progressions enhanced by a throbbing keyboard underpinning and an infectious chorus that had many in the aud singing
along -- a fact Rose acknowledged with a wry "you fuckers sure know how to download." Other new offerings, however, dragged palpably, particularly
the aimlessly sprawling "Madagascar" and a sloppy version of "Better," neither of which yielded a memorable moment. That disjointed quality stemmed
in part from the unwieldiness of the three-guitar lineup, of which new addition Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal -- who was granted two solo spotlights, which
proved two too many -- seemed the most out of place. While there were certainly moments of unfettered nostalgia -- like Rose duetting with fellow '80s
survivor Sebastian Bach on "My Michelle" -- the show didn't feel like a Vegas spectacle. That's due in large part to Rose's force of will. The singer seems
to have shed his "most likely to incite a riot" baggage, but the edginess that remains could clearly fuel a conflagration should the need arise.
GUNS N' ROSES IN NEW YORK CITY (Debby Rao, Boston Contributor, KNAC.com): They're back!!! Guns N' Roses, one of the most controversial rock
bands of the 80's are back in full force taking New York by storm with a fury that hit like ya like a freight train. Guns N' Roses performed their first
concert since 2002 last night at the historic Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Last night's concert was the first of four sold out GNR shows which
are slated to take place May 14, May 15 and May 17. All four concerts sold out in 3 minutes. Pretty amazing for a band who hasn't toured since 2002.
Last time I saw GNR perform was on the Use Your Illusion Tour in 1990.at the Worcester Centrum. I have always loved their music, and tonight's concert
was everything I thought it would be. Up Close and Personal, In Your Face, Axl Rose at his best!!! Driving down 95, it may have been raining buckets but
nothing could damper the mood for the day. We were going to see GNR perform in a very rare club appearance. New York City was alive and well, the
city that never sleeps, and that sure held true tonight. It is good to see somethings never change. This was my first time seeing a concert at the
Hammerstein Ballroom. The historic venue which is right int he center of Manhattan and was the perfect venue for this GNR concert. The place doesn't
have a bad seat, and the sound system was amazing. We were right down on the floor, and had a great view of the band. Opening the show was Bullet For
My Valentine. I recently got to see them perform on the Rob Zombie Tour. Their modern day set with great melodies was better received on the Rob
Zombie Tour. It was clear the audience was their to see one band their heroes Guns N' Roses. The excitement in the air was so thick you could cut it with
a knife. hit the stage right at 11 P.M. and played till 1:15 A.M. in the morning. GNR performed most their hits, taking their fans into the future with this
stellar new line-up that includes new guitarist Ron Thal of Bumblefoot fame , who didn't disappoint the die-hard GNR fans. Opening with "Welcome To
The Jungle", Axl Rose dressed in a black long sleeve shirt, and jeans with his newly dread locked hair in a ponytail took complete control of the stage. Axl
was back, in great voice, and looking amazing. It was clear to see, that Axl is back for the long haul and ready to rock. GNR first part of the show
inspired their old school hits which included ,"It's So Easy", Mr Brownstone ," and "Live and Let Die." GNR sounded really tight as Brain played down
some of the hardest hitting drum solos that you could imagine. One of the most amazing of GNR's sound that I enjoy enjoy is the amazing keyboards. I
have seen GNR keyboard player Dizzy Reed perform with his band HNB many times and let me tell ya tonight Dizzy was on fire. Tickling the ivories on
his grand piano solo leading into "The Blues." Tonight it was so great to be able to see Diz perform with one of the greatest rock bands of our time, . Axl
sang his heart out on this song, and proved his diversity as a singer. Axl also sat down at the piano on "November Rain" and performed one of the most
touching moments of the evening. This song has always been one of my favorites and seeing Axl perform this song tonight was simply amazing. Tonight's
GNR concert was prompted by spontaneity and even included a special guest star. No it was not Slash or Izzy, but 80's rocker Sebastian Bach. Seeing two
of the best 80's singers singing "My Michelle" was simply.priceless! GNR performed the title track off of their upcoming album, Chinese Democracy and
song "I.R.S." These songs best describe GNR in 2006 very modern with a touch of old school. Another one of the highlights of the show was my all time
favorite GNR classic,"Patience." Axl shined. As the evening was coming to a close, one thing was for certain. The momentum of the band never let up. All
eyes were on Axl Rose as he captivated the audience with his magical stage performance. GNR ended the night with guitarist Robin Finch blistering solo
into "Night Train" and closed with the ferocious "Paradise City." The audience went into a frenzy, headbanging when Axl sang, "Take Me Down to The
Paradise City" as Axl and his new version of GNR rocked New York City hard. Never looking back, only looking into the future. The baddest of the bad
boys is back, Mr Axl Rose. Ready to reclaim his throne as one of the best rock "n"roll singers of our time. Get ready to witness one of the best rock and
roll shows this year, as GNR invade New York City all this week. The band will be touring Europe this summer. They say timing is everything. Axl Rose
has surely picked the best time to make a comeback. 2006 is shaping up to be the summer where old school metal rules the concert scene. GNR are back
with a vengeance, and making their old school rock and roll roots come alive once again, as Axl Rose proves he is indeed one of the best rock and roll
singers of our generation.

attendance: 3,800
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Live And Let Die, Richard
Guitar Solo [w/ Beautiful], Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Better, You Could Be Mine, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Out Ta
Get Me, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo, Chinese Democracy, My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience, Richard Guitar
Solo, Nightrain
notes: Axl said he had completely lost his voice Saturday, everything was gone, but Sebastian Bach pointed him to a vocal and throat
expert and that it saved the day. He said he was freaked out because he wouldn't be able to do the show if he voice never came back. He
talked about Chinese Democracy. Said the fans can hold our breath longer than David Blaine (a magician who tried a magic trick
underwater last week and failed) and Axl appreciated that. According to Axl, Bumblefoot just joined a week prior to the show. Axl
dedicated the show to Sebastian Bach (for saving the day) and Beta (because it was mother's day). Axl said they (himself and Tommy)
were both saying "I am so sick of you" to each other just a few days ago but then he said that at the show they were having a blast
together.
MATT G.'S REVIEW: I'm exhausted and I've got work in the morning so this will be the abbreviated version... This subject line of this e-mail was Axl's
battle cry for night 2 at the Hammerstein, which he dedicated to his mother - whom he identified not as Mrs. Rose or Mrs. Bailey but as good old Beta. He
commented that this crowd was wwwwaaaayyy louder than Friday night's, and they were. Rowdier, too. Even though I got on line an hour earlier than
Friday, I was further back - until a few songs in, when people started dropping like flies, asking security to bring them over the rails. I was very quickly
back up front where I belong. It's been really fun to watch this band progress over the past 5 or 6 years; it's been like watching a friend's band get better
and better, only it's GN'R. Bumblefoot started to come out of his shell a little more (and while I appreciate that he was trying to dress a little classier than
on Friday night, his new black pants and matching sports coat made him look a little like the long lost member of Genesis), Fortus, for the first time, got
to take TWO individual guitar solos while the rest of the band rested, the first time dueling with Robin Finck on, of all things, Christina Aguilera's song
Beautiful (kind of like what Slash and Gilby used to do with Wild Horses, but more equal trading off of lead and rhythm duties), which might sound really
lame but was actually very cool (a friend who didn't recognize the song and was therefore unprejudiced thought it was amazing), the second time doing a
song I recognized but am having a hard time naming (can anyone help out? It's right on the tip of my tongue but I can't quite place it). And then there was
the (at least seemingly) spontaneous jam session, starting with Tommy funking out on his bass, soon joined by Brain and Robin and then Axl playing, I kid
you not, a maraca. The spontaneity continued when Axl called out "What do you wanna play next?" and Tommy cried back "Patience!" before Axl
nodded. The fact that the not dissimilar setlist was performed in an almost completely different order (save the first three and last three songs) made me
wonder, perhaps they're back to the good old days of no setlists. If there's less variety in this band's choices than there was in the old band's, that could be
b/c at this point these are the only songs they've had time to learn, but I guess we have to wait and see. Baz showed up and once again did My Michelle
with the band. This time Axl started with an intro explaining that on Saturday morning he woke up and realized his voice was gone and he freaked out
and called Baz, and even though he hadn't spoken with Baz in 13 years and Baz therefore easily could have told Axl to "go and suck my own dick," he
hooked Axl up with a vocal coach and throat doctor so Axl could go on tonight. "He saved my life," Axl said. Alas, all this good stuff did have one down
side: while Rocket Queen was reinstated into the set after being absent on Friday, TWAT, IRS and, perhaps most upsettingly, Madagascar were all
missing (Think About You was still not played; The Blues, Chinese Democracy, and Better, which somehow rocked even harder than Friday, were all still
played... a friend of mine commented that he didn't realize it was Better until part way through the song; it's starting to sound more and more guitar
driven, and I mean that in the best possible way). The band - well, mostly Axl - did screw up the intros to Patience and Paradise City, but they all looked
to one another, silently communicating, and pulled it together. This, to me, seemed like the best evidence that they've become a real band - slight mistakes
don't phase they as much as they did in, say, Rio or Detroit. And everyone still seemed happy as hell. Robin once again more or less walked away with the
spotlight (doing another TWO stage dives on top of his usual insane antics and wicked soloing), but I can't tell you how great it was to see Fortus also get
some time in the center of everyone's attention; and it's starting to seem like maybe, with some luck, Bumblefoot will come into his own. Axl commented of
BF that he just joined the band LAST WEEK, and my pal observed that it's very possible the guy has never played in front of 500 people before, let alone
2500 people... so we'll wait and see. He's certainly being tested under fire. Alright, off to bed. I made some new friends tonight, but Ravi - if you're out
there - I've yet to be able to find you in the crowd, drop me a line. Less than 24 hrs to night 3... -Matt P.S. One of my new friends allegedly has some
industry connections, and take this with the grain of salt you take all GN'R news, but he claimed that the band is trying to put together a North American
arena tour for the fall - with Alice in Chains. I would assume, if true, that it would mean Duff would not be present in the AIC line-up... P.P.S. Celebrities
sighted: Randy Blythe from Lamb of God, one of the dudes from Mastodon, Lenny Kravitz (interesting since he's allegedly gonna work with VR soon),
and... ugh... Fred Durst. Durst, at least, was happy to slap hands with whomever asked him.
HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM 5/12/06, 5/14/06 (Joe Knaus, Blender Magazine): Rocky. Lance Armstrong. The 2004 Boston Red Sox. Colonial America.
They all had their detractors; they all triumphed over them. Perhaps the same can be said for a long-dormant rock band that, save for a handful of one-
off shows, an ill-fated tour in 2002 and a song on a 2000 movie soundtrack, has not performed or released original material in roughly 13 years. By most
counts, their career should be over, but judging from audience reaction at the first two nights of their four-night stint at New York's Hammerstein
Ballroom, the final chapter in the GN'R saga remains unwritten. Sold-out audiences crowded into the mid-size venue to witness the resurrection of the
group largely defined by mythic, and now reclusive, frontman Axl Rose. Unearthed at Hammerstein, he appeared to be as comfortable as ever, delivering
powerful vocal performances on GN'R classics like "Welcome to the Jungle," "Sweet Child o' Mine" and "Nightrain." It's clear that either Rose had been
practicing hard for this moment or he's not lost much of the swagger that earned him such well-deserved notoriety nearly 20 years ago. In fact, if you
closed your eyes during these performances, it wasn't hard to imagine that it was 1988 all over again (assuming you weren't in diapers, of course). Upon
pointing this out to the concert attendee directly to my right, who happened to be former Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach, he succinctly replied, "Yeah,
but this is 2006 and this is f*cking rock!" Guns N' Roses now sport a full lineup with no less than three guitar players, the latest in the rotating cast being
Ron Thal, a.k.a. "Bumblefoot." While it wasn't what you might expect to see, these relative unknowns proved capable of integrating new standouts like
"Madagascar" and "Better" in with the old classics. Large stretches of shred time were afforded these guitarists not named Slash, but it was the sing-
along staples of the GN'R songbook that stole the show — a fact that an impressed Rose acknowledged was keeping him from hearing himself on
occasion. Other highlights include near-flawless vocal performances of "Patience" and well-executed duets with the aforementioned Mr. Bach on both
nights. On the second night, Axl thanked Sebastian at length for helping to get his voice in order for the show and went so far as to comment that he's "the
man who saved my life." Support for all four scheduled shows came from rapidly-rising U.K. metal outfit Bullet For My Valentine, a group whose sound
is a refreshing, on-point mix of originality and influence from acts like Iron Maiden, Metallica and the headliners themselves. After a rousing, confetti-
laden version of "Paradise City" closed the show to a raucous ovation from the crowd, it became clear that Axl Rose's destiny is to be the frontman of
Guns N' Roses. And as with all resurrections, the specter remains: While more improbable band reunions have taken place in the past, die-hard fans will
always be checking the wings backstage for a glimpse of that tall black top hat. In the meantime, if it sounds like Guns N' Roses and rocks like Guns N'
Roses...

attendance: 3,800
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo, Knockin' On Heaven's Door,
Better, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Something], The Blues, Out Ta Get Me, Richard & Robin Guitar
Duet [w/ Beautiful], Rocket Queen, My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Madagascar, You Could Be Mine, November Rain, I.R.S.,
Richard Guitar Solo, Nightrain
encore: Patience, Chinese Democracy, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City
notes: Philadelphia radio station WMMR broadcasted the beginning of Knockin' On Heaven's Door live. Axl says he spoke to Izzy
earlier in the day and Izzy wished him well for the shows. Robin Finck crowd surfs during You Could Be Mine - Axl asks Finck if he's
alright and he replies "That's what I live for man.". After Madagascar, Axl mentions the 14 years thing. Axl says to security "Ease up a
little" after Better, and speaks after Sweet Child O' Mine saying "I gotta call from Izzy earlier today"... Sebastian Bach joins Axl again
for vocals on My Michelle. Before Rocket Queen, he mentioned Izzy again, and said people recognized him in NYC a lot.

attendance: 3,800
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Think About You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Robin Guitar Solo,
Sweet Child O' Mine, Better, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo, You Could Be Mine,
November Rain, Out Ta Get Me, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Rocket Queen,
Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Madagascar, I.R.S., Richard Guitar Solo, Nightrain [w / Izzy Stradlin, Kid Rock]
encore: Chinese Democracy, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City
notes: : Izzy Stradlin joins the band on stage for the first time since May 1993. Izzy Stradlin guests on 3 songs: 'Patience,' 'Think About
You' and 'Nightrain.' Sebastian Bach features on guest vocals with Axl on 'My Michelle.' Kid Rock joins for 'Nightrain.'
05.19.06 - The Plumm, New York, NY, USA

set: Used To Love Her, Mr. Brownstone, Welcome To The Jungle, You're Crazy, Patience, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, The Blues,
I.R.S., Sweet Child O' Mine, November Rain, Paradise City
notes: Acoustic set played at an The Plumm in New York City for Rosario Dawson's Birthday. 'Used To Love Her' played for the first
time by the 'new' Guns N' Roses, as is the 'Lies' version of 'You're Crazy.' Many celebrities in attendance, including Kid Rock. Axl said
they had learned the songs just 20 minutes before arriving at the club. Before 'I.R.S.', Axl asked the band if they felt like trying it even
though they hadn't rehearsed it, and Tommy screamed out "I'm fucking fearless, I'll try anything!" The set list is correct, although not
necessarily in that order. At the end, Axl came back out and said, 'I forgot to do something because I'm a fucking idiot,' before bringing
Rosario Dawson out on stage and leading the audience in a rendition of 'Happy Birthday.' Then Rosario grabbed the mic and went nuts,
"They've never played all acoustic. This is history in the making. How much does this fucking man rock?!" Before GN'R took the stage,
Axl got into a spat with fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger.
MATT G.'S REVIEW: okay... I can't really tell you how i found out or how i got on the list without betraying a friend's confidence, but i got a call around
6 p.m. that rosario dawson, the actress from rent, alexander, etc., was having a birthday party tonight at a small club near my apartment that i'm told is
called plum (i feel like an idiot but i honestly have never seen a name on the marquee and now i can't find a club called plum on citysearch.com, so i
apologize if that's not right.) And that gn'r were going to play. Some of my co-workers and i were able to get our names on the list. I was told to keep my
mouth shut b/c it was all supposed to be a secret. Anyways, i have been here once or twice before, and it's a pretty small, chich nightclub. It has 2 floors
and holds maybe 800, 900 people tops - someone told me capacity is actually around 500 people, i don't know how accurate that is and tonight, it was
definately filled wwwaaaayyyy beyond capacity. I don't mean to make light of a tragedy but if god forbid there had been a fire, it would have been the
station x10. So doors are at 11 p.m. and we show up around 12:30 a.m. and... We're told we can't go in. Allegedly axl got into a fight with a club goer (i
can't verify this) and they subsequently shut down the doors. Of their dozen or so people i was with, all but my friend ken split. It was at that point that ken
had the brilliant idea that maybe now they would let us in since there was just 2 of us. We pleaded with a bouncer who verified that we were actually on
the list and - yes! - we were in. Like i said, the place was packed, but we managed to find another good friend who had a table up front near the stage.
The joint was crawling with celebrities: kid rock, mickey rourke, eric balfour, and god knows who else. On the way up i heard buzz first that the original
band was there (which i knew was b.s.), and then buzz that it was just axl and izzy and matt sorum (which seemed feasible in light of axl's recently
making-nice with both former gunners). I saw dizzy wandering around before we took our spot up front, maybe five or ten feet from where the band was
and right next to del james. The band finally came a little after 1 a.m. i think. The stage was incredibly small and everyone surged forward to the point
where tables were knocked over; my legs and feet are currently soaked in champagne and god knows what else. Anyway, izzy and matt were not there (or
if they were, they didn't play), and if brain was there, i didn't see him, either. But axl, robin, richard, tommy, bumblefoot, dizzy and chris all took the
stage. Everyone played acoustically except robin, who played a semi-hollow gibson, and tommy, who played his usual bass; for kohd, robin and richard
switched instruments. Chris and dizzy played maracas, congos, tambourines, and occasionally the keyboard, which was crammed in the corner. Axl
introduced the show as the "karaoke version" of gn'r as a movie screen-sized monitor with all his lyrics was behind him (btw, i don't know about everyone
else, but all this time i've thought the lyric is i.r.s. was "all the legions," but it's actually "all the reasons that you give, i'll follow you.") . Everyone seemed
to be in a great mood; they played some old tunes from lies that they haven't done since slash was in the band, and axl said they had learned the songs
just 20 minutes before arriving at the club. Before i.r.s., axl asked the band if they felt like trying it even though they hadn't rehearsed it, and tommy
screamed out "i'm fucking fearless, i'll try anything!" november rain, for which only robin did an electric solo, sounded better than it did at the
hammerstein shows; richard and especially bumblefoot's acoustic solos just sounded astounding. Needless to say, the whole place went apeshit... It was a
really intimate, really amazing show and a nice way to close out the week after the 4 hammerstein gigs. I don't remember the precise order of the set list
but here is what they played. I don't think i missed any songs; the whole show lasted a little over an hour, maybe. At the end axl came back out and said "i
forgot to do something b/c i'm a fucking idiot" before bringing rosario dawson out on stage and leading the audience in a rendition of "happy birthday."
the rosario grabbed the mike and went nuts - "they've never played all acoustic, this is history in the making, how much does this man fucking rock," etc.
Okay. I have work in the morning so i'm going to bed. If i forgot anything i'll type more later...
CHINESE DEMOCRACY EUROPEAN TOUR 2006
05.25.06 - Auditorio Parque Juan Carlos I, Madrid, SPAIN

opening act: Living Things
attendance: 15,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Better, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine,
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Richard Guitar Solo, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], The Blues, You Could Be Mine, Jam, I.R.S.,
Out Ta Get Me, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Jam, There Was A Time, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Chinese Democracy, My Michelle, Patience, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City
notes: This was originally scheduled for 5.28.06. GN'R was originally scheduled to take the stage at 10pm, but that was later changed to
11pm. Regardless, they didn't hit the stage until midnight. Fans become restless and start throwing chairs before Guns come on, but
security is tight. After 'TWAT,' Robin & Richard play an instrumental version of the Christina Aguilera song 'Beautiful.' The show ends
with technical difficulties, the original cause of the delay at the start of the show. GN'R play for two and a half hours.
KIM RICHARDSON'S REVIEW: Just stepped off the plane from Madrid and yes, all those UK dates are printed on the tour T-shirts, so it must be true. I
can't wait! The Madrid show was electrifying - deceptively simple stage set-up and lighting - absolutely no gimmicks. It really looks like this tour will be
about the musicians and the music. GNR went on just after midnight and finished around 2.30 am. It was a lovely warm evening, the atmosphere was one
of good-natured anticipation and excitement and I saw no displays of annoyance at the wait - more drinkin' and chillin' time! GNR themselves were
relaxed and having fun. As for Axl, the only word to describe his mood was 'playful'. How else can I describe it after hearing him sing a snatch of the old
Phil Spector classic, To Know Him Is To Love Him (this while at the piano before NR), James Brown's, I Feel Good, and, wait for it, The Teddy Bears'
Picnic (presumably because the we were in the park)! All felt slightly surreal, I can tell you. For the ladies among you, Axl looks and moves like sex on
legs. He wore the same casual clothes (jeans and leather shirt) he wore in New York; again getting down to his white socks for the encore (always
reminds me of the early shows when he does that). His voice sounded better and stronger than ever - I think it was the last note of I Feel Good where he
really went for it - much to the crowd's enjoyment and appreciation. Band chemistry was clearly in evidence; Richard in particular was giving it his all
and then some. Oh, and not to forget the old ivory tickler himself, Mr Dizwald Reed, who plays like his soul depends on it. I won't go on anymore because
although I haven't checked the forums, I bet that there have already been better reviews posted than I could do right now. Feeling pretty knackered
actually as I'm still getting over a cold bug I picked up in NY - cheers guys, I really wanted that as an added bonus! :) To anyone with tickets to any show
on this tour, I guarantee that you are not going to be disappointed. I saw the 02 shows and have to confess that I had my doubts then, but this is truely
different; this time Axl and the lads are doing it for real. All over Europe will be the sound of media/press jaws hitting the floor and fans basking in the
quiet satisfaction of knowing that their long years of hoping and believing have paid off big style.
05.27.06 - Rock City, Bela Vista Park, Lisbon, PORTUGAL

opening act: Pitty, Xutos & Pontapés, The Darkness
attendance: 50,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, I.R.S., Robin Guitar Solo [w/ Finlandia], Sweet Child O' Mine, Knockin' On
Heaven's Door, Dizzy Piano Solo, Live And Let Die, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], The Blues, Rocket Queen, Richard &
Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Better,
Drum Solo, You Could Be Mine, Patience, Robin Guitar Solo, Nightrain
audio/video recording?: audio, video [pro-shot]
notes: Rock In Rio V festival, taking place in Portugal for the 2nd time in 2 years. This show was broadcast on TV, radio and webcast.
However, only the webcast included the 'new' songs. GN'R hits the stage at 0:15. During 'Welcome To The Jungle,' Tommy smashes his
bass after experiencing technical difficulties. Before I.R.S. Axl asks, "Do you like to download?...motherfuckers!" and goes off on all
downloaders around the world. Bumblefoot jams on 'Don't Cry' during his solo. Apparently 'Madagascar' was supposed to be played
before 'Paradise City,' but the festival organizers asked GN'R to cut their set short.
05.31.06 - Budapest Sportaréna, Budapest, HUNGARY

opening act: Sex Action
attendance: 12,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Better, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo, Live And Let Die, Madagascar, Robin
Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy
Piano Solo, The Blues, Jam, Out Ta Get Me, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, My Michelle, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Jam [w/
Ancient Hungarian Folksong], Nightrain
encore: Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City
notes: The band hit the stage after nearly a 3 hour delay, apparently due to Axl being late. About 800 hundred nervous people went home
from the show before the band started, after they asked their money back from the checkouts. Axl apologized for the delay. There was no
Axl rant as usual, just a very few sentences between songs. He didn't even introduce the band as usual, just Ron (as Mr. Bumblefoot)
before his 1st solo, and maybe Tommy. Lots of solos, maybe due to Axl's backache. During 'Better,' Robin Finck smashed his guitar and
goes off stage, when he got angry on something. Then Axl followed him to bring him back on stage. After the Jam Axl said they like to
entertain themselves. Again, Ron jams on 'Don't Cry' during his guitar solo before 'Paradise City.'
RAINFOX'S REVIEW: Cheers people. Just back from Budapest. What a trip. Despite everything seeming to go wrong, it all gelled in the end. And Guns
rocked. What an experience. My play by play follows here... No Ass In The Air- Guns N' Roses at Pap Lazlo Sportarena, Budapest, Hungary, May 31st
2006. Copenhagen. On a Wednesday. The day would start - and continue - as a typical Guns N' Roses day. We get to the airport and our flight is
curiuosly not boarding. Hm. Every other plane after ours - to Paris, damn Djibouti, friggin' Manchester - are! WTF? No Budapest? So, finally, we are
called to gate only 20 minutes before take off. We won't make that schedule. Not that we were in a hurry, the show wasn't untill 20:00 that evening and
scheduled departure was 14:10 with a flight time of only two hours. But this WAS a Guns N' Roses show - and abroad even - so many things could go
wrong. Many, many things could go ever so wrong. It's Murphy's Law. And Axl's. But Axl was the least of our worries at that point. We board the plane.
As we're just getting comfortable the captain says: "Eh.. There's a weird smell in the cabin. We'll need you all to leave the plane. Immediately." Ever felt
like you were in a Mel Brooks film? Worse, Airplane! "And.. eh.. Take your handbagage with you... eh.. Thank you. And now, please!" As we exit, the
smell in the cockpit area resembles a burnt campfire consisting of plastic bags. The cabin crew are wearing masks. Pretty freaky. Alright, alright. So a
slight panic ensues and everyone leaves. We come out to the gate and three stewardesses are scrambling for the mike. "Weee-Oooooh... Hallo? Er der
nogen? Yes. Hello, ladies and gentlemen, there's a weird smell on the flight that we'll need to examine and we'll get back to you. Thank you for your
patience." Oh no. Delayed? Cancelled? It would mean no show. Both my girlfriend and I have flown all our lives, so we're world-weary travellers to say
the least.. If its got wings, it can fly. Still the safest way to travel. So we remained cool, all but waiting on if the flight is cancelled. But you could see the
look on some people's faces. Some were getting jittery. Like "We're not going on THAT plane again" *laughs*. But understandably so. Better safe than
sorry. All I'm thinking is.. The next flight to Budapest out of Kastrup that day was at 20:20, and that would make for an ETA after luggage/hotel/whatnot
at the Sportarena in Hungary at around 23:30 the earliest. If there would be any available seats, that is. So, half past eleven would be mid-show
according to schedule. But this was not Axl-Time, right? Ah, he wouldn't pull another Madrid. Or would he? Wait for it.. Luckily we were flying SAS
(Scandinavian Airlines), so 10-15 minutes later we get an announcement that the airport is saying they have another flight standing by, that they'll be
fueling, security checking and loading baggage on it right away. We'll all be handed gate-change passes and we're off! Yay! We're delayed only 1½ hours
all in all. Brilliant. Free drinks onboard due to the delay courtesy of SAS. The "smell" in the original aircraft was nothing. A small passenger, reading-
light lamp that had melted. But kudos they go to the trouble of telling the passengers. All in good style. Anyway, free drinks. Johnnie Walker Red and
coke. What the hell. All there is. Cheers. We arrive in Budapest late afternoon. Lo and behold our luggage is there too. My luggage is usually ALWAYS
late. One or two days. It's as if they go: Oh, it's that guy again. Send his bags to Iceland. Taxis are everywhere and the eastern-european feel hits us
straight on. Hungary is in many ways moving rapidly forward after years and years of a fascist dictatorship (disguised as communism like the rest of the
old eastern-block once locked behind an iron curtain), but mere miles outside the airport it resembles a run-down Russian village. The roads have more
potholes that in Nairobi. The people are ever so nice though. We get to our lodgings - Hotel Veritas. Handy, little hotel and we've got a two-room suite
almost. Dirt cheap. Located only 200 yards from the Sportarena. Wash up and off we go. The Hungarian people (we met) were both friendly and
hospitable. Their English was very poor, but not from lack of trying. Hats off. The venue is really cool. Rebuilt in 1999 and it's shaped like a flying saucer.
There are hordes of people. Young and old, many sporting oldtime Guns gear. Illusions. The Get in the Ring in red lettering on the back. Ah, memories.
Faded, washed out Appetite tees. Saw many Kill Your Idols tees too. Lot of elderly people.. ahem, well, older than Yours Truly! Hippies, gray-haired
oldschool rock n' rollers in Zep and Sabbath tees. Some in the two-colored Illusion tees that became hard to get years back. Cool crowd. There's a buzz.
We get handed "After Party" flyers of a local Guns N' Roses Cover Band. The ticket booths were still selling tix, but the gig was almost sold out. In
Denmark we're known for our hot-dog stands everywhere, here it's some weird pretzels/bagels kindda cakes, with sugar on 'em. They sold them
everywhere. From stands in the middle of the walkway up to the arena, by the train station and in the venue. For those who have been to Globen in
Stockholm, the Pap Lazlo Sportarena is very similar, but only two floors. It's built like a "roundabout" outside the venue itself, having beer stalls,
wardrobe and merch selling facilities all around - but on the inside. There are small balconies - outside - for the smokers. After a trip to the wardrobe and
merch stand, we go out and suck in some crisp evening air. Budapest looks cool at night. Our seating is on the sides and waaay back. Not the best seats,
but they'll do. We wanted seats, not standing, and my girlfriend was not only new to going to a GNR show but to hard rock shows altogether. I forget the
name of the openers. But they go on at around 20:45, fortyfive minutes after they were supposed too. They sound horrible. My girlfriend texts me while
I'm in line for beers that it must be the Finnish Lordi (or Gorgi or whatever the hell this band is called) *laughs*. Awful. So I'm in line. Now, there's three
lines at every beer stall and when you get to the front - fight for your place, dammit. I'm getting to old for this shit. Where is my fedora hat and whip?
Then.. The beer machine breaks down. No, no, no. I'm one service away at this point. The guy in front is BOOZED out of his mind, laughing and spewing
chunks of these pretzel/bagel/whatyoumightcall'ems around everyone when he opens his mouth. I figured.. So far, so good. And Axl, hold your Guns! It's
9-ish now. People are pushing and shouting. I don't understand a word, but I bet it was about that beer machine. I look behind me, the "beer line" is
stretching all the way down to our entrance - Gate L. Holy shit. I'm staying in line. 21:45. Beer machine fixed! Yay! Opening band is off the stage I hear.
So the guy in front of me turns to me and says "¤#"ZXY GUNS N' ROSES! ?=%#¤#% AAAAAAXL ROOOOSE! $£ZY" and smiles. He's got a point. But
he's also got not chunks but whole Pretzels between his teeth now. I go "Right on, bro" and urge him to order, waving my hand towards the counter. He
lifts his hand and goes "Four.. And four!" Eight beers? Say what, man? So the machine might be fixed but it's taking minutes to just pour one beer (what I
call a "foam disorder" - and I'm copyrighting that) and the kid behind the counter is really feeling the pressure of that line now. My buddy in front is
having eight? Show some solidarity, brother. Anyway, the beer is great. It's Hungarian and called Dreher. Kindda like the Hungarian answer to
Budweiser or Danish Carlsberg, but unlike those two it's really tasty and fruity for a draft. My turn! I order only two beers, seeing as how my friend there
spilled seven of his eight beers bopping and stomping down through many angry would-be customers in the line, still spewing chunks of those Pretzel
things all over. God bless him. I get to our seat. We chat with a couple sitting straight behind us. They were ever so sweet - and if you by a one in a
million chance read this, yeah it was us! You guys read the whole tour off of that white tee my girlfriend was sporting, offered us chocoalte during the
wait and translated for us later on. The guy is a MAJOR fan. He's around 50 and even brought binoculars. It just then dawned on me that Appetie For
Destruction came out in 1987. 19 years ago. Whoa. 22:00 comes and goes. A lot of people are VERY drunk now. And restless. A flashlight on stage. An
announcement. Oh. No. As the speaker goes but one syllable we're thinking - Nooooo! - not another no-show. He goes off in Hungarian (there were a lot
of people there from other countries so this was highly un-professional) and all we get from his two sentences were ".....Axl". And then a huuuuuuuuge
"BOOOOOOOOOOOO" from the crowd and everyone lifts their middle finger at the stage. And immediately many start to face around and walk out.
Shit. Fuckin' shit. I glimpse my girlfriend going "You told me so, you told me so.." The couple behind us quickly tell us to remain seated however, and
translate: "They say.. Technical problem.. Should be twenty minutes. Half hour. Axl, band are here." Whew. It would get better. Or worse. Depends!
They're playing rock songs over the PA. Alice in Chains. Pearl Jam. Aerosmith. Kravitz. Limp Bizkit. Zeppelin. But no sound testing or anything. Not a
beep. Yeah right, they got "sound problems". Axl's missing in action is what it is. 23:00 rolls around. Some people are leaving. I don't blame them. It's a
working day Thursday. Hell, we were getting impatient and we were on holiday! I know the inner workings of one Axl Rose after so many years, but after
that flight and all the new, interesting sights and sounds of a foreign country... Just from the airport, cab ride and people at the hotel... well, we were
tired. I think of my friend in the beer line. He's probably puking out those pretzellian cakes on the balcony right now. 23:15. Inbetween the songs played
on the PA, people are boooing. Whistling. Chanting. Not in a friendly fashion. We end up sitting alone, with only our friends, the sweet Hungarian couple
behind us. People have left. The venue is still packed though. The floor is four fifths full and the major part of the sides and top balconies full too. So
much for a "20 minute" technical problem, huh?. This is Axl, I just know it. Ofcourse it's Axl. He's en-route from Milano still, sipping Cristal. We see
some police officers around the place. Okay, so they're expecting a riot. Or maybe I'm getting paranoid. More boos. Whistles. 23:30. There's a tension. A
major tension in the crowd. Some are squatted down on the floor, sleeping. Drunk. Tired. Worn-out. Tension rises. Hostility. Like a bubble ready to
BURST.. I think of the riots in 2002. The Philly incident. The old St. Louis gig. The whole comets-tail of smashed shows that follows this band around. The
more things change, the more they stay the same. I had been texting Lars1975 (from the GNR Bar) at this point a few times and he actually calmed us
down with a simple text back: "Patience." He was right. I should have known this. The only problem is: The band should at least start printing tickets with
a showtime at around maybe 23:00. Then it would seem reasonable. People here in Hungary had NO idea. Only the diehards. And then... Just as you
could hear a pin drop.. at 23:33.. the intro music starts. I remember going "This is it!" - win OR lose this crowd, the band is going on. Now. However, it
goes on forever. I missed the old Rio cartoon suddenly. That's still my favorite. But this was okay I guess, but it just wouldn't stop. Is this Chris Pittman
playing or a DAT tape, anyway? More boos. Maybe they WERE testing the sound, but in this fashion? They're reeeeally stretching this intro, mkay?
Getting boos is NOT the way you wanna start a concert. More boos. Not good. Not a good way to finally enter the stage, n'est pas? And then.. "Dja dja,
dja dja..." YEEEAAAAH!!!!! YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! Crowd goes ballistic. People stumble to their feet, on each other, into each other,
over each other... "Dja dja, dja dja... Dja dja dja dja, dja dja...DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE FUCK YOU ARE?" We know, Axl, we've been here since
seven o'clock. But Welcome to the Jungle, folks. Indeed! I get ecstatic and leap outta my seat, shouting "Aaaaaaaxl!". The couple behind us do the same.
My girlfriend later told me she actually got goosebumps. It *IS* the coolest opening song in rock history, but this tease... It's what rock n' roll is all about.
The sound is good too. Flawless. Sound problems or not, sound is puuurhh-fect. The voice. That voice. The desperation, anger, danger, authenticity. It's
genuine. It's a classic. They're back. I was yelling 'Axl' just outta sheer delight that he was not a no-show. We're talking flight tix, hotels and a hell of a
way to start a four day vacation on a low if he was a no-show. His music, songs, this new band, it will all stand regardless of what happens next (and even
no album), but for that couple of seconds and for the first time in 15 years I felt like a giddy fanboy (again). Rightfully so. And we were sharing this - my
girlfriend and I - her being new to the new songs but into the old hits and actually quite intrigued about Axl's (crazy) inner workings too. All the great
artists were nut-cases, she says. Amen. Okay. The band sounds tight as hell, the sound is great despite a little wee-wee fall-back from the back of the
venue and Axl's on target. This guy is singing BETTER than ever. Not that I ever doubted it. I love how commenting on Axl's voice has become like rating
wine these days. And I'm no different. All we need now is Robert M. Parker Jr. getting onboard. Look, the guy is singing better than ever. This might be
my first Guns gig since 1993, but I got 30 bootlegs since then (with the new lineup) to show for it and BY GOD ALMIGHTY (coming from an atheist mind
you) - cat can sing. They roll straight into It's So Easy and the crowd has forgotten the last five hours. Or so it seems. Axl starts to talk. "Welcome to the
big rock show, this is the big rock show, a big rock show, oh, the big rock show, this is a big rock show.." He's smiling, bull-shitting. He's game. Then Mr.
Brownstone. Brian Mantia adds so much be-bop, feel and funk to this song and it simply sways wider than Axl's snake-dance. Almost shaking the arena
walls. Awesome. Brownstone ends. Yowza. And there's Tommy Stinson, all shit-eating grin like I remember him from Loppen at Christiania in
Copenhagen, where Lars1975, his girlfriend and I saw one of his solo gigs. He may have been a key member and founder of cult-act The Replacements
(which I've always loved) but he is no replacement here. Duff who? Oh, a beer brand on the Simpsons. Next! Axl goes forward, fidgetting his mike. "So..
We're sorry about the delay," he goes. "I was PRETTY fucked up." Huh? He goes on with a comment about all the downloaders and ends going: "This
is... Better." It starts off-key with Axl's falsetto and Finck's guitar not meshing, but then the gigantic riff hits and it ROCKS. My girlfriend and I had no
sense of time by now. I've put the set-list at the bottom here, but there could be a few blurps or misses. This band is amazing. The background vocals on
Better need work, but I heard (when I came home today) that Finck split the stage and smashed his guitar (?). It all didn't gell, but the song has a fearless
drive that's just a lock. I love this song. As Axl sings of knowing someone better, now he knows that said person knows he knows better, a funny wordplay,
yes, but I think of what an amazing song this is. The end verse, sung almost in pain to the freigh-train riff and roll is trancelike live. Robin wrote this song.
And Axl the great lyrics. This "new" outfit is indeed a band. "Is there a technical difficulty I am not aware of?" Axl goes as Robin is MIA. He comes back.
I forget the order of songs around here, but that remark kindda zealed the ordeal on the late showtime. Or did it? Now... Everything gets more murky.
Due to beers, energy levels drained and just practically saying "Fuck all" and soaking in every minute of this show. Ron Thal Bumblefoot comes out.
Solo. The camera zooms in on his guitar and the three huge screens behind the band on stage highlight him. He sounds terrible. I'm NOT feeling this guy.
He's tapping but it's horrendous, hurried and off-key. WTF? Then.. The guitar spreads wings.. In the midst of this off-key wailing. And it's blown up on the
screens. Brundlefly? People start to boo again. That's gotta hurt. He exits quickly. Then.. We're into Live and Let Die with a jazzy, fresh sounding piano
high in the mix (Dizzy) and a more wholesome, refined sound than on past tours. These guys are musicians with a capital G and R. Crowd goes ape
again. The screens flash lead-befitted, colored church windows and Dizzy's keying the beautiful organ-sounding opening to Madagascar. Whoa. My
favorite of the newbies (still) due to the lyrical metaphors Axl here injects of human isolation and the whole situation of freeing yourself from the past. A
wise man once said: You may be done with past, but the past is not done with you. How true. Axl is singing to the heavens and with each show, cutting his
ball and chain. Reflective, resonant. This is rock n' roll with a brain. Pun intended, but seriously, folks, this is rock n' roll with a scope long gone from the
major spotlight. You'd usually have to go under the radar for a song like Madagascar and boy oh boy, does it sound good in this kind of a venue. As Finck
rips the first notes of Sweet Child O' Mine the UFO that is the Sportarena lifts off. Pretzel-whatyoumightcall'ems, beer stalls, drunkards and all! We're
seated pretty far back but the surge goes through the arena and back again. It's poetic justice almost. The band has won over the crowd. Axl-Time and all.
I notice how Rose sounds raspy on the first verse - think Big Daddy soundtrack and the Illusion tours - and how he's spot on crisp and organic for the rest
of the song. Magic. These guys are sharp like a Samurai sword and the intensity of both the old and new songs is staggering. There are stops between the
songs. Guns were always "real" - realtime it's called today, I guess, in the computer age - and they'd decide songs as they went along and this is a
trademark and makes for some of the appeal. You never know what you're gonna get. Here, tonight, it drains some energy though. Pfew. Then You Could
Be Mine. With no "ass in the air" inserted by Axl like on the live album. Hm. Anyway, the band is bulls-eye once again. They're smoking. What a punch
they pack. In your face. Enter: Dizzy Reed. By many accounts the highlight of the evening. As Axl's grand piano rolls in - Reed, not Rose - sits down. And
starts to play. Play is an understatement. Hammer delicately away. Dizzy was always an AMAZING musician and finally - FINALLY - he gets to go off.
This new band is all about the players - on their own - and what magic they make TOGETHER at the core. New AND old. Dizzy goes on and on (Ziggy
Stardust?) and it sounds like the angels coming down. He continues and the crowd start to chant along not realizing what song he's rolling, rocking and
tapping away at, head bowed down, dreads going everywhere. Homerun, Diz. Straight into.. The Blues. The highlight for me this evening. A beast of a
song dressed in sheep's clothing. A rocker soaked in melodic Elton John hooks but luckily free of Bernie Taupin lyrics. It's a beauty. Axl's moment, if you
want. Guns N' Roses tear through Out Ta Get Me. I'm waiting for Axl to set fire to a policeman's hat on stage. Bad ass shit. The groove is deeper, harder,
more fluent than the old band. It's got more texture. Width. Aggression. Musicianship. Did I mention Richard Fortus? What a sensational shredder. Can't
remember if he even played lead on that song, but I thought I'd mention him as he's CERTAINLY gained his limelight in this band since 2002. And he's
boxing for room in a ring featuring a Mr. Robin Finck and a Mr. Ron Thal. Fortus is out on the boards doing a solo and it's Beautiful by Christian
Aguilera. The balls on these fellas! Spaceballs? Well this band breaks for nobody. We get chills, hell, the entire crowd gets chills as everyone is chanting
along. Not knowing the lyrics to a (goddamn) Aguilera song, but realizing - and accepting - the sheer wonder of the melody. Finck joins him from stage
left and they jam it out, layer on layer. Goosebumps. The crowd is now croooooning along. Moxie, folks. Pure Moxie. And on with the show. "It's good to
be back here," Axl goes. The response is good but the crowd is tired. Not like that of the band's last two Rio shows. But Axl seems to know he was late.
Maybe he does use that designer wrist-watch every now and then. Seriously, love him or hate him... he was a trooper tonight. The crowd were REAL tired
by now. Later on, as the band do an impromptu jam session - jazzy, breezy go-at-it with Axl voice-scratching (sounds bloody terrific and funky) he says -
almost as if realizing the crowd is tired - "You'll have to forgive us. I don't know what that was. Sometimes we just go off... Maybe it was an old
Hungarian folk song?". A nod to the fact that Guns N' Roses did in fact play an old Hungarian folksong the last time they were here over thirteen years
ago. Anyway, he continues: "Hey, this is an old number by.. Bon Jovi..[devilish smile]." Turns out it's Knockin on Heavens Door. Now a fusion of the
sing-along version by the old band and the bluesy, anthemic back-to-basics beauty of what the new band played in 2001 and 2002. More feel, zest and
emotion in the latter, but this half-breed does the trick as well for us. The piano (Dizzy again) high in the mix, it's now a funky cowboy song on steroids.
Even in these Brokeback Mountain days *smiles*. They deliver a fucking amazing cover. Axl crooning and oozing heartfelt out on top. Voice is ace. Ace.
The crowd goes ballistic yet again in response to this red-haired maniac's amazing vocal pipes and true, artistic rock n' roll presence. He walks it like he
talks it. "Alright now..," Rose says as he goes forward getting ready to bring in the crowd for a four-time runaround. "I sing one and then you sing one..."
Sound familiar? Suddenly I felt like I was channelled by Sir Alec Guiness going; "Now that is a .. I have not heard in a looong time." Circa 1977. Fuck
yeah. It's getting real late though. Piano rolls in again. Axl sits down. Chewing gum and smiling. Content. He turns around and smiles at Stinson (I think),
pulls a joke. He starts playing an Elton John song (I forget which) and then.. November Rain. There's a cascade of sparks that rain down for the end verse
and everyone in the crowd is now practically hovering over the arena floor. My girlfriend and I have moved closer, but we're still seated (due to people
behind us). They can't top this, can they? We know, ofcourse, that probably Nightrain and Paradise City are closers, but I'm looking at the red-eyed,
already hungovered, Hungarian crowd and I'm happy the band gave such a great performance after coming on hours late. They could end now, it'll still
be a smash. We certainly got our money's worth, flying down from Copenhagen. Enter Brundlefly.. sorry, Bumblefoot! Sporting a red beanie and looking
like the new member - which he ofcourse is - pretty nervous - he starts to play again. Just before the crowd starts to boo, his guitar playing lights a spark.
Fluent, flying and fantastic, he's doing his thing. Then he slows it down and it's... Don't Cry. The whole arena sings the song and Thal is having his
moment. A spectacle to say the least - easy cheesy on paper - but Thal plays to this song's strengths and does his own, little variation of it and it's a truly,
deserved moment. He's moved and touched, blows a kiss to the crowd and bows. Bravo. Whistle! A "universal" one, be it Hungarian, English - even
Chinese for that matter. Last train for those hoping to go to work in a few hours. Take the Nightrain on Axl-Time. They BLAST and RIP through this song.
It's killer. I mean it when I say it: I cannot bring myself to hear this song live by the old band anymore. This new band is taking Nightrain into orbit.
Hoooo-ly SHIT. Goodnight. Laughs on everyone. More like good morning, aye? Okay, so it's only half past one. "That was Mr. Finck doing a [couldn't
hear]," Axl says as he comes out and Robin rolls in with the opening lick to Paradise City and the arena implodes in jubilation. As the song storms to a
crescendo - this tale of yearning for a better place, of adolescent wayward rock n' roll Los Angelesnitis pulling the plug - with confetti raining down, over
and out on us, the crowd - Guns N' Roses bow down for the night. Good fuckin' night, Budapest. Same to ya, Guns N' Roses. What a show, what a rock n'
roll spectacle. A hard rock monstrosity. Highlighted, led and often halted by one Mr. W. Axl Rose, but also fueled and re-imagined by the very same. He
was - and most certainly is - the vortex of one of the greatest rock n' roll bands of our time. Singer, songwriter, live performer. There was nobody like him
back in the day and with this show - as I finally saw the 44-year old Howard Hughes of rock live on a stage, not just from a recent bootleg - he reminded
me of what caught my ear and eye in the first place. Besides the voice, the charisma, the great tunes, the raging punkish songs AND the poetic and
reflective songs. This guy is the REAL deal. Then and now. We wander into the night. High on music. The best high. Thursday we spent shopping and
sightseeing in inner-city Budapest. Friday my girlfriend and I spent the whole day (pre-booked) at Margitsziget Island, at the Danubius Spa and Hotel.
There are hot and cool pools, real swimming pools and a stone-walk filled with ice-cold water (this gets the blood flowing I'm tellin ya'). Now if you're
man enough for this next shit, I strongly recommend it. You ladies probably all know what I'm talking about. Hungary is famous for its spas (dating back
to when it was occupied by the Turks). We started out with a Cleopatra bath - which is basically a bath in hot water over milk (!). That was pushing the
limit for me, but I shouldn't push my luck so early on I found... See, for the next treatment we got taken into each our little rooms. I'm there and told to
strip down. Completely! And lie on the couch. This Hungarian lady says it like it's the most natural thing. Eh, okay. So I do. She then precedes to brush
me down with these two animal-haired brushes. All over... eh, except one place. All the while I'm thinking of Roseanne Barr.. Naked! Then.. She whips out
this big basin of some weird cream stuff. It's honey, beer and milk and some herbal thingy. She covers me in it. Asks me to lie on my back. Then back on
my chest and back again. She then wraps me in thermal covers so only my head is sticking out. "See ju ind thirdy min'ates." What? Oh well. So there I lay.
Feeling like a bad "Axl Rose mid-90s Herbal Wrap Joke in Rolling Stone". But I actually fell asleep. It was quite relaxing. And your skin feels like a baby
afterwards. Smooth and cleansed. Although you do smell like sourdough milk for a few hours. As we get ready to order a cab in the afternoon, the porter
at this (very) fine hotel ducks us, as he ushers in a bunch of people in cabs right in front of us. Shit happens. We're not staying here, we're only here for
the spa. He apologizes and asks where we're going. "Well, the Pap Lazlo Sportarena," I say in my best Hungr-ish, not recalling the name of our hotel for
a splitsecond. "Oh, dere a shouw twonight?" he says genuinely interested. "No. There was yesterday. Guns N' Roses." "Yeyz. Yeyz! Dey com fwor owers
lade on, wright? I dinka Axel usey da cokaina!" he says. We all three laugh. He orders us a cab for a fixed price (remember that - if you're going to
Budapest by the way - get fixed prices). Nice fella, but I wasn't as much laughing with him, certainly not at him, as much as at public opinion. But can one
blame the igonorant public/media here? What do they know? The band were 2 hours late and not due to sound problems it seemed. This is Hungary. For
all good intentions, they've been outta the GNR loop for a while. Not to mention their internet and general news availability. So, today Saturday, as we
ordered a cab for the airport, my girlfriend mentions the show as we swing out of the hotel and by the arena and the driver goes "Yeyz. Gyns ond Roises.
Dey com on vjery lade, yeyz? Gwood show?" he asks. Another kind Hungarian. Wish we could have stayed longer actually. Didn't get to soak in as much
culture as we would have liked to. Milk, honey and beer is one thing altogether. "The best. They made up for it," she says. "Well dey come on wery late I
hear, mayni peepol njot gid taxi, njot gid home." He was so very right. We were lucky though. We could walk home. Practically jump home, our hotel was
that close. But yes. Guns N' Roses need to work on printing another start time on those tix. At least to prepare people. This is not gonna work through the
Summer. And it would be a pity too. Because there's no band out there even remotely close to these guys - Guns N' Roses Version 2.0 - in terms of being a
bad-ass rock n' roll band, carrying chops, originality and nostalgia all in one potent mix. And an Axl Rose on top of his game. Even without an ass - his
ass - in the air. So... roll on Roskilde and Oslo!
06.02.06 - Rock Am Ring, Eifel, Nürburgring, GERMANY

opening acts: Bloodsimple, Stone Sour, Alice In Chains, Dir En Grey, Deftones, Korn, Tool
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Better, Robin Guitar Solo, Live And Let Die, Knocking On Heaven's Door,
Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, You Could Be Mine, Out Ta Get Me, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], November Rain, My
Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Richard Guitar Solo, Robin & Richard Guitar Duet [w/
Beautiful], Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, I.R.S., Patience, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City
audio/video recording?: video [pro-shot]
notes: Axl thanks the crowd after the Jam, tells them that they are 'very generous'. Merck and Beta are at the side of the stage for most of
the performance. Axl introduces Knockin' On Heaven's Door with "This is a song that was not written by David Hasselhoff." and
somebody starts playing the Knight Rider theme for a very short moment before the band starts the song. Sebastian Bach joins Axl for
vocals on My Michelle. During the show, Axl says that Izzy was supposed to be there but he failed to appear. Axl then says that nobody
knows where Izzy is and that the only thing he knows is that Izzy is somewhere.
06.04.06 - Gods Of Metal Festival, Idroscalo, Milan, ITALY

opening acts: 10 Years, Benedictum, Hellfueled, DragonForce, Bloodsimple, Soulfly, Stone Sour, Alice in Chains, Deftones, Korn
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Better, Dizzy
Piano Solo, The Blues, You Could Be Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Rocket Queen,
November Rain , Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Madagascar, My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience,
Robin Guitar Solo, Nightrain [w/ Sebastian Bach], I.R.S., Paradise City
notes: The show began about an hour late. They hit the stage around 11:50 and played until about 1:30. Sebastian Bach joined the band
for two songs. Axl saw a sign saying "Axl is God" and said "Thanks, but I'm not God. If I was God, 3/4 of you would be girls, and the
rest would be pizza and beer.". He also saw a sign with a phone # on it that said "I could be yours" (he commented "give me a moment to
memorize that number"). Knockin' On Heaven's Door was introduced as "an old Pavarotti tune". After November Rain, Axl's
microphone stand on the piano was burning, and he improvised a bit about it. Tommy started playing "The Roof Is On Fire"
(Bloodhound Gang) and Axl sang a few lines. After I.R.S., Axl says "This was also one of those Internet favorites."
06.07.06 - Hammersmith Apollo, London, ENGLAND

opening act: Avenged Sevenfold
attendance: 5,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Madagascar,
Better, Jam, You Could Be Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't
Cry], I.R.S., Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], My Michelle [w/
Sebastian Bach], Patience, Jam, Nightrain, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City
notes: Sold out show!. Tickets for this show were available by text message as well as printed tickets. GN'R plays a special warm up
show before the Download Festival for a sold out Hammersmith Apollo. After Mr. Brownstone Axl says "It's nice to be here. Thank you
for coming out, to the legendary Hammersmith Odeon. No sleep till Hammersmith. Or with any luck, no sleep for the rest of the night!".
Before Madagascar he asks the crowd "How many of you are planning on coming out to Donington?" After hearing the crowd's reaction
he continues "That's what we like to hear! Well then, thank you for stopping in early this evening. In your busy Donington week". Better
is introduced with "Let's stick with the theme of newness. Newness and nudeness, and trying to stay in tuneness." After the song he says
"That was off my last album. And the hits just keep on coming!". During Knockin' On Heaven's Door Axl says "You seem like a pretty
lively bunch. I think you can help me out here. And you know how it goes.". He also passes the microphone to a fan at the front who
sings a line from the song. Sebastian Bach joins the band for "My Michelle". Patience is dedicated to "Outpatients everywhere". Before
Nightrain there's a Guns N' Roses chant.
ONE ROSE BACKED BY THORNS (John Aizlewood, Evening Standard, 6.8.2006): Two hours may be a blink of an eye to a group without an album of
original material since 1991, but in a sweltering Hammersmith Apollo, two hours was an eternity. Scheduled to come on stage at 8.45, Guns N'Roses
finally emerged at 10.45. If that and the sludgy sound that the road crew had had ample time to perfect, were not sufficient contempt for the audience, I'm
far from convinced I actually saw Guns N'Roses. Singer Axl Rose was certainly present. With his ginger dreadlocks tied into an unruly ponytail, a half-
hearted goatee and a succession of tasteless shirts unbuttoned to reveal, somehow reassuringly, a sunburnt chest, he resembled nothing less than a Stars
In Their Eyes Mick Hucknall. Behind Rose, though, were seven thorns. With the arguable exceptions of long-standing keyboardist Dizzy Reed and terrific
drummer Brain, they were no more Guns N'Roses than they were potholers. Rose found it necessary to employ three lead guitarists. Collectively (let alone
individually), they were not worthy of tuning the strings of Slash, the band's spirit and direction until he fled in 1996. Disastrously, Rose permitted all
three solo stage time as he changed outfits. After the first five minutes of Richard Fortus's mind-numbing efforts, I lost the will to live. Even so, Rose's
duet with Skid Row's Sebastian Bach on My Michelle was thrilling and Sweet Child O'Mine still sends shivers down the sternest of spines, but November
Rain, so breathtaking on record, was more June Drizzle, while the confetti and shower of sparks that accompanied the closing Paradise City could not
obscure the fact that this band have surrendered almost everything that once made them great.
06.09.06 - RDS Arena, Dublin, IRELAND

opening acts: Funeral for A Friend, Bullet For My Valentine
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Richard Guitar Solo,
Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't
Cry], You Could Be Mine, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Better, Madagascar, Patience, My
Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Nightrain
notes: The band were scheduled, and arrived, onstage at 9pm sharp. While Robin played the opening riff to 'Welcome To The Jungle'
Axl surveyed the crowd and remarked that it was 'the rock show' before smiling and nodding. Axl looked in extremely good form
throughout, and before 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door, he picked up an Irish flag and wore it around his neck while singing the song. He
also called the crowd 'crazy Irish motherfuckers' and started saying he was melting in the sun and wasnt used to performing in the
sunlight. Axl also messed up the words at the start of 'The Blues.' The majority of the crowd didnt seem to know any new material, and
stayed quiet while the newer songs where being played. The crowd sang along to both Robin & Richard's 'Beautiful' solo and Ron's
'Don't Cry' solo. Sebastian Bach was brought on for a performance of 'My Michelle' and remarked that Dublin was a town that certainly
knew how to drink. The band performed until 11pm, and had to cut their set short, saying that they hadn't time to perform a song (most
likely I.R.S.) before performing 'Paradise City.' At the end of the evening Axl said they told him he wasnt allowed to do this, but that
Ireland had been so great to him he would, and brought out the band for a bow.
KEITH ADAMS' REVIEW: I should start by saying that this was the first time I’ve ever seen Guns N’ Roses play live. GNR were playing in Dublin as part
of the Irish part of the Download festival. GNR played on Friday night, Metallica played on Sunday night. The tickets for the RDS were dear (it’s always
dear to go to the RDS!) – £50 a ticket in fact. Getting to the show itself was hampered by the fact that popular UK singer (and all round asshole) Robbie
Williams was playing on the same night at the same time…this held us up in traffic for a very long time whilst trying to get into Dublin. On the way down
I consoled myself with the idea that GNR are always late on stage, 8pm was when they were supposed to be appearing… Myself and my brother arrived
and got into the venue at exactly 8:00pm – GNR came onstage at 8:01pm and launched straight into “Welcome To The Jungle”. The crowd went nuts.
What followed was an absolutely amazing 2 hour show from Axl and his current lineup. I was expecting Axl’s voice to sound strained – but he was on top
form all night – he hit all the right notes and sounded truly fantastic – as good as any bootlegs I’ve heard from the 1980s and 90s. Axl was in a very good
mood for the entire show – he was smiling and grinning the whole time – there were no rants or stoppages during this show. In fact, talking was kept to a
minimum between songs. Axl cracked several jokes between songs, several about the Irish – although I forget these now. A huge Irish flag was passed to
Axl and he wore it onstage for one song. The set contained a lot of Appetite For Destruction songs – most of Appetite was played – the crowd went wild
for all the old songs – especially Sweet Shild and Paradise City at the end – I was screaming my lungs out for Paradise City. It was cool to see Sebastian
Bach for “My Michelle”. I was very much looking forward to hearing the new songs and what we got did not disappoint – “The Blues” sounds very much
to be the “November Rain” of the new album – it was excellent, “Madagascar” I have heard before and it’s a different sound. During Madagascar, Axl
jumped offstage and run up and down the front isle between the crowd and the stage – off course all the fans outstretched their hands and Axl obliged
with hand slaps. There was a security guard chasing him trying to get him back onstage while he was doing it to! During Paradise City, Fink did the same
thing – he jumped offstage and held his guitar up to some lucky crowd members to jab at! As for the current line up – they do not disappoint. Axl is Axl
and he never fails to entertain – good mood or bad – my only complaint was that when he wasn’t singing (during solos and such), he disappeared offstage
and reappeared when it was time to sing again. He changed clothes several times during the show – mostly jackets and shirts – and after the 3rd or 4th
song, his trainers went from white to red! Dizzy Reed pulled off a cool piano solo before “The Blues”, and everyone else had a turn at their solos. One of
the solos included the entire of “Don’t Cry” – there was no drums, base or singing – it was just the entire song played acoustically as part of the solo – I
think it was during Bumblefoot’s solo (after The Blues) that this was played. Perhaps the greatest surprise was Robin Fink’s performance. He bounced
around on stage, hit all the right notes and got the crowd going – I really like him – obviously we’ll always be comparing to Slash – but Fink is a superb
guitarist. The whole show lasted 2 and a quarter hours. Paradise was the only encore song played and I was hoping we might have gotten another song
or 2 when the band came back for the encore. 135 minutes flies by fast when you are enjoying yourself! It was an absolutely brilliant show and I’m
definitely going to try and get tickets to see them somewhere else on this current tour…
06.11.06 - Download Festival, Donington Park, Donington, ENGLAND

opening acts: Breed 77, Hatebreed, Dragon Force, 36 Crazyfists, In Flames, Lacuna Coil, Cradle of Filth, Bullet for My Valentine,
Funeral for a Friend
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Knockin' On Heavens Door, Robin Guitar Solo [w/
Finlandia], Sweet Child O' Mine, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], You Could Be Mine, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/
Beautiful], Better, Out Ta Get Me, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], The Blues, Think About You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], November
Rain, My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Smoke On The Water [Intro] / Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: Madagascar, Rocket Queen, I.R.S., Chinese Democracy, Used To Love Her [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Robin Guitar Solo , Paradise City
[w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: The band is having some sound issues tonight. Tommy addresses the crowd after Better. "But don't throw shit, or I'm gonna
fucking go home! I'm sorry, I don't take it!" During November Rain, Axl says "Good old Brain. Just beating the hell out of a love song...
Beat the hell out of that love song." Axl joins the crowd's "Izzy! Izzy!" chant before Patience. After I.R.S., Axl says "We should
probably record that song. We could record that and people could like download it and shit." He also says "I don't wanna go home... I
can't say that about an hour ago". Izzy Stradlin joins the band onstage for the first time on this European leg of the tour.
ARK ALBRECHT'S REVIEW: Guns N' Roses were cursed on this hallowed ground of rock in the United Kingdom 18 years previous, 2 fans had been
crushed to death at this very place where they now made a second apearance as a headline band. That however, was 18 years ago. Unfortunately, the
sound equipment had been bad all day, which i can only assume to be the extreme heat festival goers and bands had endured over the weekend.
Dragonforce and In Flames were notably bad, and i was concerned how GNR would hold up with the problems. To add to that, a photographer for one of
the UK's magazines had started a rumour about a month prior to the headliner announcement, tht it would be the original lineup playing, and not the
current lineup, and that they'd also be playing a warm up show at the Hammersmith Apollo. This rumour died, then was re-sparked by the GNR
announcement of the Hammersmith show a few nights before the Download set. Having this rumour fly around, and people asking me the night before (i'd
managed to get a tour tshirt when they went on sale the previous night) if the Hammersmith show was the current or original line-up, it was obvious that
there would have to be some MAJOR show to win some of the crowd over. 8.40pm: The intro tape starts playing, 10 minutes BEFORE they were due to
appear onstage. I suddenly got over the whiplash I'd inflicted on myself during Metallica's set the night before, and started cheering through vocal chords
that were long over-tired. Then Robin hit the first note of WTTJ, and several thousand people roared in excitement at the long over-due return of Guns N'
Roses to Donington. The sound wasn't perfect, but i didn't care. the show was under way, and they'd started EARLY, something that at the time i wasnt
aware they'd done before in their history. However, technical problems would lead to play a big part for this show. After Knockin', the band retired to the
backstage area leaving Robin to solo before he started Sweet Child. After SCOM, the show had to be stopped due to Axl catching himself on some wires
and nearly falling arse over tit. While he was backstage composing himself, Richard Fortus played a guitar solo, and the crowd became restless at the
inherent lack of momentum. Some people in the crowd even tried starting a "Slash, Slash, Slash" chant but it didn't seem to take off. Following Richard an
Robin dueting on Christina Aguillera's song "Beautiful", You Could Be Mine started. However, technical problems would raise their head again and
caused another stop in the show and Axl not singing the end of the song. Ron Thal filled in on vocals for the closing minutes, and then did a guitar solo
including Don't Cry. Better had a delayed start to it, which seemed to get the restless crowd that bit more aggravated and they started throwing bottles,
some filled with various liquids, at the stage. One hit Tommy Stinson in the head, and he smashed his bass and kicked it into the crowd, and it wrapped
itself round a camera man. At the end of the song, he took Axl's mic, apologised to the camera-man, and said that "I don't want a piss bottle to the fucking
head, I wanna play a rock show, I don't want shit to go down. I'm sorry about that, I didnt mean to hit you but don't throw shit or I'm gonna fucking go
home" After this, the band made a non stop set, with the exception of Dizzy's piano solo before The Blues. From then on, it was anon-stop rock n roll show
all the way, Izzy coming on got a massive roar from the crowd, along wiht Think About You. Sebastian Bach joined the band for My Michelle, and then
Izzy came back on with a Smoke On The Water intro to Patience. He remained onstage for Nightrain as well. Then came the encore, much longer than
anyone anticipated. A monster of an encore incorporating Mdagascar, Rocket Queen, I.R.S. after which, Axl said "we should record that song, then
people could, like, download it and stuff" and then "I don't wanna go home, I can't say that about an hour ago". Chinese Democracy followed, and then a
personal favourite, Used To Love Her which had Tommy on the drums and Izzy returning to the stage. Following that, it was a Robin solo, and then the
closing song of a monstrous set, a song that can only be used to end a Guns N' Roses show, Paradise City. Then I headed off to the campsite with a smile
on my face and my heart beating with excitement, having finally seen the band that were responsible for me being a heavy metal fan in the first place.
06.13.06 - Sazka Arena, Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC

opening acts: Sebastian Bach, Avenged Sevenfold
attendance: 18,000
soundcheck: Chinese Democracy, Madagascar, Better, I.R.S., The Blues, There Was A Time
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Better, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Robin Guitar Solo,
Sweet Child O' Mine, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], You Could Be Mine, Knockin' On Heavens Door, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, Chinese Democracy, My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Think About You
[w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Drum Solo, Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: I.R.S., Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Axl was present for soundcheck. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were in attendance for this show. Axl comments on the fact that the
Czech Republic beat the USA in football in the World Cup.
REVIEW: damn I just got back from Prague, I witnessed fucking great show! I really hope someone managed to bootleg it because it was almost flawless
nod I met gnrseb before the show, it was nice to meet you man cool about Avenged Sevenfold, I better forget that something like this even exists, it was
absolute crap. then Sebastian Bach stormed the stage and everything was fine, he played most hits by Skid Row, and both band and crowd really enjoyed
it, they were in good mood and I just regret they didn't get more time, I'd kick out A7X and give this band more time, they need it wink about GNR, the
performance was better I even expected. the guys were really like a band, they were so tight and played the fuck of all of the songs. I like the fact that they
weren't acting like stupid arrogant rockstars but they just enjoyed the show and were always smiling - fucking cool band big grin and there was Axl Rose.
his mike mix was maybe not enough loud, so sometimes it was harder to hear him, but his voice was perfect. maybe it was the mix, but it seemed to me
that he's singing everything much higher than at the previous gigs. there were some fuckers calling Slash, Axl ranted at one of them and told him just to
fuck off big grin all songs were played really perfectly, maybe Ron's guitar wasn't as loud as needed and his leads weren't so clear, but who fucking cares
when the whole arena was singing every single song with the band! Sebastian Bach joined at My Michelle, and then, Izzy appeared on the stage, the band
morphed into many-headed hydra and destroyed everything in the way. it was just blasting. he joined the band for Think About You, Patience, Nightrain
and then Paradise City. it seemed like Izzy never left the band, he seemed to be so happy and the band was in great mood as well, it just seemed like GNR
have 4 guitar players and it will be so forever big grin they played four of the new songs - Better, The Blues, Chinese Democracy and IRS (in this order),
they did some blues jam or what during every time the piano was moving forth and back, and Axl enjoyed some Fucking off in G unibrow that was great. I
was impressed by every musician on the stage. especially Robin Finck really seemed to enjoy every note. well I'm tired as fuck, I'm not that young
anymore, I have to get some rest now. I got some photos at my cell phone, hopefully they're not as shitty as I think they are disgusted rock on people! a
few more pieces: at the end of the show, Axl mistakenly screamed "Czechoslovakia, good fucking night!" - oh well, this fucking country is called Czech
Republic, Czechoslovakia doesn't exist for 13 years, they could finally get used to this fact paranoid I just copied some photos from the cellphone, they're
tiny but some of them are pretty good, let's see what can I do with them, 352x288 resolution sucks but some of them are watchable. anyway, a bunch of
much better czech photos are on the way so maybe I'll include these then. the security was very tight, they scanned everything and as far as I know, many
cameras or whatever were confiscated. but still some people were able to sneak in with cameras because I could see some flashes. however I'm not sure
about any bootleg, many people recorded at least something at their mobile phones but... you know the quality puking I have to appreciate the band's
mood again, they seemed to be very happy, always doing some gestures to the fans, smiled at the crowd, that was amazing! I have never seen this kind of
behaviour, most bands are acting like fucking proud rockstars. this is just completely different. sometimes I got the feeling that Axl looks very old in the
face - hell who doesn't look old in 40's, but he was running at the stage like in the old times Robin is the most interesting stage performer I ever seen, he
was always doing some weird figures, maybe artistic maybe stupid, I'm not to judge this, I pretty liked it, even if it seems he has to fall and kill himself at
the stage big grin Brain did a short solo, I think before Nightrain members of Red Hot Chili Peppers (they are performing today, a day after GNR) were
seen behind the stage right before the show, I could easily recognize Anthony Kiedis, maybe discussing with some GNR members, I couldn't see them all
too well... he was smiling anyway smile
06.15.06 - Legia Stadium, Warsaw, POLAND

opening acts: 650 North, Kobranocka, Oddzial Zamkniety, Sebastian Bach
attendance: 20,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Better, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Robin Guitar Solo,
Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Jam, You Could Be Mine, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Chinese
Democracy, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Jam, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me,
My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Think About You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: Madagascar, I.R.S., Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: GN'R's first ever show in Poland. GN'R were supposed to start at 9:15pm local time but they actually hit the stage early, around
8:38pm.
06.17.06 - Novarock, Pannonia Fields II, Burgenland, AUSTRIA

opening acts: Sebastian Bach, Jesus Christ Smokes Holy Gasoline, Die Krupps, Sevendust, Opeth, Subway To Sally, Bloodhound Gang,
Oomph!, Tool
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Madagascar, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine,
Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], You Could Be Mine, Knockin' On
Heaven's Door, Better, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Out Ta Get Me, My Michelle [w/
Sebastian Bach], Think About You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Used To Love Her [w/ Izzy Stradlin], I.R.S., Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin],
Bumblefoot Guitar Solo, Nightrain
encore: Rocket Queen, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Happy birthday is wished to both stage manager Tom Mayhue and Dizzy Reed at different times during the show. Used To Love
Her is introduced as a "friendly little love song". Patience is introduced with "let's bring Mr. Stradlin back up".
06.20.06 - Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, Paris, FRANCE

opening acts: Bullet For My Valentine, Avenged Sevenfold
attendance: 15,000
soundcheck: Out Ta Get Me, Think About You, Nightrain
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Madagascar,
You Could Be Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard
& Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Better, November Rain, I.R.S., My
Michelle, Used To Love Her [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: Chinese Democracy, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Izzy Stradlin' joins Axl for vocals on Used To Love Her, Patience, Nightrain, and Paradise City.
06.21.06 - Hallenstadion, Zurich, SWITZERLAND

opening act: Avenged Sevenfold
notes: This show was postponed to July 1.
ESS RELEASE FROM SANCTUARY MANAGEMENT: Guns N' Babies! Guns N' Roses have been forced to postpone their show in Zurich at the
Hallenstadion this evening the 21st of June, 2006. Their drummer Brain aka Bryan Mantia has had to return to San Francisco earlier than scheduled to
be with his pregnant wife. The band have been travelling with understudy drummer Frank Ferrer and he will be ready to step in when the tour continues
as scheduled on Saturday with their next show at Belgium's Graspop Festival. It is expected that Brain will return to the tour in approximately 2 weeks
time. The band had a phenomenal show at Bercy in Paris last night which they consider to be the best of the tour to date. During the exuberant
performance guitarist Robin Finck pulled his hamstring but will benefit from the extra day of rest and will be ready for Saturday. The Hallenstadion show
in Zurich will now take place on the 1st of July and all tickets are valid. Guns N' Roses apologise to their Swiss fans for any inconvenience and look
forward to seeing them in a couple of weeks.
06.24.06 - Graspop Metal Meeting, Dessel, BELGIUM

opening acts: Jon Oliva's 'Pain', Death Angel, The New York Dolls, Stone Sour, Ancient Rites, My Dying Bride, Bloodsimple, Avenged
Sevenfold, Ill Niño, Akercocke, Bullet for My Valentine, Obituary, Alice in Chains, Nile, Opeth, Soulfly, Korn
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], The Blues, Jam, Richard Guitar Solo,
Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle,
I.R.S., Patience, Nightrain
notes: Frank Ferrer, Brain's understudy, plays his first show with the band. The show started at 11:40 pm local time and ended at 1:45
am. After 'Live And Let Die,' Axl talks about his hangover, which he got from mixing Vodka and Champagne, which he calls
Vampagne, and according to Axl it gives you a terrible hangover.

opening acts: Bullet For My Valentine, Avenged Sevenfold
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Jam, Live And Let Die, Better, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine,
Knockin' On Heavens Door, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ S.O.S.], The Blues, Jam, You Could Be Mine, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle,
Madagascar, Nightrain
encore: Chinese Democracy, I.R.S., Patience, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City
notes: Sold out show!. The show starts at 9:50PM. Before Better Axl thanks Frank for filling in for Brain, he says Frank thinks he's
living the dream. Robin's first solo is introduced with "I wanna introduce the guy that brought that song to the band. For your listening
pleasure, Robin Finck". Dizzy plays ABBA's S.O.S as his solo. Richard is introduced as "from New York City, the one, the only Mr.
Richard Fortus!". Then Axl adds "I got that wrong. You're from Jersey." The band jam for a bit before November Rain and Axl
comments how sometimes they just get lost (probably meaning they just keep jamming). Tommy also comments on that. Before
Madagascar, Axl asks the crowd "You doin' allright? Wanna hang in there for a bit longer? Are you sure?" IRS is preceeded by "They
decided they wanted to do another song" (Axl talking about the band). Sold out in less than seven hours.

opening act: Bullet For My Valentine
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Better, Jam,
Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Jam, Drum Solo, You Could Be Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Rocket Queen, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't
Cry], I.R.S., Patience, Nightrain
encore: Chinese Democracy, My Michelle, Madagascar, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City
notes: Sold Out! in about 20 minutes. Axl says before Patience: "This song is a good song to sing when you're in jail after being arrested
by a cop" – referring to his arrest in Sweden days earlier. Out Ta Get Me was dedicated to Sweden. At one point he said "and even
though I wanted to go to the nice neighbouring country (Norway), Sweden wouldn't let me go, they wanted to keep me" – ones more
referring to his arrest. At another point her said "everybody is after me... especially in Sweden... their all out ta fucking get me!" Before
November Rain he said "Well maybe I'm a fucking asshole... well I'm a fucking rock and roll asshole"
06.29.06 - Roskilde Festival, Roskilde, DENMARK

opening acts: Magtens Korridorer, Bullet For My Valentine
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Jam, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O'Mine, Knockin'
On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], The Blues, Jam, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard &
Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Jam, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Better,
My Michelle, Patience, Nightrain
encore: Chinese Democracy, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City
notes: Sold out show!. During Welcome To The Jungle, Axl asks somebody to give him a ball which he then kicks out into the crowd.
He thanks the crowd for being loud enough for Sweden to hear them before Live And Let Die. Before Knockin' On Heaven's Door, the
band plays a snippet of Iron Man, and after it a few riffs from Paranoid. During the song Axl says "They tell me that the proceeds of
these shows go to the abused children all over the world. That means this, and this performance, is dedicated to all of those who have the
potential to become as fucked up as I am". Before You Could Be Mine, Axl sings a few lines from Put On A Happy Face. After Better
Axl thanks the audience for being so amazing.

opening act: Shakra
attendance: 13,000
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, You Could Be Mine, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar
Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Think About You, Jam, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Axl Piano Solo, November Rain,
encore: I.R.S., Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City
notes: This show was originally scheduled for 6.21.06. Axl introduced Robin by saying "And for you Swiss listening pleasure, Mr.
Robin Finck." Axl also wore the national flag of Switzerland, which someone had thrown on stage. Bumblefoot picked up the national
flag of France, which someone had thrown on stage. Axl received a letter during 'Sweet Child O' Mine' from a fan, but didn't open it on
stage. Robin came once in piggy-pack on Frank's shoulders on stage. After a solo, Robin forgot to pick up his guitar, so he had to run
backstage. Axl again spoke about the "downloading-motherfucker" stuff. Axl did the jumping-jack exercise when he imitated Robin who
was clapping his hands over his head. Axl said at the end of the concert: "Thank you for coming, we will be back soon".
07.02.06 - Goffert Park, Nijmegen, HOLLAND

opening acts: Bloodsimple, Stone Sour, Alice In Chains
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Better, Jam, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine,
Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle, Think
About You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Izzy makes his second European appearance with the band. Before 'Better,' Axl says, "Thank you, I'd like to thank all of you for
coming out, we hope that we will enjoy ourselves this evening. Thank you all to try and help out. This is a song that uh, is put together
by Mr. Robin Finck. I'm sure a lot of you motherfuckers have already downloaded that shit." After 'Think About You,' Axl says, "Calm
down. I'll tell you what the Swedish police told me they said "Calm down", then they said "You're going to be arrested", then I said
"you're a fuckin asshole”.....or something like that."

opening act: Melrose
attendance: 10,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo [w/ Finlandia], Sweet Child O' Mine,
Madagascar, You Could Be Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Don't Ever Leave Me], The Blues, Think About
You, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My
Michelle, Patience, Better, Nightrain
notes: This show sold out in less than 8 minutes.

opening act: Melrose
attendance: 10,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Better, Robin Guitar Solo [w/ Finlandia], Sweet Child O'
Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Don't Ever Leave Me], The Blues, You Could Be Mine, Richard Guitar Solo,
Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, Think About You, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't
Cry], I.R.S., Patience, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City
notes: Sold out show!. Show starts at 10:52pm. Robin gets the crowd excited by playing 'Finlandia.' Axl comments on 'Knockin' On
Heaven's Door' with "We're all contributing to Bob's pension fund". Later he mentions the incident in Sweden with, "My options were
limited, either being here or being in jail". Axl's singing on top of the piano at the end of 'The Blues.' Chris is wearing a dress and gets a
special mention during the band introductions.

opening act: Amulet
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam, Knockin'
On Heaven's Door, Better, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], The Blues, You Could Be Mine, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard &
Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Dont Cry], IRS, My
Michelle, Think About You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encores: Chinese Democracy, Madagascar, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Axl refers to Frank as his partner in crime (they had gone out in Helsinki). Izzy makes another guest apperance on the tour.
REVIEW: Landed in Oslo with my brother about three o'clock, and immediately took the train into the city and set course for Spektrum. We got there
around four o'clock, and a line had started to form. There's several entrances to Spektrum, so I have no idea how many people who'd gathered around the
building at that time. In our line there were about 50-60 people. Now the wait started. Close to 6:30PM they opened the doors and started letting fans in
the venue. I could see that some cameras were confiscated, but I could easily have brought one in as I had a jacket with me, he just asked me what I had
in the pockets. As we got inside, we decided to buy a couple of t-shirts first, and then get in front of the stage. We got a pretty good spot, dead center with
just 4-5 rows of people in front of us. As we stood there a little while, we could hear that some people were really psyched and ready for Guns N' Roses,
the "Axl"-chants had already started. Bullet For My Valentine came on a bit late, around 8:45PM. At this point people were so hungry for something to
happen that the crowd "almost" went nuts when they started to play. But this didn't last very long, during their set most people were just standing still,
however no boos as far as I could hear. They played for half an hour and closed up at 9:15PM. Now, people were saying "one hour till Guns N' Roses".
Approaching 10PM I could already hear some people talking and speculating about Axl not showing up, but I was not concerned. My only concern was
my feet starting to hurt a bit after standing still for hours. Finally at 10:25PM the intro started.... Opening chords for Welcome To The Jungle started to
roam inside the venue, the crowd reaction was crazy. Everyone started to jump up and down, and when Axl screamed the famous line, the crowd screams
almost drowned the speakers. What can I say, with this kind of opening I knew instantly this would be the night of my life. Axl sounded fabulous, even
better than any of the bootlegs I'd heard. Robin, Richard and Ron were all energic on stage, and displayed a great presence. As usual the following songs
were It's So Easy and Mr. Brownstone. Before Live And Let Die, Axl adressed the crowd by saying "You guys have been waiting a long time, right? A
really long time." The meaning being twofold (we had been waiting a while that night, and waited since 1993, having two dates cancelled in the
meantime). After Live And Let Die, Robin did his guitar solo before Sweet Child O' Mine. Finck was often caught smiling during the evening, clearly in a
good mood. Better was introduced the usual way, Axl talking about downloading from the internet, and calling us "naughty Norwegians". Dizzy played
some bits from a-ha's "Take On Me" during his piano solo before The Blues, to great appreciation from the fans. Frank played a drum solo at this show
naturally followed by You Could Be Mine (awesome performance). After this song Axl pointed out that "Frank knows all the songs inside-out, his mother
knows the songs inside-out." I also think he smashed one of the drums during the song (Axl said something in that direction). Knockin' On Heaven's Door
was done the usual way. Then Richard and Robin played Beautiful, with big cheers after the performance. Axl came back to the stage saying "law
enforcements everywhere... espescially in Sweden", then starting Out Ta Get Me, which by the way were one of the strongest songs of the night. The Piano
came back out, and November Rain was next. Axl played a little solo first (Fuck The Police), and commenting: "Straight outta Sweden... I'm an AWA -
Asshole With Attitude". Tommy and Axl laughed. After November Rain Axl and Tommy talked, "this next song is a request from Tommy, his new favourite
song" - Rocket Queen. Bumblefoot got the whole place singing Don't Cry, a great moment. IRS didn't get quite as much response as Better, but still a
great performance. I think this will come with time, when most people start to know the songs beforehand. During Patience there were some funny
moments. First, Tommy showed his theatrical skills when he mimed Axl's words (Example: "I sit here on the stairs"). Second, Tommy again.. I think his
mike volume was set a bit high, so when the chours started and he started to sing, it was just as high as Axl's. Tommy, Dizzy and Ron all started to laugh.
The next time they hit the chours, he had to try his way to find a good distance from the mike so he didn't drown Axl's voice. Bumble played a stratocaster
during the Nightrain solos. The band went off stage, and "Guns N' Roses" chants immediately started. The encores consisted of four songs, Chinese
Democracy, My Michelle, Madagascar and Paradise City. The show was over at 1AM, a 2h 35m show.
07.10.06 - Frankenstadion, Nürnberg, GERMANY

opening for: The Rolling Stones
notes: Canceled on June 2nd, due to the Stone's tour being rescheduled. The Stones put their European Bigger Bang tour on hold after
Keith Richards was sidelined with a head injury last month, and now the band has announced that the Nürnberg and Leipzig, Germany,
shows that Axl and the gang were set to play in July have been canceled.
07.10.06 - Rockwave Festival, TerraVibe Park, Malakasa, GREECE

opening act: Star-Star
attendance: 18,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Knockin' On
Heaven's Door, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], The Blues, Jam, You Could Be Mine, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Better, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry],
Madagascar, My Michelle, Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Before the opening act has started, Bumblefoot is passing out bottles of water to the crowd. There were quite a few banners
around: one had "It's not a problem U can stop it's rock 'n' roll," and was signed by the band back in '93, and another had: ''It's been 13
years of silence - welcome to Greece again.' Axl referred to these signs during the show and mentioned they were much appreciated.
After 'You Could Be Mine,' Axl started singing 'Light My Fire' by The Doors, and sang the first two verses and the chorus. He also
whistled the Pink Panther theme before 'November Rain.' The crowd started a 'Civil War' chant. Axl smiled and said, "What are you
chanting? Something like C.V.R.?" During 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door,' Axl said, "Now, for several years now, we've played these
shows all over you know, and I've seen these signs, I've seen these signs that say GREECE LOVES GUNS N' ROSES. It's much
appreciated, but now we gotta put you to the test... you wanna help me out here? We do it four times, I sing one, you sing one. If we ever
put out another live record Bob Dylan can get another check." Axl ended the show wrapped in a Greek flag, screaming, 'Good Night,
take care of each other, and now get the fuck outta here!'. This show was originally scheduled as a show opening for The Rolling Stones
in Nürnberg, Germany at the Frankenstadion.
07.12.06 - Zentralstadion, Leipzig, GERMANY

opening for: The Rolling Stones
notes: Canceled on June 2nd, due to the Stone's tour being rescheduled.
07.12.06 - Kurucesme Arena, Istanbul, TURKEY

opening acts: 4LYN
attendance: 17,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet
Child O' Mine, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo
[w/ Don't Cry], You Could Be Mine, November Rain, Out Ta Get Me, Better, Think About You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy
Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: Madagascar, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Izzy makes another guest apperance with GN'R. This show was originally scheduled as opening for the Rolling Stones at the
Zentralstadion in Leipzig, Germany.
07.14.06 - Bilbao Live Festival, Kobetamendi, Bilbao, SPAIN

opening acts: Heavy Thrash, The Cult, Ben Harper, Blue Oyster Cult, Deftones, Mando Diao, Placebo, Fun Lovin' Criminals
attendance: 20,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr.Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Knockin' On
Heaven's Door, Better, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Spiders From Mars], The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard &
Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle, You Gotta
Move [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Think About You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: I.R.S., Madagascar, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
audio/video recording?: video [pro-shot, incomplete]
notes: They came on at 23.20, an hour and twenty minutes late. The band starts playing Aerosmith's "Mama Kin" but they stop after a
few seconds just before Live and Let Die. The show finished at 1.35, after playing for two hours and 15 minutes. For Dizzy's solo, he
covered David Bowie's song "Spiders from Mars". Ron jammed on 'Don't Cry' during his solo. 'You Have To Move' is a classic blues
cover. Izzy joins that band for that, Think About You, Patience and Nightrain, and finally Paradise City.
07.15.06 - Natural Music Festival, El Ejido, Almeria, SPAIN

opening acts: El Columpio Asesino, Sexy Sadie, Ladytron, Deftones
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Better, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O'Mine, Out Ta
Get Me, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, My Michelle, November Rain, Bumblefoot
Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], You Gotta Move [w/ Izzy Stradlin, Del James], Think About You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy
Stradlin], Nightrain
encores: Madagascar, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
07.18.06 - Hallam FM Arena, Sheffield, ENGLAND

opening acts: Sebastian Bach, Bullet For My Valentine
attendance: 12,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Knockin' On
Heaven's Door, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Jam, You Could Be Mine, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Out Ta Get Me,
November Rain, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], You Gotta Move [w/ Izzy Stradlin],
Think About You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Axl is having problems with the monitors and can't hear what he's singing.
07.19.06 - Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, ENGLAND

Heaven's Door, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Jam, You Could Be Mine, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get
Me, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo, My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], You Gotta Move [w/ Izzy Stradlin],
Think About You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Show ends early because Axl is hit with something thrown from the audience.

opening acts: Towers Of London, Bullet For My Valentine
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Jam, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Jam, Think About
You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Used To Love Her [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: Madagascar, Robin Guitar Solo, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Sold out show!. GN'R's first ever show in Scotland. GN'R hit the stage at 10pm and played a two and a half hour set, Axl was in
good spirits, cracking jokes with the Scottish audience and also mentioning he is half Scottish. Before 'Out Ta Get Me' Axl rants about
his arrest in Sweden a few weeks back and dedicates the song to the Swedish police. During Robin's solo, Axl asks him, "Can you play
the fucking guitar?" Robin then breaks into 'Sweet Child O' Mine.' Izzy also joins the band on stage for a few songs. The show ends at
12:45am.

opening acts: Towers Of London, Bullet For My Valentine
Heaven's Door, Better, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get
Me, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo, November Rain, You Could Be Mine, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Think About You [w/ Izzy
Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Robin Guitar Solo, Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: I.R.S., My Michelle, Madagascar, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Just before 'I.R.S.,' Axl said Richard had been doing a lot of work in the last 2 days and has hardly slept, and then said 'Yes well
I've worked hard too. She was a good girl!' Izzy joins the band on Think About You, Patience, Nightrain and Paradise City. Ron jams on
his guitar whilst the piano is brought on stage. Ron's amp was playing up during his Don't Cry solo. Izzy had to turn up his amp durring
Think About You. Izzy had to again, go over and turn up his amp durring Nightrain solo.

set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Better, Robin Guitar Solo [w/ Rockaria], Sweet Child O'
Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], The Blues, Jam, Robin Guitar Solo, Out Ta Get Me, Richard
Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], You Could Be Mine, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar
Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Used To Love Her [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Think About
You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Robin Guitar Solo, Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: I.R.S., Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Sold out show!. After Mr. Brownstone, Axl asks the crowd "Do you know where you are? You're in the sauna baby! Axl sings
and the band jams on Rockaria! by the Electric Light Orchestra before Sweet Child O' Mine. You Could Be Mine is stopped because Axl
sees security mistreating a fan. After the security guys have been kicked out, the band restart the song. "Hey, hey, hey! Hey, security,
calm the fuck down! Hey, no, stop, stop, stop. What the fuck's wrong with you guys down here? What's wrong? No, no... These security
guys, you guys are outta control. What? The guy was having some fun so you got to beat him up? These guys gotta go. They're out of
here... Take it from the bridge...." And to keep rolling with the theme of love and goodwill. Time to introduce a friend, a friend I think
you saw earlier, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Sebastian Bach.". Sebastian then sings a line from I.R.S. and Axl says "I ain't sayin' she's a
gold digger, she ain't messin' with no broky broke" (Gold Digger by Kanye West has similar lyrics) before they start My Michelle. After
the song Axl says "He's saying he wants me to do his favorite song. I said I didn't know Come Sail Away. That's low, wasn't it? That was
low. I'm sorry, that was low. (laughs) Bumble knows it! (laughs) That was fucked up! Cartman knows it! (Axl does a little
impersonation)" Before Used To Love Her, Axl introduces Izzy with the words "And... Staying with that thame stheme... (stutters)...
same theme. From the same cesspool I was spawn from, Laf-a-lot [Laugh a lot, instead of Lafayette] Indiana, Mr. Izzy Stradlin". A tiny
part of the theme from South Park is then played before the band kicks into Used To Love Her. Patience is introduced with Axl saying
"Are you ready, Steve? Mick? [that's how Ballroom Blitz by Sweet starts] Well, let's do another Izzy song".
07.27.06 - Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, ENGLAND

Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Jam, You Could Be Mine, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar
Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/
Sebastian Bach], Used To Love Her [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Think About You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], I.R.S., Nightrain
[w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Axl asks the crowd if they're gonna help him out during Knockin' On Heaven's Door, and then says "you don't sound too
convincing". After My Michelle, Axl tells the crowd that they probably use Sebastian as a secret weapon, that there's "thousands of
Sebastian Bachs running amok. It's total chaos!" in whatever country they have a problem with. Axl introduces Izzy with "Let's keep
right on with this theme of love and friendship. Right boys and girls? Mr. Izzy Stradlin and then does some dancing before they play "I
used to fuck her, I mean, Love Her". Axl named the jam before November Rain "Fuckin off in A, fucking A!". Axl stops Think About
You because somebody threw an object at him. He warned the crowd that if it happened again, the band would leave.
REVIEW: some of the lovely ladies in the audience entertained with some nice boob shots on the the 3 big screens got some big cheers. Then some idiot in
the middle of the standing area in a white shirt decided he was going to fight everyone. Some poor women told him to calm down and got pushed over for
her trouble!! They shone the spotlight on him and the crowd jeered but well done security for not! Throwing him out! Useless! Anyways 22:15 the lights
drop and the siren sounded cue the search lights and.....those famous riffs echoed out, and then the lengendary scream that sends shivers down my spine.
Out he comes and stares the whole crowd down. Everyone and i mean everyone is in the palm of his hand. The band rifle through wttj, its so easy, and mr
brownstone, the band play to perfection and axl is the best i have heard him so far. At sheffield i thought he was a little to high in the mix, but as he said
on the night the monitor system was fucked and he could not hear himself. Last night no such problems he was incredible. Live and let die brilliant loads
of flame throwers and he ran back and forth like a mad man. Then you could tell he was really up for this one, the crowd would not go quiet after the
songs and he said "well this is a real nice night i like this" and he gave his sound people the thumbs up. Ladies and gentlemen mr dizzy reed, beautiful
piano solo, then the blues absolutely love it. Some people who probably arent as new gnr crazy as me stood still and watched but it was well received.
Then i think "out ta get me" and think about you, by now i'm probably getting confused about the order because i was just going crazy. Brilliant version of
better. Then piano back out and on with the suede jacket for november rain, my wife cried, come to think of it i probably did as well. By now axl was
talking to the crowd constantly and the rest of the band at one point his was really laughing with stinson and fortus they kept saying "get the fuck outta
here" in funny voices. Then to my utter joy izzy came on and they stood together and did used to love her. Brilliant solo of you are beautiful by fink and
bumblefoot. Then my personal highlight, out of the 3 shows i've been to i havent heard i.r.s but he did it and it blew me away, i have never heard him so
loud and animated just fantastic. A heart stopping moment in someone threw something small and shiney on stage, axl "stop stop one warning anymore
we go home, for safety reasons blah blah " thats how it said it. Thank goodness that was it apart from a pair of white pants saying "axl marry me" lastly
my michelle with bach, nightrain and then a fabulous solo from finck leading into paradise city, at this point the house just came down. This was just the
greatest gig ever. "nottingham good fuckin nite" and off goes the microphone..thump!! Axel then goes to another mic and says good nite u been amazing
drive safely we will be back soon promise you could see he had had a brilliant night. A personal thank you for a brilliant web site it has been the perfect
source of info and brilliant features to compliment my 3 trips to hammersmith, sheffield and nottingham. To the new gnr there will always be people who
live in the past, but you have once agian created something very very special. Continue and you will have many more years of success and adulation in
your on right and i love you all. Axl dont ever ever stop and please dont leave it too long before you return and get that album out!!!! Peace!!! Good
fuckin night!!!!! Setlist not necessarily in this order. Wttj,easy,brownstone,live and let die,dizzy solo the blues,finck solo scom, november rain, think about
you, out ta get me,i.r.s,patience, kohd, my michelle, night train, you could be mine, used to love her, paradise city and i know i've missed a couple!!
07.29.06 - Wembley Arena, London, ENGLAND

attendance: 12,750
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo [w/ God Save The Queen], Sweet
Child O' Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Better, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], You
Could Be Mine, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Out Ta Get Me, Sway [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Sailing [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Back In
The U.S.S.R. [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Think About You [w/ Izzy Stradlin], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin],
November Rain, Rocket Queen, Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: I.R.S., Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Sold out show!. The band arrived onstage at 11:45pm, almost 90 minutes after BFMV had finished their 35 minute set. Sebastian
Bach played beforehand, for almost 50 minutes, and the crowd were becoming restless watching women in their mid 30s shed their
clothes for a couple of seconds fame. At one point all the lights in the arena went off and the intro music began, like something from
Jaws, with the spotlights going around the arena. Axl didnt say anything until 5 songs into the set, and mentioned that the band were
running two competitions that night, the first to join them at a second acoustic performance in London in several hours, and the second
being an all expenses paid trip to the Inland Invasion concert. He said that everyone who had bought standing tickets had their names
taken going into the arena and if their name was called out they had won VIP passes to the acoustic show. He started calling out names,
and did so inbetween a few songs, bringing Izzy Stradlin on for some cover versions of The Rolling Stones' 'Sway,' Rod Stewart's
'Sailing', and The Beatles; 'Back In The U.S.S.R.' before continuing on with their own songs. The concert ended at approx 1am.
MARK ALBRECHT'S REVIEW: Bullet For My Valentine finish their set (much to my enjoyment) and i contemplate ducking down in the crowd for a
ciggie due to Wembley Arena's stupid no smoking rule. After about an hour of women getting their tits out and chatting to a couple of people around me,
the lights go out, the crowd roars and the intro tape begins. A surge of adrenaline rushes through my veins more powerful than the one I'd felt at
Download. The crowd were nowhere near as hostile either. The opening chord of WTTJ strikes, I lose complete control of my actions and the adrenaline
in my system takes over. A scream of "YOU KNOW WHERE THE FUCK YOU ARE" follows, and the night of pure rock n roll mayhem begins. Far
superior sound to the Download festival set, Guns N' Roses have returned to London, and London is welcoming them the only way it can, with thunderous
cheers and applause. It's So Easy is played flawlessly and so is Mr Brownstone. Live And Let Die makes it's usual appearence in the setlist, then Robin is
left to play a little guitar solo, which he does and plays the English National Anthem, "God Save The Queen" before kicking into SCOM. After this, AXl
mentions that he's got two competitions running that night. the first is a little acoustic show in a small club in Central London, the other is all expenses
paid tri to the KROQ Inland Invasion, which GNR are headlining (unfortunately i didn't get either). The night continues with the old favourite Knockin
On Heavens Door and then Dizzy's paino solo and The Blues, which Richard follows with his little bit of mindless guitar wankery and then into his duet
with Robin Finck. You Could Be Mine is then started, which imo always goes down well. Following that, Bumblefoot is left to do some solo'ing, and then
has the crowd singing along to Don't Cry, a song thats as popular with fans today as when it was first released. Following swiftly on from that is Out Ta
Get Me, which seemed to be another crowd pleaser (mind you, they all were if I'm completely honest), and then somethign no one was expecting, 3 cover
songs, Sway, Sailing and Back In The U.S.S.R. (Fucking UK) which all go down with a bit of a mixed feeling lol. The cover songs also lead to Izzy's first
appearence of the night, which is then followed by Think About You. Izzy goes backstage again and Sebastian Bach (who had blown the small audience he
had there away completely earlier on) joins Axl onstage, not in his leather trousers and waistcoat thing, but in a white suit, and does dual vocals on My
Michelle. Izzy returns after this and Richard picks up an acoustic guitar for Patience. At this point i was a little upset because i thought they weren't
gonna be playing November Rain because having seen setlists from the tour it was mostly Nightrain straight after this, and then encore time which was
two or three songs. However i was wrong as the piano appeared again, Axl sat behind it, and the song kicked off. After this was the closer of Appetite,
something they hadn't played at all in the UK since Download, Rocket Queen. That was something else i would be able to say made the first London night
special compared to the rest of the tour as well, the first thign being the three covers earlier mentioned. Izzy then rejoins GNR onstage and Nightrain is
played. At this point i nearly get kicked out by security for having a well deserved cigarette and over reacting with some abuse when the thing was
snatched out my mouth and broken in front of my eyes. Still, should have stuck to the rules, despite it being 1AM and having been in the building since
6pm with no designated smoking area. Ce La Vie. I.R.S. starts as the band return to the stage, and some of the audience, including myself are singing
along to it knowing we've had an excellent show, and if I'm honest, i was hoping for an encore like was seen at Download the previous month, no such
luck though. Paradise city is then started, and the crowd once again roars with exictement. The song ends, the night finishes and i head back to the little
B&B i'd booked myself into, sweaty, tired and satisfied that the money I'd spent on the ticket was indeed money well spent.
07.30.06 - Cuckoo Club, London, ENGLAND

set: You're Crazy, Mr. Brownstone, Used To Love Her, Patience, Welcome To The Jungle, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Sweet Child O'
Mine, Sway, Sailing, Nightrain, I.R.S., Paradise City
audio/video recording?: video [incomplete]
notes: Surprise acoustic show at a small club in London. It started at 4am on the 30th. During the show at the Wembley Arena earlier
that night, Axl announced that the band was playing this show. He then read out names of people who had won tickets.
07.30.06 - Wembley Arena, London, ENGLAND

attendance: 12,750
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo [w/ God Save The Queen], Sweet
Child O' Mine, Knockin' On Heavens Door, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Jam, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], You
Could Be Mine, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Out Ta Get Me, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Jam, You Gotta Move [w/
Izzy Stradlin, Del James], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin, Sebastian Bach], Paradise City [w/ Sebastian Bach on
vocals]
notes: Sold out show!. Axl introduces Robin with the words "No, not asshole. Robin. On the guitar now, Mr. Robin Finck!". Richard is
introduced with "Next up for your listening pleasure. On the guitar, from New York City, Mr. Richard Fortus.". "From the swamps of
New Jersey, Ron Thalshank Redemption Bumblefoot Thal!". Ron knocks down some microphone stands during his solo. You Gotta
Move is sung by Izzy and Del James. Axl got sick and left the stage during Nightrain. Sebastian Bach took over on vocals and he also
sang Paradise City. At the end of the show GN'R's manager Merck Mercuriadis explained that Axl had been advised by doctors not to
play the show, but he refused to cancel it. Merck also thanks the UK and Europe for the tour. Tommy thanks Sebastian for helping out.
CHINESE DEMOCRACY NORTH AMERICAN TOUR - 2006 IN LAS VEGAS & CALIFORNIA
09.16.06 - The Joint, Las Vegas, NV, USA

opening acts: Phantom Planet
attendance: 2,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Better,
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar
Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], I.R.S., My Michelle,
Patience, Rocket Queen, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Paradise City
notes: Sold out show!. Show starts before 11PM.
REVIEW: well where to start went over to the hard rock around 4:30pm and there wasn't anyone lined up inside, so we walked around and stuff and
eventually found out from someone that the line started outside. We went out there and were like 20th in line! Robin finck walked by, about 45 mins before
i got inline, and i saw him shook his hand and stuff, he was talking to another fan. So we're inline and they decide to take us inside, and lineup by the slot
machines and stuff. A guy walks over and asks me if i'm under 21, i say of course and they take me outside. All minors had to lineup outside because of the
slots, but we got in first!! It was amazing! So we get into the venue and i'm 2 feet away from the stage, right in the middle!!! A lady walks around giving a
setlist to people and a guy by me asks for one, and she was reluctant but ended up giving it to him. (theres a picture of the setlist floating around
somewhere) so phantom planet comes on and they're not that bad, imo. The lead singer was so drunk and stoned it was funny. Haha, but i think that they
were pretty good. I would have loved to see a7x or sebastian open for gnr, but these guys worked fine. Before gnr the usual roadies come out testing
everything, the drums, pittman's synthesizer and all that. They tested the guitars and all that stuff, and i swear to god, one was izzy's guitar. Maybe he was
planned to come and something came up, but i freaking know it was it. I'm going to get a picture tonight if they test it again! The lights go down and the
intro starts up, everyone went fucking nuts. Usual wttj/ise/brownstone...but it never gets old to me. Before lald, he said he was visiting cancer patients a
couple weeks ago, and then he told the story about paul mccartney's kids saying "hey dad, i think it's awesome you cover a gnr song!!!" axl loved that, he
was laughing at it so much. Robin did his solo, right into scom and that tore the house down. All the girls were screaming and everyone was singing
along! It was great! During better and a couple other songs axl was really pissed off at the sound guy and was motioning for them to turn something
down. It was visibly pissing him off but axl shrugged it off and did his best to work through it. The most touching part of the night, imo, was when axl
jumped up on the piano during "the blues" he was fucking tearing it up and it was so heavy and emotional. During band intros, he introduces everyone
and goes to introduce bumblefoot, he says "and now..ron.." and security right by me rips this guy out of the crowd, someone said he was throwing stuff.
But axl waited, laughed and said that guy had bad aim. After patience, tommy walks over to axl and whispers something in his ear, and then axl goes "mr
stintson has a request. I'm not too sure they're going to want to hear this tommy, but we'll see what they think. (or something similar) do you guys want to
hear rocket queen?" the place went nuts...so they play that and end it with nightrain. During the like "break" between nightrain and the encore, stintson
walks back on stage sneaking around, and goes "shhh!!" with his finger and everyone by me got a chuckle out of it. Madagascar was the best rendition
i've seen, maybe that’s because i was two feet away but i don’t know, it was awesome. Show ended with pc and during it, axl was tremendously pissed off
and walked off stage during it yelling at merck and the sound guy. Tommy and all guitarists sung for pretty much the whole time but axl did end up
coming back on stage towards the end of pc. He ripped it up towards the end and it was fucking amazing! Overall, it was an amazing show, best concert
i've been to. Great birthday present! I saw some guys with video cams, so there is footage out there, i guarantee it. One retard had his light on for about 5
minutes, and then he realized that that was a bad idea. I took all my pics with no flash, so i didn't get caught and my ears are still ringing. **side notes**
axl threw the mic stand and almost took brain out. It hit brain's cymbal and brain and axl both smiled and laughed...beta ran on stage during some song
(forget which one)!! But she ran to get the mic stand that axl chucked and was about to trip over it...robin tripped during the show, and axl and him
laughed it off and helped each other up...robin went down right against the barrier, off the stage and was right in front of my face and I touched his
guitar, it was amazing...Axl was shaking hands right by me, and I got one!! It was excellent!!
09.17.06 - The Joint, Las Vegas, NV, USA

opening acts: Hoobastank
attendance: 2,000
Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Better, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me,
November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Dont Cry], My Michelle, I.R.S., Used To Love Her, Patience, Nightrain

notes: Show starts before 11PM.
REVIEW: I went to the Rainbow agian at about 5:30, started drinkin, didnt quit until 4am. Anyways, the show started and ended a bit later than Saturday.
As you've already seen, same setlist, Used to love her instead of Rocket Queen. I skipped Hoobastank, went in about 10 minutes after they finished. Once
Jungle started, got to the front pretty much right away. Robin was so wasted i got to hug him when he came down in front. During one song he sat down
onstage and faced his amps and played for a couple minutes. At the end of patience, something happend, Axl ran of stage, I could see him yelling at
someone, then right after that, and for the rest of the show, merck was running back and forth in front of the stage, almost like they were looking for
someone. I was able to hear Axl a lot more tonight, he was way louder in the mix. At the end of Used to Love her, Axl said soemthing to the effect "We
invited Izzy, he's off racing his truck in Mexico, but hes here in spirit" all in all, great show, I'm mad that the weekends over, oh well, I get to see them
again in 2 weeks in bakersfield!! Ok, the one moment that pissed me off.....I REALLY wanted the mic......Oh, and I noticed that Axl uses a different Mic for
Paradise that he throws. Anyways, at the very end of Paradise, I moved back to the middle of the floor, where I saw the mic go the ngiht before. He
throws it, goes rght over my head, I turn around, people are all jumping for it, i saw it get kicked, and I jump for it....i was 12 inches away....ya know what
happend? Security was throwing people out of the way, and a security guard got it....that pisses me off...that is something for the fans, i was pissed, but
oh well, nothign I can do about it, great fuckin show!!
09.20.06 - The Warfield, San Francisco, CA, USA

opening acts: Sebastian Bach
Heaven's Door, Better, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], You Could Be Mine, Used To Love
Her, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Dont Cry], Out Ta Get Me, Jam
[w/ The Addams Family Theme], I.R.S., Patience, Nightrain
notes: Sold out show!. Show starts just after 11PM. Axl introduces Tommy as "The perfect Replacement, if there ever was one...
Tommy".
09.21.06 - The Warfield, San Francisco, CA, USA

opening acts: Sebastian Bach
Heaven's Door, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Better, November Rain,
My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Out Ta Get Me, Used To Love Her, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Eruption, Mean Street, Don't Cry],
I.R.S., Patience, Rocket Queen, Nightrain
notes: Sold out show!. Axl stops the show during Sweet Child O' Mine due to some people causing problems. He tells them they're
fucking up other peoples' show and asks them if their mommy bought them the tickets. He also says If you think you're a bigger asshole
than me, you have alot to learn!" and "I don't wanna throw my money down the toilet.... I know Universal's hoping they didn't!".
09.23.06 - KROQ's Inland Invasion 2006, Hyundai Pavilion, Devore, CA, USA
also appearing: Alice In Chains, Muse, Papa Roach, Avenged Sevenfold, Rise Against, Atreyu, Buckcherry, 30 Seconds To Mars
Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar
Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, Better, My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Little
Wing, Don't Cry], I.R.S., Patience, Nightrain
encore: Rocket Queen, Madagascar, Paradise City
notes: Better is introduced with "We'll dedicate this next song to all you, downloading motherfuckers. It's all your fault you know.
You're the ones who are responsible for putting us on this gig you downloading sons of bitches. That's the facts, that's the facts... That's
my story and I'm sticking to it." After introducing Sebastian Bach, Axl sings "Metal days are here again..." which is followed by
Sebastian and Axl singing a line from Nice Boys.
09.27.06 - Save Mart Center, Fresno, CA, USA

notes: This show was postponed to 12.13.06.
09.29.06 - Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, CA, USA

09.30.06 - Reno Events Center, Reno, NV, USA


10.05.06 - iPayOne Center, San Diego, CA, USA

CHINESE DEMOCRACY AMERICAN TOUR 2006
10.20.06 - Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, FL, USA

opening acts: Papa Roach, Sebastian Bach
10.22.06 - Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, TN, USA

10.24.06 - BankAtlantic Center, Sunrise, FL, USA

Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Out Ta Get Me, Better, Axl Piano Solo,
November Rain, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience, Nightrain
encore: Chinese Democracy, Paradise City
notes: Frank Ferrer is filling in for Brain.
10.25.06 - St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL, USA

Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Better, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get
Me, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Used To Love Her,
I.R.S., Patience, Nightrain
notes: Axl says "It's very, very nice to be here in Tampa tonight." First appearance of Used To Love Her on this leg of the tour and is
introduced as a request by Tommy.
10.27.06 - Germain Arena, Estero, FL, USA

Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], The Blues, Jam, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Axl Piano Solo, November Rain, Better, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My
Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], I.R.S., Used To Love Her, Patience, Nightrain
encores: Chinese Democracy, Paradise City
10.29.06 - Jose Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, San Juan, PUERTO RICO

attendance: 15,000
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/
Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Used To
Love Her, I.R.S., Patience, Nightrain
encores: Madagascar, Paradise City
notes: GN'R's first ever show in Puerto Rico. Axl comments on how certain fans, who don't even attend the shows, complain about the
setlist.
10.31.06 - Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, FL, USA

Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/
Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo, My Michelle, Patience, Nightrain, Paradise City
notes: Originally scheduled for October 20th. This Halloween shows starts around midnight.
11.02.06 - Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC, USA

attendance: 23,500
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Better, Sweet Child O'
Mine, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Jam, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, I.R.S., Jam,
November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Rocket Queen, Madagascar, My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], You're Crazy,
Patience, Nightrain
notes: This show was originally scheduled for 10.31.06, but was moved due to a change in the tour's routing. The band comes on at
11:35 and the show ends around 2AM. First performance of the electric version of ‘You're Crazy’ on this tour.
11.03.06 - Big Sandy Superstore Arena, Huntington, WV, USA

set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Robin
Guitar Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Take Me Home, Country Roads], The Blues, Robin Guitar Solo, Better,
Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, Down On The Farm, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Dont
Cry], Rocket Queen, I.R.S., My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], You're Crazy, Used To Love Her, Patience, Nightrain
notes: First performance of Down On The Farm. During the piano moving jam following November Rain, Axl said that Tommy's bass
line reminded him of the bass line from Down On The Farm. So Axl then commented, "This may be a recipe for disaster, but I'm about
to try and sing something that I havent sang in, what 15 years?!". Following the song he said that he thought about it and it had been 13
years since he had sang that song last.
11.05.06 - Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ, USA

set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Robin Guitar Solo & Jam,
Sweet Child O' Mine, Better, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Jam, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], Rocket Queen, Used To Love
Her, I.R.S., My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience, Nightrain
notes: Before GN'R takes the stage, an announcement is made regarding some technical problems with Dizzy's keyboards. Before
performing Better, Axl says "It's very good to be here tonight. And those technical delays had nothing to do with my sorry ass... Not
tonight!"
REVIEW: Sebastin Bach came on around 8:30p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Bach played a nice set. Bach played Piece Of Me, 18 and Life, I Remember You, Monkey
Business and Youth Gone Wild were just a few of the songs Bach played. Then Papa Roach played from 9:40p.m. to 10:40p.m. Papa Roach was not as
bad as I thought they would be. Some songs that Papa Roach played were Scars, Getting Away With Murder, Broken Home and Last Resort. Around
11:20p.m. Someone said they were having technical difficulties with the keyboards and Axl and Guns N’ Roses are in the arena. Guns N’ Roses came out
around 11:40p.m. Right after Mr. Brownstone Axl said, you can’t blame my sorry ass tonight for the delay. After NR Axl said, you guys are great tonight
and thank you for it but if a few people don’t stop throwing things on the stage they will go home. After one of the songs Axl said, again you guys are
great tonight maybe we might do something diffent and also said, I think we will be staying here awhile. During My Michelle when Bach came out he
said, what do you think NJ want Axl to live here also? Axl said, something like you never know. During Nightrain when Axl was on the right side of the
stage he almost got hit be something. I think they may have cut the set one or two songs short because of it. I was on the floor in the VIP section on the
right side of the stage in row two by the machine that shots the paper out at the end of Paradise City. Well next up MSG and then Baltimore.
11.06.06 - Cumber County Civic Center, Portland, ME, USA

notes: Canceled due to limitations imposed by local fire marshals.
11.08.06 - DCU Center, Worcester, MA, USA

set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo & Jam, Sweet Child O' Mine,
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Jam, Better, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard &
Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Down On The Farm, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't
Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience, Nightrain
notes: After Mr. Brownstone Axl greets the crowd with How are you doing Portland? He also says "I hope you can hear me because I
can't.". "Mr. Frank Ferrer on the drums, he's our motivational counselor". Robin smashes his guitar during Better. After Out Ta Get Me,
Axl says "We'd like to thank the fire marshals here tonight for being so fucking cool".
REVIEW: I just got back, good show. Oh and it ended at 2:00am, you want a fucking longer show than that? What the hell is wrong with these idiots.
Sound problems as usual for Axl, iI thought he would have fired his sound guy by now. Robin ended up throwing three different guitars to the stage in
fustration, maybe he broke a sting on one and didn't like the sound of the second, who knows. Ron was exceptional tonight, owning that don't cry solo. Oh
and Dizzy got one of the bigger ovations for his piano solo, I was pretty much front row and his finger work is amazing on the piano. I was in awe. Axl
dedicated OTGM to the Fire Marshal at Portland, and thanked the Worcestor Fire Marshal for being so cool. At the end of the show they all stayed on
stage for a while and Axl thanked everyone for coming, and especially the people who drove down from Maine because of the canceled show. It was a
packed house, not many empty seats at all. Same solos as every other show. Axl gave us a nice K-Fed impersonation too, before playing November Rain.
He had us give Britney and Federline a moment of silence, but instead of quiet he got a bunch of boos and jeers. The band had a good time with that, and
towards the end Axl brought it up again and got an even bigger reaction. He did the "West Coast" symbol and said "Word" when imitating K-fed haha.
11.10.06 - Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY, USA

Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Better, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet
[w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Ace Frehley, Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach],
Used To Love Her, I.R.S., Patience, Nightrain
notes: Sold out show!. Ron plays a Kiss solo at The Garden and Sebastian mentions it before My Michelle. Robin stage dives at one
point. Axl sings part of My Way before Paradise City.
11.13.06 - 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore, MD, USA

opening acts: Suicide Girls, Sebastian Bach
attendance: 13,500
Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], The Blues, Jam, Better, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard
& Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Jam, Down On The Farm, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't
Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Used To Love Her, Patience, Nightrain
notes: Before the last singalong in Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Axl says "we got one more... I know, that you knew that I knew, that you
knew that". After the song, Axl comments on the rowdy crowd "This is a great fucking crowd, thank you." Tommy gives the crowd two
thumbs up. "This is the home of one of my favorite shows, The Wire." Axl introduces You Could Be Mine by telling a story "So I was in
England, I was walking around the Soho area there, and this young guy with spiky hair and shit, had a Motley Crue t-shirt and shit,
comes running. He's like 'Dude! Dude! Dude! Dude!' Pulls his shirt down and he had tattooed right across, Fit To Burn". "I'm gonna take
a minute to introduce the band here, and give these people over here time to get good naps so they can rest up for the rest of the show."
11.15.06 - Air Canada Centre, Toronto, CANADA

opening acts: Die Mannequin, Suicide Girls, Sebastian Bach
attendance: 13,051
Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Like A Hurricane], The Blues, Jam, Better, Richard Guitar Solo,
Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ O Canada, Don't
notes: "Just because he's in a white suit, does not mean he's the good guy. On the keyboards, to my left, Mr. Chris Pitman". Before Ron
plays his solo, Axl asks him not to play too loud: "Don't play too loud, these people on the sides are trying to take a nap. OK?". Axl
introduces Bubble from The Trailer Park Boys before My Michelle. Bubbles then introduces a fellow Canadian who was on the Trailer
Park Boys show, Sebastian Bach.
11.17.06 - Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, CANADA

attendance: 9,722
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo & Jam, Sweet Child O' Mine, You
Could Be Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Better, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Like A Hurricane], The Blues, Jam, Richard Guitar
Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ O Canada, Don't
encore: I.R.S., Madagascar, Paradise City
notes: After You Could Be Mine, Axl says "That's just another one of our multiple love songs. It's a tender ballad.". Dizzy wears an
Ottawa Senators jersey for his solo. Axl gets the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to Richard. Bubbles from the Trailer Park Boys comes
out before the encores and Axl thanks the Trailer Park Boys and Sebastian (for introducing them).
11.18.06 - Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City, CANADA

attendance: 15,000
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Robin
Guitar Solo & Jam, Sweet Child O' Mine, Better, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Jam, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet
[w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Down On The Farm, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Gentil alouette, Don't Cry], My
Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Used To Love Her, I.R.S., Patience, Nightrain
notes: A sold out Saturday night show in Quebec City. After Live And Let Die Axl comments on the great crowd "You motherfuckers
are on fire and shit.... They're not on fire, that was Montreal!" (grinnning while crowd is booing). Then in a mocking voice he adds "Now
there he had a good thing going and he fucking had to ruin it didn't he?" Axl thanks the opening acts and comments that if he's bad
tonight, he'd like to be sent to the penalty box with the Suicide Girls (who were watching the show from there).
11.20.06 - Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, CANADA

opening acts: Die Mannequin, Suicide Girls, The Trews
attendance: 10,000
Sweet Child O' Mine, Better, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Jam, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Rocket Queen, Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles], My Michelle,
Patience, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ O Canada, Don't Cry], Nightrain
notes: A sold out show in Halifax with an appareance by the Trailer Park Boys.
AXL N' COMPANY IGNITE THE METRO CENTRE (Submitted by Jon Careless): Once 11:50 pm rolled around, I'm sure many of us were convinced he
wouldn't show. We've all the heard the horror stories. Even recently, it was reported Guns N' Roses cancelled their show in Portland Maine because they
weren't allowed to drink alcohol onstage. I must say, I was worried. But after all the waiting, the jeering, and the cheers of anticipation, once the first few
bars of "Welcome To The Jungle" came through the speakers, the place erupted. For the next two hours, Axl Rose would have every one of us in the palm
of his hand. Through most of 'Welcome to the Jungle,' it was difficult to even hear Axl's voice over the noise of the crowd. The explosions popped at just
the right moments, the crackling noise blasting everyones eardrums as Axl bounded frenetically across the stage. The onslaught of the guitars was even
greater than expected, since the band chose to have three guitarists on-stage all at once. Robin Finck and Tommy Stinson were in top form, infusing each
song with flashy, screaming solos that screamed 1983. The concert did have a certain nostalgic feeling throughout, as I guess that's warranted being a
Guns N' Roses show. During the sonic, 'You Could Be Mine,' a video screen above showed retro drag racing clips set against changing neon
backgrounds. The video illuminated the stage completely as Axl screamed the lyrics to the crowd. A personal highlight for me was "Mr. Brownstone," a
song so obvious in its statement on the struggles of heroin addiction, its almost odd the song has such a raucous feel. The live version was even better
than I could imagine. Axl, with his trademark howl blowing through the chorus "No, no, now-oh-oh, he won't leave me alone." But I'm sure many people
who attended this show will say their fondest moment came during the classic 'November Rain,' the rock ballad everyone knows the second it starts. The
lights went down and the lighters went up, and the grand piano became the focus of everyone's attention. The crowd sung along with every word too, their
hands swaying back and forth. The scene was exactly how I pictured it would be. It appears for right now at least, Axl Rose and company are exactly
where they need to be.
11.21.06 - Harbour Station, Saint John, NB, USA

opening acts: Die Mannequin, Suicide Girls, The Trews
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Better, Robin Guitar Solo &
Jam, Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles], Richard Guitar Solo,
Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My
Michelle, Patience, Nightrain
encore: Chinese Democracy, Madagascar, Paradise City
notes: Liquor & Whores is played without the Trailer Park Boys. Axl says they're there in spirit.
11.24.06 - Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH, USA

opening acts: Suicide Girls, Sebastian Bach, Eagles Of Death Metal
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Better, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar
Duet, Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience,
Nightrain
notes: Axl has somebody thrown out of the building at the beginning of the show.
11.25.06 - The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI, USA

opening acts: Novadriver, Suicide Girls, Sebastian Bach
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo & Jam, Sweet Child O' Mine, Better,
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Out Ta Get Me, Jam,
November Rain, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Mean Street, Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience, Nightrain
notes: The opening band Novadriver was paying tribute to classic GN'R by showing up completely smashed, except unlike the old Guns,
they sounded like crap. For the GN'R performance, on 'Chinese Democracy,' Axl messed up a couple of lines but the band rolled through
and finished strong. Ron's guitar solo was awesome but no one was singing during 'Don't Cry' or really seemed to know what he was
playing. Some fans near him tried to get the crowd to sing a bit, but Ron seemed frustrated at the reaction. Axl's voice was really top
notch the entire night but the whole set was plagued with sound issues. You could tell Axl was pissed on 'Jungle' because the vocals were
only a little bit louder than the band. After 'Live And Let Die,' Axl was talking to the crowd and some kid threw a piece of gum and hit
Axl in either the face or the chest. Axl then retorted, "You got some balls, I'll give you that you little cocksucker. Keep up that shit and
we're out of here". Then after a really amazing 'Paradise City' (best crowd reaction of the night), Axl wished the crowd a great night,
something like, "Thank you Detroit, we're glad we could get our shit worked out this time around, be good to each other, and we wish
you a safe trip home.....except for that fuckhead, I hope someone jumps you in the parking lot". Classic Axl.
11.27.06 - Allstate Arena, Chicago, IL, USA

attendance: 9,600
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Piano Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, I.R.S., Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/
Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience,
Nightrain
notes: The show started around 11:30.
ANTHONY KUZMINSK'S REVIEW: I recently was sent at the last minute to review the Guns N' Roses show as it made a stop in Chicago. The review will
be published on Unrated Magazine and antiMusic.com this coming Monday, but due to numerous requests, I am putting it up here on the blog early. I'd
like to give a special thanks to Mark and John at Talking Metal for helping reinvigorate my interest in this band. In the fifty-years since Elvis laid down
his first vocal at Sun Studios in Memphis, TN rock n’ roll has become more than escapism and so-called “devil’s music”, but also a driving life force. We
have been blessed with some truly magical artists who have elevated our hearts, minds and bodies: Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles, The
Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Ramones, The Clash, The Sex Pistols,
AC/DC, Kiss, U2, REM, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Metallica and thousands upon thousand others. All of these acts mastered their craft and in their own way,
changed the face of music. However, I’m not sure if there has ever been a group of artists in the annals of rock n’ roll who were more mischievous,
moody, maniacal, magical and miraculous than Guns N’ Roses. With all that being said, they may also take the title as the most maddening group as well.
While I’m saddened by group dissolution and preventable deaths, I firmly believe that Moon, Hendrix, Joplin, Bonham, Morrison, Presley and Cobain all
chose a path where there was no looking back. Whereas every member who has ever performed with Guns ‘N Roses is still alive (and for the most part
well). When they unleashed their brand of rock upon the world it was met with universal acceptance and I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a band be admired,
loved and reach such a wide and diverse group of people since the Beatles. Males, females, metal heads, rockers, punks all heralded and cherished
GNR’s brand of vicious rock and still do nearly two-decades later. Sadly, the group has largely existed in name only for the last thirteen years, but 2006
has proven to be a year in which the name Guns ‘n Roses becomes more than a mere nostalgia trip. Despite a brief interrupted tour in 2002, this is Axl
Rose’s first full year of touring since 1993. While I’ve heard reports of blazing nights and some solid bootlegs, I wasn’t convinced I needed to see this
incarnation of GNR. Here’s my reason why; There was a time in the mid 1980’s where Keith Richards and Mick Jagger did not see eye to eye. As a result,
Jagger went solo on a tour to Australia and Japan, territories the Stones had never been to. Not only did this infuriate Richards as these were territories
the Stones had never visited where large amounts of money could be made, but more importantly, his partner went there without him. These two men had
built so much together and yet one was standing on the sidelines watching his partner claim all the glory. Richards fill in was virtuoso guitarist Joe
Satriani, who is a top flight guitarist, but he doesn’t have the same history with Mick. Great musicians don’t make great bands. Since then Jagger and
Richards reconciled and have only played the classic Stones songs with each other enhancing their legacy and legend. My generations version of the
Stones, Guns ‘N Roses, has spent the better part of the last thirteen-years out of the consciousness of the public, but never far from our hearts and minds.
I received a last minute phone call to review the GNR show and I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to go. I wasn’t sure if I could reconcile these new
musicians no matter how talented they may be. I overcame my reservations and headed out to the Allstate Arena where Axl Rose and seven supporting
musicians, better knows as Guns ‘N Roses hit the stage at 11:35pm. Before the band hit the show, I wasn’t sure what to expect. They arrived on stage
amidst an army of pyrotechnics and strobe light madness with an appetite for destruction. The crowd response was deafening which makes me wonder
what reaction a full fledged reunion could bring. A reunion of this type could break all box office records. When Axl Rose screeched his way on stage, it
was with an appetite that I would say is close to being unheralded in my lifetime. The opening trio of songs were all from “Appetite For Destruction”
(“Welcome To The Jungle”, “It’s So Easy”, “Mr. Brownstone”) and the in succession performances put the crowd in a maddening trance. It became very
apparent it would be far too easy to label these musicians as a glorious cover band. This is far more than Axl and a bunch of arbitrary musicians. Each
member was handpicked by Axl for not only being a masterful musician but also a spellbinding performer as well. A lot of discussion has been had on
each of the band members and how they’ll never compare to the original line up. I was one of those who had my doubts but can tell you that after seeing
this eight-piece band shred through a two-hour plus show, these guys are no slouches. What you have here is not even an All Star team of musicians, but
better, a group of guys who have chemistry and who are pulling off the impossible every night by winning each crowd over. Bassist Tommy Stinson
roamed the stage like a veteran; while guitarists Robin Finck and Richard Fortus roamed the stage doing a damn good job on making most of the
audience, even if it was briefly, forget about top hats and faceless guitarists. Axl Rose is an artist whom I have followed since the band’s inception and in
truth, I’m not sure if I could ever put the artist’s actions into context, but I do know this, he will not go on stage until he is ready to give 110% of himself
to that crowd. He plays by his rules and no others, not because of ego, but because he’s a perfectionist. I assisted journalist Lonn Friend with his recent
memoir, “Life on Planet Rock” which allowed me into the inner workings and mind of Axl Rose. Aside from long time confidant Del James and former
GNR manager Doug Goldstein, I’m not sure if anyone else really understood Axl as much. However, I must admit to proofing and assisting with the book
and being mystified by the stories and thought process of the legendary front man, yet after seeing the drive and determination with which he put forth
during these opening numbers, I can now say that I get it. Axl is a true rock n’ roll renegade that will do things on his own time and his own way. How
else could he pull off two national tours without a new record in stores? From a business perspective, it makes no sense to tour without a new album and
this is the third time Guns ‘N Roses has done this (’91, ’02 and ’06) in their career. The long awaited “Chinese Democracy” is still not on any release
schedule, but it did not stop him from performing five songs from the album. “Chinese Democracy” and “IRS” are reminiscent of how one could imagine
GNR in the 21st Century. “The Blues” and “Madagascar” were moody ballads, the latter of which bore images of political uprisings from the 60’s on the
screen behind Axl when performed. However, there is one new song that stood apart from the rest; “Better”. A bootleg of this track leaked earlier this
year and I will say that it is on par with anything Axl Rose has ever created. This triumphant composition is a cinematic poem filled with fuming guitars
and perfectly textured harmonies. When one hears a song like “Better”, you realize the potential that “Chinese Democracy” holds. But until it is
released, we’ll have to be content with the concert experience. As Robin ended his solo and launched into “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, the crowd responded
with a response so magnetic, one had to see it to believe it. I’m not sure if there is an album from the last twenty-five years that still continues to grow,
develop and resonate more than “Appetite For Destruction”. Not only do people know every word to the singles, but they know every word to all twelve
compositions. Most shockingly, the new band performed these songs to perfection as if they have been performing them for decades. The seductive power
with which they were delivered to the audience was hypnotic. Something I didn’t expect to see, nor did I want to see, was a band who made this material
their own and this current incarnation did just that. What the current band lacks in history they more than make up for in their resolve and willpower.
While these performers took these songs to soaring heights, Axl Rose covered every foot of the stage and sprinted across it as if it were 1988 not showing
his age at all. There have been numerous articles over the years that feel that Axl mistreats his fans with constant delays, late start times, and
cancellations…but after assisting Lonn Friend with his memoir and now witnessing this show, I don’t believe that is the case. The truth is that Axl Rose
hits that stage planning on giving the audience his all and draining every last ounce of sanity from himself in the process as well. He views the concert
stage as his work desk and when people distract him with fights up front, unnecessary shoving and flashes going off, he sees these people as interrupting
his job and wants them removed so he can continue to give the rest of the audience his complete and total focus. Axl Rose is attempting to accomplish the
impossible and even though the task of rebuilding GNR is maybe the most daunting task ever done in the annals of rock, there is no mountain Axl will not
climb to bring his vision to reality, no matter how long it takes. As the evening continued, there were intermittent solos between suites of songs by
assorted members of the band. Keyboardist Dizzy Reed, the only member to continually stand shoulder to shoulder with Axl over the last fifteen years,
had the evening’s most sublime moment with a piano led solo of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps’. Reed’s playing was so dead on and inspirational that
photographer Rob Grabowski commented to me that it was the highlight of the show for him. Something people tend to forget and overlook is that Dizzy
Reed joined the band during the recording of the “Use Your Illusion” albums. He is the only member left from that era who is still in the band and after
seeing his solo, I’m glad he stood by Axl’s side as he brings not only musical aptitude but history with him as well. Guitarist Richard Fortis performed “A
Winter Shade of Pale” during his solo and the unbelievably gifted guitarist Bumblefoot performed the complete elegiac “Don’t Cry” instrumental to
roars of approval. Many have criticized these solos as being unnecessary and long, however, I see them as giving these unknown musicians a chance to
shine. Besides, these are more than just instrumentals; they are extended jams that are virtually songs within themselves and are anything but meandering
and without purpose. The eighteen-song set had a total of eight songs performed off “Appetite” (including a vicious “My Michelle” with a guest
appearance with Sebastian Bach), one from “Lies” (a reliable “Patience), four from the “Use Your Illusion” albums (including a soaring “November
Rain”) and five from the still unreleased “Chinese Democracy” (with the aforementioned future classic “Better”). I’ll be the first to admit it was eerie
seeing the non-classic line up of Guns ‘N Roses perform these songs, however, they were delivered to the Chicago audience with romantic sincerity as if
the evening was an epic love poem delivered by an eight-piece band. What impressed was not the sentimental essence of these songs but the overall
esoteric nature of the evening. The context with which these songs were written and recorded will never be erased. Yet, these songs still speak volumes to
the here and now and Axl is bringing them to the crowd not because of nostalgia, but because he has something to prove. When you want to see truly
incendiary performances, there is nothing greater than seeing an artist who has something to prove. In the same building, once known as the Rosemont
Horizon, I saw Jon Bon Jovi leave a pint of blood on this stage in 1993 and again in 2000 wanting to prove the naysayers wrong as he tore through two of
the longest and wildest shows of his career. I’ve never forgotten those shows because he had something to prove. I’m not sure if I’ve seen another artist of
Bon Jovi’s stature fight as hard until now with Axl. The critics can go ahead and flame him if they want, they just don’t get it. With few exceptions, I
haven’t seen a club act give this much of their body, mind and sanity. Will the new incarnation gauge the emotional weight of their predecessors? Only
time will tell, but in the meantime, they out there rocking their hearts out with a vigor and resilience I doubt you will even see from the most driven club
act. Getting used to this incarnation will come with time…and a little patience.br
11.29.06 - Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI, USA

notes: Canceled due to illness. Axl is suffering from an ear infection and strep throat.
12.01.06 - Hilton Coliseum, Ames, IA, USA

opening acts: Modern Day Zero, Suicide Girls, Sebastian Bach, Helmet
attendance: 5,363
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out
Ta Get Me, Used To Love Her, Jam, November Rain, I.R.S., My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience, Nightrain
encore: Bumblefoot Guitar Solo, Chinese Democracy, Madagascar, Paradise City
12.02.06 - Target Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA

opening acts: Helmet, Suicide Girls, Sebastian Bach
attendance: 9,100
set: Welcome to The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Better, Robin Guitar Solo & Jam, Sweet Child O' Mine,
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Down On The Farm, Richard Guitar Solo
[w/ Angel], Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, I Feel Good [snippet], Used To Love
Her, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Rocket Queen, Patience, Nightrain
notes: Axl says "Tommy Told Me he had some friends in town, but he didn't tell me it was this many." Axl also says "It's 17 degrees
outside, you all are some tough mother fuckers. As you might know I'm from the midwest, but I couldn't deal with the cold, so I went to
California."
12.04.06 - MTS Centre, Winnipeg, CANADA

attendance: 11,000
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Down On The Farm, Richard Guitar Solo,
Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles], Used To Love Her,
notes: Sold out show!. Axl, Sebastian Bach and Bubbles sang the first couple of verses of Rush's "Closer To The Heart".
GN’R A GOOD THING FOR ROCK-LOVING NIGHT OWLS (by Jen Sharpe, www.mtscentre.ca): If you had a spelling test—or a hearing test—on your
Tuesday morning agenda, chances are you missed Monday night’s concert at the MTS Centre. The eye-opening, ear-busting show was definitely not for
those with school night curfews or sensitive hearing, but that’s a good thing. At a Guns ‘n Roses concert, a healthy dose of F-bombs and fireballs is
expected. Encouraged, perhaps, if you proved your stamina with general admission floor seats. From 8:00pm to just after 2:00am, risqué dancers,
squealing guitars, and classic hard rock tunes kept 11,000 GnR fans rocking for six solid hours. After a skin-baring performance by the Suicide Girls, a
heavy half-hour show from Helmet, and a 75-minute set from former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, headlining Guns ‘n Roses took to the stage just
before midnight. Fronted by the fiery Axl Rose, GnR opened up their set with “Welcome to the Jungle” from 1987’s Appetite for Destruction. With two
keyboardists, three guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer in his GnR army, rock star Rose commanded the stage and the crowd with veteran know-how.
This isn’t surprising, because the band—in all of its permutations—has been delivering killer rock shows for over 20 years. Although Axl is the only
remaining original member, the band was a cohesive unit onstage, covering classic GnR tunes like “Sweet Child of Mine” and “Mr. Brownstone”
flawlessly. Though his bandmates have changed, Axl has resisted the ravages of time: plenty of pecs and nary a wrinkle, the 44-year-old looks better than
he did decades ago. Sporting Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses, skin-tight jeans, and neatly braided hair, Mr. Rose let his bandmates cover the grungy, gritty
aspect of rock-n-roll style. Though he looks shiny and new, Axl’s voice is as nasal and squealy as it ever was. That’s also a good thing. Even through the
softer tunes (and there were quite few), the famed frontman can hit the high notes and hold the long ones just like in his heyday. The show was peppered
with memorable moments, including a mid-set visit by Bubbles of The Trailer Park Boys, stories about border crossing troubles, and a handful of lighter-
lit ballads. For at least one concert reviewer, Guns n’ Roses also managed to clear up a long-held misconception: Turns out “November Rain,”
“Patience,” and “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” aren’t best enjoyed while slow dancing in Junior High. The lighters, the crowd, and Axl’s on-stage antics
top any butterflies you — okay . . . I — may have felt in an echoey gym. That’s a very good thing.
12.06.06 - Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary, CANADA

attendance: 13,370
You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/
Angel], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Rocket Queen, Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles], I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ O
Canada, XYZ, Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Used To Love Her, Patience, Nightrain
notes: Sold out show!. During Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Axl had to ask the crowd on the floor to take a step back. Because everyone
was pushing towards the stage.
12.07.06 - Rexall Place, Edmonton, CANADA

Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Rocket Queen, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard
& Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Angel], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Down On The Farm, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ O
Canada, Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles], Used To Love Her, Patience, Nightrain
notes: Sold out show!. During Mr. Brownstone Axl asks the crowd to take a step back.
12.10.06 - Everett Events Center, Everett, WA, USA

Duet [w/ Angel], Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, I.R.S., Rocket Queen, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/
Sebastian Bach], Used To Love Her, Patience, Nightrain
12.11.06 - The Rose Garden Arena, Portland, OR, USA

Duet, Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, I.R.S., Rocket Queen, Down On The Farm, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My
Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Used To Love Her, Patience, Nightrain
encore: Chinese Democracy, Madagascar
notes: After Sweet Cild O' Mine, Axl comments on how the venue's name, The Rose Garden, has a nice ring to it. After Better, he
mentions that he's learned that he's supposed to say things like "that's a song from our forthcoming album...".
12.13.06 - Save Mart Center, Fresno, CA, USA

opening act: Suicide Girls, Helmet, Sebastian Bach
notes: Canceled. This show was originally scheduled for September 27th, 2006.
12.15.06 - Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA, USA

set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Better, Robin Guitar Solo & Jam, Sweet Child O' Mine,
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo, The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Out Ta Get Me [w/ Lars Ulrich],
Jam, November Rain, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience, Nightrain
notes: Guest appearance by Lars Ulrich (Metallica) who plays drums on Out Ta Get Me. Apparently Axl has some problems with his
monitors early in the show.
12.17.06 - Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk, Universal City, CA, USA

attendance: 6,250
You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ Angel], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, I.R.S., My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Think About You [w/ Izzy
Stradin], Used To Love Her [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Izzy Guitar Solo, Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: Chinese Democracy, Madagascar, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Sold out show!. Izzy makes his first guest apperance on GN'R's 2006 North American tour. It's also his first L.A. appearance with
GN'R since the shows there in 1991. He plays a few riffs from Rod Stewart's "I Was Only Joking" before "Patience".

attendance: 6,250
You Could Be Mine, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Eruption, Don't Cry], Rocket Queen, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Dizzy Piano Solo,
The Blues, Jam, I.R.S., Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Down On The Farm, Think About You [w/ Izzy Stradin], My Michelle
[w/ Sebastian Bach], Used To Love Her [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Izzy Guitar Solo, Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: Chinese Democracy, Madagascar, Paradise City [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
notes: Sold out show!. Frank's drumkit caught on fire from the pyro during November Rain. Some of the band played some riffs from
Smoke On The Water and Axl sang "smoke on the drummer". Axl introduced Used to Love Her by saying how Izzy and him were living
in a shithole and they just couldnt stand the pussy hair metal song being played on the radio. Used To Love Her was born as a result of
that.

attendance: 6,250
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Jam, Rocket Queen, Down On The Farm,
Richard Guitar Solo [w/ Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Think About You [w/ Izzy
Stradin], Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach & Bubbles], Used
To Love Her [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Patience [w/ Izzy Stradlin], Nightrain [w/ Izzy Stradlin]
encore: Chinese Democracy, I.R.S., Madagascar, Paradise City
notes: Sold out show!. Bumblefoot plays and sings You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. Ron is wearing a Santa hat during Patience.
Review: The first leg of the North American tour came to an end in Los Angeles today at 2:30 in the morning with thrills, chills and spills. Tuesday night
it was guitarist Robin Finck that took a spill while drummer Frank Ferrer almost became a victim of pyro gone wrong, but at Wednesday's tour finale
performance it was Axl who ate it, tumbling down the staircase that leads to an elevated platform during "Live and Let Die." Shocked and embarrassed
Axl's grin was ear to ear as he struggled to get through the rest of the song without laughing After Tuesday's stellar show the band was hard pressed to
top their previous efforts but they didn't disappoint. In the holiday spirit Richard Fortus' guitar solo included a rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little
Christmas" while Bumblefoot led the crowd in a sing-along of "Mr. Grinch" during his solo. Having already seen the band numerous times it was pretty
much a by-the-book show with no real surprises but that didn't mean it wasn't any less spectacular. For me, the highlight was the encore. You could really
tell Axl let loose while singing "Chinese Democracy,""I.R.S." and "Madagascar" back to back. He seemed so comfortable and energized singing the new
songs. I think anyone who wasn't familiar with those songs (if that's even possible) must have been won over. And maybe because it was the tour's last
show Axl and Sebastian Bach really let it all hang out during a turbo charged "My Michelle" (with special guest Bubbles from the Trailer Park Boys) that
almost brought the house down. It was also great seeing Izzy Stradlin back onstage during these last three shows. Always the quiet, laidback member of
GNR this time around Izzy stalked the stage like he owned it - climbing the staircase to the drum riser or standing tall center stage. I'm sure the bona fide
rock star response from the crowd and the band didn't hurt. Every night Tommy, Ron, Richard and Robin would surround him, play alongside him and
almost look at him in awe. Afterwards Robin would usually bow down before him. After all, Izzy did help pave the wave for these guys. Before the show I
got to speak with new drummer Frank Ferrer who was happily guaranteeing a great show. Although he didn't know if he's officially in the band to stay he
was still laughing about almost going up in smoke the night before. Gunners Tommy Stinson, Dizzy Reed and Robin Finck were celebrating before the
show along with guests Ron Jeremy and Danny Bonaduce. It's great to see how genuinely excited these guys are to playing in Guns N' Roses. Hopefully
we'll have our hands on Chinese Democracy come March and hear even more new songs on future legs of the tour. Until then, Happy New Year
everybody!

notes: Originally scheduled for October 2nd, 2006. This show was canceled.
01.11.07 - Rabobank Arena Theater and Convention, Bakersfield, CA, USA

notes: Originally scheduled for September 29th, 2006.This show was canceled.
01.13.07 - Reno Events Center, Reno, NV, USA

notes: Originally scheduled for September 30th, 2006. This show was canceled.
01.16.07 - iPayOne Center, San Diego, CA, USA

notes: Originally scheduled for October 5th, 2006. This show was canceled.
02.08.07 - Beverly Hills City Hall, Beverly Hills, CA, USA

set: Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Sweet Child O' Mine
audio/video recording?: video?
notes: Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Induction Ceremony in honor of Versace. GN'R played a two-song set at the Rodeo Drive's Walk of
Style ceremony, which was held Thursday night (February 8) in Beverly Hills, California. The band, which used a stand-in bass player
(Tommy Stinson was apparently unable to make the gig) for the performance, blazed through "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" and "Sweet
Child O' Mine" to close the event, which honored Gianni and Donatella Versace. The news of GN'R's performance was broken Tuesday
(February 6) during Donatella Versace's appearance on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" program where she called GN'R frontman Axl Rose a
"very elegant person" who loves fashion. Axl reportedly stayed after the band's set until the party ended shortly after midnight. Former
Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach was one of Rose's guests for the evening.
04.14.07 - Makuhari Messe, Chiba, JAPAN

notes: Postponed due to Tommy's injury.

04.18.07 - Rainbow Hall, Nagoya, JAPAN

04.21.07 - Intex Osaka, Osaka, JAPAN


04.27.07 - My Coke Fest, New Market Racecourse, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA

opening acts: Evanescence, Hoobastank, 3 Doors Down
notes: This show was canceled due to Tommy's hand "injury."
05.01.07 - My Coke Fest, Kenilworth Racecourse, Cape Town, SOUTH AFRICA

opening acts: Evanescence, Hoobastank, 3 Doors Down
notes: This show was canceled due to Tommy's hand "injury."
CHINESE DEMOCRACY WORLD TOUR 2007
06.02.07 - Arena Monterrey, Monterrey, MEXICO

opening acts: The Volture, Maligno
attendance: 25,000
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Jam, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard &
Robin Guitar Duet [w/ People Get Ready], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Jam, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry],
My Michelle, Patience, Jam, Nightrain
notes: A sold out show starts of the 2007 World Tour. Not much talking during the show, only a simple introduction of Bumblefoot
before his solo.
06.03.07 - Arena VFG, Guadalajara, MEXICO

opening acts: Maligno, Nata
attendance: 32,500
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Robin & Richard
Guitar Duet [w/ People Get Ready], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ La Raspa, Don't Cry], My
Michelle, Patience, Nightrain
notes: Second sold out show in Mexico. At the end of the show, Axl says, "Thank you! Now we´ll go for more tequila!!!"
EBER SANTOS' REVIEW: Before Show: Guns N Roses finally returned to Guadalajara since his last presentation he gave along with Blind Melon on
April 21, 1993, unfortunately on this occasion the Jalisco Stadium is not filled, but that would not happen since the Arena was insufficient to VFG More
than 32000 people thirsty rock which brought together. At 7pm was in the Arena VFG to avoid traffic on the road to Chapala. Around 8pm entered the
compound, we took our places and we realised it would be a very long night, hardly were doing tests audio, lighting and video. The concert was
scheduled to begin at 9pm with a group opener in Guadalajara, actually began at 9:30 pm and with a group called Evil Monterrey, which after about 4
songs went with the cries of "out! Outside! off! ". It seems that they were already accustomed to booing because they withdrew their instruments with all
the calm of the world, lasted half an hour removing their teams. At 10pm everyone expected to see Axl Rose on the stage, but not something fits, were
putting another battery, another group telonero. Now it was the group called Nata de Guadalajara that the truth were equally unknown to the Monterrey
played a little better, but nobody had gone there to listen groups novices, we wanted to Guns N 'Roses. This group I play many songs, about 8, almost
seemed his concert and extended by nearly an hour. Above also calmly withdrew his team for the 11pm scenario was already clean and ready for what we
were going. Thanks to the newspaper El Norte in Monterrey, I knew they were going to leave late, but I never knew so late (I do not subscribe to the site
of the newspaper and could not read the complete interview) also AXL is famous for making people wait for even to cancel their concerts just minutes
before. It made the 11:30, and then in the absence of evidence of the group, people began to rechiflar to make waves, to remind mothers, at 12 a.m., and
began to hear a rumor that even AXL was in the Instead, he was frightened by the city of Guadalajara in the hotel and did not want to leave. This
infuriated people, many left believing that the concert was cancelled. Then began the disorder, everyone aventando beer and soda and other liquids of
dubious origin; becoming a fight between different sections of the Arena VFG. After a person is burned his shirt from Guns N 'Roses and people started to
applaud and shout, and thus other all over the place repeated the scene even a flag of the USA was about to be burned but arrived staff security. The
organizers of the event to see who had the disorder, announced by the sound "We appreciate your patience, the artist is already in the pipeline, the half-
hour concert begins" and also said "Please do not avienten liquid audio console." That communicated the only thing achieved was that people aventara
more liquids and glasses to the audio console, and that people try to reach better place, as it already had many empty spaces of the people who did not
stop to wait. Also the songs that were at that time were very off as Rooster Alice in Chains, and that was almost a hymn of destruction to the attendees
that aventaban objects, burned shirts, it jumped to other locations. Security was exceeded by the number of people, and a large mass of people came
forward to, it was fun to see people get off at ball generally to the area platinum, much slipping and falling drunk, and receiving blows from people who
ran. In order to 12:45 am Axl and his group came out to calm the adrenaline, more adrenaline. The Concert: First the lights were turned off, and people
began to cry of emotion, there was a light that was illuminating the sand aleatoreamente when heard the chords of Welcome to the Jungle, and guitarist
Robin Fink salio a scene, suddenly you two aventaron glasses of beer which only achievement dodge one, but continued playing, and Axl Rose
sopresivamente appeared with his classic "You know where the fuck you are !!!", the song was a success. Immediately after touched Its so easy, and
everyone was excited with his fingers in the classic high shouting "Fuck off", then was followed by Mr. Brownstone, the response from the public was
excellent, everyone was jumping and singing. After a moment of apparent calm continued Live and let die, with the use of fireworks and people singing
the choruses and the solos followed by Robin and Jam of the band at the moment Axl was not at the scene and every moment he could leaving scene to
take liquids or anything else. After continued Sweet Chile or Mine, and people still very excited, Axl proving that his voice was becoming even better in
the years to more than 90. After the heavenly Knockin 'On Heavens Door, with thousands of people chanting the same song was truly incredible. The
guitarists Axl were to rise and played some very good solos. After that rang battery You Could be Mine (reminding Matt Sorum that my taste is better
than the current drummer), with special effects such as fires and lights and the background images on the screens giant car racing was excellent after a
moment of calm with a single piano Reed and then start The Blues, at the moment Axl salio charro dress and aventó half a minute after his hat to the
public after it was followed by an excellent solo a duo guitarists Robin and Richard, and then continued with the power of Appetite for Destruction with
the powerful get Take Me Out. They continued with the mythical November Rain and everyone continued singing, followed by IRS and one of the popular
Mexican song "Scratch off" and Dont Cry which was coreada by all. My Michelle followed, and after Patience, song in which Axl take a moment to go
dancing with his girlfriend Diane O 'Connor, which incidentally hiba very comfortable with pants and tennis and after continuous Nightrain. Already at
the end interpreted Madagascar, with images of the background Luther King, Gerras, politics etc., and sounds of Civil War. After that began the chords
of Paradise City, which we all realized that the show was about to end, and I think this was the key moment of the show was because when people handle
all the energy that you were, this song told many fireworks and at the end of the song all the sand I am awash with red and white paper. At the end of the
song Axl cry Baby!, Pease!, Guadalajara!, "Tequila!, Thank You!, Good Night!. At the end the band together to say goodbye and the lights were turned
off. People began to withdraw from the arena to the sound of your cover Mama Kin. After Show: After the concert I know by local newspapers that staff of
the Hotel where was staying Axl said that I am late to the show that was receiving a massage jaja, that if it is to be a true mystery. Also downtown
entertainment VFG Arena, which is owned by Vicente Fernandez, was closed by the City of Tlajomulco de Zuniga, then the delay of nearly three hours at
the concert. Three were imposed fines on the company organizing the event, Ocesa Jalisco, for a total of approximately 256 thousand pesos, around 26
thousand dollars The reasons for the fine were alteration of the schedule, because it obstructed aisles during the event and for inadequate security
measures.
06.05.07 - Palacio De Los Deportes, Mexico City, MEXICO

opening acts: Maligno, Nata
attendance: 20,000
You Could Be Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Jam, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard &
Robin Guitar Duet [w/ People Get Ready], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Jam, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ La Raspa,
Don't Cry], My Michelle, Patience, Nightrain
notes: Third and final sold out show in Mexico. Before the show, they show the football game between Mexico and Paraguay at the
arena.
FERNANDO HERNANDEZ BARRAGAN'S REVIEW: After 14 years and 2 sold out shows in the Mexican cities Guadalajara and Monterrey, everything
was ready for the long awaited show in Mexico City, this is the third time ever that the band play in this city and once again the concert was sold out. This
is the closing gig of their world tour´s kick off in Mexico. THE VENUE. The Sports Palace located in the South - East of the city, builded for the 1968
Olympic games will be the scenario of one of the most important heavy bands at the time. The place surrounded with dozens of cops and not official
merchandise sellers; allowed around 20,000 persons under it’s metal dome that night. THE SUPPORTING ACTS. The gates opened at 6:45 pm, more
than 2 hours later, the first opening act was a new Mexican band called “Nata” they did it quite good, they started a 25 mins show at 9:00 pm, when the
band finished everybody believed that GNR was next but another supporting act started one hour later with another new band called “Maligno” who
received booo´s and fingers from the tired audience because nobody seemed to be happy with their music. They played only 20 minutes and then…
complete silence. THE SONGS. After 3 hours waiting (the show was announced at 9:00 pm) suddenly lights went out at 11:45 pm and a big noise started
followed by the first notes of “Welcome to the Jungle” everybody got crazy, some motherfucker from the first rows throwed some beer to Axl and
everybody was shocked thinking the worst, but Axl didn’t seemed to care much about that little issue and he continued rocking as in the old glory
days…the audience continued screaming and singing celebrating the starting of a kick ass night “It`s so Easy” was the second rocket launched by the
gunners followed by “Mr. Brownstone”, the audience exploited in a big scream between the songs, the next song “Live and Let Die” turned the place into
a Warfield with lots of pyrotechnics. It was a great starting GNR seemed in a good mood doing their best on each song. On Sweet Child O´Mine” Axl
weared a “charro” Mexican folk outfit specially made for him with a hat, the audience was very happy and that made one of the most special moments of
the show. After that, they played Dylan`s “Knocking On Heaven’s Door” in a different version, in the middle of the song somebody throwed a Mexican
flag to the stage and Axl picked it up and put it on his back, this fact created big ovations to Axl. “Patience” and “November Rain” started with big
ovations from the crowd who sung as loud as the band´s sound. The next songs the rocker classics “You Could Be Mine”, “Outta Get Me” “My
Michelle” and “Nightrain”, turned the place in hell, nobody believed what they was looking and listening, it was a dream came true for the thousands of
frenetic fans with an age between 13 – 40 years who supported the band all concert long, it was dream came true for everybody. Even for Axl who never
imagined to have such a nice support no matter there is no new album and no matter the musicians are not the same. The starting of “Paradise City”
announced the beginning of the end the song was fulled with pyrotechnics and special effects, Axl said goodbye in Spanish and after a few Guns and
Roses chant the whole band went to the stage again to thank the nice crowd and throw some gifts like t-shirts bottles of water and guitar pics. As usual
Axl throwed his microphone and he went backstage followed by the rest of the band. In a few words, it was a kick ass concert. THE SOLOS. The 3 guitar
players had their solo the first one was Robin Finck followed by the charismatic Richard Fortus and the last guitar solo was performed by Mr. Ron Thal
with an instrumental version of “Don´t Cry” sung by the wild fans. A couple of Mexican folk songs where played as well making a special moment
connecting the band with the Mexican audience. A piano appeared in the middle of the stage, and a piano solo by Dizzy Reed started, performing a very
cool instrumental classic Rolling Stones cover called Angie, it was really cool, the public sung the song and gave big ovations to Dizzy the only remaining
member of GNR besides Axl, Dizzy seemed to be really happy thanking to the crowd for the screams and support. THE BAND. Even if most of the original
members are gone, this new guys rocked that night, they showed they have charisma and talent, they played the old songs great and the new songs kicked
ass, Richard Fortus maybe is the most charismatic and energetic member, Ron thal showed great technique on every song and the crazy Robin Finck
showed everyone why he is on the band. Also the drummer Frank did a nice job with the percussions, a couple of times he started the chant “Guns and
Roses” with the drums. The new bass player Tommy and Chris in the keyboards did also great. Axl looked great on stage, he is on good shape, he weared
a leather black shirt and jeans almost all the time, he used also a cowboy shirt with no sleeves and a cool brown leather jacket, he seemed very receptive
with Mexicans thanking them for their support, he even weared a “mariachi” outfit specially made for him fot the concerts in Mexico and later he weared
the Mexican flag on his back, Axl was great, he showed he still have a great voice and much to give to the fans. THE NEW SONGS. 4 new songs where
performed by the gunners: Better, I.R.S The Blues and Madagascar impressed everyone, Mexicans showed nice support on each of them even for most of
people it was the first time they heard them, Axl sung very well on each of them and the band played great.
06.10.07 - Burswood Dome, Perth, AUSTRALIA

opening acts: Rose Tattoo, Sebastian Bach
attendance: 16,000
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain,
I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles], Patience, Nightrain
notes: First show in Australia since 1993. Axl tells a story about drinking tequila in Mexico.
MORE ROSES THAN GUNS (Review by Jay Hanna, STM Music Editor): Old rockers don't die, they just get more sincere. Axl rose may be missing his
original bandmates and his explosive energy, but he still knows how to have fun. My, my Axl, how things have changed. It was almost bang on 11 o'clock
when that familiar other-worldy wail came bouncing across the darkness. "Do you know where the f**k you are?". Well yes, but did Guns N' Roses know
what time it was? With a reputation for being notoriously late, perhaps Axl Rose and his band of seven were trying to get off on the right foot as they
kicked off the Australian leg of their Chinese Democracy World Tour right on time. Flanked by a pair of guitarists that looked alarmingly like Rose's
former band mates Slash and Izzy Stradlin, the corn-rowed rocker got the show underway with notorious party-starter "Welcome To The Jungle". As fire
shot to the heavens the 45-year-old singer proved he still had those serpent-like moves slithering his hips and inviting the crowd to "feel my, my, my
serpentine." A far cry from the bike pant-sporting, bandanna-wearing firecracker that shook the rock world to it's foundations in the 80s and early 90s,
Axl Rose circa 2007 is a far more low-key character. His once explosive energy has subsided somewhat and the stage set-up has been stripped back
accordingly. Gone are the huge ramps and abundance of space to run around. The wardrobe has changed too with Rose sporting some stylishly cut jeans,
a black leather jacket and dark sunglasses. His once slender frame, now a hell of a lot more burly. Still Rose's desire to entertain hasn't changed and he
certainly seemed to be having fun as the band reeled of a list of classics, "It's So Easy", "Mr Brownstone" and "Live And Let Die". Four songs in Rose
breathlessly addressed the sea of black t-shirts. "You sure know how to make people feel welcome," he drawled. That was it? No abuse. No swearing. No
tantrums. It was almost hard to imagine that this genial figure was the same temperamental rock star who is famed for both his on-stage and off-stage
tantrums. It was Rose minus attitude. It wasn't as if Rose didn't have reason to vent a little anger. As usual the sound quality at Burswood Dome was
beyond appalling. Teamed with an abominable sound mix it ruined many moments. In particular "You Could Be Mine" and new songs like "Better"
sounded muddy, with the vocals barely audible over the wash of guitars and floor-pounding drums. It was hard to tell just how good Rose sounds these
days. He certainly doesn't have the range he once had and at times his high notes sounded almost comical. Racing around the stage certainly didn't help
matters and Rose delivered a far better vocal performance when sitting at his piano for "November Rain". While Rose did his best, there was no doubt
many were unfavourably comparing the show to the sensational prospect of seeing Guns N' Roses at their peak. In particular the absence of charismatic
guitar legend Slash was sorely felt and the most competent replacement, Richard Fortus, had to share those killer guitar riffs with two far inferior
guitarists. At one stage Rose stalked on stage ahead of the rest of the band and jokingly asked "where did my band go?". Unfortunately they left a long
time ago.... There were plenty that left early, but when you consider the show spanned more than two hours wrapping up a little after 1am, that is too be
expected. Still it cost them two of the night's highlights "Nightrain" and show stopper "Paradise City". As ticket tape shot into the air, Rose and his band
stepped on stage for a bow. Taking the microphone Rose acknowledged that people questioned his sincerity "for doing this" but as he earnestly thanked
the crowd for their reception he sounded 100 per cent genuine. Debate began raging as soon as we were spat out of the Dome with one unhappy punter
claiming the sensation of being forcefully blown from the building was: "the best part of the night". No doubt there will be many mixed opinions and
debate will continue for years to come, but while Guns N' Roses are no longer the band they once were, musically or physically, there is no denying that
in his hey day Axl Rose was one of the best rock frontmen ever. Therefore to see him live is to see a living legend in action. It's just a shame that things
have to change.
06.13.07 - Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, AUSTRALIA

attendance: 8,000
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Robin & Richard Guitar Duet [w/ People
Get Ready], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach],
Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles], Patience, Nightrain
notes: Axl talks about the first show in Australia. Playing at the venue in Perth was like being sucked out into space and you couldn't
breathe. Then he says "So tonight, this is awesome!" Axl lead the crowd into an "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi! Oi! Oi!" chant at the end of
the show.
GUNNERS BLAST ENT CENTRE (Danielle O'donohue. Adelaidenow): 8,000 Guns'n'Roses fans crammed the Entertainment Centre last night and they
loved every minute of it. Welcome to the Jungle was the frenetic opener complete with pyrotechnics and an energetic Axl Rose prowling around the stage.
Though it's hard to say whether it really is Guns'n'Roses without Slash and Duff, the new version is a pretty good replacement. Guitarists and Slash
stand-ins - yes, he needs three - Robin Finck, Ron Thal and Richard Fortus proved they could shred with epic solos, bass player and former Replacement
Tommy Stinson brought a touch of alternative underground cool to proceedings and original member Dizzy Reed held the crowd captivated during a
stunning rendition of the Rolling Stones' Angie played at the front of the stage on a grand piano. But the cheering fans didn't come for the band. It was Axl
they all wanted to see and despite a reputation as an inconsistent performer, the legendary frontman was up to the task, high-kicking, running around and
dissing the venue the band played in Perth on Sunday night. Though the voice isn't as sharp as it used to be, the cornrows look ridiculous and Axl isn't the
lanky rocker he once was, he showed on songs such as November Rain, he's still got the star quality that made GnR the biggest rock band of the `80s.
Several new songs were spread throughout the set including Better - the new song most fans would recognise from the internet and though the new
material was met with polite appreciation, there was a few promising moments to suggest the 13 years Axl has been working on Chinese Democracy
might not have been entirely wasted. Support act and former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach was invited onstage to sing a fiery My Michelle, in a
moment that was straight out of 1987, not 2007. The thrilling finale, Paradise City almost had Axl's vocals overwhelmed by the monster sound coming
from the seven piece band. Fireworks and red ticker tape sprayed out over the audience, before the band returned to give the crowd a final round of
'Àussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi." Earlier in the night, Bach and Rose Tattoo were given the task of warming up the crowd. A veteran of Australian
hard rock, Angry Anderson proved he could still rock a stadium running through favourites from We Can't Be Beaten to Bad Boy For Life. Whlie Bach set
the pace with a high-energy set that was all about leather pants, long hair and metal riffs. Bach last played in Australia in 1990 and he was clearly
enjoying this return visit, declaring, 'I've been waiting 17 years to say Adelaide, here I am,' before launching into the Skid Row classic. But the Bach
highlight had to be when he intro-ed his former band's acoustic hit, I Remember You. Ì've been waiting all night to say, Adelaide, Australia, I remember
you'.
06.15.07 - Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

attendance: 14,000
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Jam, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ People Get Ready], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Back In Black, Don't
Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles], Patience, Nightrain
notes: The show starts just before eleven. At the beginning of the show, the video screens are malfunctioning. Ron plays part of Back In
Black during his solo. Show ends with an "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi! Oi! Oi!" chant.
06.16.07 - Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

attendance: 12,000
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Jam, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/
People Get Ready], Out Ta Get Me, Rocket Queen, Jam, November Rain, I.R.S., You Could Be Mine, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Back
In Black, Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles], Patience, Nightrain
notes: Second show in Melbourne at a Packed Arena. Axl rode a red bike on stage during Rocket Queen. He got the bike in Melbourne.
Axl mentions how a paper claims he lip syncs Patience. During Paradise City, Axl throws out condoms to the crowd.
06.19.07 - Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, AUSTRALIA

set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo & Jam, Sweet Child O' Mine, You
Could Be Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Better, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ People Get Ready, Redemption Song], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Jam, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/
Back In Black, Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience, Nightrain
notes: Welcome To The Jungle starts with Axl singing in a mocking uninterested way because he's hit with a drink. The song is then
stopped because Axl is hit with another drink. He says "Is that what you want? You want it that way? If you're gonna throw shit, you
know, I don't have to be here. It's all right. We can have a great fucking time, or not." The song is then restarted. Before November Rain,
Axl says "Guess this is what you call one of those nights". After My Michelle, Sebastian sings the first line of Woke Up This Morning
by A3, which is the theme song from The Sopranos.
06.20.07 - Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, AUSTRALIA

Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Better, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard &
Robin Guitar Duet [w/ People Get Ready], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Jam, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Back In
Black, Australian National Anthem, Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience, Nightrain
06.23.07 - Acer Arena, Sydney, AUSTRALIA

attendance: 14,000
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Better, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Never Tear Us Apart], The Blues, You Could Be Mine, Richard Guitar Solo,
Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ People Get Ready], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Jam, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/
Australian National Anthem, Back In Black, Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience, Nightrain
encore: Nice Boys [w/ Angry Anderson], Madagascar, Paradise City
notes: GN'R is greeted by a very loud crowd so Axl says he can see why they saved these shows for last. He also mentions the fact that
the show is going so smoothly. Dizzy plays Never Tear Us Apart by INXS as his solo. Angry Anderson makes a guest appearance on the
first performance of Nice Boys on this tour.
06.24.07 - Acer Arena, Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Jam, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ Redemption Song, People Get Ready], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/
Australian National Anthem, Back In Black, Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience, Nightrain
encore: Nice Boys [w/ Angry Anderson], Madagascar, Paradise City
notes: Last of the Australian shows. Axl makes the crowd sing one extra part in Knockin' On Heaven's Door because it wasn't up to its
potential. Sebastian Bach was sitting by the stage and sang some backing vocals on Patience. The show ends with Axl and the crowd
doing the Aussie chant.
06.29.07 - Vector Arena, Auckland, NEW ZEALAND

Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Don't Dream It's Over], The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo,
Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/ People Get Ready, Redemption Song], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, I.R.S., My Michelle [w/
Sebastian Bach], Patience, Nightrain
encore: Nice Boys [w/ Angry Anderson], Madagascar, Chinese Democracy, Paradise City
notes: Sold out in less than an hour. GNR came out at 11:45pm even though Sebastian told the crowd he'd start at the stroke of midnight.
Axl tells the fans its good to be back in New Zealand and then tells everyone starting from the back to try to take a step back so people
don't get crushed. Before starting Better Axl tells the crowd that when they were here back in 1993 the crowd was out of control to the
point where he had to throw buckets of water on the whole front row then he thanks them for the warm NZ welcome. Before starting My
Michelle, Sebastian tells Axl that he brought him some Brazillian Fiesta Blend coffee, Axl reads the packet out loud in a very sexual
manner then tells the crowd to ask for it by name and that they're only talking about coffee, after that he says this aint Greys Anatomy
before doing a really loud/evil laugh. Before Nice Boys Don't Play Rock N Roll (encore) Axl says that hes been talking with the guys in
the back and that they're calling him kinder and more gentle, Axl laughs about it then says theres some wild elements from the old days
GNR crowds except theres not as many people trying to hurt each other, after that he says he hopes everyone is having a good time
tonight. Before starting Chinese Democracy Axl asks the crowd if they mind if the setlist is made a bit longer, the crowd start yelling out
YEAH! which quickly gets turned into a NO!, got a laugh from Axl. He then says if he should just shut up and go to his room, ChiDem
starts up, while the eerie music starts it off Axl points to the big screen and says "its the little man in the boat".
GUNS N'ROSES AT VECTOR ARENA (By Rebecca Barry. nzherald.co.nz): It will never be the same. But no one here - not even the bogan chick spewing
over the railing or the teens in their ironic bandanas or the politely seated older fans - expects this strange incarnation of Guns'n'Roses to fully transport
them to the 80s. You have to use your illusion. Axl Rose, now 45 and the only original member of GnR, is almost unrecognisable with his rotund frame,
ridiculous corn-row braids and shades. Backed by seven rock ring-ins, (including long-term guitarist Robin Finck and keyboardist Dizzy Reed) and
booming fire balls that erupt from behind the drum kit, he belts out the thrilling opener, Welcome to the Jungle. It's 11.45pm. Rose does all the
characteristic moves - spinning with his mic stand, bobbing from side to side and running, faux-recklessly, across the stage. But he moves in a more
considered way. He calls himself the "kinder, gentler Axl", and at one point, stops the music to ensure no one is getting crushed in the mosh. When he
holds the mic skywards and gives his first "cry-eee-eyee" on Live and Let Die, he almost looks like a gospel singer. Pity he doesn't quite sound like one.
It's not until Sweet Child O' Mine that his squally rock howl really makes an impression. When he's not getting the crowd to sing the chorus, he gives a
heartfelt performance of Knockin' on Heaven's Door. Elsewhere though, that snakey vocal is a little swamped, and new songs from his promised but not-
yet-delivered Chinese Democracy album wash over an indifferent crowd. The ring-ins play the hits with the accuracy of a practiced house band: It's So
Easy, Mr Brownstone and, when the grand piano is wheeled out, November Rain. It's when they make the show about their own rock theatrics that things
start to get messy. There are torturously long and flamboyant solos from Finck and Reed, and what's with the Bob Marley covers? Pink did Redemption
Songs a few weeks ago; this time it's a naff duet by the two guitarists, as Rose disappears into the wings again. By the time support act Sebastian Bach
reappears for a guest turn the crowd are restless for a hit. They get it from Patience, Night Train, and, in the encore, Paradise City. Does it feel as
dangerous as it once was? Hell no. But it's still fun, if a little freaky, to go back in time. As the tired Auckland crowd heads home just after 2am - a crowd
Rose once thought of as one of the "rowdiest" he'd encountered - you have to wonder if his late stage appearance was rock'n'roll arrogance or a sensible
decision from a former hellraiser who has well and truly grown up.
06.30.07 - Vector Arena, Auckland, NEW ZEALAND

Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ People Get Ready, Redemption Song], Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Jam, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/
New Zealand National Anthem, Don't Cry], My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience, Nightrain
encore: Nice Boys [w/ Angry Anderson], Madagascar, Chinese Democracy, Paradise City
notes: Before 'Better,' Axl asks the crowd to please take a step back. After 'Patience,' Axl mentions he has been awake since last night's
show.
07.03.07 - Westpac Arena, Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND

notes: South Islanders will now get the opportunity to witness one of the greatest rock bands in the world up close and personal. Another
show has just been announced for the New Zealand leg of the Guns N’ Roses Chinese Democracy World Tour. The New Zealand tour
will be extended from two Auckland shows to include another in Christchurch. The third and final show will be in Christchurch on
Tuesday 3rd July at the Westpac Arena. Australian promoter Paul Dainty said: “The response from New Zealand fans has been
exceptional and we want to give them the opportunity to witness one of the biggest bands in the world for the first time ever in
Christchurch.” “Guns N’ Roses have not toured New Zealand since 1993 and have never played Christchurch so we expect tickets for
the final show will sell out fast,” says Dainty.

opening act: MUCC
Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful, Endless Rain], Better, Out Ta Get Me, Jam, November Rain, Jam, I.R.S., My Michelle, Patience,
Nightrain
encore1: Madagascar, Paradise City
encore2: Bumblefoot Guitar Solo, Don't Cry
notes: Originally scheduled for April 14th, but postponed due to Tommy's injury. Axl says something like: "We're a little confused about
what to do right now, because we don't usually do this." Bumblefoot comes out and solos. He starts into Don't Cry as Axl comes up
behind him, crowd goes nuts. Axl gives a "hold it there sign to BBF" and busts out "Talk to me softy..." He did the the whole song with
Frank joining in later on!!!!

opening act: MUCC
set: Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin Guitar Solo & Jam, Sweet Child O' Mine, Better,
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful, Endless Rain], Out Ta Get Me, Piano Moving Jam, November Rain, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/
Japanese National Anthem], Don't Cry, My Michelle, Patience, Nightrain
notes: Originally scheduled for April 15th, but postponed due to Tommy's injury. Chris is introduced with "The man with the hangover
tonight, Mr. Chris Pitman." Once again, Axl and Ron perform Don't Cry with Dizzy, Chris and Frank joining in. My Michele features a
little intro by Axl where he sings "Michelle, ma belle, don't you know you drive me straight to hell, my Michelle..." Before Nightrain,
Axl yells out "Bass solo!" and Tommy plays a very short solo. At the end of the show Axl thanks the crowd: "Thank you! Domo arigato!
You people were fucking amazing two nights in a row! Thank you very very very very very very very very much! Thank you!"
07.17.07 - Rainbow Hall, Nagoya, JAPAN

opening act: MUCC
Robin Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful, Endless Rain], Out Ta Get Me, Piano Moving Jam, November Rain, Jam, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar
Solo [w/ Symphonic Fantasia No.1 Part.1], Don't Cry, My Michelle, Patience, Nightrain
notes: Originally scheduled for April 18th, but postponed due to Tommy's injury. Some superfunky pitman synth on 'Knockin' On
Heaven's Door,' Axl introduces Frank Ferrer as "Frank... who is a legend and a half", Axl jumps on the piano during the jam before
November Rain, Axl after NR "someone told me not to use so much kleenex... but, is that a bad thing???", the band does Don't Cry for
3rd time in a row with Axl, Ron, Dizzy, Frank and Chris, during the break in November Rain at the end before ron's solo axl started
playing the piano and either fucked up or started to play a new song, the band cracked up laughing... At the end of the gig Axl says
"everyone better hurry the fuck to the trains..."
07.18.07 - Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, JAPAN

opening act: MUCC
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could Be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Richard & Robin Guitar Duet [w/
Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo, Don't Cry, My Michelle, Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles],
Used To Love Her, Patience, Nightrain
notes: Bubbles makes his first appearance in Japan. Axl introduces him with "You may not, you probably don't, but it doesn't matter,
know who this is. But this is a friend of ours, and he plays a character on a TV show called The Trailer Park Boys. And I'm not sure if it
means more to him as an actor or the character to actually be here at Budokan tonight. So that's why we're gonna go ahead and do this,
and basically put us all to shame. Here we go, ladies and gentlemen, our friend Bubbles!". The introduction is followed by a few riffs
from Dueling Banjos before they perform Liquor & Whores. Frank is dressed as Bun E. Carlos from Cheap Trick (famous for their At
Budokan live album). The outfit also features the trademark dangling cigarette.

opening act: MUCC
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, You Could be Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Angie], The Blues, Richard Guitar Solo, Richard & Robin
Guitar Duet [w/ Beautiful], Out Ta Get Me, Piano Moving Jam, November Rain, I.R.S., Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Symphonic
Fantasia No.1 Part.1], Don't Cry, Rocket Queen, Used To Love Her, My Michelle, Patience, Nightrain
notes: Originally scheduled for April 21st, but postponed due to Tommy's injury. The last show of the July 2007 Japanese tour in front of
an amazing crowd. Ron is wearing a New York Yankees Hideki "Godzilla" Matsui t-shirt and also an Ultraman mask. Rocket Queen is
played for the first time on this Japanese tour. Axl ends the show by saying "We wanna thank you and all of Japan for making this
Japanese tour so great for us!".
07.22.07 - ?, Osaka, JAPAN

set: Liquor & Whores, Whole Lotta Love, Whole Lotta Rosie, Nice Boys, Patience, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, I Want You To Want
Me, Strutter, It's Not Unusual, Used To Love Her, Beautiful, Angie, The Blues
notes: After the Osaka show, Axl, Tommy, Bumblefoot, Frank, Bubbles and Takayoshi Azuma jam to some songs in a small club. The
setlist is not in sequential order and may not be complete. At first, everybody was waiting for the guitar and bass to arrive so there was
only piano and drums. 'Liquor & Whores' featured Bumble and Yakayoshi together on piano with Bubbles and Axl singing, Frank on
drums. Then the guitars arrived and Tommy played bass on a couple of numbers before Bubbles took over. Axl sang 'It's Not Unusual'
(by Tom Jones) with Bumblefoot. Bumblefoot sang 'Beautiful' and 'Angie' while announcing it like a lounge singer "Everybody, put your
hands in the air for Mr. Richard Fortus!" 'Used To Love Her' was played along with 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door,' 'I Want You To Want
Me' (Cheap Trick) and 'Strutter' (Kiss). The last three (or four?) featured Bumblefoot on vocals. Then Axl sang 'Whole Lotta Rosie'
(AC/DC) and it turned into a long trippy jam.
CHINESE DEMOCRACY ASIAN TOUR 2009
12.11.09 - Taipei City Stadium, Taipei, TAIWAN

attendance: 18,000
opening acts: Matzka
soundcheck: Live And Let Die, Sweet Child O' Mine, Rocket Queen, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Street Of Dreams
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, If The World, Live And Let Die, Richard Guitar Solo
[w/ James Bond Theme], There Was A Time, Frank Drum Solo, My Generation, I.R.S., Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of
Dreams, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam, November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink
Panther Theme], You Could Be Mine, Shackler's Revenge, Knockin' On Heaven's Door
encore: This I Love, Jam, Better, Paradise City
notes: The first show of the 2009/2010 World Tour and GN'R's first ever show in Taiwan, also first show for the new guitarist DJ Ashba.
First time 'If The World', 'Shackler's Revenge' and 'This I Love' were played live. Tommy sings vocals on 'My Generation'. It starts
raining during the show so Axl changes the lyrics of 'November Rain' to acknowledge it. The crowd loves it.
DANIEL REVIEW: I was at the Taipei gig last night, and I thought I would share my impressions of it. First of all though, I should say this was my first
Guns and Roses gig ever, I never saw any of the earlier line ups. They came on 36 minutes late, long enough to listen to a good section of the Appetite for
Destruction album on MP3 player and dream of what it might have been like back in the day. No apology for the delay, the first track was Chinese
Democracy, which started with DJ Ashba in spotlight, standing on one two amps, one foot on each, at the very top stage platform and playing the opening
riff. The hat he was wearing looked a bit like the one Slash used to wear- surely no coincidence, he's got the same kind of nose ring too... and doesn't
Richard Fortus bear more than a passing resemblance to a young Izzy Stradlin? Once all the band were on stage, there was a lot of activity on stage, the
three guitarists, bassist and Axel moving around a lot, up and down the stairs... the crowd reception was close to ecstatic down at the front, a forest of
hands thrust in the air making devil's horn symbols, and everyone jumping up and down. Having said that, there wasn't too much of a crush, it was pretty
comfortable for a big stadium gig. The guitarists kept coming right up to the edge of the stage to do solos, which was pretty exciting. Ron Thal seemed
particularly impressive, very fluid, plays with his eyes shut like he's entering a trance or playing in a dream. Throughout the gig, every musician would
get a chance to show what they could do with a solo of their own, apart from the synths guy, I guess he didn't make the grade. Richard Fortus did a
reworking of the James Bond theme, and Thal did the Pink Panther theme, Tommy Stinson played 'My Generation' and sang lead on that, which was
pleasing for the Who fans in the audience. I'm really curious to know if the tunes I couldn't put a name to might not be the melodies to forthcoming songs
in the Chinese Democracy album sequence. I couldn't quite work Axl out. He was really wide eyed at the start and I didn't know why, and I found myself
struggling to pick out what he was singing quite often, although that's probably due, at least in part, to me having to wear ear plugs these days. Also he
kept going backstage for some reason. At first he looked tired, well, maybe it was jet lag or something. But he convinced as showman and performer as
the gig rolled on, dancing energetically, and running around, and I think his singing got stronger too.Before November Rain, they played the riff to Jean
Genie, and Axl muttered the first line of that song... then when the grand piano was pulled out on to stage and as he sat down he announced 'Bennie and
the Jets', but played November rain instead. He played piano himself for November rain, and as luck would have it, it had begun to drizzle, so he changed
the words to 'December Rain', which was pretty cool. The song ended with the 'Don't you feel like you need someone' verses that feature on the "Live Era"
version of the song. At first, the main special effects were just the film projections on the the three big screens at the back of the stage, but later on they
also had huge roman candle type fireworks, flames gushing out of pipes, and the show ended with strips of foil like snakes being shot right out in the
crowd. That was right at the end of the encore, the show closer was Paradise City, which began with Mr Rose wryly commenting 'Perhaps you'll
recognise this one.' The pre-encore closer however, was Knocking on Heaven's Door. Axl told a story about how he met Bob Dylan at a party and Bob
asked him when he was going to record Knocking... Axl says 'We all really love that song' and Bob says, 'I don't care, I just want the money'. It was a
good feeling though, and he got the crowd to join in on the chorus. "Perhaps you guys can help me out with this one". Dizzy Reeds piano solo was a very
mellow piece, with just him sat at the top of the stage with his piano and everyone else off set. I found myself feeling a lot of respect for this pianist that,
before that time, I had barely noticed in the band. The general impression was of eight virtuoso musicians pretty much on top of their game, with
everyone afforded their own moment to shine, and the variety made the whole thing seem quite light hearted and fun too. People put Axl down as an ego
maniac sometimes, but he didn't hog the stage at all. I still don't know if what seemed to be Axl straining at times to sing was really happening or was just
in my mind, or the fault of the ear plugs, or what, but on the whole he was the consummate showman, that's the main thing. The sleeve photos to 'Live Era
87-93' show him high-jumping however, there was none of that last night. He changed shirt about four times though, and each seemed almost immediately
to become drenched in his sweat, he was working pretty hard and he showed it. My immediate verdict after the show was 4.5 out of five, marked down for
just slightly for lateness and being stingy handing out set lists. It's like, c'mon guys, what the hell, can't you roadies just stoop down and pass 'em over, it
just takes a second... but they did throw what seemed to be buckets of guitar picks out, so I guess some people went home with a nice souvenir. I think the
Chinese Democracy tracks sound better in a live format too, just a bit looser and less polished... but warmer. And it seemed all the boxes from the back
catalogue were ticked, it would have been nice to hear 'Civil War' as well, maybe 'Patience'... for me, from the new songs, 'Catcher in the Rye' was
missing, but in the final analysis, no complaints. Except that I would have liked them to play on for a couple more hours... As an afternote I went home,
appropriately enough, on the night train, four damn hours from Banciao to Tienjhon, and I'm still knackered... but worth it, well worth it. Chinese
Democracy in the Republic of China, sweet as a nut.
12.13.09 - Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Olympic Park, Seoul, SOUTH KOREA

attendance: 6,000
opening acts: GUMX
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Shackler's Revenge, There Was A Time, Richard
Guitar Solo [w/ James Bond Theme], Live And Let Die, Frank Drum Solo, Sorry, Rocket Queen, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of
Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of Dreams, You Could Be Mine, Jam [w/ Black Betty], My
Generation, Jam, Axl Piano Solo [w/ Someone Saved My life Tonight], November Rain, Take A Walk On The Wild Side, Better,
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Paradise City
notes: Show in a chilly Seoul. After 'It's So Easy', Axl greets the crowd with "Seoul! Korea! Very good to be here with you tonight.
Thank you for having us!". After 'Mr. Brownstone' he asks the crowd if they thought he was going to be there. Axl says that it's the
second time he's ever sung 'Sorry'. 'You Could Be Mine' features footage of Formula 1 racing on the video screen. Tommy sings 'My
Generation' for the 2nd show in a row. The band jams on Lou Reed's song 'Take A Walk On The Wild Side' and Axl also plays Elton
John's 'Someone Saved My life Tonight' before 'November Rain'.
ALLAN REVIEW: This was my first ever GNR concert, I had tickets to see them in Cape Town South Africa (Im South African) in 2007, and as everyone
knows that was cancelled. Im a fan from way back in the day, was a huge fan in the early 90s when I was like 11 or 12. Fortuantly I am living and
working in Korea now, so I had the chance to finally see them play in Seoul, which is about an hour away by bus from where I live. Anyway, I got there at
about 8pm, I was runnig late, but I figured I would be fine as when does a Guns concert ever start on time? I did manage to get within 5 feet of the stage,
so i had an awsome view of the gunners. There was an awsome atmosphere, inside the Olympic gymnastics arena. Lots of Westerners and Koreans. There
was some crazy dude asking Gnr trivia questions, and if you could answer enough he handed out prizes of burnt dvds of classic GNR concerts. I got one
btw.....Otherwise we all just stood around chatting about Gnr and rock on general while we waited, and made freinds with some cool Koreans... They
actually didnt keep us waiting too long, and came on about 9.45 pm or so. Basically it was kick ass. They sounded great. Axl was in fine voice, and he has
absolutely lost nothing. His voice is still amazing. Though he looks a bit older, and a bit chunkier lol But the dude still has the charisma. Oh, and the
braids are gone, he has longish hair again. And the bandanna is back! DJ Ashba, this dude was awsome, great guitar player. He just has the right look
and atmosphere about him. He really looks like he belongs in GNR, and he does nt mangle the solos like Finck did imho. He rips on the classic gnr
material. The guy is just covered in insane tatoos, most people could nt take their eyes off him when ever he came to the sides of the stage. His guitar solo
was damn cool, and quite soulful. Axl has so made the right choice with this guy. Hope he records and writes with Axl. Richard Fortus was as always a
great performer, full of energy, and a damn good guitar player. He played the James Bond theme on his guitar before they launched into Live and Let
Die. Sounded fucking cool, the film producers should seriously let him record it for one of their films. Bumblefoot, amazing, as always. This guy just
makes playing guitar look so easy. His solo was also fucking sweet. He played the pink panther theme. Too cool... To be honest the rest of the band made
no impression on me.... They opened with Cinese Democracy, and played a lot of songs from the new album. Sorry was fucking epic. Axls vocals were so
good on this song, and Dj ashba 's solo was damn good on it. The new songs sound great live, and take on ore life. They sound a bit warmer and more
organic. They really blew the roof off with Better, and Ashba played the end solo a bit different than Finck, better actually...lol. Other than that they tore
throught he usal AFD songs, and the few UYI songs. Overall they sounded great, performed their asses off, and proved to me they are a damn good band
in their own right. The only big letdown was that we got no encore for some reason. And no Nighttrain! That was my biggest dissapointment as its my
favourite Gnr song of all time. Oh well, I will just have to catch them again someday somewhere....
12.16.09 - Kyocera Dome, Osaka, JAPAN

opening acts: MUCC
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Shackler's Revenge, If The World, Richard Guitar Solo
[w/ James Bond Theme], Live And Let Die, Sorry, Rocket Queen, Prostitute, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of
Dreams, Jam, Scraped, Frank Drum Solo, You Could Be Mine, Jam, Axl Piano Solo [w/ Someone Saved My life Tonight], November
Rain, Jam, I.R.S., Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Catcher In The Rye, Out Ta Get Me, Bumblefoot
Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Jam, Whole Lotta Rosie, This I Love, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Better, Sonic Reducer, Patience, Don't Cry [Intro] / Paradise City
notes: Incredible long show of over 3 hours. 'Prostitute', 'Scraped' and 'Catcher In The Rye' were played live in concert for the first time.
The band jams on the Rolling Stones 'Waiting On A Friend' while the piano is brought out for 'November Rain'. It's followed by Axl
playing Elton John's 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight'. 'Whole Lotta Rosie' is performed live for the first time in over 22 years!. It was
brought out for the next song in the set, 'This I Love', but ended up being used on both songs. "A little impromptu there. I just can't
believe I remembered the fucking verses. I think I sang that last time at the Marquee in England." Tommy sings 'Sonic Reducer,'
originally by The Dead Boys. The band starts playing 'Don't Cry', Axl sings it but they don't perform the song in full. They then start
'Paradise City'.
12.19.09 - Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, JAPAN

opening acts: MUCC
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr Brownstone, Catcher In The Rye, Sorry, Jam, If The World, Richard
Guitar Solo [w/ James Bond Theme], Live And Let Die, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of Dreams, Jam, You Could Be
Mine, Rocket Queen, My Michelle, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Shackler's Revenge, I.R.S., Axl
Piano Solo [w/ Someone Saved My life Tonight], November Rain, Jam, Whole Lotta Rosie, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Scraped,
Prostitute, This I love, Frank Drum Solo [w/ We Will Rock You], Out Ta Get Me, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme],
Don't Cry, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, There Was A Time, My Generation, Better, Jam, Patience, Nice Boys, Jam, Paradise City
notes: GN'R's longest show ever, clocking in at 3 hrs 37 mins!. The band jams a bit on the Jackson Five's 'I Want You Back' before 'If
The World'. "Ever feel like you're in a, perpetually in a bad episode of The Simpsons? [Bumblefoot plays the Simpsons theme song] No
see, he had another cartoon, and I was actually in that one. Used to be in the L.A. Weekly. The angriest dog in the world. He was just
paralyzed at the end of his chain. That's all the cartoon was!" After the song, Axl tells the crowd a story about This I Love: "When we
were putting that song together, we had all this other stuff done, before that little wind part. And the wind part was our little joke. So like,
we're listening to like "OK is the timing right? Is the modulation on the piano right? There's that stupid wind part!" It was really fun. And
after that, I call the next section with the horns… I don't know why, but that's my Deer Hunter section. Mr Pitman, the disco destroyer…
Mr Chris Pitman he wrote the Deer Hunter section." Tommy sings vocals on 'My Generation'. Before Patience, Axl sings Glen
Campbell's Rhinestone Cowboy.
CHINESE DEMOCRACY CANADIAN TOUR 2010
01.13.10 - MTS Centre, Winnipeg, CANADA

attendance: 7,500
opening acts: Danko Jones, Sebastian Bach
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Shackler's Revenge, Richard Guitar Solo [w/ James
Bond Theme], Live And Let Die, Sorry, If The World, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of Dreams, Jam, Better, You Could Be Mine, Ashba
Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, I.R.S., Jam, Axl Piano Solo [w/ Someone Saved My Life Tonight],
November Rain, Jam, Scraped, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ O Canada, Pink Panther Theme], Out Ta Get Me, Knockin' On Heaven's
Door, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Jam, This I Love, Frank Drum Solo, Rocket Queen, My Generation, Patience, Paradise City
notes: First show of the tour in Canada.
GUNS N' ROSES SHOW A MASSIVE ROCK 'N' ROLL SPECTACLE (By: Rob Williams, Winnipeg Free Press): Winnipeg - Axl Rose and Guns N' Roses
toured in support of Chinese Democracy four times before the album was finally released in November, 2008, 17 years after the last album of GNR
originals. Then nothing. No tour to support the album and only one promotional media interview from the reclusive frontman. At least a bunch of people
in America got a free Dr. Pepper. A year later Rose announced he was ready to hit the road in support of the long-awaited album with four shows in Asia
and 13 in Canada, the first in Winnipeg at the MTS Centre on Wednesday where they last played in December, 2006. Why they chose to tour Canada in
January, and start in Winnipeg, is anybody's guess, but the 2010 live version of Guns N' Roses is a sight to behold. The show is a massive rock 'n' roll
spectacle as 7,500 fans witnessed Wednesday during a two-hour and 50-minute show featuring most of the new album and the band's greatest hits. The
unofficial over/under betting line on the band's start time was 10:30 p.m., and anyone who knows anything about GNR would have had their money on
over. The group took the stage at the perfectly decent time of 10:45 p.m., 75 minutes earlier than in 2006, but still more than an hour after opener
Sebastian Bach left the stage. A series of fireworks encircling the stage exploded to start the show before the opening chords of Chinese Democracy
kicked in and Rose ran on stage zigzagging his way through his seven-piece band. He was in constant motion throughout the whole song, looking a little
like Kid Rock in jeans, a white shirt and fedora, albeit with more facial hair. More explosions signaled the end of the opener before the familiar riff to
Welcome to the Jungle rang out and a huge roar erupted from the crowd as Rose screeched: "Do you know where you are? You're in the jungle, baby.
You're gonna diiiiiieeee." He dumped the hat to reveal a red bandana (and no cornrows!) during the song and showed off his two favourite dance moves -
- that weird serpentine slither and a series of herky-jerky bounce steps -- which would be repeated numerous times throughout the night whenever the 47-
year-old wasn't running around on the massive stage shaped like the top half of a chalk outline of a body with fluorescent orange tape providing the
piping. The circular "head" jutted out from the main body and two "arms" extended out on either side, curving slightly when they hit the seats. The drums
were on a riser on the stage's torso flanked by two sets of stairs which ran up behind it while a set of circular lighting rigs with its own LED system
moved vertically above it. Rose's distinctive nasally whine is still in fine form, as he displayed on the swaggering It's So Easy and the drug ode, Mr.
Brownstone, two classics from the band's 1987 debut, Appetite for Destruction, that help open the show. He looked and sounded as good as ever, but still
relies on TelePrompTers to help out in case he forgets some lyrics. And he even appeared to be enjoying himself, flashing the occasional smile and
offering up some between song banter with the crowd. "It's nice to be with you tonight. It's nice of you to turn up the heat for us while we're here," he said,
referencing the warm weather, before launching into the new Shackler's Revenge, which gave his three guitarists --- Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Richard
Fortus and DJ Ashba--- a chance to show off some riffs Slash didn't write and allowed Rose to head backstage, something he did often throughout the
night. Massive flames shot in the air and concussion bombs exploded for the band's wall-of-guitars cover of Live and Let Die before they slowed things
down with Sorry, If the World and Street of Dreams, three new songs that show off Rose's two best-known sides: ticked off and tender. They got back into
the hard rock boogie with Better, before pulling out some more old faves, with the caustic You Could Be Mine, Sweet Child O' Mine and November Rain,
featuring Rose playing a grand piano at centre stage. Each song was given extra heft by the sheer amount of musicians on stage, each of whom got his
own solo. The metal-blues drinking anthem Night Train finished the main 130-minute set before the band returned for a six-song encore, highlighted by
Rocket Queen, the ballad Patience and customary show closer Paradise City, climaxing with confetti being shot into the audience and more explosions.
"Have a good night, be safe. We love you and we'll see you again," Rose said after he and his band mates took a bow. Knowing Rose, anything is
possible.
01.16.10 - Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary, CANADA

attendance: 9,000
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Sorry, Richard Guitar Solo [w/ James Bond Theme],
Live And Let Die, If The World, Rocket Queen, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of Dreams, You Could Be Mine,
Heaven Is A Place On Earth [Intro] / Knockin' On Heaven's Door, My Generation, I.R.S., Axl Piano Solo [w/ Someone Saved My Life
Tonight], November Rain, Jam, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Shackler's Revenge, Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles],
Out Ta Get Me, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, This I Love, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Better, Acoustic Jam, Patience, Paradise City, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ O Canada]
notes: Saturday night show of over 3 hours in Calgary. Tommy & Axl on vocals 'Some Kind Of Wonderful' after 'November Rain'.
Bubbles makes a special appearance along with a double and waitresses serving tequila. The show ends with Bumblefoot playing the
national anthem and Axl handing out tequila t the crowd.
01.17.10 - Rexall Place, Edmonton, CANADA

attendance: 9,800
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Sorry, Better, Richard Guitar Solo [w/ James Bond
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Shackler's Revenge, Scraped, Jam [w/ She'll Be Coming Down The Mountain], Dizzy Piano
Solo, Street Of Dreams, Jam, I.R.S., Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Axl Piano
Solo [w/ Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Out Ta Get Me,
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, This I Love, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Whole Lotta Rosie, Acoustic Jam, Patience, Paradise City
notes: During Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Axl uses his microphone stand as a sterergin wheel. Axl accidentally hits Bumblefoot's
acoustic guitar during Patience and they both have a laugh about it. Dizzy wears an Edmonton Oilers jersey. Very fitting. This is after all
where the Oilers won all those Stanley Cups. Chris wears an Ace Frehley mask at the end of the show. Girls bring out tequila at the end
the show.
NIGHT BELONGS TO AXL (By Mike Ross, Edmonton Sun): Edmonton - Guns ’N’ Roses is the perfect example of a rock band whose parts are greater
than the sum. There’s one particular part that stands out. Axl Rose — whose name is an anagram of “oral sex,” just thought you’d like to know — is one
of the most unpredictable, temperamental, flamboyant and explosively volatile frontmen in rock ‘n’ roll history. You never know if he’s going to touch off
a riot, punch a paparazzi, diss one of his former fellow band members, storm off the stage in a snit or figuratively kick your ass in one of the finest (and
latest) rock shows ever seen in Edmonton. Some love him. Some hate him. There is no middle ground. At least he’s not boring. Sure, we missed Slash
during Sunday night’s show at Rexall Place, but there were three — count ’em — excellent guitarists to pick up the slack, Richard Fortus, Ron
“Bumblefoot” Thal and DJ Ashba (who sported a silly tophat and started the show with a cigarette sprouting from his maw, obviously a nod to Mr.
Slash). No one in a crowd of 9,800 seemed to mind the new incarnation of the famous band that bridged the gap between hair metal and grunge rock.
When our favourite bad boy of rock commenced to howl Welcome to the Jungle early on, no one complained that this was just some overblown G’NR
tribute band with an older and hairier frontman. No one would’ve been able to hear any grumbling anyway. The cheers were deafening. So was the band.
So were the explosions. The 47-year-old Axl sang like a champ. His musicians were amazing. So was the stage production. It’s early, but this might have
been the best rock show of 2010. The old joke of making fans wait eons for the new record Chinese Democracy should remind us that people in China
have been waiting a lot longer for democracy, which might never come anyway. At least G’NR fans got the album — finally — a hearty dose of which was
administered Sunday night. The show opened (fashionably late at 10:30 p.m.) with the title track, not the most memorable G’NR song ever made. Better
was a funky — funky from G’NR, imagine that — reading of If the World, an epic tune touched with Meatloafian bombast. The same goes for weird and
fascinating new songs like Shackler’s Revenge, Scraped and the power ballad Street of Dreams. But the natives did start to get restless with Axl’s self-
indulgence, despite the obvious passion with which he threw himself into the new material. This crowd clearly came to hear the Gunner’s classics, Slash
or no Slash, which included everything from November Rain — perhaps the finest power ballad ever made — to Paradise City, the last encore expected
well into the wee hours of the morning. Especially stunning was a version of Sorry (relatively) early in the night. Axl knew he nailed it, even took a bow
afterwards. And after a long spell of relatively unfamiliar if dramatic music, the double hit of Sweet Child O’ Mine and the rollicking You Could Be Mine
gave the crowd the powerful bong hit of nostalgia they’d been waiting for. November Rain, with Axl on piano — in a red velvet topcoat doing his best
Elton John impersonation — sent the fans over the top. Yes, this night (and this early morning) belonged to Axl and his new and I daresay improved
version of the Gunners, no offence to Slash, Izzy and the rest of the old guys. There’s no turning back now. There’s no point being meek with your opening
acts when you’re Axl Rose. Sebastian Bach, the leather-clad jester of hair metal, primed the pump admirably for the sonic ass-kicking to come — from the
opening of Back in the Saddle, or should that be Bach in the Saddle, to the closing of Youth Gone Wild, which really should be Middle Aged Guys Gone
Wild, which is altogether more unexpected and frightening. Whatever. Bach and his boys delivered the goods, freighted with the full complement of
swagger, snarl and Hollywood throwback rock ’n’ roll antics so over the top that they transcended their own absurdity. It really is possible to laugh your
ass off and have it kicked at the same time. Canadians ought to know. As the 41-year-old singer so aptly put it, “I know Canada kicks ass because I’m
from Canada— and I kick ass!” Seems to be a running theme here. While Danko Jones played the opening set to a lot of empty chairs (plus what
amounted to a bar-ful of diehards crowded to the front of the stage), that didn’t prevent Canada’s most ridiculous rock star from belting out his
testosterone-fuelled tunes. Danko’s subject matter deals with either sex, large things that blow up, such as volcanoes, or rock songs about rocking.
Typical lyrics include “if you wanna know how to play the blues, get yourself a woman” and “when I’m behind the wheel, I’m in the fast lane” — well, of
course he is! — all delivered with something between a snarl and a sneer. This guys hasn’t changed his schtick in 14 years — and I‘m still not sure if he‘s
serious or not.
01.19.10 - Credit Union Centre, Saskatoon, CANADA

attendance: 10,000
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Shackler's Revenge, Sorry, Fortus Guitar Solo [w/
James Bond Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, You Could Be Mine, Catcher In The Rye, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of Dreams,
Rocket Queen, I.R.S., Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam, Axl Piano Solo [w/ Someone Saved My
Life Tonight], November Rain, Jam, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Out Ta Get Me, Knockin' On Heaven's Door,
Whole Lotta Rosie, Paradise City
encore: Madagascar, Better, Patience, Nightrain [w/ Sebastian Bach, Nick Sterling & Danko Jones]
notes: After Catcher In The Rye ends, the band restarts it. During Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Axl tells a story about going to South
America during and how people would sing "Knock Knock Knockin' Motherfucker" to him. Madagascar features slightly different lyrics
sung by Axl, "forgive them that they fucked up my show". The last song is performed with Danko Jones, Sebastian Bach and Nick
Sterling.
01.20.10 - Brandt Centre, Regina, CANADA

attendance: 5,500
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Better, Sorry, Richard Guitar Solo [w/ James Bond
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of Dreams, Jam, You Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/
The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam [w/ Duelling Banjos], Shackler's Revenge, Jam, Axl Piano Solo [w/ Someone Saved
My Life Tonight], November Rain [w/ Gran Torino], Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Rocket Queen, Knockin' On
Heaven's Door, Out Ta Get Me, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Jam, This I Love, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ O Canada], Paradise City
notes: Before Shackler's Revenge, some Duelling Banjos is played. DJ Ashba plays part of Nightrain with a bra stuck to his guitar neck.
Eventually he tosses the bra back into the crowd.
01.24.10 - Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, CANADA

attendance: 5,000
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Shackler's Revenge, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of Dreams, Jam, There Was A Time, Rocket
Queen, You Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam, Axl Piano Solo [w/ Someone
Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain [w/ Gran Torino], Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Scraped, Knockin' On
Heaven's Door, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, This I Love, Paradise City
notes: After Sorry, Axl asks the crowd if it's true that Hamilton is where the hardcore fans are and says it made him excited to come
here. Before Dizzy's solo, Axl sings part of "Black Betty". The jam before Axl's piano solo has him singing part of Pink Floyd's
"Another Brick In The Wall". During November Rain, he plays the piano with his foot.
01.25.10 - John Labatt Centre, London, CANADA

attendance: 6,000
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of Dreams, Jam, Scraped, Rocket Queen, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The
Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam, Axl Piano Solo [w/ Asshole Song, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain [w/
Gran Torino], Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], You Could Be Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Doors, Shackler's
Revenge, Acoustic Jam, Patience, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, This I Love, Paradise City
notes: Tommy is introduced as being from Siberia, MN. The Asshole Song is played by Axl for the first time since 2006. Knockin' On
Heaven's Door is dedicated to Mojo, Dougie (the dog) and Eduardo.
01.27.10 - Bell Centre, Montreal, CANADA

attendance: 12,000
Live And Let Die, If The World, Better, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of Dreams, Jam, You Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The
Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, I.R.S., Axl Piano Solo [w/ Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain [w/ Gran
Torino], Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Out Ta Get Me, Jam, Patience, Shackler's
Revenge, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Scraped, This I Love, Paradise City
notes: "You know where you are? I think you do. You're on Montreal! You're gonna die!" After Sweet Child O' Mine, Axl tells a story
abut the 2002 MTV VMAs and how people said he was out of breath. He had to run from the street inside the venue while being
followed by cops. Somebody yelled "Hey, there's Kid Rock!" when they saw him. The band jams on Immigrant Song while the piano is
brought out for Axl's solo. Axl sings part of Gran Torino in the break in November Rain. During Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Axl wears
a white cowboy hat. Before Out Ta Get Me, he says that things are going great, so people start making shit up. At the beginning of
Paradise City, Axl wears the flag of Quebec.
01.28.10 - Air Canada Centre, Toronto, CANADA

attendance: 21,000
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome to the Jungle, It's So easy, Mr. Brownstone, Sorry, Better, Richard Guitar Solo [w/ James Bond
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of Dreams, Rocket Queen, Catcher In The Rye, Ashba Guitar
Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam, Axl Piano Solo [w/ Asshole Song, Someone Saved My Life Tonight],
November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], You Could Be Mine, Knockin' On Heavens Door, Nightrain
encore: Shackler's Revenge, Madagascar, This I love, Paradise City
notes: "Sorry about the time delay. Got a little carried away jumping off stuff last night" Before Better, Axl says a DJ Ashba on the radio
said the band was expected to be on stage at 2am. "So I'm early". Catcher In The Rye is dedicated to J. D. Salinger who passed away that
day. Axl talks about remembering the show the night before in Montreal, but not the party afterwards. Richard comments on it by stating
he saw Axl at the bar. During Madagascar, Axl puts a bra in Bumblefoot's microphone stand, Bumblefoot in turn puts it on Richard's
guitar neck. Richard plays part of the song with the bra hanging from his guitar.
REVIEW (by Jane Stevenson - QMI Agency): How do you know you're at a Guns N' Roses concert? You have to wait a really long time for the show
begin. And so it went on Thursday night at the Air Canada Centre as a crowd of about 21,000 waited for frontman Axl Rose to begin just over two hours
past the scheduled start time - would you believe at 11:25 p.m.? - following sets by homegrown opening acts Danko Jones and Sebastian Bach. Somebody
needs to grease Axl's wheels. Seriously. Of course, waiting for the 47-year-old Rose is nothing new. He made fans wait some 17 years for the latest GN'R
release of original music, Chinese Democracy, which came out in November 2008, and for which Rose is currently touring the world, including some 13
dates in Canada in January and February. While fans cooled their heels at the ACC, women in the stands - either in various states of undress or making
out with each other - were shown to huge cheers but time dragged on and there were boos as the crowd's impatience grew. By the time Rose and the latest
lineup of Gunners - guitarists Richard Fortus, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and DJ Ashba, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman, drummer Frank Ferrer
and one-time Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson - opened with Chinese Democracy's title track, it felt underwhelming. Especially since Rose made his
entrance in a wheelchair, wearing a black fedora over his red scarf and sunglasses (the fedora and glasses he eventually ditched), his blond hair now
shoulder length and sporting a moustache, dressed in an unbuttoned shirt and jeans with a large cross and heavy necklaces adorning his chest. "Sorry
about the time delay," said Rose after that first song. "We got a little carried away .... last night. But anyway, we're here." He even joked later that some
local deejay had predicted the band wouldn't go on until 2 a.m. "I'm early," he cracked. Thankfully, Rose and company got the crowd quickly on side with
the second song, an explosion-heavy version of the GN'R classic Welcome To The Jungle. Other song highlights were no surprise: A fiery, explosion-
laced version of Live and Let Die; the GN'R signature song, Sweet Child O' Mine featuring stellar guitar work by Ashba; the heartfelt ballad November
Rain with Rose at the piano; the propulsive You Could Be Mine; a great cover of Bob Dylan's Knockin' On Heaven's Door that included an audience
singalong; the anthemic Night Train and the show-ending Paradise City complete with more explosions pink confetti and silver streamers. (It's 1:55 a.m
when they finally leave the stage although Axl returns to take a bow with his band and distribute shots to some people in the crowd and throw flowers out
into the audience.) Less effective was much of the Chinese Democracy material save for the soulful mid-tempo rocker Street Of Dreams; the dramatic
power ballads Madagascar and This I Love, the latter featuring Rose standing on top of Reed's piano. On the plus side, Rose proved to be a non-stop man
in motion, constantly running around his enormous stage that was adorned with large video screens and lighting columns, two circular staircases, three
mini-catwalks, and elevating platforms for the guitarists to play on. He also performed his trademark side-to-side dance moves and stomped his right leg
so hard, it's no wonder he kept running off to a little black tent at the side of the stage where he changed his sweat-soaked shirts. Rose was generous
frontman too, sharing the spotlight with nearly all of his musicians who were given extended solos with special mention to Reed on a mirrored grand
piano and the heavily-tattooed Ashba on a glittery black guitar. Axl even performed his own instrumental piano medley of Elton John songs. So far the
best reported sidebar about this tour is that the Rose has banned Guns N' Roses fans from wearing Slash T-shirts or top hats (I'm pretty sure Ashba was
symbolically wearing a squished one) at the shows. The incredibly silly move has been denied by Rose's camp even though TMZ claims a member of the
concert security team has confirmed it. Rose and Slash has been at odds since the guitarist left GN'R in 1986 and then wrote about their feud in his 2007
autobiography. Someone will have to ask the former GN'R axeman, who will release a solo album later this year, what he makes of it all when the
guitarist shows up at Canadian Music Week in Toronto in mid-March to be a keynote speaker and play some tunes.
01.31.10 - Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, CANADA

attendance: 8,000
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of Dreams, Jam [w/ Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey], Rocket Queen,
Scraped, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Jam [w/ Another Brick In The Wall],
Axl Piano Solo [w/ Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Out Ta Get
Me, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Nightrain
encore: Jam [w/ Benny Hill], Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles], Patience, This I Love, Shackler's Revenge, Madagascar, Paradise City
notes: "Ottawa..... You know where you are? You're in the jungle baby! You're gonna die!" After Live And Let Die, Axl says the reason
GN'R recorded the song back in the 90s was because the L.A. Times said it sucked. So Axl thought they should hear it a few more times.
Frank gets to play the Rocket Queen intro a second time after the song ends thanks to Tommy asking for it. During Nightrain, DJ Ashba
jumps down from the stage and plays part of the song in the crowd.
REVIEW (By Peter Simpson Mon, Feb 1 2010): The Big Beat: "Is he an only child," the 20-something woman asks about Axl Rose, who by this point on
Sunday at Scotiabank Place has kept 8,000 fans waiting for almost 90 minutes. "Hurry the f-ck up man, people are waiting," says the young woman, who,
like her mother standing next to her, has a sloshing cup of frothy draught beer in her hand. “I’ve wanted to see this show for 20 years,” her mother says.
So what’s another half hour? Axl Rose has made such a business of keeping fans waiting that they'd probably be disappointed if he did show up on time. It
was almost midnight when he took the stage here a few years ago. It was 11:15 p.m. Sunday when he finally appeared with his latest version of Guns N’
Roses – though calling it that seems silly, liking watching Paul McCartney and pretending you saw the Beatles. Not that the fans seem to mind, as they
often roared “GUNS-AND-ROSES!” during the two-hour-and-45-minute set, a performance so long that it started in one month and ended in another. It
began with Chinese Democracy, and the song, like the album of the same name that was 13 years or so in the making, hardly seemed worth the wait.
None of the songs that Rose has written since Slash and Izzy Stradlin left the band can stand with the earlier work. No better evidence was needed than
the skittering guitar line that told the crowd the next song was Welcome to the Jungle, the monster from their 1987 breakthrough album Appetite for
Destruction. This was the trade-off that fans got all night long – a song from 2008’s Chinese Democracy and then a song from the back catalogue. Next
came 1987’s It’s So Easy, complete with chest-constricting explosions on stage, and then another vintage GNR track, Mr. Brownstone. “The show usually
starts around seven/?We go on stage around nine,” the song goes. Who says Rose has no sense of humour? Rose seemed in high spirits, running full-out
from one wing of the large stage to the other, rather impressively for a 47-year-old man who’s had his share of decadent living. He was talkative, too.
After one of many wardrobe changes he told us he’d ripped his pants. “I blew my ass out.” This knowledge made it a bit scarier when he tried that
serpentine shuffle he used to do so well back in the day, when he was younger and more limber. They played Sorry and Better, two more from Chinese
Democracy, before guitarist Richard Fortus kicked into Live and Let Die. This cover of McCartney’s song has long been a highlight of any GNR show,
but the limitations of Rose’s voice were uncharacteristically apparent. He can still twist out that raspy howl, but his vocal cords, which serve an intensely
demanding master, were crapping out on the high end, and elsewhere. Sweet Child o’ Mine was his greatest test. Rose, in yet another new shirt, audibly
clipped the first “whooaaaaaa, sweet child o’ mine,” but the crowd picked up the vocal slack quick enough. The crowd was into it, though by 12:30
Monday morning it was a long way from 8 p.m., when most fans had arrived to see openers Danko Jones and Sebastian Bach. By 1:00 some fans were
putting on their coats and leaving, thinking about work in a few hours, no doubt. Too bad. They missed Bubbles, from Trailer Park Boys, and they missed
Guns’ classics such as the ballistic You Could Be Mine, Patience, and Paradise City, which closed the show at 2 a.m. Rose stuck around and served shots
of booze to a couple of fans down front. It was like he didn’t want to leave, and why would he? He’s a classic rocker, and if there’s one thing Ottawa
loves more than politics, it’s classic rock.
02.01.10 - Colisee Pepsi, Quebec City, CANADA

Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of Dreams, Jam, Shackler's Revenge, Rocket Queen, Ashba Guitar
Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Jam [w/ Run To The Hills, Another Brick In The Wall], Axl
Piano Solo [w/ Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Jam, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Knockin' On
Heavens Door, My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Nightrain
encore: Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles], Madagascar, Whole Lotta Rosie, This I Love, Paradise City
notes: During Richard's solo, DJ Ashba is up by Frank's kit kicking the cymbals. During Paradise City, DJ Ashba walks all the way to
the other end of the floor and back to the stage.
02.03.10 - Moncton Coliseum, Moncton, CANADA

Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of Dreams, Jam, Shackler's Revenge, Ashba Guitar
Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Jam [w/ Another Brick In The Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/
Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Jam, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Out Ta Get Me, My
Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Nightrain
encore: Liquor & Whores [w/ Bubbles], Madagascar, Whole Lotta Rosie, Paradise City
notes: The jam before Bumblefoot's solo includes a bit of Blondie's Call Me.
02.04.10 - Metro Centre, Halifax, CANADA

set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Sorry , Better, Richard Guitar Solo [w/ James Bond
Theme], Live and Let Die, If The World, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of Dreams, Jam, Rocket Queen, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of
Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam [w/ Run To The Hills, Another Brick In The Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/ Someone Saved My Life
Tonight], November rain, You Could Be Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Shackler's Revenge, Patience [w/ Danko Jones], Nightrain
encore: Liquor & Wores [w/ Bubbles], Paradise City
notes: Axl thanks everybody (Danko Jones, Sebastian Bach, crew, Team Brazil etc.) for this leg of the tour. DJ Ashba is playing his
guitar down on the floor during Nightrain. DJ Ashba wears a space suit just like Bubbles for the first song of the encore.
CHINESE DEMOCRACY SECRET GIG - 2010 IN NEW YORK
02.12.10 - John Varvatos Store, New York, NY, USA

set: You're Crazy, Mr. Brownstone, Used To Love Her, Welcome To The Jungle, Street Of Dreams, Sorry, It's So Easy, Patience, Rocket
Queen, Jam, Catcher In The Rye, My Michelle, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Whole Lotta Rosie, Paradise City
encore: Jam [w/ Whole Lotta Love], Sweet Child O' Mine, This I Love, Nightrain
notes: Surprise acoustic show during Fashion Week in New York. The show was held at the Varvatos store on Bowery which is the
same venue as the old CBGB's club.
02.15.10 - The Rose Bar, New York, NY, USA

set: You're Crazy, Mr. Brownstone, Used To Love Her, Welcome To The Jungle, Street Of Dreams, Sorry, It's So Easy, Patience, Rocket
Queen, Catcher In The Rye, My Michelle, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Whole Lotta Rosie, Sweet Child O' Mine, Nightrain, Paradise
City
notes: GN'R played their second surprise acoustic show in New York City in less than a week when they performed at the Rose Bar.
CHINESE DEMOCRACY LATIN AMERICAN TOUR 2010
03.07.10 - Ginásio Nilson Nelson, Brasília, BRAZIL

attendance: 13,000
opening acts: Khallice, Sebastian Bach
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Silver, Blue And Gold], Street Of Dreams, Jam [w/ Don't
Call Me Nigger, Whitey], Scraped, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Jam [w/
Another Brick In The Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain,
Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Shackler's Revenge, Patience, Nightrain
audio/video recording?: audio, video?
notes: DJ Ashba plays in the crowd during Nightrain. Chris is lying on his back. A huge banner is brought out on the floor by the crowd
during Paradise City.
GUNS N' ROSES CONQUISTA BRASILIA (Voa News): Con un notorio atraso en el inicio, pero con un show espectacular que hizo olvidar cualquier
contratiempo, se realizó en Brasília el primer concierto en Brasil de la legendaria banda estadounidense de rock, Guns N` Roses, en el estadio Nilson
Nelson de la capital brasileña, ante miles de enfervorizados fanáticos. La banda llega a Latinoamérica con su nueva formación bajo el liderazgo del
legendario rockero Axl Rose, el único miembro original que todavía permanece en el grupo y presenta su tour “Chinese Democracy” que ya pasó por
Estados Unidos, Europa y Asia. La calurosa noche del domingo se presentó nublada y con algunas lluvias aisladas en el área de la capital brasileña,
aunque la inestabilidad climática de ninguna forma afectó al show, que se realizó bajo techo y al cual los asistentes arribaron temprano. “Estamos muy
agradecidos y felices de que Guns N` Roses esté en Brasília, de otra forma no habríamos podido viajar a verlos en otra parte de Brasil, porque los dos
trabajamos y no teníamos días para tomarnos libres”, decían a la Voz de América, Alessandro y Silvana, una pareja de profesionales de 30 años que
esperaban frente a la entrada principal del estadio, para ingresar a ver el show, vistiendo unas camisetas negras con imágenes de la banda. El concierto
comenzó pasada la medianoche en medio de fuegos de artificio y se extendió por 2 horas y media, donde Axl Rose no hizo más que confirmar su
condición de showman. “Disculpen por haber dejado los niños despiertos hasta tan tarde”, bromeó Axl Rose al despedirse pasadas las 2,30 de la
mañana, cerrando una presentación que se inicio con “Chinese Democracy” y continuó con “Welcome to the Jungle” y siguió con “It's So Easy”.
Cientos de pequeños puestos de ventas de comidas rápida y bebidas rodeaban el estadio, y se esparcían también en medio del área de parking, donde
decenas de vendedores informales ofrecían camisetas sobre el concierto de los Guns N` Roses en Brasília, con la inscripción “Eu fui”, en la espalda, una
especie de “Yo estuve”. Gerson, uno de los vendedores explicaba a la Voz de América que las ventas en general son lentas antes del show y esto no es
diferente con los, Guns N` Roses. Pero “después del concierto es cuando todo el mundo sale muy contento y quiere llevarse un recuerdo para su casa,
para guardar algo del show que estoy seguro será inolvidable", y no se equivocó. "Entonces prácticamente nos arrebatan las camisetas de las manos”,
confesó el vendedor que aclaró que el precio era de 25 reales antes del show, unos 15 dólares estadounidenses. Aunque en realidad nadie sabe cuanto
costarían después. A la entrada del parking, y sin ocultarse de la importante guardia policial que controlaba los acceso, decenas de revendedores de
entradas ofrecían tickets para el show, “por precios a negociar”, aunque en general, todo el mundo pasaba de largo con sus entradas ya compradas. Los
Guns N` Roses actuarán luego en otras ciudades brasileñas, como Belo Horizonte el miércoles 10 de marzo, Sao Paulo el sñabado 13 de marzo, Río de
Janeiro el domingo 14 y Porto Alegre el martes 16 de marzo.
03.10.10 - Mineirinho, Belo Horizonte, BRAZIL

attendance: 15,000
opening acts: Uberro, Sebastian Bach
soundcheck: You're Crazy, Out Ta Get Me
Live And Let Die, If The World, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Silver, Blue And Gold], Street Of Dreams, You Could Be Mine,
Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam [w/ Another Brick In The Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye
Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Nightrain
encore: Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Paradise City
notes: During Sorry, Axl wears a local football club's flag. Huge cheers for that. Beta is wished a happy birthday during Knockin' n
Heaven's Door. Axl also talks about getting to the hotel at 4am, the bar being open, the band being there, girls being present and how
there was a pool in his room. In other words, he was fucked.
GUNS N' ROSES LLEVA AL PÚBLICO MINEIRO AL DELIRIO (O Tempo): El Gimnasio Mineirinho estremeció la noche del miércoles 10 con el sonido
de Guns N' Roses, que llevó al público mineiro al delirio con la presentación del show perteneciente al tour mundial "Chinese Democracy", último álbum
de la banda. Antes, se presentaron Sebastian Bach -ex vocalista del grupo Skid Row- y el grupo mineiro, Uberro. Desde el comienzo de la mañana los
fans ya estaban haciendo fila fuera del gimnasio, ansiosos para ver en primera fila al gran ídolo, Axl Rose, el único miembro original que permanece en
el grupo que marcó el cambio de los 80. La presentación que comenzó al rededor de las 22hs y que duró 2hs horas y media, contó con efectos especiales,
explosiones y mucho fuego. La banda tocó canciones del nuevo CD, pero no dejó de lado los viejos éxitos que agitaron al menos 15 mil aficionados de
varias edades. La canción que da nombre al disco fue el primer tema del espectáculo. Al público no le importaba porque de inmediato llegó Welcome to
the Jungle. Otros éxitos como Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, y November Rain (Axl en el piano) contagiaron y emocionaron a los fans. El
público se estremeció cuando un fan de Cruzeiro tiró al escenario una bandera de Brasil con el escudo del equipo. El vocalista Axl Rose abrió la
bandera y se la colocó en la espalda, causando delirio en los hinchas del Cruzeiro y abucheos de los aficionados rivales del Atlético. En el final de la
presentación, el rockero levantó una vez mas la bandera de Brasil y la de Minas Gerais. Hace nueve años que Guns N' Roses no se presentaba en Brasil.
Belo Horizonte fue la segunda capital para recibir a la banda, que se presentó primero en Brasilia el pasado domingo. Las siguientes fechas que
continuarán en el país son en São Paulo (13), Rio de Janeiro (14) y Porto Alegre (16). La banda actual está formada por el vocalista Axl Rose, tecladista
Dizzy Reed, el guitarrista Bumblefoot, el bajista Tommy Stinson, Chris Pitman en teclados, baterista Frank Ferrer, y el guitarrista DJ Ashba que ingresó
a la banda el año pasado.
03.13.10 - Palestra Itália Stadium, São Paulo, BRAZIL

attendance: 38,000
opening acts: Forgotten Boys, Rock Rocket, Sebastian Bach
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of Dreams, Jam, I.R.S., Ashba
Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Jam [w/ Run To The Hills, Another Brick in The
Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo
[w/ Pink Panther Theme], Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Shackler's Revenge, This I Love, Patience, Paradise City
notes: Axl stops the first song because something is thrown on stage. "Stop! Stop! Stop! Who is the little fuck over here? Come on
coward! You wanna fuck up the show for everybody? 'Cause I got no problem, I will leave! We will all leave. You wanna play games?
You can fuck yourself. Or we can have some fun. You guys wanna have fun? Then I don't need no little fucking pussies, like we had the
other night at that club. You wanna fuck with me and my boys, we will leave. Where were we ladies and gentlemen..." After If The
World, Axl asks the crowd to take a step back."Ok, what we want to do, is we want to ask, if everyone in the front can please take one
step back. We have people getting crushed and getting a little bit hurt. And we want to make sure everybody has a good time tonight.
'Cause we love you very much, we're very happy to be here, it took a long time and we worked very hard to come have fun with you
tonight. So if we can all take one step back... Thank you very much." Sorry features a little remark about the acoustic show "You like to
think that in some way that it's me and not you... Ain't that right Jameson". During Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Axl holds up a banner
that says: "Mom don't worry, Axl is watching me!!". He also talks about the acoustic show "So couple of nights ago we had some
problems here. I know I'm probably giving him too much credit by talking about it. But i gotta get it off my chest, 'cause I'm fucking
pissed off. [grins] See, we know this little scumbag up in New York. He talked about booking a show, a bunch of models and shit, that's
his shtick. And I told him no, but he booked it anyway. I found out the night before the show and I was gonna go... But then I had a
show, my throat was pretty fucked up from the show before. And I wanna apologize if I'm not hitting all my high fucking notes tonight.
But as much we hate to disappoint anyone, had to look at priorities. It was either a couple of hundred people or all of you. And my so
called friend thought I was being selfish by not doing his show, and I'm supposed to say Fuck You! to you. I didn't wanna say Fuck You!
to you... So as why that didn't happen and why we're here tonight. It's because, we wanted to play this show." Before This I Love, Axl
gets the crowd to answer his "Fuck You!" with "Axl Rose!". "It's a lovely evening, don't you think? We have a saying around my house.
See if you can help me with my saying. It goes like this: Fuck you, Axl Rose! So can you help me out? I'll say Fuck You, and then you'll
say Axl Rose..."
GUNS N' ROSES AFRONTA PROBLEMAS, CRÍTICAS Y AGRESIÓN EN SU CONCIERTO EN BRASIL (EFE): Sao Paulo, La banda estadounidense de
rock Guns N' Roses fue duramente criticada tras su primer concierto en Brasil, que finalizó en la madrugada de hoy después de más de tres horas de
atraso y con una agresión por parte del público al vocalista Axl Rose. El concierto, previsto para antes de la medianoche del sábado en el Parque
Antártica de Sao Paulo ante 38.000 espectadores, se atrasó durante tres horas, lo que provocó el malestar del público. La apertura del concierto estuvo a
cargo del estadounidense Sebastián Bach, ex vocalista de Skid Row y amigo personal de Rose, quien fue aplaudido durante su presentación. Tras los
abucheos por el atraso, un Rose con unos kilos de más y al frente de una nueva formación de la banda subió al escenario para tratar de calmar los
ánimos. Sin embargo, en la primera canción, "Chinese democracy", que da nombre al álbum de reaparición de la banda después de un período de trece
años sin nuevas producciones, Rose fue agredido con una botella plástica de agua. "Aparezca, cobarde, ¿usted quiere ser el responsable por el fin del
show? Para mí no es problema irme ahora", amenazó, airado, el cantante tras la agresión. Después de un corto lapso de silencio, seguido de
aclamaciones para su ídolo por parte del público, Rose decidió volver a comenzar la interpretación de la canción, no sin antes responder por la ausencia
de la banda para un concierto privado en una discoteca paulista el jueves y que terminó con desmanes en el lugar. "No necesitamos de más maricas
como los de aquel club de la noche pasada", sentenció el vocalista. Para el portal de las revistas Abril, el "carisma" todavía vigente de Rose, a pesar de
los evidentes efectos de sonido para conseguir los tonos agudos de su inconfundible voz y de las retiradas al fondo del escenario para tomar aire, salvó el
atropellado concierto. El cambio de vestuario y "el saber dominar a una multitud" hacen todavía del vocalista un ídolo para el público, destacó Abril.
Después de despedirse, la banda, a clamor del público, regresó e interpretó cinco canciones más, entre ellas su famosa "Paradise city", con la que cerró
la presentación. En su gira brasileña, la banda se presentará hoy en la Plaza da Apoteose, en Río de Janeiro, y el martes en el estacionamiento de la
Federación de Industrias del Estado de Río Grande do Sul (FIERGS) de Porto Alegre.
03.14.10 - Praça Da Apoteose, Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL

opening acts: Black Drawing Chalks, Sebastian Bach
notes: This show was postponed to April 4nd. The stage in Rio collapsed due to a massive thunder storm.
03.16.10 - Estacionamento Da Fiergs, Porto Alegre, BRAZIL

attendance: 20,000
opening acts: Tequila Baby, Rosa Tattooada, Sebastian Bach
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, Its So Easy, Mr Brownstone, Sorry, Better, Richard Guitar Solo [w/ James Bond
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Shacklers Revenge, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of Dreams, Rocket Queen,
Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Jam [w/ Run To The Hills, Another Brick In
The Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar
Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Knockin' On Heavens Door, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Patience, Paradise City
notes: A fan whose birthday is that day is brought on stage at the end of the show. This show was originally scheduled for Ginásio
Gigantinho, but moved to bigger venue due to ticket demand.
03.18.10 - Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, URUGUAY

attendance: 30,000
opening acts: Reytoro,Vendetta, Sebastian Bach
Live And Let Die, If The World, Better, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of Dreams, Jam, Knockin' On
Heaven's Door, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Jam [w/ Another Brick In The
Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo
[w/ Pink Panther Theme], Shackler's Revenge, Patience, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Whole Lotta Rosie, This I Love, Paradise City
notes: GN'R's first ever show in Uruguay. Bumblefoot plays the end of Whole Lotta Rosie lying in front of Frank's drums.
GN’R PUSO A URUGUAY EN EL MAPA DEL ROCK (El Observador): Pasada las 01:30 horas de la madrugada, la banda de Axl Rose salió al
escenario para presentar su nuevo disco y sus clásicos temas ante más de 30.000 personas en el Centenario. Por Sebastián Amaya, de la redacción de
Observa. Guns n’ Roses, la legendaria banda estadounidense liderada por Axl Rose, hizo vibrar a más de 30.000 uruguayos en el show brindado en la
madrugada de este viernes en el Estadio Centenario, en el que presentó su último álbum, Chinese Democracy, y varios de sus clásicos temas. El inicio del
espectáculo estaba programado para las 21.00, pero a esa hora las luces del estadio seguían encendidas mientras se aprontaban los últimos detalles en
el escenario. Afuera, cientos de personas hacían una fila de más de una cuadra para ingresar a la puerta 16 y dirigirse al sector campo. Mientras unos
hacían la cola, otros hacían negocio: niños y jóvenes recolectaban envases de cerveza vacía para después venderlos. Laura Romero, la cantante de
Vendetta, fue la primera en hacerse escuchar pasada la hora 22. “Axl aún no ha llegado”, expresó –molesta-, lo que hizo que cada vez que algún avión
sobrevolaba el Centenario se escuchara el rumor de que en ese vuelo venía el frontman de los Guns. Tras 20 minutos, llegó el turno de Reytoro, la banda
de metal uruguaya que comenzó a mover lentamente al público. Luego fue la hora de Sebastian Bach quien se ganó al público con sus palabras en
español con acento inglés. “Ti amo montividio” o “Uruguay is rockanroller”, fueron algunas de las frases que insistentemente expresó tras cada uno de
sus temas. También mostró una bandera uruguaya en la mitad y el final de su show. “¿Quieren Guns n’ Roses?”, preguntó varias veces antes de
presentar sus temas y algunos de su ex banda, Skyd Row. Su show terminó a la hora 12.30. Luego empezó la espera para el plato fuerte de la noche.
Varias personas aprovecharon para sentarse sobre la lona que cubría el campo de juego. En el escenario se realizaban las pruebas de sonido y en la
torre central, donde estaban las consolas principales, dos encargados del espectáculo discutían fuertemente, lo que hizo pensar que se iba a demorar
más de lo esperado. Entre el público se apreciaron varias bandanas, el accesorio popularizado por el cantante de los Guns, que volvieron a cubrir las
melenas. También hubo muchas remeras de la banda que llevaban varios años guardadas, camperas de cuero y mujeres producidas con looks de los
años de 1990. “Dale Axl que mañana hay que laburar”, se escuchó varias veces entre el público. Así, después de una hora de espera, y cuando los
tobillos ya empezaban a doler, la banda salió a escena a las 01.30. Se encendieron las pantallas, sonaron los primeros acordes de Chinese Democracy,
el tema homónimo del nuevo álbum, y comenzó el show. Fuego, luces, pirotecnia y un sonido de primer nivel para armar el primer pogo. Luego siguió el
turno de “Welcome to the Jungle” y más gente se sumó al agite. En el medio del público se armó el círculo vacío para que luego los más corajudos se
cruzaran en una troya. La fiesta estaba en marcha. La lista de temas mezcló las nuevas canciones con los viejos clásicos, lo que se vio reflejado en la
reacción de la gente. Con los de Chinese... se prestaba atención mientras que con los hits como Knockin on Heavens Doors había movimiento y saltos.
Axl Rose salió con camisa blanca a rayas, saco, jean, sombrero y... bandana. A lo largo del show tuvo más de cinco cambios de camisa, en las que se
apreciaba que estaba dejando hasta la última gota en el escenario. Además, cada tres o cuatro temas, el frontman fue presentando a los integrantes de su
nueva banda, quienes hacían una pequeña presentación instrumental mientras Axl hacía mutis por el foro. Así pasaron los guitarristas: DJ Ashba, Ron
“Bumblefoot” Thal y Richard Fortus, quienes a lo largo del show demostraron que no son bebes de pecho y por grandes momentos hicieron olvidar a
Slash, quien fuera el primer guitarrista de la banda. El grupo sonó sólido, con fuerza y sincronización. Quizá los puntos más débiles del espectáculo
fueron algunos momentos en que falló la voz de Axl Rose (¿por falta de aire o por problemas de sonido?). Pese a eso, el cantante se mostró de buen
humor, disfrutando lo que hacía, y poniéndole mucha garra para cantar. Con algunos quilos de más, bailó –hizo su clásico contorneo tipo serpiente-,
revoleó la jirafa del micrófono y realizó sus clásicas corridas a lo largo del escenario. La gente le respondió con aplausos y con el canto: “olé, olé, olé,
gordo, gordo”. Los hits fueron pasando intercalados con temas de Chinese: Live and let Die, November Rain, Sweet Child O’Mine, Night Train, Patience
hasta el final con Paradise City, que fue el broche de oro de la noche, con fuegos y lluvia de papeles. A las 3.55 se encendieron las luces del Centenario y
la banda salió a despedirse y agradecer. La productora uruguaya encargada del evento había expresado que este concierto era una apuesta para que en
el futuro otras bandas de renombre llegaran al país. El nivel del espectáculo y la respuesta del público, dan para pensar que Guns n’ Roses puso la
primera piedra para que próximamente lleguen grupos de primer nivel mundial. Tras el final, cuando la gente se retiraba apilada y cansada del campo
de juego, dos amigas miraban la parte de atrás de una remera del Chinese Democracy Tour que llevaba puesta un joven, buscando en la lista de
ciudades por donde los Guns iban a tocar si estaba Montevideo. Cuando la encontraron, sonrieron con orgullo.
03.20.10 - Movistar Arena, Santiago, CHILE

attendance: 15,000
opening acts: Killterry, Sebastian Bach
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Silver, Blue And Gold], Street Of Dreams, Jam, You
Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Jam [w/ Number Of
The Beast, Another Brick In The Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November
Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Shackler's Revenge, Patience, Paradise City
notes: First show in Chile since 1992. The jam after Knockin' On Heaven's Door features Run To The Hills riffs. Patience features Jen
Thal playing tambourine next to Frank's drum set. This show was originally scheduled for March 22nd at Club Hipico de Santiago.
EL ESPERADO RETORNO A LA JUNGLA SANTIAGUINA (Rockaxis, Cristián Jara Bizama): Por esas cosas fortuitas que a veces tiene el destino, en
esta oportunidad me tocó estar al otro lado de la moneda y no presenciar el concierto desde el lado del público, sino sobre el escenario, desde el costado
de la banda. Gracias a una amistad con los músicos de Sebastian Bach, la banda me solicitó su ayuda para coordinar la logística de su show en Santiago
para tener alguien de “confianza” dentro de la producción, ya que todo el mundo iba a estar pendiente de Guns N’ Roses o mejor dicho de Axl. Y para
Sebastian Bach su debut en Chile era muy importante, por lo tanto, quería que todo saliera perfecto. Bach no sólo es una locomotora cuando sale al
escenario, sino que todo el día el tipo derrocha una energía apabullante a punta de bromas, imitaciones y palabrotas por doquier, manteniendo un
ambiente relajado y divertido al interior de su banda todo el tiempo. En la previa en el camarín, Bach calienta sus cuerdas vocales cantando notas
siguiendo una pianola para luego en plan karaoke cantar un tema de Journey y otro de Judas Priest y rematar con Pantera a tope volumen para que toda
la banda entrara en onda mientras realizaban sus elongaciones y calentamiento muscular. Bach se mostró muy bien informado acerca del reciente
terremoto y me pidió que le tradujera al español todos su parlamentos que preparó in situ para la audiencia nacional, e incluso en el camarín comentó
en tono de broma que “Mike Portnoy era un “mamón” por escribir un su twitter que lo único que quería era tocar luego y salir arrancando de Chile por
temor a las réplicas”. Puro Bach style. Pocos minutos pasadas las nueve de la noche, el quinteto completado por el bajista Rob Deluca, el baterista
Bobby Jarzombek (también baterista de Halford, Riot y Fates Warning), el guitarrista Johnny Chromatic y la más reciente incorporación de Nick
Sterling de sólo 19 años en la guitarra líder, saltó a escena como un huracán para arrancar con ‘Slave to the Grind’ del álbum del mismo título. La
salvaje puesta en escena del vocalista quedó en evidencia de inmediato cuando comenzó a enrollar el cable del micrófono en su cuello, logrando un
recibimiento aplastante de parte de la audiencia local. Cualquier despistado que hubiera andado por ahí, al ver la reacción del público, hubiera pensado
que Bach era el headliner y no sólo el “telonero” del show. Con un acertado equilibrio entro los viejos clásicos de Skid Row y los potentes temas de su
último álbum “Angel Down” (2007), Bach demostró que a pesar que con el paso de los años su voz se ha visto algo mermada, aún tiene en su garganta
unas cuerdas vocales de acero que le inyectan fuego puro a su interpretación, lo que sumado a su salvajismo en escena, dejan muy en claro que es uno de
los mejores “frontman” que ha parido la historia del rock lo que demostró en furiosas versiones de clásicos de Skid Row como ‘Big Guns’ y ‘Piece of
Me’. Y resulta increíble que, nuevamente por esas casualidades de la vida, con sólo unos pocos meses de diferencia hayamos tenido a Skid Row y
Sebastian Bach presentándose en Chile luego de una larga espera de 20 años. ¿Qué lado brilla más? Es difícil responder, pero me inclino por que Bach
está algunos peldaños más arriba que sus ex compañeros. Sobre el escenario, el sonido del retorno era francamente perfecto, y por lo que me
mencionaron varias personas que vieron el show desde el lado del público, también se escuchó muy bien desde esa posición, lo que resaltó el filo
metalero de cortes como ‘Bitchslap’, ‘Stuck Inside’ y ‘American Metal Head’, un tema que el guitarrista Metal Mike (Halford), compuso para su banda
PainmuseuM, pero que Bach ya adoptó como propio. La banda se mostró realmente sólida y compacta en vivo y tener la posibilidad de ver la
performance del tremendo Bobby Jarzombek tocando descalzo a sólo un par de metros es algo que no tiene precio, ya que su impresionante técnica y
potencia es sólo comparable a la de un Deen Castrono (Journey). Incluso Jarzombek usó una partitura musical para tocar el patrón de ‘In a Darkened
Room’, una de la grandes power ballads de Skid Row que no estaba contemplada en el set inicial, pero que Bach quiso incluir en Chile como un
homenaje por el terremoto, y a pesar de un pequeño error en una parte del tema que hizo que Bach pusiera cara de enojado, fue una gran versión, al
igual que un tema nuevo, ‘Television’, que Bach compuso junto al guitarrista John 5 de Rob Zombie para su próximo disco de estudio en el cual también
está trabajando con Jamey Jasta de Hatebreed. La primera impresión del tema me apreció fantástica, lo que augura que Bach se trae otro disco tan
destacado como “Angel Down” entre manos. El final llegó por supuesto con las tremendas ‘I Remember You’ y esa patada en el trasero que es ‘Youth
Gone Wild’, y aunque Bach ya no tenga 18 años, sigue siendo el mismo loco salvaje que conocimos 20 años atrás y por los cuales agradeció una y otra
vez a la audiencia chilena que lo recibió con los brazos abiertos y le demostró su cariño lanzándole múltiples banderas al escenario. Sin ninguna duda
fue un tremendo concierto que dejó a la gente con las revoluciones a mil para lo que después vendría con los “nuevos” Gunners. Tras cartón, de vuelta
en el camarín Bach comentó que “¡tocar en Chile fue como tener un orgasmo, fue un amor a primera vista con los metaleros chilenos y no entiendo cómo
me demoré tantos años en venir a tocar acá, pero de ahora en adelante Chile siempre será una prioridad y volveré tan pronto saque mi nuevo disco!”. Y
a un tipo como Bach, yo no lo pondría en duda ni por un segundo. El 2 de diciembre de 1992 la prensa nacional informaba estupefacta como el líder de
un grupo de chascones, alcohólicos y drogadictos ataviados de estrella de rock, llegaba al aeropuerto golpeando e insultando a los reporteros gráficos;
luego a los funcionarios del hotel y al que osara atravesarse. Cada despacho que daba cuenta de desmanes, consumo excesivo de alcohol, drogas y
excentricidades reflejaba la personalidad agresiva y soberbia de la banda más peligrosa del planeta, un temperamento al que los chilenos de ese
entonces no estábamos acostumbrados. Hubo muchos comentarios que pasaron a ser parte de la mitología urbana y las notas publicadas en la prensa
escrita se transformaron en recuerdos indelebles, recortados y pegoteados en los cuadernos de los fanáticos. Sin embargo, lo concreto fue, a fin de
cuentas, las más de 60 mil personas en el Nacional; las tres horas de retraso del recital, la muerte de una niña de 15 años, las continuas amenazas de Axl
de parar el show si es que el público lanzaba una otra “maldita” botella y, por sobre todo, un potente show de rock que definitivamente marcó a toda
una generación que no estaba familiarizada con los mega recitales. Casi 18 años han transcurrido desde ese entonces y la banda ya no es lo mismo, pero
tampoco lo son sus seguidores, ni mucho menos nuestro país. Por este motivo las expectativas y los sentimientos del público apuntaban hacia diferentes
flancos. Por una parte, el comprobar en vivo y en directo el desempeño en el escenario de esta nueva alineación; si serían capaces de recrear algo de la
mística del grupo que nos encantó en los noventa, y también está el morbo de saber en qué estado está realmente a sus 48 años, esa encarnación de la
estrella de rock and roll por antonomasia, llamada Axl Rose. Y si a esto le sumamos que dos días antes en Uruguay los seguidores tuvieron que soportar
más de cuatro horas de retraso, las perspectivas no eran nada de halagüeñas. Luego de las actuaciones de los nacionales Kilterry y Sebastian Bach,
muchas de las incertidumbres de esta previa se comenzaron a dilucidar, cuando pasaba el tiempo y Guns N Roses no aparecía en escena. Fueron
interminables dos horas desde que el ex vocalista de Skid Row cantara su última canción, para confirmar que Axl no ha cambiado en lo absoluto su
forma de ser; una falta de respeto que los 15.000 asistentes al Arena Santiago estuvieron dispuestos a soportar con tal de tener la dosis de rock por la
que habían pagado. Fue así como a las 00:25, después de la característica cortina de la gira, comenzaron a sonar los acordes de ‘Chinese Democracy’ y
de inmediato todos las conjeturas y aprensiones comenzaron despedazarse al ritmo de los acordes y el aura rockera, callejera e insolente con el que los
fanáticos soñaban con volver a sentir en vivo por mucho tiempo. Bastó con que el carismático y cercano DJ Ashba comenzará a tocar esos guitarreos
que son parte de la memoria auditiva y que Axl vociferara: “You know where you are…” para que el recinto se estremeciera y quedara rendida a los pies
de la banda con ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, el ejercicio de cerrar los ojos y sentir la música ponía los pelos de punta. Manteniendo la misma energía, se
abrió el apetito de destrucción con ‘It's So Easy’ y ‘Mr. Brownstone’, que continuaron si dar tregua a una audiencia que se esmeraba para cantar lo más
fuerte posible. La primera prueba de entusiasmar a la gente y hacerles olvidar el mal rato de la espera, ya estaba superada y llego el momento de
comenzar a esclarecer uno de los grandes misterios en torno al grupo: la calidad vocal de su cantante. Es así como ‘Sorry’ desnudó la voz de Axl,
mostrándola tan sólida y potente como su estilo de vida se lo permite. Se puede afirmar que mantiene sus características de manera muy similar a 1992,
cuando visitó por primera vez nuestro país, pero, sin lugar a dudas, muy distante de lo que era capaz de hacer en el período de los comienzos en el 87-
88. Una versión un tanto disonante de ‘Better’, dio paso a la presentación del guitarrista Richard Fortus quién se lució interpretando un espectacular
solo, demostrando que la base de cuerdas con la cuenta el grupo es de excelente nivel técnico. Luego vino ‘Live and Let Die’ y ‘If the world’ con otra
muestra de calidad guitarrera, pero esta vez con los acordes tipo español que posee el tema. La pirotecnia y una escenografía llena de luces, colores y
efectos visuales en pantalla, acordes a cada una de las canciones, fueron recursos bastante bien usados durante el show. Eso se funcionó muy bien en el
desfile de mujeres que apareció en ‘Rocket Queen’, que fue un verdadero flashback a los años del “Appetite for Destruction”, la mejor etapa del grupo, y
fue el turno de que el bajo de Tommy Stinson, quizás el integrante con menos presencia escénica, adquiriera protagonismo poniendo de manifiesto que la
alineación actual está compuesta por músicos completos, de un nivel sobresaliente. Con la adrenalina muy en alto y las ganas de seguir escuchando los
grandes éxitos de la banda llegó el momento de saludar a un viejo conocido al que el público le hizo sentir todo su cariño y recuerdo, el tecladista Dizzy
Reed, quien puso una pequeña pausa en los decibeles con una interpretación en piano que fue el preámbulo de ‘Street of Dreams’, una de las buenas
canciones del “Chinese Democracy”, que la gente escucho muy entusiasmada, quizás previendo lo que se venía. Uno de los momentos más altos del
recital lo consiguió una seguidilla espectacular de éxitos: ‘You Could Be Mine’; ‘Sweet Child O' Mine’, luego de una increíble introducción en solo de Dj
Ashba, quien de apoco adquirió un gran protagonismo; ‘Knocking' On Heaven's Door’, en donde por alguna razón Axl se mostró un poco molesto con
sus compañeros y ‘November Rain’, que fue una descarga de calidad interpretativa en todos los instrumentos y en donde se vivió algo que llamó mucho
la atención, el hecho de que cada uno de los guitarristas Fortus, Ashba y Bumblefoot se fueran turnando cada uno de los riffs. Fue el lapso en el
definitivamente se comprobó que esta alineación, por lo menos en la parte interpretativa, es simplemente notable, quizás en muchos aspectos muy
superior a la alineación clásica. Luego de ‘Nightrain’, vino un breve descanso, el “encore” y cierre del concierto que a esas alturas ya tenía a todos más
que satisfechos, con ‘Magadascar’, ‘Shackler's Revenge’, ‘Patience’ y la apocalíptica despedida con ‘Paradise City’ en donde se hizo gala de la
pirotecnia y los papeles rojos volando por todo el enloquecido recinto, que agradeció un show inolvidable que terminó casi a las tres de la madrugada.
Axl Rose lo hizo una vez más. Dudo que alguien haya quedado disconforme con la presentación a pesar que la escasez de temas de los “Use Your
Illusion”, como por ejemplo ‘Don’t Cry’ y ‘Civil War’, pero al contrario los comentarios de la gente fueron muy positivos y notaban cierto grado se
sorpresa al encontrase con la riqueza técnica e interpretativa de la actual formación, que no tuvo puntos bajos y demostró ser un gran acierto. A pesar
de que pasen los años y su abdomen se abulte, el icónico cantante sabe perfectamente como entregar un buen espectáculo de rock and roll. Sacó a relucir
lo peor de su odiada personalidad con el fatigante retraso y su frialdad con el público, a pesar de haber aventado el micrófono a la cancha y de su
mensaje al final. Pero, lo más importante, trajo de vuelta algo que muchos temimos nunca más poder sentir: toda la magia de una de las bandas más
importante de la historia, que para muchos es una constante fuente de inspiración. Guns N’ Fucking Roses Was Here.
03.22.10 - Estadio Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA

attendance: 50,000
opening acts: Massacre, Mancha de Rolando, Sebastian Bach
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of Dream, Jam, You Could Be
Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam [w/ Another Brick In The Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain [w/ Gran Torino], Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink
Panther Theme], Don't Cry, Out Ta Get Me, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Whole Lotta Rosie, Por Una Cabesa [Intro] / Patience, Paradise City
notes: Sold out show!. First show in Argentina since 1993. Axl asks the crowd to stop throwing stuff several times. November Rain
features a snippet of Gran Torino in the break. Longest snippet so far on the tour. This show was originally scheduled for March 20th at
Estadio River Plate.
GUNS N’ ROSES: EL MITO Y LA NOSTALGIA (La Voz del Interior): Guns N’ Roses ofreció un show contundente, con un repertorio a base de clásicos.
Casi 50 mil personas los ovacionaron en Vélez. Axl Rose subió al escenario casi dos horas más tarde de lo anunciado, una costumbre que viene
repitiendo en toda la gira. Luces, fuegos, pantallas, la espectacularidad un poco grasa del heavy bussines y la incontenible euforia de casi de 50 mil
personas que llenaron e hicieron temblar el estadio José Amalfintani de Vélez Sársfield. El lunes, después de 17 años –y apenas dos horitas de retardo–
Guns N’ Roses volvió a tocar en Argentina. Con una banda totalmente distinta a la que tocó en River en 1993. Axl renovó su romance con un público
variado en edad, vestimenta y estado físico. El baterista Frank Ferrer, el bajista Tommy Stinson, los guitarristas Richard Fortus y Ron “Bumblefoot”
Thal, el recién incorporado Dj Ashba y los tecladistas Dizzy Reed y Chris Pitman formaron un combo sólido, con gusto por los efectos y marcado sentido
del espectáculo. Los momentos de mayor densidad musical llegaron desde las guitarras: Fortus y “Bumblefoot” le pusieron esa viscosidad rockera que
hace delirar al público del campo, respaldados en la precisa y marcada batería de Ferrer. Mientras, Axl transpiraba la gota gorda cumpliendo el
esperado rito de correr de un lado al otro del escenario para llegar a todos los rincones, moverse con euforia, ensayar unos pasitos de baile y arrojar al
aire a cada rato el pie del micrófono –elemento fundamental de su performance–, para que un fiel asistente lo levante y lo lleva a su lugar, una y otra
vez. Si es cierto que la voz del cantante ya no es la de una vez –al “Polaco” Goyeneche le pasó algo parecido–, su prestancia atlética resultó
convincente. A las 23, cuando los panchitos se habían agotado –quedaban sólo papitas fritas a precio dólar–, un helicóptero con un seguidor rondaba el
cielo de Liniers y el público comenzaba a dar leves muestras de impaciencia, se apagaron las luces del estadio. Efectos lumínicos y acústicos
acompañaron la entrada del ídolo y sus músicos, ante el aullido de la multitud y el movimiento acompasado de las lucecitas de los teléfonos y cámaras
digitales en el campo y las tribunas. Chinese Democracy, la canción que le da nombre al disco nuevo de la banda, marcó el inicio. Enseguida Axl, vestido
con un saquito plateado, sombrero y antojos oscuros, se concedió a los clásicos, con Welcome to the jungle. Llegarán después numerosos cambios de
camisa y más clásicos, con los que el público deliraba apenas escuchaba los primeros acordes: It's so Easy, Live and Let Die (compuesto por Paul
McCartney para una película de James Bond), Paradise City, Knockin´ On Heaven´s Door (uno de los temas más versionados de la historia del rock,
originalmente firmado por Bob Dylan) y Patience. Es de imaginar que dedicó este último tema su público sudamericano, que pacientemente toleró los
retardos de la rockstar en cada una de las presentaciones de esta gira que ya lo llevó por Brasil, Uruguay y Chile y que después de Vélez continuará por
Perú, Ecuador y Colombia. Sin detener su performance aeróbica, Axl no se privó de rendir homenaje al público argentino con una versión de la bonita
página de Gardel y Lepera, Por una cabeza. Todo contribuía a la euforia incontenible de un público dispuesto a aceptar todo. La larga previa del show
de Guns N’ Roses fue animada por Massacre y La Mancha de Rolando, además de Sebastián Bach, ex vocalista de Skid Row en los momentos previos a
la explosión “gunner”. Mientras, el rito de los espectáculos multitudinarios se completaba afuera del estadio, donde todo parece es más barato. Cuando
comenzaba el show principal en la calle se enfrentaron fans que intentaban entrar con tickets falsos –muchos de ellos aseguraban haberlo comprado en
bocas de expendio oficiales– y fuerzas del orden. El saldo fue de un árbol quemado, varios detenidos y policías de malhumor que se sentían con derecho
a tratar a los miles que transitaban los alrededores del estadio como si fuesen vacas. Eso sí, a la madrugada, para volver de Liniers al centro, un taxi
pedía “el doble de lo que marque el reloj”.
03.25.10 - Explanada Sur del Estadio Monumental, Lima, PERU

attendance: 30,000
opening acts: Gaia, Space Bee, Sebastian Bach
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Silver, Blue And Gold], Street Of Dream, Jam, You
Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam [w/ Another
Brick In The Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Jam,
Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Shackler's Revenge, Patience, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Peruvian National Anthem], Paradise City
notes: GN'R's first ever show in Peru. The first song is stopped and Axl tells the crowd to stop throwing stuff. Axl said: “If you wanna
throw shit, we will leave. We would like to stay and have fun with you for a long time tonight. So we're gonna have fun? Let's try that
again”. During the first song in the encore, Axl wears a Peruvian flag. At the end of the show, the crowd sings happy birthday to Frank.
LA "CIUDAD PARAÍSO" FUE DE LOS GUNS N' ROSES (El Comercio): Axl mostró por qué es uno de los frontman más emblemáticos de rock e hizo y
deshizo sobre su escenario en la madrugada de anoche. El que dijo, escribió o pensó que W. Axl Rose, a sus 48 años, no cantaba, corría ni soplaba, debe
estar lamiéndose las heridas esta mañana. Una aplanadora del hard rock es la que comandó Rose anoche en Lima, tras una esperada –aunque corta, en
comparación con las de otros países en la gira- tardanza que hoy tiene a miles en oficinas bostezando del cansancio, aunque con los alaridos de Axl
como fondo musical de sus sueños. Tras una gran presentación de Sebastian Bach, ex líder de Skid Row, en que se interpretó canciones de su clásica
banda sazonadas con sus temas de solista, los limeños esperaron un par de horas para que Axl se adueñara del escenario. Cerca a las 12:30 a.m., los
impresionantes pirotécnicos dieron el play de honor para “Chinese Democracy”, la primera de la lista, misma que tuvo un accidentado arranque. Casi
como una anticipada relación íntima que en sus primeros minutos es interrumpida por una pregunta, digamos, “profiláctica”. La Botella Incident: El
público, justificadamente, ya andaba medio cabreado con la espera, y alguno de los asistentes lanzó una botella con agua al volátil Rose, que de
inmediato detuvo a sus músicos y pidió un intérprete para decir: “Si quieren tirar ‘huevadas’, nos iremos. Queremos divertirnos con ustedes esta noche,
¿quieren ustedes pasarla bien? Ok, empecemos esto de nuevo”. Tras ello, la máquina fue creciendo y creciendo en combustión, hasta reventar. La gente
esperaba las clásicas de GN’R, y en ello salieron complacidos. La segunda fue “Welcome to the jungle”, con el coro del público que casi opacaba a Axl.
Ya demostraba el hijo rebelde de Indiana que la juerga, el desorden, la locura y los años no le habían pasado gran factura a su voz. Claro, nadie en su
sano juicio esperaría al “Axl de los noventas”, pasaron 20 años. Pero el fuego de su garganta sigue ahí, para quien quiera retarlo. Un reto ciertamente
difícil, como el que libraron anoche los botones de varias de sus camisas, que sufrieron durante sus carreras sobre el escenario por los kilos de más que
ya ostenta un Rose casi cincuentón. Ok, no todo el mundo puede ser Iggy Pop, ¿o sí? La callejonera “It’s so easy” –también del Appetite for destruction-
siguió y en adelante todos estuvimos prendidos de los rutilantes chillidos de Rose, acompañado de una banda que no dejó extrañar mucho a la formación
original. “Mr. Brownstone”, la achorada y casi rapeada pista del primer disco, nos hacía recordar las adicciones de Rose y compañía en los ochentas, y
también su desprecio sistemático por la puntualidad (“Now I get up around whenever…”). Además de “Better”, “If the world”, “Sorry”, “Sheckler’s
revenge”, “Street of dreams”, los temas esperados como “Sweet child o’mine” o “You could be mine” hicieron saltar a los más de 30 mil asistentes.
Memorable, la performance en “Rocket queen”, con la que Axl hizo gala de que las notas altas no le quedan lejos. “Live and let die”, el cover de Paul
McCartney y los Wings, al igual que la ovacionada “Knockin’ on heaven’s door” mantuvieron el fuego alto del show, y sirvieron para mostrar el amplio
vestuario de Axl en escena. También se oyeron “Nightrain”, a pocos minutos de una memorable versión de “November rain”, con Axl al piano haciendo
recordar el histórico concierto en el Tokyo dome. Cantando a toda entraña, Rose sacó del cajón a la madre de las power ballads del hard rock angelino;
aunque esta vez sí que se extrañó ver la desgarbada silueta de Slash, a la hora del punteo, pero sus suplentes Richard Fortus, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal y
DJ Ashba dieron con la nota. Tras un breve intermedio, un par más del “Chinese…”: para “Madagscar”, Rose cogió una bandera peruana del público y
se la puso en los hombros, reventando la locura de los asistentes, que ya sabían hace rato que la espera no había sido nada y que la gloria era, más bien,
para siempre. Esto fue la antesala para la romántica “Patience”. Ya iban más de dos horas de show y Axl seguía corriendo y berreando
maravillosamente, con sombrero, con bandana, con camisa sin mangas, o de franela a cuadros, con camiseta negra, con saco…“Bumblefoot”, luego,
terminó de meterse a los peruanos al bolsillo con un solo de guitarra del himno nacional, mismo que fue coreado por todos en la explanada. Ello dio pie
a la apoteósica “Paradise city”, que nos recordaba que “la ciudad paraíso” es un lugar en la mente, una urbe maldita en que nos arrastramos,
sobrevivimos, gozamos y cantamos con Axl Rose. Con pogo incluido, este himno del hard rock cerró una maravillosa velada. El colofón vino cuando
todos ya salían y Axl retornó a escena para brindar con pisco, cantarle “happy birthday” a su baterista y mostrar otra bandera peruana, esta vez con la
frase en inglés “Guns N’ Roses – Valió la espera”. Y así fue.
LIMA SE RINDIÓ ANTE LOS GUNS N' ROSES (Panamericana): La banda salió al escenario con más de 3 horas de retraso y su líder Axl Rose fue
protagonista de un incidente con el público que casi anula la presentación. Los Guns N´ Roses hicieron vibrar el estadio monumental con un
espectacular concierto, que congregó a casi 30 mil personas. Los asistentes disfrutaron de temas clásicos de la agrupación norteamericana, como
“Welcome to the jungle”,“Paradise city” y “November rain” y también canciones del último disco “Chinese Democracy”. El encargado de abrir la
presentación fue el ex vocalista de Skid Row, Sebastian Bach, quien actualmente se desempeña como solista. Posteriormente, y tras varias horas de
espera, los Guns N´Roses subieron al estrado, no obstante el malestar era palpable entre el público y uno de los asistentes lanzó una botella al escenario,
esto generó la indignación del vocalista, Axl Rose, quien amenazó con suspender el concierto. Superado el incidente, Los Guns lanzaron todo su arsenal
musical y dejaron más que satisfechos a todos los espectadores. Finalmente mostraron una bandera peruana con el escudo de la banda en el centro.
03.27.10 - Poliedro de Caracas, Caracas, VENEZUELA

opening acts: Pixel, Electrocirkus
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of Dream, You Could Be Mine,
Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam [w/ Another Brick In The Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye
Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Knockin' On
encore: Madagascar, Shackler's Revenge, Patience, Paradise City
notes: First show in Venezuela since 1992. Dj Ashba is in the pit during Nightrain.
TRAS LARGO RETRASO DE AXL, GUNS N´ ROSES HIZO DELIRAR A CARACAS (Rumberos.net): Cae la noche en el poliedro luego de esperar 3
horas para entrar; entre rumores, caras preocupadas e incertidumbre… Algunas personas del medio aseguraban que Axl estaba en caracas desde el
viernes, pero otros manejábamos información bastante preocupante y es que la diva del rock (no tiene otro nombre) se había quedado en Perú luego de
tener ciertos problemas en el aeropuerto, aún no sabemos con exactitud que generó el retraso. Por fin pasada las 9 de la noche los amigos de Solid
Show, nos convocan a una rueda de prensa donde se confirmo el rumor y se nos informo que Axl había salido a las 7:00pm con destino Maiquetía y que
la banda tocaría aproximadamente a la 1:00am. A eso de las 10:00pm Suben a la tarima los panas de ElectroCirkus (Federico Capocci, Eduardo Sáez,
Miguel Pepe, Emile Makhlouf). La puesta en escena de estos panas es genial, Emile paso todo su concierto corriendo de un lado a otro con una vibra
genial y su voz rock&rolera, no se les hizo para nada difícil ganarse a todo el público del poliedro quienes gritaban y coreaban sus canciones. Le toca el
turno en el escenario a la gente de Pixel, el público estaba molesto ya eran las 11:30 de la noche y nadie les deba explicaciones de porque estaba
retrasado todo el show. A Pablo Dagnino le toco lidiar con un público extremadamente molesto que arrojaba potes de agua al escenario varios de ellos
lograron alcanzarle, para mí fue un momento triste en la noche debemos apoyar a nuestras bandas nacionales ellos no tiene la culpa de las fallas de las
internacionales… Unos minutos después que Pixel finalizara su presentación subió al escenario Ramón Castro explicando el retraso de Axl, justificando
su falta con un explicación poco satisfactoria en mi opinión… ''Ya todos conocemos la personalidad de Axl Roses''… A eso de la 1:20 am comienza el
concierto de Guns, un espectáculo genial una combinación de buena iluminación, excelente pirotecnia y una constelación de estrellas en los
instrumentos. El nuevo guitarrista de la banda “Dj Ashba” acabo con el mito de “Slash” mostrándonos un espectáculo brutal, excelentes solos de
guitarra una soltura y presencia inimaginable la gran tarima le quedo pequeña y tuvo que correr sobre las torres de cornetas laterales. Sin duda alguna
la nueva alineación de la banda (Tommy Stinson, Dizzy Reed, Bumblefoot, Chris Pitman, DJ Ashba, Richard Fortus, Frank Ferrer) no tiene nada que
envidiarle a la que vimos hace unos 17 años.. Estas son las canciones que pudimos escuchar anoche “Chinese Democracy”, “Welcome To The Jungle”,
“It’s So Easy”, “Mr. Brownstone”, “Live And Let Die”, “Sorry”, “If the World”, “Rocket queen”, “Street Of Dreams”, “Havens doors”, “You Could
Be Mine”, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, “November Rain”, “Stalkers”, “Nightrain”, “Better”, “Patience”, “Paradise City”. El señor “Richard Fortus” nos
deleito con un excelente solo de guitarra basado en una versión del tema de Misión imposible, “Dizzy Reed” hizo gritar a todo el poliedro cuando
apareció en tarima con su piano de cola negro con el que ejecuto un solo impecable, “Ron Bumblefoot” hizo nos hizo reir y alucinar con su solo de
guitarra basado en el tema de “The pink panther”. Sin duda alguna el menos destacado de la noche fue el señor Axl quien se quedo sin voz en más de
una canción y no tuvo la decencia de hablar en español ni disculparse por la demora del show… Queremos agradecer a los amigos de “Solid Show” por
hacer lo imposible por realizar el evento, fue una labor admirable y una producción excelente.
03.30.10 - Parque Jaime Duque, Bogotá, COLOMBIA

opening acts: León Bruno, Sebastian Bach
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of Dreams, Jam, You Could Be
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme],
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Jam, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Whole Lotta Rosie, Patience, Paradise City
notes: First show in Colombia since 1992. Bumblefoot plays part of Ted Nugent's Wango Tango during one of the jams. It starts raining
during the show and Axl wears a yellow rain coat during Sweet Child O' Mine. Axl is kicking up water from the puddles on stage during
Knockin' On Heaven's Door while. Dj Ashba is using the puddles to slide across the stage. Axl wears the Colombian flag during
Patience. This show was originally intended to take place at Parque Simón Bolívar.
04.01.10 - Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, Quito, ECUADOR

attendance: 35,000
opening acts: Rockvox, Viuda Negra, Sebastian Bach
Theme], Live And Let Die, If The World, Rocket Queen, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of Dreams, You Could Be
Panther Theme], Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Out Ta Get Me, Jam, Nightrain
notes: GN'R's first ever show in Ecuador. Bumblefoot has a rose on his guitar during some songs. He also wears a flag for his solo and
places it on Richard's shoulders during Knockin' On Heaven's Door. Dj Ashba is in pit during Nightrain.
GUNS N´ ROSES DEMOSTRÓ EN QUITO QUE SU ROCK NUNCA MORIRÁ (Expreso): Ante cerca de 35.000 fanáticos, la mítica banda de rock
estadounidense presentó un show cargado de recuerdos, adrenalina y un ritmo frenético que no paró hasta pasadas las dos de la madrugada. Rock Box y
Sebastian Bach , quienes abrieron el espectáculo desde las 20:00, estuvieron a la altura de las exigencias roqueras de los seguidores. Quito amaneció
este jueves con un sol radiante, parecía el anuncio de un día cargado de emociones. Para muchos se manifestaba cotidiano, pero no para cualquiera que
pasara por los alrededores del Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa. Este escenario que normalmente alberga al fútbol, donde se ha gritado tantos goles y se han
vivido tantas emociones del deporte, la noche del jueves fue radicalmente transformado para recibir a miles de personas que juntaron sus voces para
corear las canciones del legendario grupo de rock estadounidense Guns N’Roses. Andrea Crespo y su grupo de amigos, quienes llegaron desde
Guayaquil, hacían fila desde las 14:00 y pedían a gritos ingresar al estadio. No eran los únicos que gritaban ya que sus pedidos se confundían con la voz
de los infaltables vendedores que vieron su oportunidad de ganar dinero comercializando camisetas, pañuelos, CD, DVD y una serie de recuerdos del
gran evento que estaba por iniciar. No faltaron los revendedores de entradas y estafadores que se aprovecharon de los fans con la venta de boletos
falsificados. Transcurrían las horas y la cerveza no faltó. Para muchos fue la forma de entretenerse durante la larga espera en la que no solo se decía
salud para compartir la bebida sino también para compartir el sueño, cantando y hablando de sus ídolos. Eran las 8 de la noche y desde el interior del
estadio se escuchaba a Rock Box, la banda que empezó el espectáculo. A esa hora las filas aún rodeaban el Atahualpa, y es que organizar a los más de
35.000 fanáticos que llegaron de todas partes del país no resultaba tarea fácil. Luego de Rock Box siguió el cantante canadiense de Heavy Metal,
Sebastian Bach, más conocido como el ex vocalista de Skid Row, quien ha participado como telonero de varios de los conciertos de la gira mundial de
Guns N’Roses. Bach saludó al público ecuatoriano en español, recordando que hace 20 años visitó Sudamérica para una serie de conciertos. Por eso
celebró esos 20 años de rock gritando “Hoy Quito es la capital del mundo del Rock”. El público enloquecido no paraba de saltar y gritar, cantando
canciones como la conocida, I’ll Remember You. Bach y su banda ofrecieron un recital de una hora y finalizó la presentación dejando a un público
visiblemente contento y cargado de adrenalina, la que fue necesaria para esperar aproximadamente una hora más. Con 110 millones de álbumes
vendidos en todo el mundo y tras largos años de inactividad, Guns N’Roses vuelve a los escenarios con un nuevo disco titulado Chinese Democracy,
nombre que toma su gira mundial. Alrededor de la medianoche se encendieron nuevamente las 25 toneladas de equipos de sonido y luces, con las que se
dispuso un escenario de 14 metros de alto y 19 metros de largo. Entre los gritos eufóricos de los miles de seguidores que veían hecho realidad uno de sus
más anhelados sueños, aparecieron en el escenario: el vocalista líder, Axl Rose; el tecladista, Dizzy Reed; el bajista, Tommy Stinson; el baterista, Frank
Ferrery y los guitarristas Dj Ashba, Richar Fortus y Ron Thal, actuales miembros de la banda formada en Estados Unidos en 1985. Bastó la primera
canción para que el público se adaptase a un nuevo Axl, quien lució una imagen diferente a la acostumbrada, con su cabello mucho más corto que lo
habitual y sin la figura de cuando aún era un veinteañero. Pero para cuando sonó la segunda melodía, Welcome To The Jungle, de su primer disco,
Appetite For Destruction, hubo quienes gritaban “este es el verdadero Axl” y mientras cantaba, “you’re in the jungle baby”, el estadio se volvió por
varios minutos una jungla en la que cada uno dejó fluir su emoción. La multitud deliró en temas como Sweet Child O’mine, It’s So Easy, Knockin’On
Heaven’s Door, Night Train, You Could Be Mine, de discos como Use Your Illusions I, Use Your Illusions II, Appetite For Destruction y de Chinese
Democracy. El momento más emocionante, sin duda, fue cuando Axl se presentó frente al piano, escena que los asistentes relacionaron inmediatamente
con uno de los más famosos vídeos de la banda, November Rain, del disco Use Your Illusions I. Mientras cantaba la primera frase, “when I look into
your eyes”, los ojos de muchos se llenaron de lágrimas y el tiempo parecía no transcurrir pero como dice la canción, “nothing lasts forever even cold
november rain”. Durante el recital Axl cambió de vestimenta varias veces, exhibió varias chaquetas, camisas, sombreros y pañuelos que son
característicos de su imagen, y que se puso mientras el resto de los integrantes de la banda tocaban sus solos al finalizar cada canción. Entre sus
excentricidades, el cantante líder de la banda pidió en su camerino una ducha tipo cabina, maquinas para hacer ejercicio, cervezas importadas y que el
chef le prepara una tilapia con vegetales para cuando finalizara el concierto. Luego de dos horas y media, el espectáculo llegaba a su fin, y como ya es
costumbre de la banda la última canción fue Paradise City, durante la que los miles de presentes corearon a todo pulmón “take me down to the Paradise
City”, como si dicha ciudad existiera, queriendo ser llevados por la legendaria banda estadounidense de Hard Rock. Axl, finalizó lanzando el micrófono
al público, que le pidió que tocara el tema Don’t Cry, pero como respuesta recibieron una venia de agradecimiento y un brindis entre los integrantes de
la legendaria agrupación. A las 02:30 las luces se apagaron y los asistentes se marcharon complacidos pero siempre con ganas de más rock.
04.04.10 - Praça Da Apoteose, Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL

attendance: 30,000
opening acts: Majestike, Sebastian Bach
Theme], Live And Let Die, This I Love, Rocket Queen, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of Dreams, You Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar
Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam [w/ Another Brick In The Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick
Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Knockin' On Heaven's
Door, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Whole Lotta Rosie, Jam, Patience, Paradise City, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Brazilian National Anthem]
notes: Bumblefoot plays the end of Whole Lotta Rosie lying down, and holding his guitar behind his head. This show was originally
rescheduled from March 14th due to stage collapsing in extreme weather.
APESAR DE COMENZAR A LA 1 DE LA MAÑANA, EL SHOW DE GUNS N´ ROSES ENCANTÓ A LOS FANS (O Globo): Rio. Como dice una frase de
"Patience", uno de los mayores éxitos de Guns N´ Roses, "Mas un poco de paciencia, solo un poco de paciencia". En su vuelta a Río después de nuevo
años, el grupo de rock liderado por el cantante Axl Rose puso a prueba la paciencia del público carioca. Como si no fuera bastante la espera desde el
2001, cuando el grupo se presente en Rock In Rio III, los roqueros de Rio ahora tuvieron la decepción de ver cancelado el show del 14 de marzo, cuando
un temporal derrumbó parte del escenario montado en Praça da Apoteose. El show fué re fechado para el 4 de abril, todo listo, emoción... y Axl y sus
músicos comenzó su parte a la 1 am (en la madrugada del domingo al lunes, cuesta recordar), cuando el público "se acordo" de Dona Sharon, la madre
de la cantante y que el día 5 era de trabajo . Aún así , la hablidad de la banda y un fuerte repetorio le ganó a cerca de 30 mi exaustos cariocas, que, igual
que esa hora obscena, cantaron y saltaron a mas no poder hasta las 3h30m de la mañana. Una lluvia parecia ser el único problema que no prometía ser
una noche histórica del Rock. A las 20hs, la banda carioca Majestike subió al escenario para mostrar lo que sabia en algo de media hora. Despues de
superado algunos problemas del sonido, el grupo, que hacia un heavy metal contemporáneo, parecido al grupo americano Evanescence (hasta para
contar con una muker en la voz, Tatiane Rulez), dió bien su mensaje, siendo bien recibido por el público. Un poco despues de las 21hs fue el turno de
Sebastian Bach, que participa de todo el tour Latino Americano de Guns N´ Roses, de sacudir su cabellera. En un poco más de una hora de show, Bach
recodro exitos de Skid Row, grupo que integro hasta 1996, como "Slave to the grind", "Monkey business", "Big guns" y las baladas "18 and life" y "In a
darkened room". También mosotro canciones de su disco solista que lanzó en el 2007, , "Angel Down", como "Stuck inside", "(Love is) A bitchslap" y una
versión de un clásico "Back in the saddle", de Aerosmith. En buena forma a los recien cumplidos 42 años (algunos fan más acérrimos le cantaron "Feliz
cumpleaños", ya que su cumpleaños fue el 3de abril), Bach mostro simpatia y afinación al frente de una banda competente. El repertorio reciente, no
tanto, no tiene la fuerza de antiguas canciones, y el exceso de pedido de palamas, coros de "Guns N´ Roses" (el sabe que, si no fuese un fiel amigo de Axl
Rose, estaría cantando, con suerte, para 3 mil personas, nunca para 30 mil) fueron inecesarios. Antes de las 22hs30m el show de Sebastian Bach estaba
cerrado, y un público (de varias edades y de orginen de Rio y de otros estados) quería Guns N´ Roses. Fueron dos horas y media de muchas cervezas de
espera, muchas rabias y palabras de orden poco cortéz antes de que las luces se apagaran y Guns N´ Roses entrara, al son de "chinese democracy". El
público, que todavía silvaba a Rose cuando la escuridad dominaba el anochecer, se olvidó del cansancio y se entrego en un embarque de un tren
roquero. Armado de disposición, el cantantante trajo a brasil una vez más a una banda de excelentes músicos, como lo había hecho en el 2001, más esta
vez con siete músicos llegaron afilados despues de 30 show que realizaran desde diciembre del 2009, en Asia, Canada y América Latina. Además de
Rose, los tres guitarristas se destacan en el escenario de guns N roses: Un cabelludo Ron Bumblefoot es, como mucho, lo más técnico, tiendo
responsabilidad para las partes mas complicadas; el sanado Richard Fortus, en la banda desde el 2002, está generalmente con las bases, más muestra
que sabe tocar siempre que puede; contratado para una especie de Cover de Slash, Dj Ashba tiene autoridad y carisma de sobra, mas no precisa usar un
sombrero, un cigarro en la boca y una guitarra Les Paul casi identicos a los del guitarrista de la formación clásica de la banda. De cualquier forma, los
tres forman una solida pared de guitarristas y andan saltando por todos lados del escenario, incrementando el espectáculo. El escenario montado en el
anochecer, y no cedió, tenía una pantalla central, con imágenes que recuerdan la música, cuatro pantallas verticales, utilizando más luces y efectos, y las
pantallas laterales, que muestran a los músicos desde más lejos. Depués de "Chinese democracy", los Guns mandaron tres temas de su disco más exitoso,
"Appetite for destruction", de 1987: "Welcome to the jungle", "It's so easy" y "Mr. Brownstone". El público canto y todos se entregaron completamente:
Rose y sus muchachos podían hacer lo que querían apartir de ese momento. Lo que hicieron, sin embargo, fué tocar más rock de calidad, alternando
músicas nuevas de "Chinese democracy". Varias de ellas, como "Street of dreams", "Better" y "Sorry", ejecutadas a la perfección, eran perfectas junto a
las clásicas. Apareciendo feliz con la buena respuesta del publico, Rose habló poco a la hora de agradecer y presentar a los músicos. Cuatro de ellos (de
los 3 guitarristas y el tecladista Dizzy Reed, el más antiguo de la banda después de Rose, con casi dos décadas de servicios prestados) tuvieron derecho a
momentos solistas. Nada de eso fué malo, más parecia claro que eran intervalos para que Rose descanse y recupere su garganta. El público tuvo
paciencia y fué premiado con un gran show.
04.07.10 - Centro de Convenciones Figali, Panama City, PANAMA

opening acts: Los 33, Oceano, Sebastian Bach
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Better, If The World, Richard Guitar Solo [w/ James
Bond Theme], Live And Let Die, This I Love, Rocket Queen, Jam, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of Dreams, Jam, You
Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam [w/ Another Brick In The Wall], Axl Piano
Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther
Theme], Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Paradise City
encore: Jam, Madagascar, Jam, Patience, Jam, Nightrain
notes: GN'R's first ever show in Panama. Chinese Democracy is stopped and restarted. Madagascar features a jam/extended intro.
04.09.10 - Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, San Jose, COSTA RICA

opening acts: Gandhi, Diesel, Akasha.
notes: This show was postponed to April 13th due to unsafe stage.
04.11.10 - Estadio Cuscatlan, San Salvador, EL SALVADOR

attendance: 12,000
opening acts: Víbora, Ángelus
Theme], Live And Let Die, This I Love, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of Dreams, Jam, You Could Be
Panther Theme], Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Whole Lotta Rosie, Jam, Patience, Paradise City
notes: GN'R's first ever show in El Salvador.
DISPAROS DE ROSAS EN EL ESTADIO CUSCATLÁN (Diario Colatino): La banda estadounidense Guns N´ Roses, hizo explotar las voces de sus
fanáticos que se concentraron en el Estadio Cuscatlán o “Coloso” de Monserrat, al presentarse y mostrar su nuevo material discográfico, Chinesse
Democracy, del tour Dates, y algunos de sus mayores éxitos. La banda rockera, esperada por muchos se presentó la noche del pasado domingo, con un
espectacular concierto que deleitó a los jóvenes y adultos seguidores de las rosas y pistolas, desde sus inicios en los 80´s. Guns N´ Roses inició su
carrera musical en 1985, cuando el rock dominaba el ámbito mundial, con grupos que encendían a los amantes del hard rock y el heavy metal. En la
actualidad han vendido más de 100 millones de álbumes alrededor del mundo, con Apetite for Destruction, considerada el album que ha llegado a
dominar la cima de los Billboard. Esta vez los fanáticos salvadoreños tuvieron la dicha de disfrutar al máximo de las “rosas y pistolas”, quienes desde
tempranas horas de la tarde del domingo se acercaron a las puertas del estadio Cuscatlán para ocupar el mejor espacio y esperar - cinco a seis horas y
algunos más tiempo- que la banda hiciera su aparición, pero el tiempo lo fue todo y valió la espera. Al fin aparecieron, luego de la antesala rockera de
los grupos nacionales Víbora y Ángelus, que abrieron el escenario a este grupo de corte internacional, y que por primera vez visitó tierra cuscatleca,
logrando a la vez romper la brecha con algunos grandes éxitos -covers- e iniciar la fiebre de las rosas y pistolas. Faltando cinco para la medianoche
apareció Axl Rose, el vocalista líder y único sobreviviente de la banda que hiciera historia a mediados de los ochenta, sorprendiendo a los espectadores
con su ritual grito, acompañado de las luces y fuegos pirotecnicos; iniciando un concierto que vivirá en la memoria de todos los presentes que
soportaron muchas horas y esperaron más de 20 años, para escuchar a su banda favorita. En el Coloso sonaron canciones famosas como Welcome to the
Jungle, Knoking on Heaven”s Door, Sweet Child o Mine, o la balada que los inmortalizo Novenber Rain, o la del soundtrack de la película Terminator,
You Could Be Mine, entre otras. El público disfrutó de la actuación de un Axl Rose, que con casi 50 años, se movilizaba por todo el escenario –como en
los viejos tiempos- y cambiando de vestuario como cinco o seis veces, dando mayor color al concierto, más cuando interpretó la famosa Lluvia de
Noviembre e hiciera sonar el piano, dando los toques iniciales a tan bella melodía, y que cautivó al público quien le acompañó a todo pulmón. Luego de
más de dos horas de música heavy, los espectadores quedaron completos y satisfechos de haber presenciado una banda que ha dejado huella en el mundo
del rock, y luego de un brindis de despedida y un caluroso aplauso los ocho integrantes de la banda se despidieron pronunciando un posible regreso que
muchos desearían volver a vivir.
04.13.10 - Estadio del Ejército, Guatemala City, GUATEMALA

opening acts: Hedras, E.X.T.I.N.C.I.O.N.
04.13.10 - Morera Soto Stadium, San Jose, COSTA RICA

notes: Original date April 9th at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa. This show was canceled.
04.15.10 - Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, PUERTO RICO

opening acts: Puya, Sebastian Bach
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Better, Richard Guitar Solo [w/ James Bond Theme],
Live And Let Die, This I Love, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo, Street Of Dreams, You Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The
Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam [w/ Another Brick In The Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,
Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Don't Cry, Knockin' On Heaven's
Door, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, My Michelle [w/ Sebastian Bach], Patience, Paradise City
notes: Last show on the Latin American leg.
GUNS N' ROSES SATISFACE SU RÁFAGA ROCKERA (Primera Hora): Pusieron el dedo en la llaga con tanta espera, pero el sabor de la “sangre”
gustó. A las 12:45 de la medianoche del jueves, el bajo de Guns N’ Roses anunció que por fin esta banda bañaría con el metal de su música al público
que llenó el coliseo Roberto Clemente, en Hato Rey. Torbellinos rojos en tres pantallas gigantes y un recurrente despliegue de pirotecnia y luces
escarlata encuadraron al vocalista Axl Rose y sus músicos, mientras sus seguidores permanecían en un aparente estado de perplejidad, sonriendo, pero
quietos. Esa parálisis, sin embargo, fue breve, pues de inmediato la audiencia abonó a la euforia con gritos y brincos. Aunque la voz de Axl se sentía un
poco ronca en comparación con conciertos del pasado, el cantante aprovechó el eco del que se apoyó con los micrófonos para traducir en gestos la ira
de las letras de sus canciones, brincando en la pierna izquierda y poniendo saliva en sus dedos constantemente. De esa manera, sus seguidores no se
defraudaron, según constató este diario en los primeros 45 minutos del show. De las melodías que le robaron el spot al vocalista fueron responsables los
guitarristas Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, DJ Ashba y Richard Fortus; el bajista Tommy Stinson; el baterista Frank Ferrer y los tecladistas Dizzy Reed y
Chris Pitman. Es que los fanáticos ya sabían que el repertorio sería casi el mismo que en otras ocasiones, y que en otros países latinoamericanos Guns
N’ Roses había llegado hasta con seis horas de retraso, según Primera Hora constató en una encuesta informal a cerca de dos decenas de seguidores.
CHINESE DEMOCRACY EUROPEAN TOUR 2010 - ROUND #1
05.31.10 - Vestlandshallen, Bergen, NORWAY

opening act: Danko Jones
soundcheck: There Was A Time
set: Chinese Democracy, Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Richard Guitar Solo [w/ James Bond Theme], Live
And Let Die, Sorry, This I Love, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner], Street Of Dreams, You
Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,
Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Knockin' On Heaven's Door,
Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Better, Paradise City
notes: Axl wears a Free The West Memphis Three t-shirt at the start of the show. Axl is wearing a silver jacket, he has a biker mustache
and dark sunglasses. Axl slams the mic-stand in the floor in a true rock spirit. The band is delivering and the sound is right! Dizzy's solo
is a version of Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner by Warren Zevon.

attendance: 8,000
Live And Let Die, This I Love, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner], Street Of Dreams, Jam,
You Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death, Hall Of The Mountain King], Sweet Child O' Mine, Axl Piano Solo
[w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther
Theme], Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Nightrain
notes: Axl picks up a Swedish flag that's thrown on stage during You Could Be Mine at the show in Oslo, Norway. Dj Ashba plays part
of The Hall Of The Mountain King at the end of his solo.
06.05.10 - Helsinki Live 2010, Käpylän Urheilupuisto, Helsinki, FINLAND

attendance: 18,000
opening act: Skunk Anansie, Danko Jones, Michael Monroe, White Lies
Live And Let Die, Jam, This I Love, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner], Street Of Dreams,
You Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death,], Sweet Child O' Mine, Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick
Door, Nightrain
notes: Dj borrows George Chin's video camera to film the crowd during Bumblefoot's solo. Chris wears Kimi Räikkönen's helmet during
Paradise City.
06.06.10 - Ice Palace, Saint Petersburg, RUSSIA

You Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam, Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow
Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Don't Cry, Scraped,
Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Nightrain
notes: GN'R's first ever show in Russia.
06.08.10 - Olympiyskiy Stadium, Moscow, RUSSIA

attendance: 18,000
You Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death,], Sweet Child O' Mine, Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick
Door, Nightrain
notes: Axl wears t-shirts with Lenin and CCCP designs on them.
06.12.10 - Sweden Rock Festival, Norje Havsbad, Norje, SWEDEN

attendance: 30,000
opening act: W.A.S.P., Bachman & Turner, Opeth, Watain, Anvil, Raven, Stratovarius, Unisonic, Point Blank, Winger, Fates Warning
Live And Let Die, This I Love, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Ziggy Stardust], Street Of Dreams, Jam, You Could Be Mine,
Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death,], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam [w/ Another Brick In The Wall], Axl Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye
Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink Panther Theme], Knockin' On
encore: Madagascar, Better, Jam, Paradise City
notes: Sold out show!. Before Sorry, Axl tells the crowd that he thinks he saw some of them in jail with him last time he was in the
country. Sorry is dedicated to authority. Beofre November Rain, Axl tells the crowd a new phrase he had learned in Swedish. It translates
to: Shut up, you pussy.
06.14.10 - Gigantium, Aalborg, DENMARK

Live And Let Die, This I Love, Rocket Queen, Dizzy Piano Solo [w/ Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner ], Street Of Dreams, Jam,
You Could Be Mine, Ashba Guitar Solo [w/ The Ballad Of Death,], Sweet Child O' Mine, Jam [w/ Another Brick In The Wall], Axl
Piano Solo [w/ Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Someone Saved My Life Tonight], November Rain, Bumblefoot Guitar Solo [w/ Pink
Panther Theme], Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Nightrain
encore: Madagascar, Better, Jam, Paradise City
notes: Axl picks up a bra and swings it above his head. Then places it on his mic stand. During You Could Be Mine, Bumblefoot wears a
red and white hat. Tommy wears the same or a similar hat during November Rain. At the end of November Rain, Axl jumps on the piano
keys. At the end of Nightrain, Bumblefoot is lying down on the stage and has to run back to get a guitar before the encore.
CHINESE DEMOCRACY NORTH AMERICAN TOUR - 2010 IN STURGIS
08.13.10 - Rock 'N Rev Festival, Rock 'N Rev Amphitheater, Monkey Rock USA, Sturgis, SD, USA
opening act: Rev Theory, Charm City Devils, Alice In Chains
CHINESE DEMOCRACY EUROPEAN TOUR 2010 - ROUND #2
08.27.10 - Reading Festival, Little John's Farm, Reading, ENGLAND

notes: Sold out show!.
08.29.10 - Leeds Festival, Bramham Park, Leeds, ENGLAND
08.31.10 - The Odyssey Arena, Belfast, NORTHERN IRELAND

09.01.10 - O2 Arena, Dublin, IRELAND

09.04.10 - Palalottomatica, Rome, ITALY
09.05.10 - Mediolanum Forum, Milan, ITALY
09.10.10 - Le Galaxie Arena, Amneville, FRANCE
09.13.10 - Bercy Arena, Paris, FRANCE
09.16.10 - Arena Geneva, Genebra, SWITZERLAND
09.18.10 - Wiener Stadthalle Arena, Vienna, AUSTRIA
09.21.10 - Romexpo, Bucharest, ROMANIA
09.23.10 - Belgrade Arena, Belgrade, SERBIA
09.24.10 - Arena Hall, Zagreb, CROTIA
09.27.10 - O2 Arena, Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC
09.30.10 - Sportpaleis, Antwerpen, BELGIUM
10.02.10 - Zenith, Lille, FRANCE
10.03.10 - GelreDome XS, Arnhem, NETHERLANDS
10.06.10 - Pavilhão Atlantico, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
10.09.10 - Palacio de Vistalegre, Madrid, SPAIN
10.10.10 - Velódromo de Anoeta, San Sebastian, SPAIN
10.13.10 - Pabellón Príncipe Felipe, Zaragoza, SPAIN
10.14.10 - Palau Olímpic de Badalona, Barcelona, SPAIN
CHINESE DEMOCRACY WORLD TOUR - 2010 IN SYDNEY
12.04.10 - Sydney Telstra 500, ANZ Stadium, Sydney, AUSTRALIA
OCTOBER 2000–JULY 2002

Axl Rose – lead vocals, piano
Buckethead – lead guitar
Robin Finck – lead guitar
Paul Tobias – rhythm guitar
Tommy Stinson – bass, backing vocals
Bryan "Brain" Mantia – drums
Dizzy Reed – keyboards, backing vocals
Chris Pitman – keyboards, backing vocals
JULY 2002–MARCH 2004

Buckethead – lead guitar
Richard Fortus – rhythm guitar
MARCH 2004–MAY 2006

MAY–OCTOBER 2006
Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal – lead guitar
OCTOBER 2006–APRIL 2008

Frank Ferrer – drums
APRIL 2008–FEBRUARY 2009

FEBRUARY 2009–PRESENT
DJ Ashba – lead guitar
J. Joel Huaman, Dave Alexander, Kay R. Almroth, Andrew Angus, Jan B., Teun Boer, Mariano Bracalenti, Juan Antonio Coronilla, Dániel Czuriga,
Miguel Escutia, Fabrizio Fiscone, Patrick H., Brian J Herbrand, Adam Iovino, John McDevitt, Daniel Rajcic, Elly Russell, Michelle Thorpe, Remco L. &
Eric Waskiewicz for ticket scans.
Andreas Anderson for help with reviews and everything else!
Jeff Boerio for help with everything!
Tim Berry for flyers, ads & info.
Joao C. for photos.
Renier C. for photos & ticket scans.
Chindem for a poster scan.
Lars Christensen for a poster scan.
Alex Fedotov for overall help.
Nathan Fink for photos.
Niklas H. for newspaper ads.
Joakim Hansen for photos.
Erik Holtzclaw for ticket scans, flyers & help with reviews.
Mark Hoppmann for ticket scans, passes & photos.
Hector Koskinas for ticket scans & photos.
Marcel for the Berlin 6.5.01 ticket scan.
Mauricio Manterola for a poster scan.
Pontus for ticket & newspaper scans.
A.J. Rosner for ticket scans, a photo & review.
Chris Ryder for scans.
Gabo Sanco for scans and information.
The Sandman for 2006 info!
Ravi Shah for photos.
Jeff Shelden for tickets scans & reviews.
Anders Söderström for photos.
Mikkel Elbech Sørensen for scans.
Otto Sporteman for ticket scans, photos, setlists & reviews.
Will for photos & help.
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N’ ROSES CHINESE DEMOCRACY ON TOUR, nor may you distribute any part of this content over any network, including a local area network, sell
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GUNS N’ ROSES

CHINESE DEMOCRACY ON TOUR

WWW.GNRONTOUR.COM WWW.HERETODAYGONETOHELL.COM WWW.GNRSOURCE.COM WWW.GNRONLINE.ORG

Europe: June / December 2001 [Rescheduled / Canceled]

Las Vegas: December 29th & 31st 2001

WORLD TOUR 2002

North America: November 2002 - January 2003 [Canceled]

WORLD TOUR 2006

Europe: May - July 2006

Las Vegas & California: September 2006

North America: October 2006 - January 2007 [Canceled]

WORLD TOUR 2007

Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Japan: June - July 2007

WORLD TOUR 2009-2010

Canada: January - February 2010

Secret Gig: February 12th & 15th 2010

Latin America: March - April 2010

Europe: May - June 2010

WARM-UP SHOWS 2001

01.01.01 - House Of Blues, Las Vegas, NV, USA

01.15.01 - Rock City, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL

CHINESE DEMOCRACY EUROPEAN TOUR 2001 [ RESCHEDULED & CANCELED]

06.01.01 - Rock Im Park Festival, Frankenstadion, Nürnberg, GERMANY

06.03.01 - Rock Am Ring Festival, Eifel, Nürburgring, GERMANY

06.05.01 - Waldbühne, Berlin, GERMANY

06.09.01 - London Arena, London, ENGLAND

06.10.01 - London Arena, London, ENGLAND

06.12.01 - Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre, Glasgow, SCOTLAND

06.13.01 - Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester, ENGLAND

06.14.01 - NEC Arena, Birmingham, ENGLAND

06.17.01 - Heineken Jammin' Festival, Imola, SAN MARINO

06.19.01 - Plaza De Toros De Las Ventas, Madrid, SPAIN

06.20.01 - Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, SPAIN

06.22.01 - Wochen Festival, Soundarena, Wochen, SWITZERLAND

06.23.01 - Gelredome, Arnhem, HOLLAND

06.25.01 - Globen, Stockholm, SWEDEN

06.26.01 - Oslo Spektrum, Oslo, NORWAY

06.28.01 - Roskilde Festival, Copenhagen, DENMARK

06.30.01 - Rock Werchter, Werchter Festival Ground, Werchter, BELGIUM

12.02.01 - Gelredome, Arnhem, HOLLAND

12.05.01 - Oslo Spektrum, Oslo, NORWAY

12.07.01 - Globen, Stockholm, SWEDEN

12.09.01 - Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, FINLAND

12.13.01 - London Arena, London, ENGLAND

12.14.01 - London Arena, London, ENGLAND

12.16.01 - Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre, Glasgow, SCOTLAND

12.18.01 - Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester, ENGLAND

12.19.01 - NEC Arena, Birmingham, ENGLAND

CHINESE DEMOCRACY NORTH AMERICAN TOUR - 2001 IN LAS VEGAS

CHINESE DEMOCRACY WORLD TOUR 2002

08.17.02 - Summer Sonic Festival, Marine Stadium, Chiba, JAPAN

08.24.02 - Pukkelpop Festival, Pukkelpop Field, Hasselt-Kiewit, BELGIUM

08.26.02 - London Arena, London, ENGLAND

08.28.02 - Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY, USA

08.29.02 - Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY, USA

CHINESE DEMOCRACY NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2002

11.07.02 - GM Place, Vancouver, CANADA

11.08.02 - Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA, USA

11.11.02 - Idaho Center Arena, Nampa, ID, USA

11.14.02 - Target Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA

11.15.02 - Fargodome, Fargo, ND, USA

11.17.02 - Mark Of The Quad Cities, Moline, IL, USA

11.18.02 - Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL, USA