Daily Beast Article on Vegas Shows

[downzy]

Guns N’ Roses Rocks Las Vegas

Sin City crowds just want to be welcomed to the jungle and admitted to paradise city. Enter Guns N’ Roses—not your usual oldies act. Richard Abowitz catches an awesome off-strip show.

http://www.thedailyb...-las-vegas.html

If you haven’t given Guns N’ Roses a thought in decades, a moment is needed to adjust to Axl Rose dancing his serpentine with a beer gut. One such patron watching this at the Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino looked bemusedly at the three guitar players onstage and asked the woman next to him, “Which one is Slash?” Slash, of course, played his last show with the band in 1993. But that’s Vegas audiences, down for the hits, not connoisseurs of the experience.

This was a recent Wednesday night and The Joint had plenty of seated and general admission space open as the venerable band headed toward the second half of a month of shows, a first stab at headlining as residents in Vegas. A couple nights later, a Friday, there were certainly more people present but still plenty of visibly empty seats. Asked about attendance, the public relations firm avoided specifics and said, “It was an average of 3,000 a show.” Even if that isn’t the mind-blowing numbers of back in the day, it is fantastic business for an off-strip casino in recession-scarred Vegas. Tickets were not all that were selling. Restaurants were full, gamblers were on the floor, and a line of the faithful awaited a chance to shell out $50 for a T-shirt at the merchandise booth.

This may surprise some, even some fans, but a Guns N’ Roses residency in Vegas was not risky. It was a no brainer. The reality is that G&R were long past due to begin their Vegas years. The bit-too-revealing title assigned to these shows: “Appetite for Democracy.” That’s meant to link the 25th anniversary of hair-metal classic Appetite for Destruction, the disc that made G&R the biggest band in the world (for a while) to—conveniently or a bit forced—the fourth anniversary of Chinese Democracy, the band’s most recent disc, famously expensive to make, much delayed in release, and modest in sales. The comparison between eras is not flattering nor is the implied question: “Well, Chinese Democracy was 2008, what have you done this decade?” Time for the Vegas show!

Increasingly obvious about being an oldies act, Rose has been playing footsie with cashing in on his Vegas potential for more than a decade. It was in Vegas, after a nine-year hiatus from performing, that Rose, in the early hours of 2001, debuted this new vision of Guns N’ Roses. It was a show of epic length with an overstocked lake of new members, all virtuoso players who blazed through the hits. There were few cover songs, and some new material that wound up on Chinese Democracy.

Bass player Tommy Stinson has now been in Guns N’ Roses 15 years (longer than his original stint in The Replacements). In all those years, G&R has mostly been a touring unit. Backstage before the Friday night show, he tells The Daily Beast of the current band: “We know all the old stuff as good as we are going to get it. We’ve been playing a lot of the old stuff for years and years and years.” These old songs aren’t delivered in the sloppy Stones style the original players made famous, but with a wallop on a sonic canvas worthy of Rose’s ego. There are moments the grim metal can overpower the sleazy pop charm of early material. Still, there is no arguing the band is monumental to experience live. This is the best wall-of-90s-sound band ever to pound out the hits of the ‘80s.

Stinson is happy to concede that the residency is essentially the same show fans have seen for years. Still, he notes, “I think there was an effort to make the show interesting in different things like the flying piano.” Rose plays the piano on "November Rain" while sailing briefly over the audience.

And, just to make sure the crowd stays pleased, after the more-spartan early shows, dancers were added to writhe to some of the hits. Asked about them backstage, Stinson allows an awkward pause, sips his drink and finally just says “Yup.” He then admits his 4-year-old burst out laughing at the sight of the gyrating hotties on stage with dad’s band. Stinson clearly thinks the dancers add nothing to the music. And, he is right, of course, though headlining in Vegas is often about more than sound.

Later in the evening, two strippers (from Sapphire Gentlemen's Club) are escorted backstage. One gives her name as Ashley. The 24-year-old says this is the first time she will be performing with Guns N’ Roses. “The other girls who were on stage on Wednesday night they were the go-go dancers,” Ashley explains. “They are still there. They just added us in suddenly last night, too. We’re the pole dancers.”

Nothing is too excessive or too obvious for Guns N' Roses or Las Vegas.

Edited November 14, 2012 by downzy

[downzy]

Pretty good article, interviewer/reviewer doesn't seem to have an agenda. Interesting how Stinson acknowledges it's pretty much the same show they've been doing for years. Wonder how all the Axl worshipers will swallow that.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

i wonder if the dancers were the new addition that pissed bbf off bad. certainly sounds like tommy's not too into 'em. wonder why. chicks rule. and it's a total sausage fest on the gnr stage.

also, the part about the flying piano was pretty sweet. to be honest, that sounds cooler to me than the idea of hearing the band struggle through some poorly rehearsed outtakes from chinese democracy.

Edited November 14, 2012 by HisRoyalSweetness

[Ali]

Pretty good article, interviewer/reviewer doesn't seem to have an agenda. Interesting how Stinson acknowledges it's pretty much the same show they've been doing for years. Wonder how all the Axl worshipers will swallow that.

That's not exactly what he said. He said they've been playing a lot of the old stuff for years and years. Which is true, of course. But, I think that's true of any band with a popular back catalog. They end up playing certain more popular tracks for years and years.

Ali

[SONOFABITCH]

Tommy Stinson. 15 years. One album. Get on board.

[justmike66]

sorry ali read paragrah 6 first sentence .....

[NachoLZ]

Stinson is happy to concede that the residency is essentially the same show fans have seen for years

That's not very good.

[jimb0]

Yup..... LOL!

[Ali]

sorry ali read paragrah 6 first sentence .....

That was a paraphrase written by the writer. I was looking for a direct quote to that effect and none was given in the article. The only direct quotes on the subject were related to playing the old songs, as I mentioned.

Ali

[downzy]

sorry ali read paragrah 6 first sentence .....

That was a paraphrase written by the writer. I was looking for a direct quote to that effect and none was given in the article. The only direct quotes on the subject were related to playing the old songs, as I mentioned.

Ali

Sorry Ali, normally your defenses of Axl and co. are a lot better than the one you're giving here.

Sure, the writer is paraphrasing, but what do you think he's paraphrasing from? Tommy acknowledges that the effort to make the show different comes from stuff like the flying pianos and go-go girls/strippers. Here's your direct quote: "Still, he notes, “I think there was an effort to make the show interesting in different things like the flying piano.”" I.e. it's the same show except for a flying piano.

Apparently you have a different opinion than someone who's actually in the band. And if you could, please entertain us with how exactly this show is any different than the one they've been putting on since 2009 (or even 2006)?

[Val22]

Okay, first of all if you go to a rock show or any show and you don't know who the hell is in the band, then you don't fuckin belong there!

I mean, come the hell on. It's been 20 years or more since Slash has been in GNR and you have to live under a rock if you don't know that. Slash has had many bands since then and yes it's true Axl has had many band members come and go since then, but to still think Slash is in GNR, you just have to be plain stupid.

As for the beer gut, where? I don't see one. Yes, Axl isn't as thin as he was in the 80's, but he's not fat.

Has anyone seen Vince Neil lately? Please. No one seems to mind Vince's fat ass trying to run around the stage.

It's a fact of life as you get older you gain weight, then when you get really old you lose it again. That's life! It sucks yes, but at least Axl and many of us have had our hey day and at least Axl is alive and well and still doing what he loves and I for one am damn glad he is!

[downzy]

Okay, first of all if you go to a rock show or any show and you don't know who the hell is in the band, then you don't fuckin belong there!

I mean, come the hell on. It's been 20 years or more since Slash has been in GNR and you have to live under a rock if you don't know that. Slash has had many bands since then and yes it's true Axl has had many band members come and go since then, but to still think Slash is in GNR, you just have to be plain stupid.

As for the beer gut, where? I don't see one. Yes, Axl isn't as thin as he was in the 80's, but he's not fat.

Has anyone seen Vince Neil lately? Please. No one seems to mind Vince's fat ass trying to run around the stage.

It's a fact of life as you get older you gain weight, then when you get really old you lose it again. That's life! It sucks yes, but at least Axl and many of us have had our hey day and at least Axl is alive and well and still doing what he loves and I for one am damn glad he is!

No offense, but you seem to be taking a lot of what was said in the article pretty personally. Why do you care so much if someone thinks Axl has a beer belly? And what does any of that have to do with Vince Neil?

[IndiannaRose]

Great article. In my opinion, it's a pretty fair assessment of current affairs.

[Apollo]

One of the best reviews I've seen about the current band.

States the positives as well as the negatives.

Great review.

[Ali]

sorry ali read paragrah 6 first sentence .....

That was a paraphrase written by the writer. I was looking for a direct quote to that effect and none was given in the article. The only direct quotes on the subject were related to playing the old songs, as I mentioned.

Ali

Sorry Ali, normally your defenses of Axl and co. are a lot better than the one you're giving here.

Sure, the writer is paraphrasing, but what do you think he's paraphrasing from? Tommy acknowledges that the effort to make the show different comes from stuff like the flying pianos and go-go girls/strippers. Here's your direct quote: "Still, he notes, “I think there was an effort to make the show interesting in different things like the flying piano.”" I.e. it's the same show except for a flying piano.

Apparently you have a different opinion than someone who's actually in the band. And if you could, please entertain us with how exactly this show is any different than the one they've been putting on since 2009 (or even 2006)?

You completely misinterpreted the meaning behind my statement. When you said, "Stinson acknowledges it's pretty much the same show they've been doing for years", Well, it just made me think that he literally or directly said that. He didn't. It was a paraphrase from the writer. There is a difference. That's not to say that Tommy didn't say something to that effect, just that there is no direct quote on that. Forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical after the recent ABC news story where the writer made a comment, without a direct quote, saying that Dizzy Reed said the band was going to play AFD in its entirety, which obviously turned out to be false.

But, I never disagreed. They are playing by and large many of the same songs, the old songs, that they've been playing for years. I had actually said that in my first post in this thread.

Ali

[Apollo]

Oh - and the flying piano isn't a GnR invention. It is a prop they have that venue. I believe Motley Crue used it for the drum solos and maybe for band members to sit in for an acoustic set as well?

[Guest RonMexico82]

sorry ali read paragrah 6 first sentence .....

That was a paraphrase written by the writer. I was looking for a direct quote to that effect and none was given in the article. The only direct quotes on the subject were related to playing the old songs, as I mentioned.

Ali

Comical Ali

[downzy]

You completely misinterpreted the meaning behind my statement. When you said, "Stinson acknowledges it's pretty much the same show they've been doing for years", Well, it just made me think that he literally or directly said that. He didn't. It was a paraphrase from the writer. There is a difference. That's not to say that Tommy didn't say something to that effect, just that there is no direct quote on that. Forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical after the recent ABC news story where the writer made a comment, without a direct quote, saying that Dizzy Reed said the band was going to play AFD in its entirety, which obviously turned out to be false.

But, I never disagreed. They are playing by and large many of the same songs, the old songs, that they've been playing for years. I had actually said that in my first post in this thread.

Ali

Like I said, the direct quote essentially negates the argument that he wouldn't dispute what the author is paraphrasing. If within the conversation over how different these Vegas shows are the only evidence Tommy can provide is a flying piano, do we really need to be that skeptical of the author's paraphrasing? Since you and I both agree its essentially the same show (or am I paraphrasing here since you never actually said this word for word), isn't it safe to assume that the author's use of paraphrase is fairly accurate?

Edited November 15, 2012 by downzy

[Ali]

You completely misinterpreted the meaning behind my statement. When you said, "Stinson acknowledges it's pretty much the same show they've been doing for years", Well, it just made me think that he literally or directly said that. He didn't. It was a paraphrase from the writer. There is a difference. That's not to say that Tommy didn't say something to that effect, just that there is no direct quote on that. Forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical after the recent ABC news story where the writer made a comment, without a direct quote, saying that Dizzy Reed said the band was going to play AFD in its entirety, which obviously turned out to be false.

But, I never disagreed. They are playing by and large many of the same songs, the old songs, that they've been playing for years. I had actually said that in my first post in this thread.

Ali

Like I said, the direct quote essentially negates the argument that he wouldn't dispute what the author is paraphrasing. If within the conversation over how different these Vegas shows are the only evidence Tommy can provide is a flying piano, do we really need to be that skeptical of the author's paraphrasing? Since you and I both agree its essentially the same show (or am I paraphrasing here since you never actually said this word for word), isn't it safe to assume that the author's use of paraphrase is fairly accurate?

Like I said, given that recent Dizzy Reed example of paraphrasing ending up being a complete misinterpretation that was misleading, I had an initial skepticism. Which is why I wondered if it was a direct statement by Tommy quoted in the story that I missed or not.

I do agree that it is largely the same show since last year. Although, they made interesting additions last week with CITR and TWAT and "The Seeker".

Ali

[GNR123GNR456]

One of the best reviews I've seen about the current band.

States the positives as well as the negatives.

Great review.

[GnR Chris]

Okay, first of all if you go to a rock show or any show and you don't know who the hell is in the band, then you don't fuckin belong there!

I mean, come the hell on. It's been 20 years or more since Slash has been in GNR and you have to live under a rock if you don't know that. Slash has had many bands since then and yes it's true Axl has had many band members come and go since then, but to still think Slash is in GNR, you just have to be plain stupid.

As for the beer gut, where? I don't see one. Yes, Axl isn't as thin as he was in the 80's, but he's not fat.

Has anyone seen Vince Neil lately? Please. No one seems to mind Vince's fat ass trying to run around the stage.

It's a fact of life as you get older you gain weight, then when you get really old you lose it again. That's life! It sucks yes, but at least Axl and many of us have had our hey day and at least Axl is alive and well and still doing what he loves and I for one am damn glad he is!

A lot of people assume Slash is in the band when they see "Guns N' Roses" on the marquee. They don't follow the band. It isn't like they're out there in the mainstream releasing records, doing tons of interviews and so forth.

Axl does indeed have a beer gut. And it's bigger than I thought.

Yes, I've seen Vince Neil. Also fat. Have you seen Slash? Duff? Those are just names from Gn'R who are in good shape and the same age as Axl. What about Steven Tyler? Bon Jovi?

[wasted]

but with Catcher, TWAT, Don't Let It Bring You Down, The Seeker there are still songs I'd be interested in hearing live. But it's basically the same song Jungle, Nov Rain, Paradise City.

[highvoltage]

i wonder if the dancers were the new addition that pissed bbf off bad.

My thoughts too.

Cool article!

[GnR Chris]

This is the perfect time for this band to debut new music and it's clear they won't. All we get is other stuff from the old catalogue, which is cool, but predictably disappointing.

[ARX77]

Okay, first of all if you go to a rock show or any show and you don't know who the hell is in the band, then you don't fuckin belong there!

I mean, come the hell on. It's been 20 years or more since Slash has been in GNR and you have to live under a rock if you don't know that. Slash has had many bands since then and yes it's true Axl has had many band members come and go since then, but to still think Slash is in GNR, you just have to be plain stupid.

As for the beer gut, where? I don't see one. Yes, Axl isn't as thin as he was in the 80's, but he's not fat.

Has anyone seen Vince Neil lately? Please. No one seems to mind Vince's fat ass trying to run around the stage.

It's a fact of life as you get older you gain weight, then when you get really old you lose it again. That's life! It sucks yes, but at least Axl and many of us have had our hey day and at least Axl is alive and well and still doing what he loves and I for one am damn glad he is!

Wow! Have you not been to many shows? Ive seen Nuguns 5 times and every show had people that didnt know Slash was no longer in the band. In the end they ended up not caring and enjoyed the show.

Beer gut? Hmm well Axl does have somewhat of a beer gut... is he fat? No but hes not in great shape either. I wouldnt take what these writers say so personally. GnR is a nostalgia act nowadays and thats OK. The Vegas shows are over-the-top like Vegas should be.