Welcome Melissa Reese to Guns N' Roses!

[ThomasZZ]

I really liked!

[Chuerta86]

Welcome Melissa

I gotta say that a part of me was a bit bummed when I saw the sampler on stage. I thought Pitman would be there but nope, Melisa came out and did her part. She did backing, sampling, and shake the shakers thing. She had cool stage presence and was really into the show. Duff and Slash both interacted with her and in the end Slash reached to her during the group bowing down. They certainly seemed welcoming to her. Slash also introduced her during band intros.

The wine in here is sour.

[warebel]

she is a joke. period

[Nintari]

14 hours ago, killuridols said:

Ugh. I'm a feminazi but I'm not diggin' this.

i don't want a female member in GNR. I don't want an extra member, actually. 

I felt like that too until I realized Tracy and Roberta and the other horn girls used to tour with Guns... now it just seems far more acceptable lol

Edited April 2, 2016 by Nintari

[hudsonsaul]

45 minutes ago, Bobbo said:

I too noticed that Slash seemed kinda...by the numbers and indifferent. Not in terms of his playing, but just his whole demeanor. At first I didn't want to jump to conclusions just based on a few clips, but seeing that 2 and a half minute Jungle video...he almost seems kinda passive and uninterested. Perhaps that's just me being paranoid, maybe he just was nervous. I don't know. Time will tell I guess. It's just requiring a lot of suspension of disbelief that he's stoked to be playing nu songs he openly never liked, having two keyboardists when he never even had one for his solo shows, and having everything run by an amateur management team. I will say that Axl DID seem stoked from everything I saw, so that was pretty cool.

 

As for the nu songs, never mind that it's completely pointless playing them in general at this point. But it was pretty lame how much they were milking nostalgia to amp up this show only to pass up hits and fan favorites like Patience and Civil War for songs from a black sheep album no one cares about.

 

idk. It just lames up the vibe for me.

I actually thought Slash looked alright, a bit subdued maybe yes, but not, from my perspective, in a negative way. A few times ive seen him of late in shows he isn't the Slash of old (its easier to pick on front men in this dept when the lack the bite of old, harder with guitarists). 

I think leaving hits like Civil War, Patience, N.Rain, Estranged etc was a good call. Set was always going to be short in grand scehem of a gnr set, and slowing the pace down with those songs in a small club scene wouldn't have worked imo. They went for more up beat in your face rockin numbers.

Curious to see/hear Slash on CD and Better - i think he could do some great solos on both, but as you say he might be a bit awkward about playing those (as well as the keyboards & sound effects). Really hoping he and Fortus bond, both fantastic guitarists with the later an absolute professional who i think would give a fantastic platform for Slash to shine (imo slash's work of late has been subpar by his standards).

EDIT: bit more on topic. I prefre her to Chris Pittman as he seemed like a douche. However I hear why he was there whenever ive seen them live, so if she is the same as that soundwise then I'll slowly start to think the same of her as I did Pittman (bar the douche part maybe). I find it hard to hear what this role offers soundwise (bar a few obvious sounds ala. Paradise City).

Edited April 3, 2016 by hudsonsaul

[DieselDaisy]

Nobody is saying the obvious here and we - the males - all know what, but we are not saying it for implications of 'sexism' and such forth. Am I going to be the first to blirt it out?

[Randy Jesus]

She just doesn't look GNR in terms of classic GNR. But seems talented. Time will tell.

[dalsh327]

7 hours ago, Ant said:

Stevie Nicks, Petty says, was dying to join the band. "Oh, she wouldn't quit," Petty says. "Stevie showed up at my house every night for a year – maybe more." But Petty was firm: "There's no girls in the Heartbreakers."

Tom Petty was also kidding, she had a huge solo career. That would be like people thinking Eddie Van Halen was going to really join KISS. 

[Ant]

5 minutes ago, dalsh327 said:

Tom Petty was also kidding, she had a huge solo career. That would be like people thinking Eddie Van Halen was going to really join KISS. 

 

 Just thought it was funny 

Personally I'm not torn up about a girl being in the band if she has the chops, despite the escalated potential for drama (just from the sexual dynamics, not because I think women are dramatic haha). That said, I'm always in the less is more camp with respect to auxiliary musicians, keyboards, synths, samples and all that jazz. Pittman seriously rubbed me the wrong way as fan, so if the position needed to be filled with someone, may as well be her.

If Slash and Duff are okay with it then I trust 'em.

Edited April 3, 2016 by Ant

[dalsh327]

1 hour ago, Bobbo said:

I too noticed that Slash seemed kinda...by the numbers and indifferent. Not in terms of his playing, but just his whole demeanor. At first I didn't want to jump to conclusions just based on a few clips, but seeing that 2 and a half minute Jungle video...he almost seems kinda passive and uninterested. Perhaps that's just me being paranoid, maybe he just was nervous. I don't know. Time will tell I guess. It's just requiring a lot of suspension of disbelief that he's stoked to be playing nu songs he openly never liked, having two keyboardists when he never even had one for his solo shows, and having everything run by an amateur management team. I will say that Axl DID seem stoked from everything I saw, so that was pretty cool.

 

As for the nu songs, never mind that it's completely pointless playing them in general at this point. But it was pretty lame how much they were milking nostalgia to amp up this show only to pass up hits and fan favorites like Patience and Civil War for songs from a black sheep album no one cares about.

 

idk. It just lames up the vibe for me.

Kushner had said before that Duff is like a sonic wall between him and Slash, so I'm sure the same thing was going on with Richard and Slash. Coachella is probably going to have surprises. 

 

[hudsonsaul]

17 minutes ago, DieselDaisy said:

Nobody is saying the obvious here and we - the males - all know what, but we are not saying it for implications of 'sexism' and such forth. Am I going to be the first to blirt it out?

lol a few ppl have made comments about her being hot and the first gnr member they'd bone etc.

Not sure if that is sexist, just strong hetrosexual feelings. Plenty of the women on here - all three of 'em - comment on Axl's looks here and there

[dalsh327]

7 minutes ago, Ant said:

 

 Just thought it was funny 

Personally I'm not torn up about a girl being in the band if she has the chops, despite the escalated potential for drama (just from the sexual dynamics, not because I think women are dramatic haha). That said, I'm always in the less is more camp with respect to auxiliary musicians, keyboards, synths, samples and all that jazz. Pittman seriously rubbed me the wrong way as fan, so if the position needed to be filled with someone, may as well be her.

If Slash and Duff are okay with it then I trust 'em.

Duff had already been in a band with a woman long before he was in GNR. Melissa might have been involved in CD for all we know. 

[Fitha_whiskey]

The fascinating part to me is Pitman, who was in the band for like 20 years, is out. And she takes his role... He must've really pissed somebody off...

Hopefully Duff shoved Pitmans Düsseldorf pipe right up his ass for him...

Thank fuckin god the wobbly keyboard is done... Isn't it? Her keyboard wasn't wobbling was it???

Seriously, that wobbly keyboard was the only thing besides DJs Hogan ears and "top hat" that pissed me off in the last lineup...

[willl]

Maybe Axl is planning the longest April Fools joke in history? On April 8th he'll say "We'd like to re-introduce an old friend of ours.... on the second keyboard, Mr Chris Pitman. April Fools!!" 

Edited April 3, 2016 by downliner

[gunners fan]

mmmm...don't know what to think..........alot of "big" stadium bands have 2 keys...

Stone, GNR....Pitt, Bruce, The who, U2...

[James Bond]

Reese and Reed. That could be a solo project in itself.

I really don't think there's a need for a second keyboardist but it seems like Axl always envisioned this as some sort of Stones or Aerosmith thing where there's backing musicians every night. The rawness of the original Guns might not call for that but I suppose I can accept it. She's basically there to play the horns, strings, and do a little singing. One person who can replace the entirety of the Illusions horn section and Teddy. Is it needed when there's Dizzy? Probably not, but it is what it is.

Her backing vocals from what we've heard are good and she's probably not a complete douche like Pitman so I'll reserve judgement for now.

It's also too funny to me to really be a problem. Imagine being Pitman: "Oh by the way, we've kicked you out and replaced you my buddy's girlfriend."

[DarkFairy81]

I don't mind 2 keyboard players, honestly I never pay attention to them anyway lol, always forgot Pitman even existed, didn't see him at either of the shows I went to *shrug* Just don't think it's a big deal.

[killuridols]

10 minutes ago, tremolo said:

Broad is an informal way to say you are a WOMAN. Am I right or am I right?

It's funny how you just disregard everything I said about Melissa being in the band and only focused on being offended because you thought "broad" was some kind of insult.

My point is Melissa is in GNR, there's no need to give her that nasty welcome and making negative comments about her appearance, especially since you have no clue why she is there and what she could bring to the table. The least we can do is give her the benefit of the doubt, and make our minds about here AFTER we see/hear her work with GNR either as a performer or as a songwriter/composer.

With Duff and Slash in the band, I doubt she is there just because Axl felt like it, but who knows, maybe she doesn't add anything to the band, or even worse, she might fuck up... either way, it's too early to start trashing her.

Pitman added a lot to CD, and this is beyond whether we like it or not. There are lots of textures and some great synth work there. I think a lot of fans ended up hating the guy because he behaved like the biggest arrogant douchebag that has been in the band (and that's a lot!). And it doesn't matter if you or anyone thinks that position is unnecessary, it's pretty clear the band doesn't agree with that, and that's why she is there.

But I guess women can't help bitching about other women, it's in their nature. And feel free to be mean and nasty if you feel you need to, I couldn't care less.

English is not my native tongue so I really didn't know what a "broad" is. And you saying you could bet your both hands that I was a broad confused me badly.

Now that you explain what it means, it's even more confusing since my profile shows my gender, so I have no idea why you were betting your extremities in first place. Maybe just a sign of your clueless and baseless assumptions about me.

I didn't disregard what you said about Melissa but you started your argument with an ad-hominem attack. That kind of thing, in my book, totally invalidates any following reasoning, whether logical or ilogical, about whatever thing was in discussion. After reading that bunch of crap about I don't know what girlfriend being prettier or richer than me (lol), I knew I was about to deal with a square head.

But if you want me to address your POV, ok, I will have to repeat all over again why I'm against the inclusion of Melissa in the band.

Like I said before, I think Pitman's role should have been wiped out. Not needed at all. I don't care if it's a man or a woman in that role. To me it's useless. Pitman was useless and Melissa is useless. The problem is the position, not the person. But, if on top of the position being useless (IMO) you bring on a person who is totally annoying (like Pitman) or a freak show (like Buckethead), then you give it an entity it doesn't need and it begins to get more exposure than it should. From the looks of Melissa, nothing about her says "rocker", which would be the "desired" attitude for the member of a rock band.

Now if you wanna talk about music... Wait, did you say she's "clearly talented"????

O-M-G Im sorry but I still haven't appreciated her clear talent in the Guns N' Roses band. And even if she was Beethoven, GNR music will always be the result of Axl's, Slash, Duff's, Izzy's and Steven's crafting (for the classic stuff they are known for) rather than the little inputs this girl could or could not add to the live shows or future recordings.

I know my opinion doesn't matter to any of the members of the band. Yours neither, don't worry ... um... lol, it's clear they known "better" who suits the band and who doesn't or else, how one would explain the revolving door GNR is, eh?

But... we are in a discussion board here, so opinions are gonna be like the official currency of this place. They are inevitable, you know? Maybe, if you don't like other people's opinions you should try something different.

[Ak1nney]

I do think the role of this part of the band is debated on too much. I didn't notice Chris or Dizzy at the show I went to in 2011... They were just kinda in the background with the drums. A lot of that has to do with the stage setup too. I will be mainly focused on Axl, Slash, and Duff. She was really noticeable last night due to the stage setup. If you spend the whole show looking at the additional players, I'm not sure what you're doing.

[Russel Nash]

I think nobody understood what was Pitman doing, but if you pay attention you'll see that he was doing a big part of the sound live, especially on CD songs.

Melissa is great, maybe better than Mothergoose live now, cos she's young and ALSO talented, so we need an update on the banner now, and welcome to the jungle.

 

[wasted]

Did MR do the Chi dem intro?

[Gackt]

Their roles in the current line-up seem fairly clear-cut; Melissa likely handles the sampling and some synths while Dizzy's on secondary percussion and keys

Dropping a guitarist from the line-up already takes away a big chunk of the sound, so also dropping some keys might leave some tracks, especially ChiDem ones feeling bare-bones

[BadApples87]

perhaps they will have Dizzy, pitman, Zig Zag, this new gal, and Axl do a 25 minute piano and keyboard jam on the tour each night.

 

[TDR]

Her backing vox are on point. Usually can't even hear that part live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ARjFgSjySA

I think she's a great addition. I also liked Pitman, but shaking things up a little with some new blood is kind cool.

Umm, how do you post the YT videos these days?

 

 

Edited April 3, 2016 by TDR

[Chuerta86]

1 hour ago, wasted said:

Did MR do the Chi dem intro?

Nope, Frank started with a drum thing and Slash did the guitar intro riff. It was very stripped and punkish!