Has Axl proven that he still got it?

[Rovim]

10 minutes ago, Bono said:

No man, it's pretty obvious that Axl never cared about his NuGnR the way he cares about this GnR now. Look around. His performance in a  fucking chair shows that. He never wanted anything to do with the release of the album, he mickey moused his way through all of 2002. 2006 was a tour under the promise(lie) of an album release. 2010 was a shadow of what we're getting now. 2014 was Mickey mouse all over and a singer who was clearly going through the motions. If you can't tell that Ax's heart is more into this than it has been the last 15 years then you haven't paid much attention. Why am I immature? Why are you so serious? Get a  grip. Boo Hoo I like the NuGnR please don't ever point out how lame it was.  

I'm brutally serious when it comes to such matters. First of all: there are a lot of things that point to Axl caring about new Guns. Wanting and believing they'll get accepted. That didn't happen.

I don't want to get into how excited Axl is. I think this reunion is legit. All I saying is that his 2010 and 2006 performances, vocally speaking pay attention, were great and seemed like he was reallly going for it. There was hunger there.

It's not likely that Axl saved his voice for Slash.

[Tom-Ass]

I don't think he is sounding as awesome as some make him out to be but there is a definite improvement and you can tell he is giving it 100% which is all you can ask for. There are definitely some holy shit (in a good way) moments from him during these shows.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Tom-Ass

[SoulMonster]

8 minutes ago, Bono said:

Axl is clearly a guy who chooses when to perform and when to phone it in.

And the more obvious explanation, that his voice quality varies from year to year depending upon many different factors, simply elude you?

[Tom-Ass]

Just listened to Yesterday's and he totally pulled that off.  The drums even sound off on that one but at least it was the right tempo!

[rudolf1978]

2 hours ago, Bono said:

Eveyone laughed at me and mocked me and said I was an idiot when a few years ago I suggested Axl was saving his voice for the "reunion" with Slash. Given how much effort has gone into all this and given how happy Axl seems and how badass he's singing, well I expect about 3 dozen apolgies now that it's obvious Axl never really gave a shit about NuGnR, was phoning it in the entire time and he was indeed saving his voice for the reunion. 

I also suggested a long time ago that CD was never gonna come out until Slash was on it and given how little Axl wanted to do with the release and it's widely assumed his hand was forced in that, I think I'm also right when I say Axl always wanted Slash on CD. 

So fuck you all! 

LOL you think he is singing great???!!  he is singing like 2011-2014 maybe a little bit better,but far from 2010 or 2006 with NuGNR

[stella]

Axl's forgotten his lyrics from time to time since the AfD days...he had a teleprompter on the UYI tour, at least for part of it. Nothing new there. And there are plenty of clips from 1991-1993 where his voice isn't exactly crystal clear.

 

I don't think he would purposely have gone onstage with the intention of making a fool of himself or being half-assed, especially with something like the DVD in Vegas. He sunk a shitload of money into NuGuns, and nobody would have blamed him if he'd called it quits with them after CD didn't do well. He had plenty of exit points for that throughout the years -- every time they went on hiatus the band could have quietly gone away. IMHO it's far more plausible that he's gone through the vocal changes and injuries that a lot of singers suffer from, and that the quality of his voice has fluctuated depending on how his vocal cords are doing that day/year. He doesn't sound the same even *talking* as he did in 1988 or 1990.

 

Edited April 22, 2016 by stella

[Babooshka]

Also, didn't he have vocal surgery? Whatever issues prompted that, and the surgery itself is going to take a toll.

[sonofnazareth]

He will get better. 

[sweetness]

14 hours ago, TheSeeker said:

Don't you all feel cheated though for paying to see shows between 2011 and 2014 when Axl was purposefully half-assing it, though?

That's why I never went.

[Gavin82]

I think Axl sounds great in these last few shows as he is not anle to run about he is abke to focus on his vocals.

 

Of course he doesn't sound like he did on UY tours its over 20 year ago so obviously his voice will fade a tad he is in his 50s now

[Chewbacca]

Definitely better than that acoustic thing, his all-time low, but there's still room for improvement, IMO.

[DieselDaisy]

2011 was the cut off date for Axl caring about new guns. The beginning of the decline was really that show in Brazil when he turned up bloated as hell and wearing a yellow mac; what the hell happened there? 2011-14 he just didn't seem to care; fluffed lyrics; Mickey voice; stodgy unmovable setlists; bloated. He was just going back and forward between Brazil and Vegas casinos collecting his cheques. Then there was that levitating piano. The sight of Axl suspended on a piano above a Vegas crowd, miscuing and fluffing the lyrics to November Rain, is too embarrassing to contemplate, however we have that dreary dvd which recorded the whole thing for posterity!! 

Before 2011 I would say he did care about new guns.

[Tom-Ass]

I think he sounds good enough to give a song like Breakdown a shot.  I wouldn't have thought that before the tour.

[Tom-Ass]

Just watched Coma from the other night and Axl kicked it's ass for the most part. Prior to these shows I would have never imagined he could still pull the end of that song off. He is feeding off the energy of the crowds at times.  It was pretty fucking killer all around. 

[koldweather]

You only have to look at all the youtube comments to see how impressed most people are about Axl's vocals. For the first show there was probably a decent minority still talking about Axl's weight/lack of voice. Take a look at most of the videos now and they go along the lines of "Axl sounds great" or "I didn't know the guy could still sing like that" etc. Its very telling that people think he is doing the job well at the moment.

[wasted]

everyone bias yo but thats ok. Dont worry be happy. 

[6lake sa66ath]

So far, so good, BUT he still needs to prove himself on a stadium sized stage with no chair.

I really hope these Axl/DC gigs give his vocals some fresh rust ready for the NA tour.

I also hope the Axl/DC shows help him to shed a few more pounds, as a lithe Axl is a vocally powerful Axl.

Those suugessting that his current performances are even comparable let alone on pair with anything from the classic days are pretty delusional, in my opinion.

Hell, you can't even say his vocal highlights of '06/'07 are even on par with ANY shows from AFD/UYI days, close but no way are they even.

[James Bond]

On April 22, 2016 at 7:19 AM, Nosaj Thing said:

Not yet, it is too early to tell.

Axl has had high and lows in his career.  This last decade has been 100% low, with the exception of 2006-2007 and 2010.  Still, those good years do not make up for 2001-2002, 2011-2014.  Vocally speaking, of course.

All I can say is this:  He's going in the right direction.  There's a fire in him that I have not witnessed in years.  He's not phoning it in, he's killing it!  But you never know if you have seen it all.  I hope for that consistency to stay.  I'm glad they're bringing more UYI songs to the set, it will be great to hear his take on them after all these years.

Some people think he's singing better because he's sitting, I don't think that's the case.  I can't wait to see him running around and murdering those vocals like he knows how to.  He's got Slash and Duff by his side now, and they are making things easier for him.

So far, Axl has been doing things right.  I thought that was not possible, so I'm very surprised and I'm glad he's finally getting the respect he deserves as a frontman.

Pretty much exactly how I feel.

This is the most motivated we've seen Axl in years. Even if he slips into the occasional Mickey it's at least clear that he's making an effort. That alone makes a huge difference. For once, things are actually looking up for the band. I was seriously questioning the future of Guns by the middle of 2014.

[Tom-Ass]

8 hours ago, Blake Sabbath said:

Those suugessting that his current performances are even comparable let alone on pair with anything from the classic days are pretty delusional, in my opinion.

I agree with this but he is sounding better than I expected. 

[janrichmond]

He is improving at each gig so far....if he continues like this i will get a ticket

[nickzark]

Yes he has prove that he can sing good.

[gooner14]

Axl doesn't even run around like he used to, it's just that the weight he has put on has really confined him but he is definitely back. He looks the best since '06 and he is definitely going to improve once that foot heals. 

 

Furthermore, getting rid of that ashbacrapswag he wore is also a very big welcome. 

Edited April 24, 2016 by gooner14

[lassie]

7 hours ago, gooner14 said:

 

 

Furthermore, getting rid of that ashbacrapswag he wore is also a very big welcome. 

What is  ashbacrapswag :-)

 

 

[Axl4Prez2004]

Jesus Christ, I just listened to Jungle from 4/9's show, (I know, I am behind on my homework! what's new?)...he sounded fucking AMAZING!!! 

 

[wasted]

from the videos Axl seems about the same vocally. I'm not aure if Slash is playing different parts or there's just lots of punk ethos. But great energy and style.