Has anyone else noticed the stiffness?

[shotsfired cro]

when we had the first few concerts, I found it odd, yet understandable, how stiff everyone seems to be.

naturlly, thought as the tour develops things will look different.

Yet now 30 or so gigs later, everyone looks as stiff as the first day. Actually, Axl looks most comfortable.

Duff usually stands there in the middle of that huge stage with his cap on, Fortus stands few meters behind him making few attempts to join and mingle in with Slash on a couple of occassions but Slash doesn't have any contact with him or interaction he had with Izzy, Duff, Gilby, Matt or Adler. In fact, Slash doesn't really interact with anyone there either.

Seems like eeryne there on that huge stage is an island for himself, as if they are all there cause they have to be.

The entire atmosphere is odd, sterile. No chatter, no smile, no interaction with each other or the crowd.

When you compare this with Illusions....Up until the end of that '93 tour, they looked like a band, gang, everything seemed so natural, Slash, Gilby, Duff running around the stage, smiles between them, interaction with them and Matt.

Honestly, at this point, the way things look, this doesn't seem like a band that can go on.

Wheather or not Slash and Duff just don't jel with Fortus and Frank or something else - don't know.

Too me it seems like they just don't have common ground and simply ignore them.

What are your 2 cents?

[cremefraiche]

my random 2 cents are that Slash seems the most awkward and 'distant' out of everyone. Axl actually appears to be making the most effort onstage 

[cheesecake]

Drugs and booze were doing the works for Slash back then.

[shotsfired cro]

don't know...I wouldn't blame Slash, as said, to me everyone apart from Axl looks distant...

Slash in no band before looked distant.

Edited November 4, 2016 by shotsfired cro

[Tom-Ass]

The whole hybrid lineup is awkward.. I can't imagine that there aren't people in the band that don't feel the same. It is awesome to see/hear Axl, Slash and Duff up there.. Even Dizzy.. Everyone else not so much..

[Gibson87]

Slash has always been a guy who, at least on stage, does his own thing and let's everything happen naturally. I can say from experience that there are gigs where you just get lost in the song/set and standing there and not interacting is what feels right at the moment. As long as the chemistry is still there and everyone is kicking ass, the other things will fall into place.

Edited November 4, 2016 by Gibson_Guy87

[Gordon Comstock]

Are you expecting them to be laughing with each other for half the show or...? The April shows and the first couple stadium shows were understandably kind of stiff, but I thought by the time I saw them near the end of the stadium tour they were a pretty tight band. Axl interacts with pretty much everyone, Richard and Duff seem pretty comfortable. Slash seems like he's in his own world for most of the show but he does interact with the other guys, and other times he's just busy rocking out (Coma, Nightrain, etc), but I assumed any awkwardness was more to do with the 50,000 people watching him than anything else.

[Fitha_whiskey]

My impression of Slash is just that he is in total focus on his playing. Add in sobriety and a stage way more massive than he's been playing on for many years. I don't know, they're not 29 years old n fucked up anymore?

[WhazUp]

46 minutes ago, shotsfired cro said:

when we had the first few concerts, I found it odd, yet understandable, how stiff everyone seems to be.

naturlly, thought as the tour develops things will look different.

Yet now 30 or so gigs later, everyone looks as stiff as the first day. Actually, Axl looks most comfortable.

Duff usually stands there in the middle of that huge stage with his cap on, Fortus stands few meters behind him making few attempts to join and mingle in with Slash on a couple of occassions but Slash doesn't have any contact with him or interaction he had with Izzy, Duff, Gilby, Matt or Adler. In fact, Slash doesn't really interact with anyone there either.

Seems like eeryne there on that huge stage is an island for himself, as if they are all there cause they have to be.

The entire atmosphere is odd, sterile. No chatter, no smile, no interaction with each other or the crowd.

When you compare this with Illusions....Up until the end of that '93 tour, they looked like a band, gang, everything seemed so natural, Slash, Gilby, Duff running around the stage, smiles between them, interaction with them and Matt.

Honestly, at this point, the way things look, this doesn't seem like a band that can go on.

Wheather or not Slash and Duff just don't jel with Fortus and Frank or something else - don't know.

Too me it seems like they just don't have common ground and simply ignore them.

What are your 2 cents?

Were you at any of those shows though? Because at the two I was at I thought they sounded and looked pretty tight and Slash especially was dancing around and rocking out quite a bit.  There is also that one gif making the rounds from the San Diego show of Slash doing this goofy circle dance thing that was quite entertaining lol.  I think it is possible focus and concentration is being mistaken for uncomfortableness

Edited November 4, 2016 by WhazUp

[shotsfired cro]

23 minutes ago, Gordon Comstock said:

Are you expecting them to be laughing with each other for half the show or...? The April shows and the first couple stadium shows were understandably kind of stiff, but I thought by the time I saw them near the end of the stadium tour they were a pretty tight band. Axl interacts with pretty much everyone, Richard and Duff seem pretty comfortable. Slash seems like he's in his own world for most of the show but he does interact with the other guys, and other times he's just busy rocking out (Coma, Nightrain, etc), but I assumed any awkwardness was more to do with the 50,000 people watching him than anything else.

hey if that is your 2 cents...

don't know how old you are or how well you remember the UYI days, but the most natural show from this tour is worlds away from the most sterile show off that tour.

Plus...Almost every show on that tour had at least 50.000 in attendance. Hence Rio was 160.000 and most shows were around 60-80k, so eveyrone being totaly comfortable back then but this stiff now due to crowd size is kinda out of question for me.

Look at Paris 92 that was Mondovised, if they look like having great fun on stage there, as on every other stage, don't think it has to do with crowd.

they just had synergy there in that Slash, Duff, Gilby, Matt, Izzy line up, both on and off stage that lacks now.

Check out the van videos from those days with them going to the venues on youtube. That was band. That was friendship. Hey, Slash and Duff are stilč lose and we don't see even them interacting on stage. Duff looks super stiff too.

Plus Slash playing is no better or worse now than then. he is not any more or less focused now than then.

Slash is Slash, his playing is alwys spot on. Yet, there was more fire during the UYI ear, Tokyo, Buenos Aires 92 and 93, Paris, Rio...Audio bootlegs, you can hear and see he had LOTS more fun then.

Personally, I think outside of Fortus and Frank circle, nobody is exstatic about the line up in this band.

Edited November 4, 2016 by shotsfired cro

[Gordon Comstock]

Just now, shotsfired cro said:

hey if that is your 2 cents...

don't know how old you are or how well you remember the UYI days, but the most natural show from this tour is worlds away from the most sterile show off that tour.

Plus...Almost every show on that tour had at least 50.000 in attendance. Hence Rio was 160.000 and most shows were around 60-80k, so eveyrone being totaly comfortable back then but this stiff now due to crowd size is kinda out of question for me.

Look at Paris 92 that was Mondovised, if they look like having great fun on stage there, as on every other stage, don't think it has to do with crowd.

they just had synergy there in that Slash, Duff, Gilby, Matt, Izzy line up, both on and off stage that lacks now.

Check out the van videos from those days with them going to the venues on youtube. That was band. That was friendship. Hey, Slash and Duff are stilč lose and we don't see even them interacting on stage. Duff looks super stiff too.

I don't think it's a fair to compare being in front of 50,000 people when you're 28 and high as fuck to when you're 50 and sober but I guess we just had different expectations about these shows Most videos I've seen from the last few years, Slash has had a similar stage presence when playing festivals and bigger shows.

Have you seen them this year btw? Cuz they seemed like a pretty tight band in August.

7 minutes ago, shotsfired cro said:

Personally, I think outside of Fortus and Frank circle, nobody is exstatic about the line up in this band.

[IncitingChaos]

They've looked good IMO, Slash isn't going to be jumping off amps and Axl isn't going to be running around like a mad man anymore. Chalk it up to age, but their chemistry has looked great. Axl interacts with Slash quite a bit rather it's a nod to him or just going up to him and leaning on him. 

As far as their playing they seem to be doing well. Slash and Duff are much better than they were on the UYI tour, they are almost perfect on this tour, Axl can do more for the vocal department on some songs but still better than 11-14

[DieselDaisy]

That coloured haired keyboardist girl bouncing up and down like a yo-yo is weird to see.

[Mendez]

Slash hardly interacted with anyone other than Myles in his band SMKC. But you have to also consider, Slash and Duff are life long friends, and Slash probably met Fortus barely in the beginning of this year. I always see Duff interacting with Frank, he always goes up and plays facing him several times during the shows (to keep time at least).

Edited November 4, 2016 by Mendez

[Billsfan]

45 minutes ago, DieselDaisy said:

That coloured haired keyboardist girl bouncing up and down like a yo-yo is weird to see.

We don't always agree but I'll back you completely here. 

[Billsfan]

2 hours ago, Tom-Ass said:

The whole hybrid lineup is awkward.. I can't imagine that there aren't people in the band that don't feel the same. It is awesome to see/hear Axl, Slash and Duff up there.. Even Dizzy.. Everyone else not so much..

Well this is why I've tried to argue that even though Izzy is pissed at the band, it might not be a bad idea to negotiate for a couple of guest spots at the same time as Steven Adler. As long as everyone plays well and the chemistry is there, which I would argue that they would pick up where they left off and it'd be great. The reaction from the fans and the internet would be unreal and It could pressure the big 3 to bringing Izzy and Steven back full time. Idk...

[TheSeeker]

Melissa's hair is out of place like Robin's NIN outfit in 2001-2002

You're in a rock band - dye your hair blonde or black 

[NicDwolfwood]

1 hour ago, shotsfired cro said:

hey if that is your 2 cents...

don't know how old you are or how well you remember the UYI days, but the most natural show from this tour is worlds away from the most sterile show off that tour.

Plus...Almost every show on that tour had at least 50.000 in attendance. Hence Rio was 160.000 and most shows were around 60-80k, so eveyrone being totaly comfortable back then but this stiff now due to crowd size is kinda out of question for me.

Look at Paris 92 that was Mondovised, if they look like having great fun on stage there, as on every other stage, don't think it has to do with crowd.

they just had synergy there in that Slash, Duff, Gilby, Matt, Izzy line up, both on and off stage that lacks now.

Check out the van videos from those days with them going to the venues on youtube. That was band. That was friendship. Hey, Slash and Duff are stilč lose and we don't see even them interacting on stage. Duff looks super stiff too.

Plus Slash playing is no better or worse now than then. he is not any more or less focused now than then.

Slash is Slash, his playing is alwys spot on. Yet, there was more fire during the UYI ear, Tokyo, Buenos Aires 92 and 93, Paris, Rio...Audio bootlegs, you can hear and see he had LOTS more fun then.

Personally, I think outside of Fortus and Frank circle, nobody is exstatic about the line up in this band.

Dude, these guys arent young anymore man. Just because they arent going crazy on stage, jumping, running and all of that shouldnt be blown out of proportion. These are 50 year old men. It would look kinda dumb if they were all up there doing theatrics and all of that. 

Slash has said many times that hs deals with nervousness and is generally freaked out by crowds. So he hides behind his shades, his hair and his hat as a way to cope with it and not freak out. Being shy or introverted really makes being in front of people quite jarring and uncomfortable. When he was younger, and was drinking and indulging in other chemicals, its immensely lowered his inhibitions allowing him to do what he did at the time. 

[beautifulanddamned]

All of this is why I never got the "Izzy doesn't have very good stage presence" thing. If you look at videos of him from 2006 and 2012 he is doing the same thing Slash and Duff are doing now. Stand and play. Walk from point A to point B. Stand and play. Smile at crowd. Stand and play. 

I loved the show I went to but I can also acknowledge that I was seeing a giant corporate rock show. Nothing more nothing less. I expected it to be a little cold and impersonal so I wasn't dissapointed. 

[wasted]

When you old shit hurts for no reason. 

They should probably bring a massage table on stage during Coma. 

[sanity_lost]

1 hour ago, TheSeeker said:

Melissa's hair is out of place like Robin's NIN outfit in 2001-2002

You're in a rock band - dye your hair blonde or black 

Axl better go borrow Slash's hair dye.

[BorderlineCrazy]

I think drugs and booze were a major factor in the attitude on stage. Was there that much interaction between Slash and Duff in VR? Slash has always been in his own world while playing. Whether you watch Live And Let Die from Rosario last tuesday or Nightrain from Oklahoma 92, it's always (or almost always) Duff the one who goes next to him. Slash used to go next to Gilby to play Wild Horses and now he does the same thing with Richard for Wish You Were Herem that's it. And IMO Duff was funnier when he was wasted. I think Slash and Duff are kinda shy and being clean it's way harder for them to let loose, just like it took something like 20 years to James Hetfield to be able to hit the stage without being drunk.

I think you can apply what Duff says in this video to what happens on stage too. He talks about meeting Susan and how he didn't know how to deal with women because back in the day he was just like a caveman with no inhibitions who would go "you with me now, go" with some random girl and that was it.

 

[BOSSY78]

2 hours ago, Billsfan said:

Well this is why I've tried to argue that even though Izzy is pissed at the band, it might not be a bad idea to negotiate for a couple of guest spots at the same time as Steven Adler. As long as everyone plays well and the chemistry is there, which I would argue that they would pick up where they left off and it'd be great. The reaction from the fans and the internet would be unreal and It could pressure the big 3 to bringing Izzy and Steven back full time. Idk...

They tried. Izzy wants equal pay for a band he left and sold his shares in.

So alas no dice for now. But would be awesome if Izzy could.

[t-p-d-a]

for me the Use Your Illusion Line Up with Gilby doesn't feel like a band. even Axl didn't introduce Slash in the Band introduction... Not In This Life Tour seems more professional, clean und better sound... UYI was more "dirty" and "rough"

 

The only time that GN'R feels like a real band was with the classic five line up. Look at the 88's gigs..  that is a real band.

[shjtjustgotreal]

just enjoy the goddam shows ffs