What songs from the "classic era" do you think any version of nuguns does better than the classic guys?

[Dean]

Richard has added some nice little bits to Rocket Queen, so that's one of them, only if Axl is nailing it vocally though. Camden and Phili from 2011 and 2012 are highlights. I loved most of the stuff from the Rock AM Ring gig though, especially Knockin' On Heavens Door and Nightrain. Patience from the Rio gig in 2001 was magic too.

Edited January 27, 2014 by DeanoR

[WhazUp]

All of them especially Rocket Queen and Brownstone (with Frank)

Lol for me it is the polar opposite. None of them, especially not RQ and Brownstone IMO. The Brownstone performances from the Ritz, Argentina, Paris, etc. as well as the RQ versions from Tokyo 88, Tokyo 92, Ritz 88, etc. are just unbeatable. Plus I just think the old band generally was just on another level sonically to begin with

[niceguy]

This is bonkers. I can't believe people here would rather listen to cover musicians than the actual musicians.

You think bbf and DJ are amazing? Jesus, I have several friends who are better technical players than those two.

I'd rather hear the composer of the song play it rather than a cover musician.

Do you fucking realize that CELINE DION can sing better than Axl? She'd hit those notes more powerfully and accurately and precisely than Axl could ever, every hope to do. Why not get Celine to front GNR?

This place is absolutely insane. And it represents 0.0000000000000001% of what humanity believes, thank god.

Edited January 27, 2014 by niceguy

[foghat43]

If they replaced the lead singer with someone who could hit all the notes the current lineup might pass for a somewhat decent GnR tribute/cover band.

[spgunner]

Simple topic, what songs (if any) do you think nugnr does better than classic gnr? This is open to all era's of nugnr, 2001~2014, but it has to be a classic song.

I actually like the way the current band plays don't cry over the classic band. The way Bumble's starts it out, then Axl comes in, then by the solo the whole band is on it. It's just awesome imo, a highlight of the concert imo. And yes I do think it's better than any performance of that song the classic band ever did. But it's the only one.

All the old songs are better played / performed by all incarnations of GN'R since 2001. When I hear old stuff from 1985 to 93 I think "How come did I think they (everybody but Axl) were so good back then? Was I so highhhhhh?!".

[ColdHeartBreaker]

Dare i say it, I think some people are so emotionally invested in the original band, merely liking the new band is seen as an insult to them.

Better is the wrong word but you will never see the old band do anything like the above..

Edited January 27, 2014 by ColdHeartBreaker

[bacardimayne]

Nightrain from 2006 to 2010 was also better, forgot about those.

This is bonkers. I can't believe people here would rather listen to cover musicians than the actual musicians.

You think bbf and DJ are amazing? Jesus, I have several friends who are better technical players than those two.

I'd rather hear the composer of the song play it rather than a cover musician.

Do you fucking realize that CELINE DION can sing better than Axl? She'd hit those notes more powerfully and accurately and precisely than Axl could ever, every hope to do. Why not get Celine to front GNR?

This place is absolutely insane. And it represents 0.0000000000000001% of what humanity believes, thank god.

You have several friends who are better technical guitarists than Bumblefoot? Good luck backing that one up.

And no one's saying they'd rather see the new band play the songs than the old band. Just that certain songs played by the new band sound more pleasing to the ear than the same songs played by the old band. Get the fuck over it.

Edited January 27, 2014 by bacardimayne

[WhazUp]

The thought "Wow this is way better than the classic band" has never crossed my mind. I love the sloppyness and unpredictability of the old GNR, they had a mystique, it's like they were legends but it was so clear they were humans who have been and were still going through rough shit at the same time, and I think that clicked with a lot of people. GNR since the "comeback" hasn't been anything like that, its a band of payed performers. They play well, don't get me wrong, but that sense of character is totally different and it just isn't as exciting as seeing 5 kids who worked their asses off and took the world by storm despite a laundry list of faults. Plus, even though Axl had his good and bad nights back then, he was infinitely better than he is these days. They all gelled so well together, everything that band did on stage before Izzy left (and still a lot of the UYI tour) was absolutely mesmorizing. If you think any post 96 lineup of GNR has come close to that, I can't take you seriously. Sorry. Guns N' Roses was a great rock band and a cultural phenomenon for a short time period, the band that has been touring the last 14 years or whatever is a tribute to that.

Great post, I agree. I have had the pleasure of seeing the current band twice and I thought they did well covering the old songs. But there is not a single song that I think they do better than the real deal i.e. the people who were actually a part of the creation of said songs

The old band was just on a totally different musical plateau that I can't even really fairly compare the two. The classic lineup had "it" and no other lineup post-96 can really compare IMO. And I would give credit where credit is due if I thought they did play better, but I just honestly haven't heard a rendition from the current band that surpasses that plateau.

Bucket's Nightrain solo is amazing, the new KOHD arrangement rocks, RQ is groovy, Estranged sounds fantastic, You're Crazy grooves, and in general the new band now does some really great things. But I would never say better than what we got back then

Edited January 27, 2014 by WhazUp

[ZoSoRose]

Id rather see the classic band do any classic song over the new line ups.

That being said, this line up plays the living shit out of Estranged. Defiantly a lot better musically compared to 91-93

[ColdHeartBreaker]

This discussion just highlights the uncomfortable fact Axl has DJ as a Slash impersonator. I can't really see a new style shinning through, at least in 02, he had a completely different animal in Bucket and Fink. That was a band bursting with obscure styles. If the new band is going to do a song better, its going to be a in a different style.

Edited January 27, 2014 by ColdHeartBreaker

[Apollo]

Simple topic, what songs (if any) do you think nugnr does better than classic gnr? This is open to all era's of nugnr, 2001~2014, but it has to be a classic song.

I actually like the way the current band plays don't cry over the classic band. The way Bumble's starts it out, then Axl comes in, then by the solo the whole band is on it. It's just awesome imo, a highlight of the concert imo. And yes I do think it's better than any performance of that song the classic band ever did. But it's the only one.

All the old songs are better played / performed by all incarnations of GN'R since 2001. When I hear old stuff from 1985 to 93 I think "How come did I think they (everybody but Axl) were so good back then? Was I so highhhhhh?!".

**************

For me, Nightrain by the Buckethead era. Hearing that guy tear up the solo..........that band had some real excitement to them.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Groghan

[Liquor & Whores]

nightrain

[Amir]

Don't Cry, November Rain, and Estranged are sometimes performed better by the new band. Slash's work on the studio versions is perfection, but live, from what I can gather from YouTube videos anyway, he never really matched that magic. They're songs I'd like to see a sober Slash perform some day (apart from that godawful Grammy's NR outro with Jamie Foxx and T-Pain), I'm sure he could do them better than anyone today, but Bumble does a great job on them. Axl was better vocally on all those songs back in the day, though, especially Estranged (I haven't seen one good outro from him vocally in nuGNR on that song).

I like nuGNR's Nightrain, but I wouldn't say it's better than old Guns' Nightrain.

Don't think there's been a great SCOM since '87.

[sweetness]

I really hated Buckethead's take on Nightrain, and I really love Buckethead. He just castrated that solo which is one of the meanest outro solos GNR has

[alfa75]

I always find these threads and general comparisons puzzling. Let's say for argument's sake that NuGuns plays the songs better than the old guys, so clearly they are better musicians, right?

Except upon further investigation, the old guys were young, reckless and yes wasted guys in their 20s. Easy to criticize. Let's compare those performances to BBF or Ashba in their bands in their 20s. Oh sorry, they were kind of off the radar back then, shall we say and thus no comparison is possible. If you want to talk sloppy while young, look no further than Stinson though. The Replacements are LEGENDARY for their sloppiness back in their early days.

Further diluting this theory is that both Duff and Slash are VERY tight musically now live, now that they are not so young, reckless and wasted. It's also funny that while I am not a huge fan of Sorum's drumming, the amount of shit he gets for being overly tight and mechanical is laughable, when its coming from the NuGuys are much more professional brigade.

Now, and this personal, I like to hear the songs as they were recorded, generally speaking most of the time. I think Bucket is an amazing guitarist, really, but that KOHD in Rio kind of offended me.

Lastly, when we talk about musicians, I often wonder what the definition is here. Is it simply someone who plays an instrument well, because maybe we should talk about artists. Recording artists for example. For all of the pissing war fans of the different bands engage in, the old band, sloppy, wasted, whatever MADE music, not played music, but actually, wrote, composed, RELEASED and then played those songs live.

Post 1993, there has been very little of that and so any comparison is just kind of silly, IMO.

But I get it, the new band is TIGHT! I have seen both eras and while I will not compare, i won't be going back again if this is it. BTW, if I were an employee whose pay check

depending on my onstage performance, I would be sure to be tight too.

Before I get labeled as some bitter ex-fan, let me say, I like CD, have seen NuGuns live, and think there is some great musicianship on the record and there have been some really good shows in the post 93 era. For me though, today is everything Guns of then was NOT about. A tight and scripted rock show, no sense of excitement whatsoever. I get that some people really love that and appreciate it. I really appreciate a band like RUSH, but not in same way that as GNR, whose appeal was of a totally different nature. WAS.

Sorry Of I got a bit off topic above. To answer the question. No.

[MEXzilla]

Vocally knocking on heavens door 2006 but musically and for the most part Axls singing is beyond better back in the day

[aranrod]

Yeah... Love the Toledo show, although the YouTube vid looks and sounds a tad weird, but hey, still great!

[Rustycage]

Let's compare those performances to BBF or Ashba in their bands in their 20s. Oh sorry, they were kind of off the radar back then, shall we say and thus no comparison is possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlWOHRSxs7w

Edited January 27, 2014 by Rustycage

[Bobbo]

The old band were standing behind material that was their own. There was an emotional connection apparent when they would perform.

The nu guys are nothing but pretenders to the throne. It's flat pop. And no matter how technical they are covering the old songs, it shows in their performances that they're only there to get their bills paid.

[aranrod]

The thought "Wow this is way better than the classic band" has never crossed my mind. I love the sloppyness and unpredictability of the old GNR, they had a mystique, it's like they were legends but it was so clear they were humans who have been and were still going through rough shit at the same time, and I think that clicked with a lot of people. GNR since the "comeback" hasn't been anything like that, its a band of payed performers. They play well, don't get me wrong, but that sense of character is totally different and it just isn't as exciting as seeing 5 kids who worked their asses off and took the world by storm despite a laundry list of faults. Plus, even though Axl had his good and bad nights back then, he was infinitely better than he is these days. They all gelled so well together, everything that band did on stage before Izzy left (and still a lot of the UYI tour) was absolutely mesmorizing. If you think any post 96 lineup of GNR has come close to that, I can't take you seriously. Sorry. Guns N' Roses was a great rock band and a cultural phenomenon for a short time period, the band that has been touring the last 14 years or whatever is a tribute to that.

Spot on, every last word, particularly the assessment of the merits of the old boys over the nowadays line up, spot fuckin' on, someone give this man a fuckin' gold star or buy him a drink or something, well done sir, right on the money

Edited January 27, 2014 by aranrod

[niceguy]

Nightrain from 2006 to 2010 was also better, forgot about those.

This is bonkers. I can't believe people here would rather listen to cover musicians than the actual musicians.

You think bbf and DJ are amazing? Jesus, I have several friends who are better technical players than those two.

I'd rather hear the composer of the song play it rather than a cover musician.

Do you fucking realize that CELINE DION can sing better than Axl? She'd hit those notes more powerfully and accurately and precisely than Axl could ever, every hope to do. Why not get Celine to front GNR?

This place is absolutely insane. And it represents 0.0000000000000001% of what humanity believes, thank god.

You have several friends who are better technical guitarists than Bumblefoot? Good luck backing that one up.

.

Clearly, you are not a guitarist. Learning how to play a million notes per second isn't something only a few humans can do. It's not. Go to Guitar Center and you'll find countless people who can play that fast.

If you were a guitarist, you'd know that.

[Rustycage]

They're a dime a dozen on youtube.

[MEXzilla]

Can someone post Slash sounding sloppy.

[Smoking Baby]

There's a lot of BBFs on youtube, but few Slashes.

[Rustycage]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWbJrZFB2vg

Amazing!