*Top 10 GNR Moments 2019*

[Arnuld]

2019 was a wacky and eventful year for G’N’F’R and us die hard fans. So I’ve decided to create a best moments of 2019 top 10 list. I’m sure I’m going to forget something important and these are just my personal takes so feel free to chime in. 

    10.    THE NORTH AMERICAN FALL TOUR
Yes the performances were up and down but an active GNR is always better than an inactive GNR. And I thoroughly enjoyed the two ACL shows I attended.

    9.    THE RETURN OF DEAD HORSE 

It was nice to see GNR start to dip into the Use Your Illusion back catalogue and start working this gem back into the set. 

    8.    THE RETURN OF LOCOMOTIVE

I was genuinely disappointed that this was not played at either of the shows I attended. This is arguably the best Use Your Illusion 2 deep cut. 

    7.    THE FIRST MINUTE OF ATLAS

The Who like guitar intro, the incredible drum sound, the acoustic guitars, and that moment when Axl’s vocals kick in are so so good. It was genuinely exciting to finally hear this mythological tune. 

    6.    CHECKMATE is JACKIE CHAN is HARD SCHOOL

We finally got to hear this classic sounding rocker after getting a sneak peek way back in 2006. And the full version did not disappoint. Great drums (a constant theme of these leaks) great guitar work, and a catchy chorus. The reworked Slash version is 
going to be a modern GNR classic. 

    5.    THE PIANO BREAKDOWN ON PERHAPS

The whole song is so good but that coda and that piano breakdown are just Axl Rose magic. How a song this good has been on the shelf for 20 years is just baffling. 

    4.    THE SECOND HALF OF STATE OF GRACE

In my opinion the best of the leaked songs. The first half sounds a little dated but the second half more than makes up for it. It’s why we all love Axl so much. The melt your face off bridge coupled with the power screams is just insanely good. And yet this song still feels like it has more in the tank. It could easily be expanded and turned into a modern GNR proto-epic like Prostitute and TWAT. 

    3.    CD 2000>CD 2008

Some songs still needed work and or completion in 2000 (TWAT, Better, Sorry, Shacklers) but these songs could have easily been replaced with SOG, Perhaps, Atlas, and Hard School and you could make an argument CD would have come out better. The years and the layers did not enhance these songs. The 2000 versions are much more open, have better bass and drum sound, and just feel more visceral. 

    2.    THE ABSURDITY OF THE VILLAGE LEAKS 

Only in the world of GNR fandom would the Holy Grail for hardcore GNR fans be sitting in a Tom Zutaut storage locker for 20 years. Only in the world of GNR fandom would would Zutaut stop paying for the locker and let it go into default. Only in the world of GNR fandom would the contents be bought storage war style. Only in the world of GNR fandom would the new owner then sell the contents to multiple fans for absurd amounts of money. Only in the world of GNR fandom would the fans hoard the music and back stab each other. Only in the world of GNR fandom would this lead to a fan receiving a lifetime ban from attending GNR concerts. And only in the world of GNR fandom would one rogue fan decide to leak all of the village sessions in high quality so that we could all share in the fun. Thank You to the chairman whoever you are. 

    1.    THE TOTALITY OF THE VILLAGE LEAKS 

Dozens of instrumentals. The 2000 version of Chinese Democracy. Tracks running the gauntlet from amazing (Perhaps, HS, SOG, Atlas) to interesting (Eye on You, Silkworms, KOHD acoustic) to WTF (Nothing). Fans finally getting to discuss new songs for the first time in over a decade. Confirmation that the vault exists and has some really great stuff in it. 

All in all a pretty fun year for GNR fans. Hope everyone has a happy new year and I hope that we get some new officially released new music in 2020. 

[F*ck Fear]

Leaks aside, 2019 was a pretty shitty year to be a Guns' fan, imo.

[Gordon Comstock]

How many times did they play Locomotive? Only like 3 times right?

It's cool they brought back a couple UYI deep cuts, but the leaks were the only really exciting thing that happened with GNR this year. Listening to Hardschool, Atlas, Perhaps and State Of Grace for the first time was the most exciting moment for me since the heartbeat intro of Coma started playing at the first Vegas 2016 show.

[AxlRoseCDII]

I was expecting this to be a joke post. Pretty much nothing good happened this year besides the leaks and 2 deep cuts. This was by far one of the worst years to be a Guns fan. I don’t even know I consider myself a fan after this year honestly.

[SAU3R]

33 minutes ago, F*ck Fear said:

Leaks aside, 2019 was a pretty shitty year to be a Guns' fan, imo.

Still better than 2018 imo.. Axl seemed to be better prepared and sounded better especially on the first few shows, we've had the leaks and they played two UYI deepcuts

AND WE GOT TOYTRUCKS!!!!!1!11!!!!

[janrichmond]

I think the leaks were a massive thing to a lot of the hardcores/collectors/forums. Yeah there was a lot of shit going on with takedowns and the hoarders bitching and backstabbing each other, but overall the locker leaks were a complete WTF moment for many. We got songs that we never knew existed, who'd a thunk that?? 

On a personal note, i'd have preferred UYI era leaks, but it was still an exciting few weeks of unknown stuff.

 

[Towelie]

I think the leaks ended up feeling a bit "too little too late" for me. It was good to hear some of that stuff at last, and I played the shit out of Hard School and Atlas for a few weeks, but haven't played them in months now.

More than anything, it just served as a reminder of how depressing it is that this "band" haven't produced one single note of original music in over a decade.

[ThePreacher]

Loundry bag. Hope there will be GNR condoms next year

[Free Bird]

I haven't heard a single leak. I'm waiting for officially released new music. Even if that means that I will never hear new music of Guns ever again.

[t-p-d-a]

I don't download any leaks and I don't watch illegal concerts footages. I only buy official material and I only watch the official GN'R YouTube Channel. So 2019 was very boring and shitty but I still enjoy the $999 Locked N' Loaded Box from 2018 and the Tokyo '92 DVDs .

[GnR Chris]

Great year for me as a GNR fan. The leaks and two shows (Louisville and New Orleans). Had a blast traveling and visiting places for the first time, and seeing my favorite band. I look forward to 2020.

[RussTCB]

2019 was the lowest point as a GNR fan, at least for me. 

[DeadSlash]

10 minutes ago, RussTCB said:

2019 was the lowest point as a GNR fan, at least for me. 

Really?  With all the unheard shit we got?  I could certainly find a lot of other years that I would rank below 2019!

[NicDwolfwood]

Aside from them dusting off Locomotive and Dead Horse, It was a pretty boring time to follow GNR. The Leaks didnt do much for me since I've always been indifferent towards CD. I listened to them once before they were taken down from reddit and havent bothered since. 

[Ratam]

3 hours ago, Arnuld said:

2019 was a wacky and eventful year for G’N’F’R and us die hard fans. So I’ve decided to create a best moments of 2019 top 10 list. I’m sure I’m going to forget something important and these are just my personal takes so feel free to chime in. 

    10.    THE NORTH AMERICAN FALL TOUR
Yes the performances were up and down but an active GNR is always better than an inactive GNR. And I thoroughly enjoyed the two ACL shows I attended.

    9.    THE RETURN OF DEAD HORSE 

It was nice to see GNR start to dip into the Use Your Illusion back catalogue and start working this gem back into the set. 

    8.    THE RETURN OF LOCOMOTIVE

I was genuinely disappointed that this was not played at either of the shows I attended. This is arguably the best Use Your Illusion 2 deep cut. 

    7.    THE FIRST MINUTE OF ATLAS

The Who like guitar intro, the incredible drum sound, the acoustic guitars, and that moment when Axl’s vocals kick in are so so good. It was genuinely exciting to finally hear this mythological tune. 

    6.    CHECKMATE is JACKIE CHAN is HARD SCHOOL

We finally got to hear this classic sounding rocker after getting a sneak peek way back in 2006. And the full version did not disappoint. Great drums (a constant theme of these leaks) great guitar work, and a catchy chorus. The reworked Slash version is 
going to be a modern GNR classic. 

    5.    THE PIANO BREAKDOWN ON PERHAPS

The whole song is so good but that coda and that piano breakdown are just Axl Rose magic. How a song this good has been on the shelf for 20 years is just baffling. 

    4.    THE SECOND HALF OF STATE OF GRACE

In my opinion the best of the leaked songs. The first half sounds a little dated but the second half more than makes up for it. It’s why we all love Axl so much. The melt your face off bridge coupled with the power screams is just insanely good. And yet this song still feels like it has more in the tank. It could easily be expanded and turned into a modern GNR proto-epic like Prostitute and TWAT. 

    3.    CD 2000>CD 2008

Some songs still needed work and or completion in 2000 (TWAT, Better, Sorry, Shacklers) but these songs could have easily been replaced with SOG, Perhaps, Atlas, and Hard School and you could make an argument CD would have come out better. The years and the layers did not enhance these songs. The 2000 versions are much more open, have better bass and drum sound, and just feel more visceral. 

    2.    THE ABSURDITY OF THE VILLAGE LEAKS 

Only in the world of GNR fandom would the Holy Grail for hardcore GNR fans be sitting in a Tom Zutaut storage locker for 20 years. Only in the world of GNR fandom would would Zutaut stop paying for the locker and let it go into default. Only in the world of GNR fandom would the contents be bought storage war style. Only in the world of GNR fandom would the new owner then sell the contents to multiple fans for absurd amounts of money. Only in the world of GNR fandom would the fans hoard the music and back stab each other. Only in the world of GNR fandom would this lead to a fan receiving a lifetime ban from attending GNR concerts. And only in the world of GNR fandom would one rogue fan decide to leak all of the village sessions in high quality so that we could all share in the fun. Thank You to the chairman whoever you are. 

    1.    THE TOTALITY OF THE VILLAGE LEAKS 

Dozens of instrumentals. The 2000 version of Chinese Democracy. Tracks running the gauntlet from amazing (Perhaps, HS, SOG, Atlas) to interesting (Eye on You, Silkworms, KOHD acoustic) to WTF (Nothing). Fans finally getting to discuss new songs for the first time in over a decade. Confirmation that the vault exists and has some really great stuff in it. 

All in all a pretty fun year for GNR fans. Hope everyone has a happy new year and I hope that we get some new officially released new music in 2020. 

You point 2 is very funny 

[RussTCB]

1 hour ago, DeadSlash said:

Really?  With all the unheard shit we got?  I could certainly find a lot of other years that I would rank below 2019!

Honestly, yeah. The leaks didn't do a whole lot for me. I listened to the ones with vocals a handful of times, but that was it. I never even bothered listening to much of the instrumental stuff. 

[Live Like a Suicide]

The Chairman leaking the entirety of the leaks was the best GNR moment in 2019. So what if GNR played a couple of shows and introduced Locomotive and Dead Horse. That was the bare minimum they could do, and it wasn't enough to resurrect excitement in the NITL tour for me.

The leaks though, were great. Before then, we hadn't heard Axl-written songs since 2008. Think about that. This year, we heard new music for the first time in over a decade.

[Gordon Comstock]

1 hour ago, RussTCB said:

2019 was the lowest point as a GNR fan, at least for me. 

For me it was 2013 or 2015, but yea if it weren't for the leaks this might've been the worst year - the tour's gone on too long, and when they actually do anything cool I can't watch videos of it...

[Sydney Fan]

In terms of the leaks its to little to late to be releasing basically 2000 era, almost 20 year old songs. Let that number sink in...20 fuckin years....

I agree with live like a suicide, the additional 2 songs was the least the band could do after practically playing the same setlist in the same order for 3 years. They are playing things way to safe. I understand they want to put on a professional show but they can afford to start mixing shit up and trying stuff out. The shows have become predictable. Different from the illusion shows where setlists were different each show (except keeping the standard songs).

Oh and it was good to see axl fall on his ass.

Edited December 29, 2019 by Sydney Fan

[Arnuld]

I think the lowest point was the dark years 2003-2005. The 2002 tour was a massive failure. There was no news whatsoever. I honestly thought the band was over and Chinese Democracy was never going to come out. 

Edited December 29, 2019 by Arnuld

[DeadSlash]

1 hour ago, RussTCB said:

Honestly, yeah. The leaks didn't do a whole lot for me. I listened to the ones with vocals a handful of times, but that was it. I never even bothered listening to much of the instrumental stuff. 

I didn't care for anything without vocals either, but Perhaps, SOG and Hard School were really good imo, good enough to put it in front of many, many other years of nothingness. 

[DieselDaisy]

It is telling that by far the most interesting thing for fans has been, not this merchandising range that they are so obsessed with selling, nor this ''billion dollar'' tour, but something which Guns N' Roses certainly do not want you the fan to be in possession of, and in fact believe the very act of possession is ''illegal''. Never has a fan base and band so diverged. 

[The Holographic Universe]

8 hours ago, RussTCB said:

2019 was the lowest point as a GNR fan, at least for me. 

Having a low point for a band is some seriously self indulgent bullshit. You’re a mod, so if you’re at a low point, then you are wasting your time. Move on. Expressing it as if it matters is silly. If the new music doesn’t move your needle, then go elsewhere to a place where you are not prone to self pity and self indulgence. And, no, you’re not contributing to a healthy dialogue. Not even close. If this band holds no interest for you and your connection to the band is express disappointment after disappointment then revaluation is in order. 

[AxlRoseCDII]

6 minutes ago, The Holographic Universe said:

Having a low point for a band is some seriously self indulgent bullshit. You’re a mod, so if you’re at a low point, then you are wasting your time. Move on. Expressing it as if it matters is silly. If the new music doesn’t move your needle, then go elsewhere to a place where you are not prone to self pity and self indulgence. And, no, you’re not contributing to a healthy dialogue. Not even close. If this band holds no interest for you and your connection to the band is express disappointment after disappointment then revaluation is in order. 

Man, this response is such a bad take that there’s just no helping it

[Lio]

Thank you @Arnuld for trying to insert some positivity!

I quite liked a lot of the leaks, those were very exciting weeks. And a tour is always Fun when you can go to a show. I always love the anticipation, even if I can't go, and to be honest, there's been surprises in each new leg. I'm not expecting any more than that.

Axl had his hair cut, that was quite a shock too.

Looking forward to 2020.