DelJames

I am sure these guys will have got a mention on this section before coz they are so good but couldn't find them on the first few pages so thought I'd mention them!

I saw UK Guns N' Roses in early '06 and they were fantastic - the guy who is Axl has clearly watched all the DVD's more than I have (which is saying something) and has Axl's every move and maybe more importantly attitude and sound down to a T and Slash's guitar playing is out of this world - every solo is spot on. That's not to overlook the other guys, who although they weren't as striking as Axl and Slash and maybe didn't look quite as good, they still did a Stella job and I would recommend seeing these guys to anybody who gets the chance.

Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to see the proper GN'R as I was only 13 at the end of the UYI tours and only really got in to them towards the very end and having seen these guys and subsequently seeing the new GN'R in San Francisco last September, I can only imagine the excitement I would have felt at a proper GN'R show!!!

check them out at http://www.ukgunsnroses.com

For me, Izzy is and allways were the only member from the old lineupp I would like back in GN'R.

Slash and Duff were amazing, but Izzy is .......well, Izzy!

I cried when I saw him and Axl together at the Norway concert, because I was so DAMN happy! (macho mens must cry sometimes too.... )

But the bad ting, if Izzy joins(wich is just a rumour, a rumour without a source,even) a guitarplayer would have to leave.

And I think everyone knows who, our beloved Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal Wich I would really miss, none can play the Nightrain solo like him, or the last NR solo

What are you guys thaughts on this?

Yes - the more original members of GN'R that rejoin the better as far as I am concerned!

Now that the ball is "officially" begining to roll, I cant help but have bittersweet feelings. Im not sure what it's gonna feel like when Im finnally holding the album in my hands after waiting so long. Axl is our poet, maestro, and rockstar idol all in one. His words and music mean so much to so many fans. I guess that can justify our unbridled excitement all these years.

I just wanna thank Madison and Admin and the other mods (yes im being sincere) for maintaing such a cool site where we can talk about whats been cooking all these years. This site has some real characters and cool people, yes i even have a soft spot for Kaneda's amusing rants.

Im looking forward to sharing a new and exciting chapter with all you other GNR diehard fans. Im proud to be in your midst.

"I know its only rock n roll. But I like it."

Best, Nick

See all you Chicago fans on Nov. 27th!

Yeah, I'm bitter sweet about the whole GN'R thing at the moment. My favorite band (well my favorite frontman anyway!) are back but it's not really them. I was at the 1st show in SF in Sept and it was bitter sweet - I loved it coz I finally got to see Axl and heard him singing all my favorite tunes live but but hated the fact it wasn't really GN'R!

article quoted so you don't have to click

Guns N' Roses comeback not bad, but not nearly good enough

By Tony Hicks

CONTRA COSTA TIMES

Axl Rose has a lot to make up for. How he's going to do it is still a mystery, even after seeing the singer and his band, Gun N' Roses, at the Warfield in San Francisco Wednesday night.

If you don't want to hear comparisons to the old GNR, stop reading now. That's what's going to happen when a one guy hijacks the name of a legendary band, doesn't tour or make records for a decade, then comes back resting squarely on the deeds of years past.

Rose has hired a stage full of musicians to play under the moniker that so many people still know and love. No Slash to play guitar anymore? No problem. Rose hired three great players who look and sound like superstars -- though three was probably a bit of overkill.

, leading one to the obvious conclusion as to the identifiable sound and skill level of the old guys.

No Duff on bass? No problem. Rose hires Tommy Stinson, the bassist from the Replacements, one of the greatest alt-rock bands to ever grace the planet.

No Matt Sorum on drums? Rose gets Brian "Brain" Mantia, the excellent drummer of the Bay Area's own Primus.

That's a lot of credibility with which Rose has armed himself to take Guns N' Roses into its new phase. Well, at least the touring version of the new phase. We're still waiting (more than a decade) for the release of GNR's infamously oft-delayed "Chinese Democracy" record.

So the question is this: What was Rose trying to accomplish Wednesday night? Is it truly a new Guns N' Roses he's shaping, or is he trying to replicate the feats of the old band while nudging the current lineup into new territory?

It wasn't clear. Rose may not realize that without a new record, and playing with an ever-shifting line-up of non-household names, fans can only judge the new GNR on the old GNR. As far as that goes, they sounded fine. They played all the old stuff during a late-running set that, while a nice trip down memory lane, still fell short of expectations. That's what happens when a legendary band lets four out of five original members leave and waits more than a decade to do anything.

While Rose is still a dynamic frontman with a unique voice, so much of GNR used to depend on the laid-back coolness-that-could-explode-at-anytime vibe of the former members. It's hard to even call the new GNR anything but an Axl Rose solo band, featuring some nice backing players.

Looking better and more lively than what he's shown on scarce TV appearances in the past few years, Rose himself fought through sound problems to attack the stage like the Axl of old.

From opener "Welcome to the Jungle," through "It's So Easy," "Mr. Brownstone," "Live and Let Die," "Sweet Child O' Mine," and "You Could be Mine," everything sounded good and looked good, except for a couple of minor hiccups on "It's So Easy." At least, everything was as right and good as possible with so many unidentifiable faces on stage.

That's the thing -- guitarists Robin Finck, Ron Thai and Richard Fortis are all very good players (though we could've done without three guitar soloists taking up so much of a 21/2-hour set). All three try damn hard, running about, striking the right rock poses, sneering ... all the standard stuff from Rockstar 101. But that in itself was strange, as GNR never had to try so hard. The new guys are doing their best, but when it comes down to it, they painfully lack by comparison. It takes three guys bashing about to equal the absolute coolness of Slash and Izzy, who never had to resort to punching strings and doing windmills to make a point.

The few new songs scattered about the set were short of memorable, lacking the band's former and very-underrated natural groove. Some songs dragged ("Knocking on Heaven's Door,") and some were appropriately epic, like "November Rain," though Slash was dully missed. The crowd didn't seem to care who was up there playing under the GNR banner, with monstrous sing-alongs all night, especially during "Patience."

Maybe old fans need to get over the fact that it's a new century for GNR. But until Rose and his new crew can forge an identity with a new record one of these years, Guns N' Roses won't be able to escape the shadow of its former greatness.

This guy has hit the nail right on the head!

I was at the show and despite trying my hardest not to get too excited coz 'it's not really GN'R' (something that I truely believe and don't give a shit what anybody else thinks) I couldn't and my excitement was not wasted as the show rocked. It sucked that they came on so late and I fully appreciate why people get pissed off (I'm sure there must be some sort of way ropund this never ending argument and I'm also sure that most people should know what to expect at a GN'R show by now) but hey, I was on vacation so I didn't care and when GN'R came on the place mental mental.

The new band sound great but it doesn't matter how good they sound, GN'R was never about sounding perfect live, they were about the atmosphere, the grove of the music, the character of and chemisty between the band members and the spontanaity. As such, it doesn't matter how much Axl refers to them as GN'R they will only ever be hired hands to the majority of fans and will never be as cool as the original guys (be it the original 5 or UYI 6).

Great show though anyway, but in my mind I saw Axl Rose and his band playing a show largely made up of classic GN'R songs.