DannyVinyard

Agree with a lot of this, but I didn't notice any performance anxiety in the RIR III show or the show I attended on New Years 2001 going into 2002. Axl was in control with the same kind of stage presence he had in the early 90's. I actually thought he sounded great. It was more of a "clean" sound compared to the "mickey" we have now in the cash grab tour. I do think Axl still has at least one big gun left from the CD era, the General. That may be the biggest gun of them all. I don't know how Axl screwed up so bad with the marketing. It certainly wasn't his first rodeo. I mean, didn't he release a single and video in '91 just prior to the UYI tour, with a date announced for the double album? With his experience, it should have been so easy for him. Release Street of Dreams, Madagascar, There Was a Time, or Better as first single with music video just before the 2002 US tour kicks off, with an announcement date for Chinese Democracy, lets say November 2022, just before holiday season. It would have been perfect. This way, you build up the hype and interest in seeing you and your new Guns N' Roses perform. You let people know, "hey, this isn't just Axl and a cover band. This is Axl and some of the greatest musicians in the world".

I mean, he put the band together himself. Everything was his way and he was in total control. The group of musicians that he put together was genius, in my view. Some of the best talent on the planet. I always thought of the resentment of the old guys quitting as a driving force behind wanting to put out new music, to overcome the obstacle of everyone quitting and starting over with a whole new band, and succeeding with that new band. Even I gave Axl a pass for what happened in 2002 and still supported him when he came back again in 2006, only for deja vu to happen: no single, no video, no album, and back to hiding again. It's been all downhill since then. My mistake on the "burying Appetite" quote. I meant to reference the Kurt Loder MTV interview from 1999 when Axl said at the end, "I'm not working on all of this to keep it(music) buried" and even goes on to say, "we plan on getting out there and we plan on doing it right".

Of course the reviews were negative. Axl took a lot of hate for using the Guns N' Roses name while being the only original member. No matter how awesome they were, the reviewers already had their mind made up. They wanted to hate Axl. They wanted to blame him for original Guns breakup. Again, the shows undersold because it was just him and there was no catalyst to drive sales, IE a new single, music video, album. People didn't know how awesome NU GNR was because they wouldn't release any new music to showcase their talent. Axl had the music recorded. Axl had the band of his dreams. Axl had everything he wanted. All he had to do was proper promotion for the tour. Axl said he wanted to bury Appetite with new music (kurt loder MTV interview). Axl said he at RIR III that next time they'd play a ton of new songs. Axl said Round 1 at VMA's. So, he should have followed through, and things would be much better than they are today. We would have had at least 3 epic albums from that new band. Instead we are stuck in an endless cash crab tour with boring Slash and boring Duff playing the oldies and it will not stop until the suckers stop attending.

If he needs to be late to get mentally right, fine. But don't no show for your concert. Don't give up on everything you worked for, fought for. What did he have to be depressed or anxious about? He was in peak form, had assembled a group of amazing musicians, and IMO he looked and sounded great. I didn't care for the oversized jerseys or full on dreadlocks, but aside from that, he had pretty much perfect aesthetic and stage presence. He had a ton of new music recorded and could have easily released a single with music video in 2002. What did have to be depressed about? He had everything he could dream of. I mean, if he was depressed then, how is he mentally stable now, looking and sounding like crap? I don't get it. And what is the excuse for going back into hiding after 2006 and zero support for his album in 2008? "Oh, my album was just released, I think I'll read a book and have a cup of tea here in my Malibu mansion." Maybe if he would have just worked with the record company, he could have released it on his terms, with singles he wanted to use with supporting music videos. But no, he didn't want to talk to or work with anybody at the record company. Just wanted to sit on the music and the record company in turn said "fuck you Axl, we are releasing this motherfucker now. You've had 10 years to get your shit straight. Either support it or sit and cry about it in your mansion with Beta!"

Why did Axl quit on his band in 2002, is what I would like to know. Was it disappointing ticket sales? There was no proper promotion for the tour. He is solo with no hype to drive ticket sales. There should have been a release date for the album to come out in 2002 or 2003, with a single and epic music video for that single. My suggestion for the first single would have been Better or There Was a Time. A single and accompanying music video would have been huge promotion for the 2002 tour and album. Why not hire the people who helped create the epic AFD and UYI videos? I don't understand the route that he took and why he gave up. Why go through that effort of putting together this band of amazing musicians and years of working on all of these songs, just to give up? I cannot wrap my head around it. All of that potential, never realized. He went into hiding for 4 years, came back in 2006, again with zero direction or promotion. Again, with no single, no music video, and expecting what? He gives up again and goes back into hiding again, while the record company said F it and forced the album out in 2008. Again, Axl Rose is a no show. No promotion, terrible first single (chosen by record company), never released the half assed music video for Better. Hiding until 2011 only to come back fat and out of shape with terrible vocals. And here we are, many years later, stuck in an endless cash grab tour with Slash and Duff.

I just wish we could get that full original recording, with the NU GNR members, instead of Slash and Duff, which is what we'll probably end up getting, if anything.

It's crazy that the casuals are still supporting this cash grab tour after 7 years. I wouldn't pay $5 to go t What sucks is I can't stand new music. I hate rap and hip hop. Every new artist is terrible and I will never, never bow down to the new garbage music that is polluting the air waves. I still listen to older rock music, mainly Guns N' Roses. My only hope for new music to listen to is Axl Rose. He has been a huge disappointment over the past 20 years. When he quit on the band in 2002, it was like a dagger through my heart. Him reuniting with the old band in 2016 is the worst because that put the kibosh on any new GNR music and it's just an endless cash grab tour, which I will have no part in. I would not pay $5 to see any of these cash grab shows. Not a chance in hell, Axl.

Everyone hates Chris, but what he said was 100% spot on. Since then, GNR been on an endless cash grab tour playing the oldies with no new music in sight, unless you want to count a butchered version of Hard School. 7 years and counting of the endless cash grab tour, but yeah, Chris is such a bad guy for calling it like it is. I, like Chris, would have much preferred Axl stay the course with Nu GNR and most likely would have released at least 2 new albums by now, without any of the songs being butchered by the current incarnation of GNR.