rabia

Dj is cool. Get over it. Sick of all the Dj bashing. If you don't like him, don't buy his clothes or listen to his music. Anytime someone says Dj on this site, the same morons hijack the thread. Every time. I wonder why people that don't like this band obsess over everything that they do and say that everything sucks. Kinda pointless to be here. I'm sure this post is just what they want. I remember when this site used to be about logical arguments and good discussions. Which is why I liked it here better than htgth. Now it just seems like every single thread turns into and "old" vs "new" thread. Gets pretty boring sometimes.

You have my attention.

Just because I realize that it's a farce to put DJ in front of way more talented musicians, means that I'm not a fan of the band?

I think that you're the one that should be questioned about being a fan. You're the one that is encouraging mediocrity. Axl should know that the talent that he has shouldn't be hidden by a Hot Topic reject.

DJ is put "in front of" more talented musicians? What does that mean?

Unless he was dancing in front of BBF or Richard Fortus during their solos thus blocking them from view (ala Conor's hand blocking SLAA), I dont see how that statement makes sense. All the other guys get to show their talents and DJ gets to show his. Where's the problem?

Of course the t-shirt ban is coming from "the GNR camp", how can anyone think something else? It doesn't necessary come from Axl or the band themselves, but it's obviously there. The security managers aren't idiots like us that sit on a message board to talk about GNR every day. They wouldn't enforce such stupid rules without any reason. They've obviously had the orders from somewhere.

This.

To suggest random venues are making this up is ridiculous.

Then why have fans on this very forum reported that they've attended shows in which they've seen no such restrictions and have even seen people wearing top hats or shirts featuring Slash inside the venues?

Are all these fans part of a hush hush conspiracy to wipe off Slash imagery from the face of the earth?

The power of rumour and insidious whispering should never be underestimated. There are several versions of history because myth often becomes more accepted than reality.

When Axl himself posed for pictures with the girl whose claim to fame was a gigantic old GNR tattoo on her back, how can the case be made that he has zero tolerance for all pictures of Slash? The lack of uniformity in the imposition of this shirt ban also strengthens the argument that it is venues themselves that are acting here, not GN'R.

I don't see why so many people choose to believe the media and the venues that provoke the argument that Axl/GN'R/management are behind the Slash shirt ban. A band policy is a band policy, it's not a band policy when security decides to enforce it. Band policies on anything override venue policies...Van Halen is a great example; their policy this tour is all still photography is allowed, and I've managed to walk past security guards while holding a couple thousand dollars worth of photography equipment in venues that have strict "no camera" policies on 3 occasions so far this tour.

Same applies to GN'R; if the shirt ban were a band or management policy, it would always be enforced, at every venue. Now, of the 5 shows I've been to, I've seen the shirt ban enforced once, at Terminal 5. This is also the same venue where I got threatened to get kicked out for texting updates to Black Sabbath, because I was on my phone and they couldn't prove I wasn't taking pictures. Totally over-the-top, power-trip security guards. I also witnessed security guards tell Fernando that no one was allowed to take pictures, after he talked to the head guard about the mistreatment of fans. Terminal 5 staff blamed the shirt ban and "no pictures" policy on GN'R management. Let's apply a little bit of logic here...I've had pictures published by Bumblefoot after he posted on Facebook and Twitter asking for crowd-taken photos of the UCAP tour. Why would he be asking for crowd-taken pictures if the band has a strict "no camera" policy? The only feasible explanation is...THESE ARE VENUE POLICIES.

Venues blame Axl because he is an easy target, they know that people will believe it came straight from the horse's mouth given his history of no-shows, riots, animosity, etc.

And while we're at it...let's take the whole shirt thing a step further. Was anyone at the Wilkes-Barre gig last year? Remember that girl with the back-tattoo of the bullet logo and older pictures of Axl/Slash/Duff/Izzy/Steven that they showed on the screens for Sweet Child O' Mine? That girl was in the crowd. I know because she was directly behind me, and Beta gave her an all access pass to take her backstage so they could do the video for the screens. I've also seen a picture of that girl with Axl, later on in the night. Now, why would Beta personally come get her for that, and why would Axl want to meet her, if they have such a strict anti-Slash imagery policy? The answer is...that policy doesn't exist.

Thank you for that post. You make so many strong points.

Sadly, many people will ignore everything you said but so far nobody has come up with an actual answer to the issues you pointed towards. Axl hung out and took a picture with a girl who has a large Slash tattoo but somehow he's supposed to want all Slash imagery banned. Yeah right.

HOF was awesome. Loved seeing Adler on stage with Slash and Duff. Myles nailed it.

Good times.

This. It was a shame Axl and Izzy didn't attend, but it was a great performance without them nonetheless, and fans of Guns N Roses definitely appreciated it.

Exactly.

One group performed for the fans. One group cared more about the behind the scenes aspects of the RnRHOF. Wish group number two cared more about the fans than they did all the other drama.

Oh yes, when Steven Adler from group 1 attacked the current members it was all for the fans.

When Axl, Dizzy or Izzy put on fantastic rock shows, that has nothing to do with the fans. The ONLY way to show that you care for the fans is to play at the RRHOF. Nothing else counts.

"Groups"? Are there two gangs now? Opposing political parties or something? Geez...

All I know is that Izzy played with the band in London for two nights and seemed to be enjoying himself. It was cool. Let's not spin this into something more, 'kay?

Well Groghan certainly thinks there are two "groups" in question here so for responding to him, I used his own vocabulary.

If you're having a problem with the spin, why dont you direct your concerns to Groghan as its his spin that has you rolling eyes?

HOF was awesome. Loved seeing Adler on stage with Slash and Duff. Myles nailed it.

Good times.

This. It was a shame Axl and Izzy didn't attend, but it was a great performance without them nonetheless, and fans of Guns N Roses definitely appreciated it.

Exactly.

One group performed for the fans. One group cared more about the behind the scenes aspects of the RnRHOF. Wish group number two cared more about the fans than they did all the other drama.

Oh yes, when Steven Adler from group 1 attacked the current members it was all for the fans.

When Axl, Dizzy or Izzy put on fantastic rock shows, that has nothing to do with the fans. The ONLY way to show that you care for the fans is to play at the RRHOF. Nothing else counts.

The "rasp" sound you're referring to is often a result of polyps on the vocal chord. Polyps are a double edge sword. They help distort the sound coming out of your voice (hence the rasp), but can pose as a health risk with potential for cancer down the road if they aren't treated properly. The two biggest causes of polyps is tremendous strain on the vocal chords and possibly the addition of smoking (alcohol generally has little effect, at least that's been my experience).

I dont think its worth it for him to incur that kind of risk to please a few rasp-loving internet fans when people attending the shows seem generally satisfied.

Everybody has the right to their own opinion but I find it really hard to understand how anybody can proclaim that he sounds terrible right now. The obsession with rasp has gotten to ridiculously exaggerated levels, in my view.

Was Axl ever a singer who sang every single note with rasp? I think he would be a very one-dimensional singer if that was the case. And one-dimensional he is not. In 2012, from what I've seen, when he sings without rasp he still sings with a good amount of power but somehow people still keep claiming that its Mickey House.

At this point, the Mickey Mouse label has been totally emptied of meaning and can be randomly applied anywhere.

Bigger

Nice picture. Its great to have these occasional glimpses into the guys' chilling out time. Axl and Izzy seem to be in the middle of some interesting story.

Is that Sasha Volkova?

wonder why they don't just have izzy play the entire gig with an extra guitar? i wonder if he doesn't want to or if maybe axl would prefer him just to do a couple songs?

Izzy on Shackler's? lol

Haha, yeah! Obviously Izzy wont fit in with the CD songs.

14 years again. Fantastic!

Fans have reported during the UCAP shows that they DID see people walking in with AFD/ Slash shirts or top hats and werent stopped. If it was GN'R ordering this, it would be a uniform policy at all shows.

It's awesome that Izzy played with Axl. It's great seeing them together again, especially playing a buried treasure like 14 years. That being said, its kinda lame he could do this, but not play with the other gunners at the hof to thank the fans. Just seems a little hypocritical, especially given some of the things he's said about Axl in the past. So while I'm thrilled to see Izzy playing with Axl again, I can't help but feel a little dissapointed he couldn't do this on the night that mattered, with the other people who mattered, and for the fans that mattered.

Oh well...

Maybe you should let Izzy decide what matters to him.

Now, the question is: IF they do keep their word on the stream, will the Izzy footage be chopped out ( due to legalities, money, etc)?

Izzy was paid for his 2006 appearances and there were no legal or money troubles with that. Why would there be any now?

14 YEARS WITH IZZY!!!

Oh my God! Never would have seen that coming! Awesome!

who said this was going to be an empty arena ?

Dont be surprised. People here have been demanding Axl to retire and declaring that he "cant sing anymore" and he's over etc etc for ages. Doesnt stop him from putting on a brilliant rock show and bringing in good numbers to watch.

Shackler

Wow! Axl's "evil" voice just sounds UNBELIEVABLE here!

Welcome back, Mr. Shackler. You have been missed.

Anyone else think Axl seems to like tolerating GNR fans in other countries waayyyy more than US fans? He's taking time signing stuff for everyone, posing for pitchers, having a beer (is that a Stella?) backstage...meanwhile in the US he's getting into fights with the paparazzi and telling eBayers to fuck off.

His image took a serious hit because of the HOF thing, it shouldn't be a surprise that he's now trying to show he's not the bad guy he was made out to be last month (at least in the US). Hopefully the theft of his boots doesn't put an end to the aftershow appearances, that would be a shame.

There have been other pictures and videos in the past of Axl joking around with fans, telling stories and signing autographs etc. This is definitely not something that suddenly started after the RRHOF.

Congrats to SLAA and everybody else who got to meet him. It was a combination of some luck, a lot of perseverance and strategic placement in the right place. Your enthusiasm is so infectious, it was a pleasure to share your experience through the pictures and videos.

I think that they should merge the New GNR section with the Old GNR section. New GNR doesn't release enough new music to warrant its own section anymore, and the forum would be more interesting if we were able to talk about all eras of GNR in one section.

Old GNR isn't releasing music either.

Exactly. There has always been a dedicated section for the old era so why cant people discuss the old band there?

Merging everything will significantly worsen a trend we already have - dragging every thread about the current members into a tired old whine-fest about the glory of the past and wonderfully constructive posts like "who cares what a hired hand does anyway". Right now we can at least point out to such posters that there's no need to divert the thread, cupcake etc.

Merging the sections is useful only if you want to make every thread into an old band vs new band/ Axl vs Slash drama. Its plain boring.

If Axl only cared about the money he'd go for the reunion cause that's where the real money is.

Axl wants to do as little as possible and still be able to live his extravagant lifestyle.

I'm sorry but that's just plain false. He doesnt HAVE to do 3 hour shows, he could do much shorter setlists with solos and he'll still be well within all contractual requirements. He doesn't HAVE to do all the big production for the tour, he could make a lot more money keeping things very basic. He needed effort to crawl back from the 2002 voice, if he didnt care he wouldnt have improved in such a big way since then.

He earns the money people spend on tickets by giving them a truly worthwhile show. If that keeps him comfortable with an extravagant lifestyle, fair enough.

During those three hours, how long is he actually out on stage? I'd be surprised it it was more than one and a half hour. I think it's closer to one hour, to be honest. With all boring solos, him running off stage during every song to take oxygen, etc. I'd guess somewhere between 1-1,5 hour per show.

Edit: Especially when he is in South America and Europe, where the setlists are shorter for some reason. I guess we aren't whiny enough.

Like I said, even if each single solo was 7 minutes long and adding up 6 solos in total, that is only 42 minutes. I'm adding Axl's own pre-NR piano playing here. If you minus that, its 5 solos by other band members and even if each is 7 minutes every night (which they are NOT) that would only be 35 minutes.

The oxygen breaks during the songs do not allow Axl to switch off - he has to stay engaged to come back on to continue the vocal. The only way anybody can claim that these oxygen breaks add up to an hour (which will have to true if, as you suggest Axl is only on stage for 1 hour) is if Gnr songs had very few lines. Thats not true- there are lotsss of lines in Paradise City, Civil War etc.

Its just strange to me that people try to diminish Axl's efforts which are above and beyond the call of duty in many ways.

That was a really sweet gesture.

DJ seems like a very genuine, good person. Even though he gets a lot of random hate even when he's trying to give an uplifting message about surviving child abuse, he just continues on with a positive spirit. What's not to like about that.

He cares - he wouldn't be putting on 3 hours shows if he didn't!!!!

As for CD2 - IMO he won't cater to the 'fans' that always want everything given to them 'rght now'.

Axl works on 'Axl time'. CD2 will be released when he thinks it is ready!

I think we need to have some patience, I mean CD was released 16 years after Illusions. The wait for Cd2 cant be that long. Right???

He doesn't put a 3-hour show, the band does. Even Bumblefoot with a fucked-up back does his best to put a hell of a show night after night. I think the new guys have more love for Guns N' Roses than Axl, really.

And what do we make of Axl rocking the house with an injured leg and a fractured shoulder and still not shortening the show to 90 minutes? Does that not show that he loves Guns N Roses and cares about the fans?

Axl isnt on stage for 3 whole hours but its not as if he gets to fall asleep and snore away during the solos or the few seconds he's away during songs - he has to stay engaged so that he can return and take up his part again. He plays for an awfully long time, much much longer than he has to. To try to deny credit for this is just plain unfair.

"Do I look like I care ?"

No, you look about as depressed as usual though.

Must be thinking about Slash

I misinterpreted that and then had to laugh at myself. I thought you meant Slash always looks depressed!

He must think about Slash some lot then because every picture of him he has that same straight sad face.

Oh yes, Axl should grin like a Cheshire cat 24/7 to prevent random people on the internet from diagnosing depression. Or better yet, giggle uncontrollably all day to sufficiently demonstrate his happiness. That would be the really normal thing to do.

Relax mate it was a joke..........

I'm just being helpful.

If we're detecting the state of Axl's personal happiness and what he's thinking about from a picture, we cant leave him wondering what the right and acceptable facial expressions are. We must give him clear instructions.

Man Axl fans are sure wound tight.........don't take this stuff so seriously it was a very light hearted joke .........as the original caption for the picture said Axl doesn't care............

Haha! Yeah, depression has always been such a funny, light-hearted kind of thing. We should all "unwind" and enjoy it properly.

You prove my point mate

Why are jokes only funny when directed at Axl? Surely those who make jokes about him can deal with some sarcastic humour aimed their own way.

"Do I look like I care ?"

No, you look about as depressed as usual though.

Must be thinking about Slash

I misinterpreted that and then had to laugh at myself. I thought you meant Slash always looks depressed!

He must think about Slash some lot then because every picture of him he has that same straight sad face.

Oh yes, Axl should grin like a Cheshire cat 24/7 to prevent random people on the internet from diagnosing depression. Or better yet, giggle uncontrollably all day to sufficiently demonstrate his happiness. That would be the really normal thing to do.

Relax mate it was a joke..........

I'm just being helpful.

If we're detecting the state of Axl's personal happiness and what he's thinking about from a picture, we cant leave him wondering what the right and acceptable facial expressions are. We must give him clear instructions.

Man Axl fans are sure wound tight.........don't take this stuff so seriously it was a very light hearted joke .........as the original caption for the picture said Axl doesn't care............

Haha! Yeah, depression has always been such a funny, light-hearted kind of thing. We should all "unwind" and enjoy it properly.

"Do I look like I care ?"

No, you look about as depressed as usual though.

Must be thinking about Slash

I misinterpreted that and then had to laugh at myself. I thought you meant Slash always looks depressed!

He must think about Slash some lot then because every picture of him he has that same straight sad face.

Oh yes, Axl should grin like a Cheshire cat 24/7 to prevent random people on the internet from diagnosing depression. Or better yet, giggle uncontrollably all day to sufficiently demonstrate his happiness. That would be the really normal thing to do.

Relax mate it was a joke..........

I'm just being helpful.

If we're detecting the state of Axl's personal happiness and what he's thinking about from a picture, we cant leave him wondering what the right and acceptable facial expressions are. We must give him clear instructions.

If Axl only cared about the money he'd go for the reunion cause that's where the real money is.

Axl wants to do as little as possible and still be able to live his extravagant lifestyle.

I'm sorry but that's just plain false. He doesnt HAVE to do 3 hour shows, he could do much shorter setlists with solos and he'll still be well within all contractual requirements. He doesn't HAVE to do all the big production for the tour, he could make a lot more money keeping things very basic. He needed effort to crawl back from the 2002 voice, if he didnt care he wouldnt have improved in such a big way since then.

He earns the money people spend on tickets by giving them a truly worthwhile show. If that keeps him comfortable with an extravagant lifestyle, fair enough.

"Do I look like I care ?"

No, you look about as depressed as usual though.

Must be thinking about Slash

I misinterpreted that and then had to laugh at myself. I thought you meant Slash always looks depressed!

He must think about Slash some lot then because every picture of him he has that same straight sad face.

Oh yes, Axl should grin like a Cheshire cat 24/7 to prevent random people on the internet from diagnosing depression. Or better yet, giggle uncontrollably all day to sufficiently demonstrate his happiness. That would be the really normal thing to do.