mustaine

Well that is sad. That would mean GnR is soley a nostalgic act then.

If new music won't get people excited......that is a bummer.

I'm not proposing they do this.

Just had a discussion about it with somebody. Some people say GnR needs to play more new songs and stand on the new bands feet. But others say attendance would dissapear if they did that.

My dream?

I would keep the staples. Nov Rain, Jungle, scom, pc, nightrain, rocket, ucbm, patience, don't cry, estranged.

And play 5-6 Cd songs.

And 5-6 new songs.

Then rotate the filler songs. Lald, heavens door, otgm, Mr brownstone, whole lot of rose, etc. Rotate those songs withe

yesterdays, civil war, prostitute, irs, your crazy, perfect crime, etc. Change it up every couple shows and pick 6-7 songs from that group.

New music will still get people excited. Having said that, we're talking about GN'R, the band is built on great songs that are considered classics. You need to play a fair amount of those songs live to keep everyone happy. It's not a question of new music not being great or interesting, it's all about the legacy of the band. You need to celebrate the past as well as embrace the future.

It's a terrible idea... people would be pissed in general. This would please only a small group of fans and would destroy GN'R in my opinion. I would go myself but I'm sure that I'd not be entirely happy with a GN'R show that was missing some of the songs I grew up loving. I would be happy to hear new music but at the same time I always love to hear the classics. People go to a GN'R concert and expect to hear certain songs... Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, Sweet Child O' Mine, November Rain, Patience, Nightrain, Mr. Brownstone come to mind. You could also add You Could Be Mine, Rocket Queen, Knocking on Heavens Door, Live and Let Die, It's So Easy and even Estranged (since they started playing it again) to the mix. I'm not saying they need to play all of them every night but they can't throw them out altogether. A healthy dose of the classics mixed in with a good chunk of the CD stuff and newer material is the best and probably the only way to go.

Review and video (beginning of CD and beginning of Jungle):

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/entertainment/guns-n-roses-rocks-philips-arena/nFS8s/

And here are some photos:

http://projects.accessatlanta.com/gallery/view/music/guns-n-roses/

And another "review" that doesn't really talk about the show that much:

http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-music-scene/2011/11/03/axl-rose-and-guns-n-roses-rock-out-philips-arena-wednesday-night/

Good read.

Guns N' Roses - Chinese Democracy album

Three years ago Chinese Democracy was unleashed upon the world and sadly the rock press had little to say about it. This amazed me because we live and die for artists willing to burn themselves at the stakes and yet no one bothered to really see what was being expressed inside of the record. A distressing reality is that as most acts are unwilling to let us behind their own private curtain in fear of alienating the audience or daring to be uncommercial. If Adele has taught us anything in the past year, it’s all about being genuine and not hiding behind melodies, hooks and razzle-dazzle videos. The world seeks artists whom they can see eye-to-eye with. When Axl Rose and his new incarnation of Gun N’ Roses unleashed Chinese Democracy in November of 2008, instead of having people dissect and relish it everyone appeared to throw up a collective sigh. Instead of focusing on the music most of the press focused on who wasn’t playing guitar, how long it took and the behind the scenes drama in bringing the album to store shelves. In their ever reaching goals to stake claim to dwindling readership most forgot to hone in on what matters above all else; the music. As Rose and his new musicians trekked through the battlefields of heartache and despondency they came ready armed with a guitar army and a pained voice which evoked the siege of one’s eternal chill. We chastise artists when domestic bliss interferes with record making and yet when Axl Rose releases a collection of songs where he explains the emotional holocaust of his life, few took note.

Chinese Democracy is a testament to one man’s anguish and how he tries to wade his way through this existence. These fourteen songs are a series of brave and stark revelations that define his reality. Whether he’s pulling this from within or not you can’t say but I’ll go on the line and say I personally believe these are first person narratives. His vocals are too heated and ardent for them not to be. I can’t help but feel that in a different time and place where one was able to digest, experience these songs visually or even share a sort of recurring affair with them on the radio they would have found a way to seep themselves into people’s minds and hearts and then eventually through intense sing-a-longs in concert. Plain and simple, the world judged a book by its cover and missed out on one of the most emotionally bare records of the last decade.

The album opens with a punctured riff and an anguished howl that commences a dark and tormenting journey. The title cut, “Chinese Democracy” was inspired by the Martin Scorsese film Kundun. Rose caught it on television and seeing this world religious lead be alienated and exiled from his home is something Rose can relate to. In previous interviews he has delved into the deep psychological drama that scarred him during his formative years in Indiana. He left for Los Angeles because he had nowhere else to roam. Since then, he’s lived a nomadic life out of the public eye never revealing too much of himself, except in his music. The theme of being held back but always trying to break on through begins here as he tackles political social and severely delicate issues. “Shackler’s Revenge” is an upsetting tale of dealing with demons of the past and trying to reconcile the loss of love (“I don’t believe you”). The wailing chorus is severe and there is a clear-cut accusation here with no holding back. People use words to express their care but all too often it’s spoken by people where honesty is not one of their virtues. “Street of Dreams” feels like a sequel of sorts to “November Rain” and “Estranged”, albeit shorter. An overriding question is whether you find your way back as Rose looks inside the mirror attempting to make sense of what went wrong (“What I thought was beautiful/ Don’t live inside you anymore”) with someone he once felt was so pure and perfect. Originally titled “The Blues”, its arrangement is a variation of the trails his idols Queen and Elton John previously traveled. To be this extreme and spew forth as much indignation Rose does, you have to apprehend that he feels this way because he experienced overpowering love. When Rose puts his heart into something it’s all-in. His life appears to be a series of life altering experiences where he attempts to shield away the demons of the past. However, when the music ends he’s not left with beauty but anguish which he can file away into a closet of pain. It’s almost as if he’s trying to will those who wronged him to see the error of their ways in the hopes the love they shared will return. You sense he knows this is hopeless, but once you’ve experienced a deep love, you always hold out hope it will return one day.

“If the World” is a revolution of the inner soul fighting with the world at large. Witnessing turmoil and agony the world over on his tours, Rose presents one of his most inspired tracks with a worldly acoustic guitar leading the way. “Scraped” is a scorching rocker of insolence (“Don’t you try and stop us now”) while “Sorry” houses moments of morose glum and a serene chorus where Rose almost monotonously sings holding his emotions at bay for the sake of the song. The lyrics are a conquest of his internal will. The dual acoustic opening guitars on “I.R.S.” fill the harmony as it is sprinkled by an electric slap when plugged in. These tie back to the title track, “I feel like I’m living inside this song”, a man without a place to call home on a journey without a roadmap. The narrator is looking for vengeance against the crime of his heart but no matter who answers his call, the victory will be hollow. “Madagascar” is sung with such self-discipline you begin to wonder if Rose went through some transformation throughout the course of writing and recording. Snuck in at the back of the album, it’s a shrewd blend of sadness and dread. “This I Love” channels the spirit of Freddie Mercury in a solemn piano ballad. When a relationship ends, your mind and heart play tricks on you causing you to pray for an experience where these feelings can’t be felt. You wish you never had known such highs so the come down wouldn’t have been as inhuman. Rose’s vocal inflections on the lyric “Make me feel so alive” standout as drums are absent fro the first half of the song and the tranquil arrangement is resolute to ensure we have heard his plea. Despite being separated from someone who was once such an integral part of your life, you can’t help but drive by their house and revisit special places in search of the tiniest jolt of euphoria you once experienced. We may smirk and say we’ve never done this but we would be lying. We continually question why this person didn’t say good bye when they left. One may feel that fourteen songs are too many to dedicate to the longing and loss of a relationship, but I’d say that anyone who says that has truly never loved.

“Catcher in the Rye” is a song that still puzzles me but the “Lana nana na na na” choruses are as conquering as anything Rose has laid down on tape. The love, the sting, the sorrow and the ephemeral joys of life burst to life through an unmitigated jam at the end. It’s almost as if he has flashes of happiness in his dreams and can recapture these fleeting moments in the studio for us to savor. “There Was a Time” features a hypnotic multi-track chant at the end (“I would do anything for you”). It begins and ends with the choral sounds of voices like a cathedral that could be mistaken for a wedding or even a funeral. Rose and the band tear through their instruments channeling all of their sway through their hands in a way no lyric could ever do. Something virtually no reviewer ever hit upon was what a crack team of musicians Rose put together for this record. While many members came and went during the recording of the record, their emotional mark was left on the songs giving Chinese Democracy a cinematic feel.

“Better” is a belting battle cry where colossal highs are followed by demoralizing lows more aching than detoxing off hard drugs. After the damage has been done, we try to make sense of the calamity that has befallen us. In an almost comatose manner we obsess, wallow and fall into deep depression. However on “Better”, arguably the greatest songs Rose has ever written, Guns N’ Roses has never sounded more defiant. The operatic arrangement is wholly unleashed at 2:22 and it comes to a head with an orchestra or guitars dueling off in battle where bullets are replaced with venom (“I never wanted you to be someone afraid to know themselves”). “Better” is about experiencing a loss of faith only to come through on the other side. It’s a coming to terms of one’s personal conviction, understanding their heart and mind and casting a web around the one who unleashed such pain. The fury from within is on display through the band’s volcanic performance and Rose’s greatest vocal ever.

As Axl Rose clamors for understanding, he’s complimented by unswerving performances that truly invite us into his world. I can’t help but think if it was released by someone like Neil Young it would have been heralded as a heart crushing magnum opus and not for the faint of heart. Music is a profoundly personal experience and one of the joys in sharing it with people is to see their sundry reactions. Despite writing these words, I don’t fully expect everyone to embrace Chinese Democracy. GN’R’s legacy between their image and the sound of their records is tattooed into the soul of many and this alone does not allow them to listen without prejudice. There’s nothing wrong with this as some of them simply can’t look past it. This isn’t something you can fully fault them for the same way a child may never warm to a step parent. But I wish they would take note of this record with an open mind and above all else an empathetic heart. Few artists are as willing to allow anyone, let alone the whole world, this deep into their psyche. Chinese Democracy is a startling confessional from a man long misunderstood. Despite having heard the album as a whole a few dozen times in the last few years, I am not sure if there is any silver lining in the record unless the actual writing and recording of these songs provided a therapeutic resolution. While I can understand while this record was not made for everyone, I can’t forgive those who judge it based on what they feel like it should be. Axl Rose weaves tales of a cataclysmic series of events in his life of such astonishing enormity that I don’t think he has ever recovered from them. It used to be we hailed these works of art as courageous but these days we’re more concerned with headline grabbing quotes instead of what really matters; the music.

We walk a thin line in life putting up a front and rarely letting anyone in. People ask us how we are and we give them a stock answer very rarely ever showing who we truly are or what we genuinely feel. The opening of one’s self is one of the boldest things anyone can choose to do with their life. Despite this, when artists expose themselves to the world, depending on our own frame of mind, we all too often stand there with blades in hand ready to shred someone to pieces because the artist doesn’t fit into our vision. Does anyone really think the world was ready or wanted Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen when released in 1982? No, but over time they came to appreciate and love it as one of his most imperative records. Chinese Democracy is a record that defies the norm not for what it took to make it to store shelves but for what secrets are shared within the songs. The lyrics evoke crystalline scenes and set the stage for blood-spattered theater. All too often we lose ourselves in another person so much so that we never dare prepare for their adieu and when it ends, it feels like an apocalypse of the heart. Listening to Chinese Democracy reminds me that we’re all misfits trying to make a home for ourselves. When the foundation of a relationship collapses like a building demolition, our life and our dreams collapse with it. By dismantling the paradigm of a conventional record, Axl Rose and Guns N’ Roses dives deep into the quagmire of hell on and takes the listener along for the journey. Inside of are fourteen paintings full of venom, paranoia, longing, pleading and resolution. Many know of this record, but few have truly listened to it. This in itself is a shame, because Axl Rose has never sounded more alive and authentic than he does on Chinese Democracy.

I tried to refrain from posting in this thread but I just couldn't.

This is pure speculation based on the claims of one man. I don't think Tommy has a problem and besides he shows up to play and does it well. It's really none of our business in the first place. Nothing Tommy has done or is possibly doing is damaging GN'R. Unless that happens I don't see any point in discussing a band members possible health problems.

I feel the tides turning. The rest of the world has been supportive in general but the US seems to be finally giving the new band a chance and Axl is delivering big time. Hopefully this continues throughout the tour and we'll see more dates followed by new music and more touring. I think this could possibly the "now or never" point for GN'R, people are generally more positive towards the band in the US and they should use that to their advantage.

Free tickets, maybe not. But free tickets + interview with Ashba + party with everyone except Axl + Miami = definite trip.

They already had plans. Eddie was in the studio with Slash just a few days ago, it's not like he's gonna be that starstruck by DJ Ashba and crew. Plus, they decided to throw in a special surprise show in their already planned season of the show. Would they do that because they got the chance to free tickets, a party and some words with a guy who would be on the plane within hours if they just asked him to come on the show?

Eddie Trunk is a huge Gn'R fan. I'd have to wager that he would.

Also, explain to me; If Eddie is such a huge Nu GN'R fan, why didn't he already have something planned for the tour start? It was in Florida after all... Great weather like you said.

Eddie is a music lover (and was part of Megaforce eons ago) and gave Chinese Democracy a fair shake. But he's not going to kiss ass to get an interview. Nor should he. To me, Mike Piazza was the one who kept fucking up, first he was saying things that made Ed worried that Axl was going to bolt, then Piazza had given Ed a GNR leak and Axl's lawyers jumped on that shit.

He's not a "huge" Nu GNR fan, but he said a lot of good things about it when it came out. Howard Stern sure as fuck didn't.

Axl is smart so I'm sure any interview will be on his own terms, whatever they may be.

Yeah I hope that this stuff airs right away, not in like 2 months or something.

Well, the name of the first show of the new season which is going to be aired on November 11 is Guns N' Roses (Slash listed as guest on Wikipedia).

If this happens (which seems to be the case) it is the biggest news in GN'R land since the release of CD.

Axl actually doing an interview and on TV as well. Surprising to say the least and awesome at the same time.

I've been to a lot of awesome shows that have gotten bad reviews. In general, the reviewer already hates the band to begin with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahD27ucerCM

awesome

This Is the best version of jungle that I have heard since the 2011 tour started and the crowd seemed pretty loud and lively. Nice job.

They should release a pro shot of that performance, it was great.

There should be a word filter for "propaganda". I've noticed that some users on this forum use it without knowing what the word means.

Spot on. Some people take things way to seriously on these boards.

Yeah, these Cracked lists are generally awesome. This one is fine, some people around here are such sensitive little babies. Slash has said that the riff for Sweet Child (one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in music history) did start out as a joke, he was fooling around and couldn't believe anybody else was taking it seriously. Same thing goes for all the songs on the list, they started out as a joke and ended up being massive hits to the surprise of their creators.

""Sweet Child O' Mine" was a joke. It was a fluke. I was sitting around making funny faces and acting like an idiot and played that riff. Izzy started playing the chords that I was playing, strumming them, and all of a sudden Axl really liked it. I hated that song because it was so stupid at first. I hated the guitar part. Now I really like it because I've gotten it to the point where it sounds really good when I play it live, and I'm so used to the song so I like it a lot more. But it definitely wasn't something I hummed out in my head. It was more like me fucking around with the guitar."

[stix (1992) Slash - Guitar From The Gut, Guitar For The Practicing Musician - Nov 1992]

Reality is pretty cool, some people on this board should look into it.

And another thing: STOP MOVING EVERY GODDAMN THREAD.

This is a new article, about a band called Guns n' Roses, and a song some people may have heard before called 'Sweet Child o' Mine'. There is nothing wrong with discussing new articles and information about Guns n' Roses in the "Guns n' Roses - News and Discussion" section.

I agree completely.

SCOM isn't a joke. Stop trying to spread propaganda.

Hopefully you don't take stuff like this seriously... was just sharing a link to a site that doesn't really take things too seriously and is full of useless information and bullshit. Take it for what it is, it sure isn't evil propaganda.

Wouldn't say that it started as a joke but what the hell... I'll share this anyway.

Cracked.com - 6 Songs That Were Supposed to Be Jokes

#1. "Sweet Child O' Mine" -- Guns N' Roses

"Sweet Child O' Mine" boasts one of the most recognizable guitar riffs of all time (the "greatest guitar riff ever," as voted by readers of Total Guitar magazine). Hard to argue with this shit:

Thanks to that riff, a generation of rock fans can identify that song within three notes. So how does Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash feel about that?

Not great, considering the riff was just a string skipping exercise he was doing for practice. It was never meant to be an actual song. It'd like if Beethoven got a standing ovation for performing chopsticks.

You see, "Sweet Child O' Mine" was written in a total of five minutes. Slash and Izzy Stradlin were just having a jam session, tooling around on their respective instruments while singer Axl Rose was upstairs playing with his action figures or something. Slash started doing his string skipping exercise and thought it sounded kind of like circus music, so he kept playing it and making goofy faces at his bandmate. Rose, on the other hand, heard the riff and came downstairs to tell Slash that it was going to be their next song. It went something like this:

"Dude! That shit is awesome. It's going to be our next hit!"

"What? No man, I was just ... I was joking around. That can't be a song. It's just nonsense."

"No no, it's perfect! I wrote this poem about my girlfriend a little while ago. We can use it for lyrics!"

"I don't think you understand ..."

It took a while for Slash to begrudgingly get the unusual riff to match with a drum beat, but they eventually started recording. Their producer listened to what they'd put together so far and told them that they should add a dramatic breakdown in place of the last verse, with Slash busting out a killer solo and Rose singing something. After thinking for a moment about what that something could be, Axl asked "Where do we go now?" As in, "Where do we go with this song?"

Nobody had any better suggestions, so for a solid chunk of the song, Rose just keeps shouting, "Where do we go now?"

"Anywhere but here, you crazy bastard."

It could have just as easily been any other sentence someone decided to say at that particular moment, like "Where are my cigarettes?" or "Why does Slash's hat smell so bad?"

"Sweet Child" went on to hit number one on the charts, helping Guns N' Roses' album Appetite for Destruction secure its spot as the top-selling debut album of any band in the U.S. So let this be a lesson to every creative person reading this: What you like, and what your audience likes, are probably going to be very different. It's probably best to just go with it.

Are we actually debating this? It's "said".

The whole thing is great!

Can't wait to have an actual copy of it in my hands!

Axl has obviously changed the way he sings Estranged and that actually goes for more songs as well. Back in the day he used more raps but he was screaming most of the time. You could see it by how he carried his body, there was enormous energy being put into each note. These days he picks his spots more when screaming and sings more. I just don't think it's fair to expect a 50 year old man to sound like he did when he was 30. He still sounds incredible in my opinion. I agree that Estranged could use a little rasp but still like the way he sings it now.

More please

Having said that. What the hell is going on here? Two videos in two days, I'm actually really shocked... but happy. Keep them coming, hopefully this is the start of something.

Maybe it's some kind of promotion for the upcoming US tour.

Maybe and possible... but hopefully it's something more than that. Not holding my breath though.

More please

Having said that. What the hell is going on here? Two videos in two days, I'm actually really shocked... but happy. Keep them coming, hopefully this is the start of something.

Rio 2011 - Estranged - YouTube

Just checked this out, as some reported here that's its as good as the show got. Hmmm..

Axl Rose sound not so great.

BF does a good cover of Slash's work. Slash will never be replaced.

For sound reason, Dj Ash was required to cover the crazy bit towards the end. Again, good effort, but no replacement for Slash.

Drumming was ok, then again drumming always is. He add's alot of 'ting ting' halfway through ?

Dizzy Reed was the star of the song

..time to check out some of the other songs

I always find this argument funny. If they play something different from Slash then there are certain people that get mad because they're not doing the original work. Then when they play the original work they're just good at copying Slash and won't ever replace him. They can't really win. Personally I think Bumblefoot is awesome and in all honesty he's the coolest member that GN'R ever had when it comes to fan interaction, he was the star of the night in my opinion.

The band sounded good, Axl sounded spotty at times but he has sounded worse, he'll do much better once the tour starts rolling and he has a few concert on his back. It's obvious that he doesn't really prepare a whole lot for tour and sings himself into shape.

Look, I was at the Download festival show in 2006 and half of that show was a complete mess and they went on then and will now.

Anyway, I thought there were really good parts in there, it was what I expected after them not touring for so long.

Even Axl is getting sleepy by this point.

Reykjavik, Iceland.

Guns N' Roses are playing, no way this was going to be smooth...

SOAD is going to upstage Axl. This crowd is absolutely pumped about the reunion.

I like SOAD but they aren't the most exciting live band in the world... or even close.

Who is pulling the all nighter? rock2

me

im in london

and my school starts tomorrow at 9

I'm in Reykajvik so I'm pulling an all nighter... work will be fun tomorrow!