Duro

I know someone who saw edmonton and hes pretty sure baz lipsynced some screams

uh dude its called delay... not lip synching

I'm not sure how delays work, but it seemed like it was just some technical thing to lengthen the sound. The sound was in synch with his singing, just kept going when he was done.

You're exactly right. I was 20 feet away from him in Winnipeg and clearly saw the same thing. He was actually singing, and everything was in sync, but at the end of his screams there was an effect used that kept the sound going, even after his mouth was closed and he was strutting off.

No big deal though, his set was fucking awesome.

Considering how much Salinger and Axl have in common, it doesn't surprise me that Axl would thumb his nose at Salinger...

Both of these guys are or were arrogant and reclusive, basically shunning society and popular culture for the most part and rarely showing themselves in public. They both wrote brilliantly in the past and fight tooth and nail to protect what they consider to be their writings' integrity.

I have the sneaking suspicion that Axl merely wanted it to be known that he looks down on Salinger, because, looking down on someone who is GREAT makes you even greater, right?

In fifty years, Axl might be the guy who hasn't left his house in decades other than to file suit against those who might take from his intellectual property... he will be remembered for the few brilliant songs/albums he wrote, and he will be forever controvercial.

No wonder the two of them are such idols of mine...

RIP JD Salinger.

I would hardly equate Axl to Salinger, just because the man doesn't call up the tabloids and have them follow him around, or go out of his way to seek publicity, hardly makes him a recluse. He's the frontman of one of the biggest bands of all time, so it's bananas to suggest he shuns society.

RIP JD, that was one helluva novel.

this thread is just stupid, nothing compares to the old gnr NOTHING, im glad to see axl finally happy and pleased dj ash is good but the rest dont hold a candle to the old gnr AND also they cant play estranged u dumbasses even slash found it difficult to play so the chances of these playing it well is remote at best, but its a big improvement on the 2001-2007 performances for sure

Do you seriously think that this current band, the most technically talented of all GnR history, cant play Estranged?! They can play something as difficult as Better or Shacklers Revenge, but not Estranged which for any guitar player is 50 notches down in terms of difficulty. Okay, Slash is not that good of a guitarist. A good guitar writer sure, but as pure skill Bumble and Bucket are ages ahead Slash.

Thats complete and utter bullshit for a start. The word "Technically" gets thrown about a lot but its just a term people who know fuck all about good guitar playing use when they want to sound clever.

I'm not too sure in what you want to say. Are you saying that all those 8 finger tap sweeps are something Slash can easliy do?

*Sigh* When did an 8 finger tap sweep ever make a song sound better. Wanking off the neck does not make you a better guitarist. When your in a band it doesnt matter how many 8 finger fret sweeps you make its about what your playing brings to the song as part of the band. Sometimes less is more my friend.

And yeah i'd say Slash could probably pull off the 8 finger death move if that was what he was interested in doing. But its plainly not.

So if a basketball player can't make a dunk, he's still a good basketball player because he prefers to dance around the coart when he makes a shot? I never said I didn't like Slash's playing, on the contrary I prefer it . But he isn't a good guitarist, he doesn't have the skill. He plays his own thing, and that's cool, but I doubt he can play Eruption from Van Halen, something Bumble learned when he was 12.

I bet Axl Rose still has more appreciation for Slash than you seem to. Guitar skill is almost a relative term.... because someone can play "fast" and hit crazy sweeps doesn't make them a "better" guitarist. I prefer to judge them on their body of work. And in that area, Slash has no equal.

I don't want to get down on the newer guys because I think they are fantastic too. Actually, I think they are exactly the guys the band needs to move forward. If you could magically plug Slash back into the lineup today, wouid it make the shows appreciably better? Probably not. But give the man his due.

I

Thank YOU, DJ.

You're playing phenomenally and have a bright future in this band.

In Winnipeg, I'd say the best responses were to Chinese Democracy, Better, This I Love and If The World.

It seems that his major selling point amongst the members of this forum is that he can play Slash's leads the best out of all the 'new'

guitar players that have replaced Slash. I'm not denying that... but is it really the ability to look for?

Honestly, I think its more important than many realize. The die-hards will eat up whatever the band serves up, but when the general public goes to a GNR show they damn well want the classics to sound right. I liked Finck's work on CD, but some of his live work on Appetite-era stuff left something to be desired.

I think he looks fuckin' cool. I like that he mixes it up all the time. Axl has never been one to just stay with a uniform look over the years.

The bandana is a cool link to the past and he can still pull it off.

Ashba has very quickly gained my respect., he just seems to fit the band perfectly IMO.

Agree 100%. He's got the right stuff, and has earned my respect. He gives the crowd the tone and feel that they expect in a GNR song, which is something that has been missing, and shouldn't be taken lightly.

I looked at his signing with a huge dose of skepticism. I never imagined it would be such a positive move forward for the band.

Thanks for that real review

Thanks man. There was so much banter on here about this show, it was hard to tell how good it was. Just wanted to let people know.

Great song. Not my favorite on the album, but it works really well live. Axl really pours himself into it.

OBSERVATIONS FROM WINNIPEG

-The show was fucking incredible.

- I saw Guns here in December '06, and I thought they were phenomenal then. That show started at midnight on a weekday and ran well after 2am. I knew it was possible for that again, but was very pleased to see them take the stage early. Baz was a perfect opener as always. He really does get people pumped up.

- Axl is at a much higher level now than he has been at anytime in the last 15 years, perhaps ever. We all know he wasn't quite so sharp in '01-'02, and in '06 he was much, much better. But this is something else altogether. You could close your eyes and think it was 1991 again, but there is something more, it really shows on some of the newer songs. It's power, I guess. His high-pitched wail is completely intact, but his lower register just seems to have more ooomph to it than I have ever heard. The man may have put on a couple extra pounds, but he got himself in shape for this tour in the way it really matters....with his voice.

- Chinese Democracy (song) is actually a really awesome opener. Its just too bad it had to replace the Best Opening Song Of All Time, WTTJ. But it works. Ashba really gets the crowd worked up when he climbs up on the riser and busts out that opening riff. Pretty fucking awesome.

- This DJ Ashba is one hell of a player. I was super skeptical with the news of his joining, but obviously Axl knew what he had here. He's so much more of a better fit with GNR than Finck. The main thing I noticed is that he really seems to be the first NewGNR guitarist to really master that bluesy tone that all of the old songs are built on. If you've seen any GNR show the last ten years you know what I mean. He brings back what's been missing. Ashba is also a good showman, he moves around a lot and the crowd really responds to him. Bright future for this guy.

- A note or two on the crowd: they are getting a bit of a bad rap here. I was down on the floor, probably ten rows back from the front. There were a lot of fucking assholes down there. A whole bunch of big, burly douchebag types basically worked themselves to the front of the stage and got in everyone's face. They didn't seem into the show at all. Just kind of stood solid and tried to look tough and cool. I imagine that the band saw all these guys for sure, and made it hard to focus on the rest of us behind them that were pumped out of our fucking minds. It wasn't the most high energy crowd I've ever been in, (it was 2am on a Wednesday) but it was nothing like it has been characterized as.

- For some reason all that really pissed off Tommy Stinson. He got something tossed at him earlier, and freaked out a bit. Fair enough, that sucks. He played great and his take on My Generation was wicked. But then he just seemed pissed, and made some kind of derogatory remark about the crowd. Something about the audience boring him? I dunno. It just didn't seem reasonable or appropriate. I guess he just wishes he had a better crowd. Which is fine, I wish he was Duff McKagan.

- Live and Let Die is a concert staple for a reason. Its not that exciting to listen to on the records, but live, this song is something else. The pyro and Axl's extra wails just add so much more to it, I was glad to see this remain on instead of one of the other CD songs.

- The best new songs live are Chinese Democracy, This I Love, and, surprisingly, If The World. The live versions are different than the album, but in a superior way. Axl sounds better now than when he recorded the album. The crowd really responded to all of these. The only ones that didn't really work were IRS, which Axl seemed a bit off on, and Madagascar, which I have always thought was kind of a low energy song.

- At this show I heard the best versions I have ever heard of Out Ta Get Me, Nightrain and Rocket Queen. Mind-numbingly good.

- This stage is huge. Much bigger than the one in '06. Costs them some extra seats I think, but they put it to good use. Axl and all the guitarists honestly use every inch of it. The lighting, video, and pyro are all top-notch. Its a much nicer and visually appealing setup that their '06 one, though good, was much blander than this.

- Axl seems like he's in a really good mood. Lots of little fun rants throughout the night. That was a really sad story about his dog. It sounds kinda cheesy but I think a lot of people really empathized with him there. It also led to a kick-ass KOHD outro.

- I almost caught the whistle.

- This was the best show I'd ever attended. I think I'm gonna try to catch them again on their Canadian tour somewhere. They're worth any trip. You guys will be very lucky if you get a USA tour. If there is one, you owe it to yourself to be there. These guys are firing on all cylinders right now.