Azazel

Nice read. Nice guy.

I notice how Axl and Duff speak in similar ways, always with deep thought and caution, particularly when its a subject close to their heart.

I think they will.

But once they do, you and your fellow citizens will only buy a handful of tickets! So if they do, do you promise to go ahead and buy a lot of tickets for yourself?

Exactly this.

Knockin On Heavens Door (clip) - 1080p

Mainly a clip of the "panties" joke but I think you can also get a feel for the vibe of KOHD.

Didnt film the whole thing cause memory was low.

Final one from me unfortunately, and again only a clip, but good quality.

Madagascar (clip) - 1080p

Thanks for all the comments.

Thank you to everyone who attended for making it a great night and to the band for their fantastic performance.

Sweet Child O' Mine - 1080p

As promised..

Better (FULL) - 1080p

This I Love (clip) - 1080p

and

Shackler's Revenge (clip) - 1080p

Next up, only a clip I'm afraid...

Sorry (clip) - 1080p

Quality gig, way better than when i saw them in 2006. Was funny when someone threw some pants on the stage. Axl picked them up and hung them on a mic stand, later on DJ had them on his hat for a while and Axl told him to stop messing with his granny panties lol.

Got a 1080p vid of that moment later

Here's the first of my videos..

Chinese Democracy - 1080p

Isn't he the most underrated GnR guitarist ever ( after Izzy maybe ) ?

This guy needs a promotion, seriously.

As much as he's almost invisible in the live videos, he's really all over the place when you see him live and his playing is really tasty when you hear him jam...

Probably my favourite after Bumble.

Totally agree, Fortus was awesome and some of his fills were the best sounding of the night (NR etc.)

Side note: Youtube taking ages with my 1080p videos, I'll have you some videos sometime in 2024 at this rate..

the top part of the arena is tarpped off , not good ticket sales maybe.

where`s Duff , I want a portion of my $ back!!

I don't know where the fuck you get your facts, but nothing was 'tarped off'.

Two sections of the upper block (right at the back, top tier) were empty. Rest of the arena was near full when they came on.

Granted, many got annoyed at the wait and fucked off home.

The greatest show on earth.

Phenomenal show, and the best concert I've ever been to.

Aerosmith a not so close second.

What a night.

Should have some rather nice video for you guys later, not got that much though, couple of full tracks and then some snippets, but strong quality.

There's always a few who leave to beat the traffic, but id say 80% stayed. I was right next to the stage (seated) and looking back across the arena, it was still pretty damn full.

Booing might have been more audible where you were ssiscool, from where I was, there was only one that I could hear.

It's a decent review I guess, bit bland like the previous one.

However, these two statements are totally inaccurate:

Many fans had already left the arena as the midnight hour passed and the band launched into their final number of the night, Paradise City.

Maybe he left? The place was still 80% full, which I thought was amazing as a lot of people leave to beat traffic etc.

the band finally hit the stage at 10pm – some good-natured booing having started 30 minutes earlier.

It was one boo at 9.50, inbetween the music tracks played through the arena speakers

Dj and Axl could do it.

This gets my vote.

Yeah hopefully. I mean, it was still 2+ hours, and didnt feel short in any way.

I'm setting off at 6, and i'm half an hour away, so yeah, plenty of time that.

I compare it to an athlete on a great night. Jordan would usually score 30 points a night, but on nights when he was really on he'd score over 50. When Axl pulls that line out he's on a 50 point night. The first show in London was one of those nights.

So youre saying when he's in top form, he sings the line ?

We're not talking about his mood here then.

Hmm, might be right, who knows.

He was great at the London 2nd date too, so I don't see why it wouldnt have come out there if your theory were correct.

Wonder if they will play a full 2hour 40min set tonight what with it being the last date on the tour over here??? im comming in from Halifax with my mate, so any advice on side roads to park in would be helpfull, i.e street names etc.. saw Chili Peppers in 2006 at M.E.N and me and some mates drove and parked like 20mins away which was cool..

Can't advise on the specifics really, not that familiar with the area. Best just to get their with an hour to spare and drive around the backstreets.

They could play a longer set I suppose, depends. Theyre in Spain on friday, but not sure whether it was just hard for Axl to keep going, or whether they had tonight in mind.

Nice Boys would not be good on a sore throat I dont think.

Yeah its not good to park there.

I guess what I'm saying is, cause I live so near, I don't care about the wait at all.

I'll fire something up on the iPod and just chat about the show.

I'm parking right next to it yes, and it will be a nightmare to get out (shame, cause Birmingham was perfect for getting out last night).

Thing is though, I only live 30 mins down the A roads, so I'll just grin and bear the wait to get out.

Depends where your coming from, I wouldnt park in there if I had a long drive ahead.

Not many places to park around there either, probably best parking a 10min walk away, just look for side streets.

On the voice, trust me, you couldnt tell.

Seen them at Leeds Festival and his voice, for whatever reason, was probably better last night.

He's in great form. Only thing the throat affected IMO was song choice and set length.

Parking right next to venue, but costly and small.

Im not so sure I agree.

He didnt pull it out last night, but he was smiling all the way through (despite reporting a sore throat).

You could be right, but then, he didnt use at at Leeds either, and he was really giving it his all that night to prove a point after the Reading fiasco.

Reunion, who needs one? Lets just hope its not another four years until Guns come back over to the UK.

Exactly how I feel.

Time is precious from now on, it has to be.

Had about 3-4 hours sleep but couldn't wait to get up, check out my vids + pics, tell you guys about the show and look forward to tonight.

Arena was practically full, only the back two blocks (single-tiered arena) were about a quater full, but place was packed !!

There were a few asshole's trying to start fights etc, but they were dealt with long before GN'R hit the stage.

Also saw a guy in a former band-member's wig (no guesses which one). Can't understand why youd pay £45 to turn up dressed as a guy who left a decade ago, but oh well.

Was about 2 meteres from the stage (front-row), where Jarmo was prepping his camera down the front, but didnt wanna bother the guy.

Bach was great !! Best warm-up act I've ever seen (and thats a lot of gigs).

Now, I know what youre thinking. But I assure you this mini-review or whatever isnt the opinion of some starry-eyed kid going to his first gig. I'll be critical where its warranted.

So yeah, crowd were in the palm of Sebastian's hands, he's a great showman more than anything else. Terrific on the mic talking to the audience, and the band were good enough to leave an impression.

My personal opinion is that Seb was what separated the other UK gigs from the Dublin gig. He left the crowd happy to be waiting for Guns, whereas in Dublin, the support left a little to be desired.

Seb knew what his role was and gave it plenty of energy. I've never seen a crowd so into a support act's set.

Okay, the main event. Fans were cheering for them with surprising vigour until around 9.50, at which point there was one round of boos following the track that was played through the speakers.

They were audible but as soon as the house lights went down, the place went into uproar and all was forgiven. I didnt see anybody leave (even after paradise, arena was probably 80% full, which is rare as most people try to escape the traffic).

Band were in top-form last night, equally as good as Leeds Festival earlier in the year, sound mix was probably better last night though. Sound was full and powerful, although Axl's vocals drifted a bit too low in the mix a couple of times (Sweet Child O' Mine), but he was gesturing to the crew to sort it out, which they did.

Axl was clearly suffering the most from cold/flu, as I could see him sorting himself out after every song (was on the front row, right next to stage). Having said that, I would never have known. His vocals were better than at Leeds Festival, and you would have had no way of knowing he was ill from the performance, I'm certain of that.

Bumblefoot was either ill or drunk, but still playing like a demon, even mouthing to the camera "I'm so fucked up right now" at one point. Not sure if he meant illness or booze, couldnt really tell but he was fighting something. His solo's were spot on though, and the Pink Panther (didnt think I'd enjoy this one) was powerful and the best solo skit of the night.

DJ was about 2 meteres from us the whole night, often looking right at our front row, playing with tremendous energy and charisma. If this guy isnt the poster child for fan interaction, then I'm not sure who is (BBF maybe? haha). He regularly gestured to the crowd, at one point coming right down to the front barriers to do a mid-show meet-and-greet. His solo's were fantastic and are well refined, no sign of the minor inconsistencies which were there during the asia leg.

Tommy seemed about the most focused and you could really hear his bassline keeping everything in check. Underrated and his backing vocals were great too (YCBM a standout).

Fortus was mental. Not sure how else to describe the guy. He was staggering everywhere like a drunk, but hammering home every chord. Must say too, his solo's may of been the best sounding of the lot, could of been the mix that made his guitar stand out the most, but he never faultered all night. This guy has incredible energy, my girlfriend remarked that he'd probably be dead by the end of the night, given the pace he was going at.

Frank is probably the best drummer I've seen live, perhaps alongside Dave Grohl, not much between the two. Phenomenal beat all night, and really evident from tracks like YCBM, RQ and LALD that he can really power it home where needed. Very distinguishable beats and well placed in the mix too. You rock, Frank.

Finally there were a few standout moments. At one point Axl did the can-can with Tommy (band were clearly having a ball, or trying to, despite being ill), and then Axl went over to Bumblefoot to do the same thing. BBF couldn't hack it ! He could only do one leg because he was so messed up, hilarious to watch.

Knockin' On Heavens Door was probably the song of the night. Always a great track live but the fan-interaction, stripped-down parts and Axl's room to scream provided for a great atmosphere.

The band were also clearly having a blast. Plenty of on-stage pranks going on. Axl messing with Richard's dials, Ashba playing his guitar with a drumstick at one point, pushing each other, random dancing with Axl & BBF, all great fun. Axl was in a good mood too despite his sore throat (didnt realise he had one until afterwards).

Oh and a final shout out to a Whole Lotta Rosie. You gotta hear that shit live. One of the best songs of the night, very powerful and energetic, the boys belted this one home.

There were a couple of things about the setlist I'd of changed, but I'm sure the band played what they felt best doing, and I'm equally sure others would have a different opinion to mine. Dropping "Better", "Don't Cry" and "Nice Boys" whilst keeping Shacklers, Sorry and Madagascar wasnt a choice I'd of made. I have very few complaints though, from what was a great evening. Its also obvious how Nice Boys and Better may have damaged Axl's throat, and they have to take into account tonight's gig for sure. It was still a great setlist, if necessarily shorter.

The guys came out after paradise city for a final bow before My Way hit the speakers. Axl said "Thanks for coming out tonight" and remarked something like "Birmingham isnt just another one of our regional spots that we have on the schedule" or something similar. He then claimed "I woke up this morning, and I had a sore throat, and I was like argh... shit....but we all had a good fucking time tonight right?". Something very similar anyway, exact wording is probably off. I thought it was a nice touch though, as he was obviously struggling even if we couldnt tell. Very decent of him to mention it and still give his all.

Phenomenal show. Hope its not too long before theyre back in the UK.

Good, Fucking, Morning.

Explain : 3. Duff doesn't think much of DJ