themadcaplaughs

Have been listening to this full show, and I truly have to say, absolutely phenomenal. Nearly everything about it from Axl to the band sounds on point. This lineup did a great job of keeping the feel of the original songs but adding some of their own flavor here and there. It makes me wish we could see some more of Paul Tobias, because I feel like he really would have been a perfect fit for the band if he weren't adverse to touring. Another cool side note listening to this through for the first time, Axl calling Paul "Paul Hew-Gee". I think we all assumed the name was how it looked, Huge, for those who never heard his name said before. That is unless that is Axl trolling, which he's certainly been known to do throughout history lol. Anyway, truly worth a listen for those who never heard it. Makes me wish there was a video, and even more so, makes me wish I could have been there. The energy in the room is incredible you could tell. Anyone have any insight into the buildup before the show and how it was promoted? Obviously a very small venue for a GNR comeback show. I was young and wasn't really following closely at that time.

This was an epic night. I was in my mid 20's at the time so it's all very vivid in my memory. This was around the same time that internet file sharing was really catching on (Napster... ICQ... etc.). The world was still stuck in dial up internet at that time. SUPER slow by today's standards, but for the time, magical. I don't even think DSL was out yet (the level up from dial-up internet).

I was on GNR forums from the get-go. Was one of the first CD.com members and that forum at the time was like this place. It was the place to go for GNR news, chat and info. Had some legendary members... Xozi, Queenie... the battles I had with those two clowns were epic. Kanada, probably known to most on this forum and others as one of Axl's biggest nut-swingers today, was at the time one of the biggest Axl/Nu-GNR bashers/'cupcakes'... if not the biggest. At every turn Kanada criticized Axl and NuGuns. I used to destroy him too through the years as, at the time, I was one of Axl's biggest supporters.

Anyway... those are stories for another time. The night of this show and the hype leading up to it was epic. The forums were on fire the entire time. I remember snippets of new songs showing up on Napster and forum members passing links back and forth to download the stuff. Now, a download of one song took HOURS. Again, at the time though it was magical to even have that kind of tech. The first song I was able to download was The Blues. I was instantly in love with it. I think the next day I was able to get Madagascar downloaded and also liked it. Eventually the entire show was leaked one way or another and people started making bootlegs of it on CD's and were selling them on Ebay. I still have a copy that I bought.

Deep down though, as much as I was supporting Axl and his vision, it didn't feel complete. The void Slash and the old band left was noticeable (I grew up on the original GNR). But, Axl had lots of promises of a new album and supporting tours. Each year a new release date came and went. And somehow, someway, we were all strung along for years and years. If you would have told me at the time (2001) CD would not come out until 2008, I would have laughed at your face.

But, alas, the NuGNR saga was just beginning. And it was all very, very painful. Starting with the first tour being cancelled one show before I was supposed to see them in DC. Albeit a few bright spots popped up along the way (Hammerstein, CD's eventual release and some regular touring). But it became painfully obvious by about 2009 that NuGNR wasn't going to ever reach the summit like the original band did. That's about the time I started to turn on NuGNR and started calling for a reunion.

Not that my voice mattered much.

But it was certainly a very unique journey for clearly unique people. Or should I say deranged people?! Lol. No music fan should ever have to endure what GNR fans like myself had to endure for 20+ years.

I just hope that the reunion proves to be a huge success and the old guys churn out 2-3 solid albums in the next decade, cementing a legacy of one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Right now GNR is just an interesting footnote in the history of rock. Kind of like Bo Jackson in the sports world... an absolute beast of a baseball and NFL football player... legendary. But his career was cut very short due to a devastating injury leaving many to speculate how incredible his career in both sports could have been. Some say he would have gone down as one of the best if not the best of all time in either sport. GNR has that same kind of legacy. The, 'what if' legacy. Had the original band stayed together and managed through some tough times, we may be talking about THE greatest rock band of all time... at least on par with a band like the Stones.

Instead, we all ask ourselves, 'what if'?

Well, we'll never know. I just hope they have some magic left in the tank and at least cement a legacy and pump out some good music for a few years and prove to us that, yes, they can now be mentioned in the same breath as Zeppelin, Queen, Aerosmith or The Rolling Stones as being among rock's elite.... and not just an interesting footnote.

Honestly, the band reuniting has brought back some of that 'magic' feeling from 2001... a certain excitement for what's to come. I just hope it's not the same nightmare us hardcore fans had to endure for the better part of two decades. I'm not as invested in it as I was when I was younger. There are far more important things in life, like my family and providing for them and watching them grow. But it's fun none-the-less to follow GNR news again! But if the shit hits the fan, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it anymore.

I just hope for you newer fans that the ride goes much smoother.

Appreciate the response, but not gonna lie...that was a bit of a cock tease. You made it sound at first like you were at this gig which would have been awesome to hear about first hand lol.

I was at the show. I'll post some memories of it later tonight when I have time.

Exciting times, and I hope everyone here who wanted tickets got them. That being said, I miss Dizzy's announcements.

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Reading this reminded me of all the shit that went down that first month or so when the band started playing again in fall 2010.

-The Reading/Leeds festival and the "sit-in."

-Axl...excse me... I mean a hacker tweeting that the entire tour was off and to get refunds

-Axl getting pissed in Dublin and leaving stage; only to come back out 20 minutes later and play the rest of the show standing still (and providing one of the best vocal performances of his career).

I agree, the tardiness thing is petulant and embarrassing, but these events certainly beat what was to come...

-Axl blowing not one, but two, major performances that received an internet stream.

-Refusing to attend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

-Making headlines when someone stole his jewelry

-Ending a show early because he ate bad wings and had diarrhea.

Smart guy. I have to admit, if I was close to all the members of Guns N' Roses, I certainly would not have thought to tell them they have a lot of fans and people want Duff and Slash back in the band.

YOU WANTED A FULL REUNION...WELL YOU DIDN'T GET ONE!

When your life consists of playing big shows all the time, it just becomes a "day at the office" like everyone else. I do not think it's particularly strange that he cannot remember which enormo-dome he played with which classic rock legacy act on a given day.

Slash will bring back "The Godfather" guitar solo. Duff will bring back "Attitude." Chris will bring back the towel solo.

To his credit, Chris seems to be the only member capable of getting Axl in a studio.

Everyone who I would trust at both this forum and other forums made it clear that Ron and DJ left entirely of their own desire, and were in no way doing it to "avoid the inevitable" or "make way for a GN'R reunion." Ron pissed and moaned about the lack of activity from Guns N' Roses since 2010, and really started ramping it up and bad mouthing the band's decision (i.e. playing private gigs) in 2012. In 2013, he flat out stated that if the situation forced him to choose between Guns N' Roses and his solo career, the solo career wins. Clearly, the lack of definite plans and the fact that Axl did not seem to want to work with Ron-penned songs drove him to choose the solo career path. Luckily, Ron was not the type of guy to leave the band belly-up and chose to finish up touring through 2014.

All signs pointed that DJ was still fully invovled with GN'R, but when it came to choose between Sixx A.M. - who had two albums and a tour coming up in the wake of Crue ending - and Guns N' Roses - who had no definite plans following the final Las Vegas residency - DJ chose Sixx A.M. despite all his assurances that he "had Axl's back." He chose money - pure and simple. Any grandstanding he does that he stepped aside to let the old members back in remains him sucking up to the media; probably because he knows Axl would never set the record straight.

My guess would be the relationship between Axl and Slash started to thaw with the agreement to sign off on Appetite for Democracy, and things got even better when Perla (who everyone pretty much describes as a svengali) left the picture. As downzy said, when faced with the choice of hiring two brand new unknown guitarists (which would mean then having two of three guitar players who had NO relationship to Chinese Democracy-era music) or just calling it a day and getting back with Duff (who was already cool with Axl) and Slash (who seemed in a better place with Axl and has been so desperate to get back in the band that he would probably agree to just about any terms) Axl chose the easier and - frankly - more sensible option.

downzy:

Out of pure personal curiosity, what is the current relationship between Axl and DJ? Do they communicate at all? Does Axl feel betrayed and pissed at DJ the way he did when Izzy left the band in 1991 or Slash later down the road? Or is it more like Robin, where Axl is willing to just move down the line and, perhaps someday, meet up with DJ again? It seems like Axl and DJ got pretty close and DJ took over the "right hand man" function, so I cannot imagine Axl took his abandonment lightly. From what I've heard, Axl really dug Robin as a musician and friend, but Robin always kept a distance of sorts from the other band members so it was not as huge a blow when he jumped ship to Nine Inch Nails.

Great post.

As for your question, I have no idea. Like I said, I came into some information in July of last year that gave me a pretty good idea of what the game plan was for 2016. Obviously things have changed and my ability to get more information ended when all contacts stopped returning our questions. I completely understand the lack of communication considering the nature of what we now know was going on behind the scene with respect to Axl and Slash and a possible reunion. The last I heard was that DJ quit early to mid July and the news was met by Axl with disappointment and surprise. I have no idea whether they are still amicable or whether they still talk (I'd have a hard time believing they do, but again, that's just a guess). If I had to guess, DJ left for the reasons you stated and perhaps also felt as though his music contributions weren't be considered by Axl as much as DJ would have liked.

Alpachiris is the guy who runs that forum. I think he goes by GNRLA on here. They have very good ties with Bumblefoot over the years and always meet up with him when they go to South America.

I do not believe at all...that in 2 months they got this reunion set up, just counting the amount of time needed for the legal contracts and compromise to clear out of the way.

TB can say one thing today...and turn it around tomorrow...just like the Kimmel booking...."oh no no...it was not booked no no"

Well, why do you think the Kimmel booking fell through? Probably because there's still details that have yet to be confirmed. As Trunk argued in his blog post yesterday, they're likely still finalizing legal matters. Perhaps they were optimistic that everything would be sorted by Jan 5th to allow Axl to be a guest on Kimmel, but maybe it didn't pan out.

We also have members of the staff who have good ties and at no point did Ron tell any of them that he quit because he knew a reunion was going to happen.

I believe its been on for a while, the timing of Duff coming back the wheels where set in motion.

I don't disagree that there have been forces behind the reunion, but I firmly believe that Axl did not indulge in the idea until August of last year, or soon after he found out that he'd have to replace not one but two guitarists. Perhaps people associated with Slash and Duff were working towards this goal, but I don't think anyone with or in GNR was seriously considering it until this past summer.

Thanks man. Posters like you are the reason I continue to visit this forum. Your balanced and informed opinion are noticed and appreciated by many.

Everyone who I would trust at both this forum and other forums made it clear that Ron and DJ left entirely of their own desire, and were in no way doing it to "avoid the inevitable" or "make way for a GN'R reunion." Ron pissed and moaned about the lack of activity from Guns N' Roses since 2010, and really started ramping it up and bad mouthing the band's decision (i.e. playing private gigs) in 2012. In 2013, he flat out stated that if the situation forced him to choose between Guns N' Roses and his solo career, the solo career wins. Clearly, the lack of definite plans and the fact that Axl did not seem to want to work with Ron-penned songs drove him to choose the solo career path. Luckily, Ron was not the type of guy to leave the band belly-up and chose to finish up touring through 2014.

All signs pointed that DJ was still fully invovled with GN'R, but when it came to choose between Sixx A.M. - who had two albums and a tour coming up in the wake of Crue ending - and Guns N' Roses - who had no definite plans following the final Las Vegas residency - DJ chose Sixx A.M. despite all his assurances that he "had Axl's back." He chose money - pure and simple. Any grandstanding he does that he stepped aside to let the old members back in remains him sucking up to the media; probably because he knows Axl would never set the record straight.

My guess would be the relationship between Axl and Slash started to thaw with the agreement to sign off on Appetite for Democracy, and things got even better when Perla (who everyone pretty much describes as a svengali) left the picture. As downzy said, when faced with the choice of hiring two brand new unknown guitarists (which would mean then having two of three guitar players who had NO relationship to Chinese Democracy-era music) or just calling it a day and getting back with Duff (who was already cool with Axl) and Slash (who seemed in a better place with Axl and has been so desperate to get back in the band that he would probably agree to just about any terms) Axl chose the easier and - frankly - more sensible option.

downzy:

Out of pure personal curiosity, what is the current relationship between Axl and DJ? Do they communicate at all? Does Axl feel betrayed and pissed at DJ the way he did when Izzy left the band in 1991 or Slash later down the road? Or is it more like Robin, where Axl is willing to just move down the line and, perhaps someday, meet up with DJ again? It seems like Axl and DJ got pretty close and DJ took over the "right hand man" function, so I cannot imagine Axl took his abandonment lightly. From what I've heard, Axl really dug Robin as a musician and friend, but Robin always kept a distance of sorts from the other band members so it was not as huge a blow when he jumped ship to Nine Inch Nails.

They may have known depending on how long it's been in the works, but regardless I don't think it was the sole reason for them leaving.

This would be my best guess. I'm sure they were aware things were going down, particularly with Duff around. That being said, it seems they all had their own additional reasons for departing. Bumbelfoot made it clear for some time that he valued his solo career and he got to pursue that by making a solo record that almost no one listened to and starting a band taht the lead singer refused to commit to other than saying he was a hired hand.

Although DJ put a better face on it, I am sure he got frustrated by all of his songs not being used by Axl. Clearly, he values Sixx A.M. which has definite touring plans and two albums coming out.

I think Axl letting Slash rejoin Guns N' Roses speaks more than any official apology ever would. From the time he left on, all Axl ever said was that - outside of some key riffs- Slash contributed very little, manipulated the band, and refused to make any musical progress. Axl was quite open that he felt GN'R would reach new heights without Slash.

Now, almost two decades later, Axl spent every last ounce of good will he had with post-Slash lineups (and this is from someone who enjoyed "Nu-GNR"). When the replacements of the replacements (Bumbelfoot and DJ) said enough was enough, Axl had to resort to getting Slash and Duff back for hype. I am not saying the reunion will not kick ass, but do not think there any other reason put Slash back in this spot. Axl is a smart man. He knew that having whatever no-name guitarist take over for DJ (weren't rumors going around about some guy from Evanescence) would result in Guns N' Roses being a small step above a county fair act.

Knowing how Axl runs thins, I would not be surprised if Axl and Slash have yet to actually talk to each other in person.

Tommy is a man who speaks his mind when asked. In the last interview he gave, he sounded very at peace with his place in Guns N' Roses history and the idea of the band continuing on with Duff. If Tommy felt any anger or resentment over how his tenure with the band ended, he would have said something. As others have pointed out, it's not like he got a raw deal in any respect. As Brain mentioned in that interview a while back, members of the band got payed even during long stretches of inactivity; like 2003-2005. In many ways, I would not be surprised if the whole situation of Duff filling in for Tommy while he played with The Replacements was orchestrated to start his exit from GN'R.

For what it's worth, a good friend of mine worked at The Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta in 2014 when The Replacements played. He said Tommy was in VERY bad shape with his drinking problem. Long story short, I think he might have stepped down from the band to get his health and personal life in order.

Is that after the "Get in the Onion Ring" leg of the tour

A quick Google search revealed fans discussed this issue numerous types throughout the years. Apparently the majority of booklets list Izzy as the lead guitarist in the song, but a handful of CD copies and almost all the cassette copies list Slash as the lead guitar player on the song. Anyone who says the solo does not sound 100% like Slash just wants to hear what they want to hear. I say this confidently as someone who only possesses rudimentary knowledge of guitar.

Axl has not rehearsed with a band since the early 90s.

yeah really. I heard An interview with brain when he said the closest axl came to rehearsing was when he was watching the band rehearsal while sitting in the dark. notice usually when guns have began a new tour over the last several years axls first few shows suck all because he didn't rehearse.

I think the last time Axl was confirmed rehearsing with the band was in '06 when he went onto Trunk's radio show (what great memories!)

Axl/Guns N' Roses tweeted some pictures of Axl rehearsing in 2009 before the first shows in Asia and in 2012 when he was practicing for the first residency. I always assumed he was running through "There was a Time" and "Catcher in the Rye" since those were never played regularly until that residency.

"Soon is the word as in a week or so."

it was a message to stephanie seymour with whom we broke up with in february of 93. His gardener played guitar on the track.

What? Slash and Gilby aren't on there?

#BringBackBooy

How can something like that be exaggerated?

Axl has pulled a LOT of shit on his fans. 95% of it rolls off my back, but I completely understand how most people are angered by it.

Agreed. Ultimately, he only hurts his own show with this behavior. The last show I saw was Atlanta in 2011. Guns N' Roses did not take the stage until 11:00. I enjoyed the show immensely, but so many people got fed up from waiting between Buckcherry and GN'R that they just left. I heard a lot of "I'll never pay money for this again" on the way out. I worked at Live Nation at the time, so I knew that the show (which was at large arena) was already selling so miserably that the venue shut off the upper sections and re-routed ticket holders to the main level. The official excuse was "water damages" on the upper level. So, to begin with, the venue was (at best) 2/3 full. By the time the band got to "Live and Let Die" I'd estimate another 1/3 had left By the time "Paradise City" started the audience was pathetically thin.

AND THE CROWD GOES MILD!

Although it remains possible, I consider a Duff/Slash/Axl/Izzy reunion to be extremely unlikely. For me, this video most likely means Duff will work with Guns N' Roses in a meaningful way, which I think we all kind of saw happening.

Probably "Welcome to the Jungle." "Sweet Child O' Mine" is great, but I still consider it something of an anomaly in the Guns N' Roses discography.

I remember watching the show live on YouTube but my connection lagged so I didn't know they were playing Estranged for a minute or two.

Does anybody remember what Tommy said to Axl? Something along the lines of not seeing him for over a year.

There are moments where you can hear Tommy's comments to Axl. Although you cannot hear what Axl says, Tommy's responses make it seem like Axl realizes about how poor the performance is going and is pissed about it.

After "Patience" you hear Tommy say something like "It sounded good to me considering you haven't sang it in a year." Basically, it was Stinson trying to drag Axl through the show by assuring him it "really wasn't that bad."

I must be the only one that hated Matt's solos. He seemed all over the place. He's great for a groove but it's not like he was all that great.

This is probably the worst drum solo (by a professional) that I've ever heard.

Agreed. I always believed it was close to unanimously agreed Sorum's drum solo represented the worst of GN'R.

My thoughts as this video plays...

-Great to see Axl in plain clothing and smiling

-Holy shit,,,Pittman is actually doing something

-Axl struggling to get into the song at the beginning still sounds better than most of 2012-2014.

-Forgot how young and clean shaven Bumblefoot looked in late 2009/early 2010. He looks legitimately thrilled to be playing in the band.

-DJ Ashba still looks like an actual human being and not a Guitar Hero character. At this point, he was already sounding awful, but I was willing to give him a chance. Looking back, I really cannot tell when I started thinking he was a complete tool.

-From the handful of times they've played this song, I will admit DJ handles the first guitar solo fairly well.

-Background vocals sound ace.

-4:20 - 4:30 Axl at his finest

-What is being said by Axl (?) when Bumblefoot starts playing his guitar solo?