Nick85

I think it's pretty obvious that the next Chinese Democracy album is right around the corner, probably with a coinciding U.S. tour.

Oh,wait, nevermind. That would actually be really great for the fans. God knows Axl's been doing his damndest to keep that at bay.

:

Woah!

So, where are people getting these from?

I wonder why the've still not gotten around to putting out the propper artwork/lyrics. Let's hope they're planning some "special edition" with some new tracks.

There was a collective groan from the audience as Del James pokes his head from behind some amps to tell the bassist from Danko Jones to keep playing. Now, Danko Jones weren't awful (they weren't anything special either), but the clock had just struck 9pm. This was the time Guns had arranged the starting time for Guns N' Roses, that was promised by the venue. And it's not lke the band wasn't around. Ashba had greeted the fans a mere two and half hours before, and could be seen waiting backstage to go on.

Following the Jones set, which started at 8pm (roughly), and lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes, DJ and Bumble could still be seen at the side of stage, both tapping their imaginary watches to the members of the crowd that noticed them. We then waited for well over another hour. And don't give me this shit about "that's how long the turn around takes", because that's a lie. They had everything ready in Belfast in close to 30 minutes. The sound of booing echoed through the arena, broken by the occasional Mexican wave. As the waiting went on, so did the booing, but it was suddenly drowned out as the lights went down. Axl was ready, apparently.

As Ashba played the opening riff of Chinese Democracy, and the band finally exploded on stage, much of the crowd was jumping and singing along, or at least head banging to the music. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. No more than two minutes into the song, Axl has some issue with his microphone pack, and was grounded in one place whilst a roadie desperately tried to fix it. I got the feeling he was rushed on stage. Perhaps his solid stance was an omen for the rest of the night. He ripped out his earpiece in ager, and stormed off.

There are still some boos by the end of the title track, but I got the impression it was still a notification that we weren't happy with the lateness. As Ashba tore into the legendary Welcome To The Jungle, the cheers were deafening. The wait may have been long, but it looked like we were about to see a hell of a show. Of course, before Axl even sings a word, he stops the song because a plastic cup or bottle was thrown on stage. Sure, whoever threw someone was a bit of a dick, but that's perfectly reasonable after making an audience that has paid pretty hefty prices to see your show, wait that length of time. This isn't South America, Axl's on his last legs here, he's already been slaughtered in the press for Reading/Leeds, he can't get away with this. It's just pure arrogance. He gives us the now catchphrase like warning, and jumps back into the song.

I can't quite remember exactly when this part happened, but there was a pretty long time in one of the opening tracks (I think it was Jungle, I haven't watched the video) were Axl was completely out of time with the band, throwing them and the crowd totally off. Axl gets pissed again, and storms off stage.

Predictably, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone and Sorry without fault, showcasing the bands talent and showing signs of a show as good as the one in Belfast the night before. But oh no... Axl introduces Richard Fortus, then suddenly says "Have a good evening", holds up an empty plastic bottle and storms off yet again, this time what looked like for good. Funny that the bottle was thrown at Fortus (I don't think it hit him, I'm not sure), who seemed happy enough to keeping on rocking into the James Bond theme, but Axl decided enough was enough. I got a very strong sense that he'd been looking for an excuse to stop the show and leave. Some woman comes out, talks about technical difficulties, I couldn't really hear her from where I was. It was pretty much inaudible.

The boos and "what the fuck"s are taking over the arena, broken by loud chants of "We want Slash!" I should note, this was certainly not a dig at Ashba, who impressed a load of people so far, even at this early stage. Everyone I talked to found it hard to take their eye off him, he was great. The lights are still down, but there's a collective feeling in the atmosphere "They're not coming back." After another ten minutes, the promoter comes out on stage and apologises, promising us a good show and telling us not to throw things. Soon after this, the lights come up, and a load of people simply leave the show, and go to collect their refund. Even more left when a surge to the barrier in an attempt to storm the stage resulted in a mini-riot/fight between security and angry fans broke out, leaving many pretty bloody. I noticed a security guard knocking the shit into some random fan, and the security guard was actually held back and thrown out by other security guards.

About thirty/forty minutes after the leaving the stage, the lights go down again. I've no idea what was said backstage, but from what followed, I got the impression the band had heavy words with Axl, and he was told that he would not be paid if he didn't finish the show. I'm not sure the band and Axl have made eye contact since, and we respected the Guns for it. One man who had lost the entire audience, was W. Axl Rose. The guys came back out, it's about 11.30pm now (roughly), and they kick into Live & Let Die. The band looks pumped, ready to give the show the crowd deserves. Why should the show be ruined for everyone else because of some drunk prick? He should've been kicked out, and that's that. That's what gives me even more backing in my theory that Axl was looking for an excuse. If it was a glass bottle, I could understand, but anyway... on with the show. Axl picks his spot in the middle of the stand, leaning against the frame for most of the show from then on (Better at Download 2006). From this point on, they increased the volume of the guitars, and it felt like a unity was established of crowd and music once again. Tommy came and said something, I don't remember it much. He just mentioned the show in 2006 and said not to let them down or something... Throughout the show, some of the biggest cheers I heard from where I was was the various solo spots. They rocked, and the fans from where I was were really into them. Again, it seems a unity was established of "Fuck Axl", and the crowd and the band went on.

Two men stole this show. Ashba and Bumblefoot. To be fair, the entire band was fantastic, and what started as The Axl Show turned into the Better Off Without Axl Show. It really made Axl appear the weak link, and that he is holding the rest of them back from writing some killer music themselves. The "Hired Guns" looked and sounded like a tight and kick-ass rock and roll band, putting on a hell of a show. To anyone who says "This isn't a band", yes, you're right, but that's down to one, Axl Rose. These other guys fucking rocked the crowd.

Despite everything from intros/solos/singalongs being cut short (Axl whistling to the band like dogs when he decided to play November Rain as they were doing Another Brick In The Wall Intro/Axl cutting the Paradise City and possibly Nightrain solos short/Cancelling the Knockin' On Heaven's Door singalong) to Axl's cardboard cut-out stance, it was a fantastic night. I got the Guns N' Roses experience. That said, had I not seen the Belfast show the night before, I might not feel that way. I was extremely impressed by the band, and it's interesting to wonder what could come of them with a different frontman. It's funny, I said to my friend "I'll be happy if there's at least one difference between this show and the Belfast one". They couldn't have been more different. The contrast from Axl winning over a crowd of 14,000 with his world-class performance in Belfast, to leaning on the stage for two hours only 24 hours later. And speaking of that, 24 hours earlier at the Belfast show, Axl was hit with a backpack which he put on, smiled and laughed with the crowd during Knockin' On Heaven's Door. It was an experience I wouldn't change at all. It was memorable to say the least.

Guns rocked Dublin last night, but we could've done without the Rose.

Yeesh. Sounds like a rough night for the fans. Hope you got some fun out of it...

You mean the album that probably isn't finished?

Unless you believe the "Insiders."

lolololololol

Common, we all know it is finished, as finished as all of the demos we have found before.

Right, but "finished" is a word that should be used very loosely when it comes to GNR. Keep in mind, the demos we heard over the years were pretty much what we got on the album, save for the constant small additions and tinkering with the sounds, which ended up taking a good 4 years before Axl was happy with where they were at.

That said, I'm sure there's plenty of songs that are more or less ready to go that we would deem "finished", but until Axl truly believes that himself, they might as well not even exist.

Crazy, but that's the way it is.

If it was up to Axl, we probably still wouldn't have CD right now. Anyone who thinks that CD 2 is coming anytime soon is very naive. Without someone to strong arm a release like Azoff did, it could be a long while before we get anything.

I don't think that's accurate, Axl released the album when he was happy with it. Azoff strong arming anyone other than the record company, simply didn't happen.

Agreed. I think there's a lot of truth to what you're saying about needing someone like Azoff to "strong arm" a release for the second CD, in the same way that the first one was.

I also think that Axl, and I could be wrong, has not mastered these tracks to the point where he'd be okay with releasing them yet. This is also a concern that could keep CD2 in limbo for a long time to come...

He can't do that, Universal paid for those recordings and have guns under contract.

Then why aren't they trying even a little to put it out?

We have no idea what negotiations are or aren't been worked on regarding the rest of the material, the focus right now is the tour, but I'm certain there's at least been talk.

I certainly would hope that as soon as the current leg of the tour is over, that's where their concentration will lie. Both Richard, Brain, and even Baz's favorite tracks are ones they've stated we havent heard yet.

As always, it's impossible to know what Axl's plans are, but God do I hope these are made available soon.

He can't do that, Universal paid for those recordings and have guns under contract.

Then why aren't they trying even a little to put it out?

If the label and lack of real management are what's really keeping Axl from releasing the rest of the Chinese Democracy tracks, why doesn't he just make them available for download on GNR's site, or their Myspace & Facebook ala NIN & Smashing Pumpkins?

I mean c'mon. These songs are just collecting dust now, and the fans still can't stop talking about them. Why not throw us a bone, and make some of them available?

Not to mention the fact that *not* figuring out how to put out CD2 is probably going to keep the current lineup from ever entering a studio.

Who's Slash?

the past.

Keep in mind that if it weren't for Slash aka "the past" you wouldn't be here, and a lot of you dorks who down the original lineup would have a lot more time on your hands.

I think Ron's just trying to stay positive, and more power to him.

My guess is that he'll split once he realizes that Axl has zero intentions of recording a new album in 2011. He said it himself that he's "itching" to record with the current lineup.

Has anyone at all pondered a promoter agreeing to book a band that has an extensive (20+ years) history of going on stage late,in a headlining spot at an upcoming festival.THEN announcing several days in advance that if they go on stage late he's going to pull the plug on their set?

-jesus!

I think the real question is will a promoter ever do it again. Nice job, Axl.

Been reading that statement for years..

So has everybody. Its why he's a pariah in his own home country and can't tour there.

Spectacular.

Yes,GnR can't tour the USA ever ever again because of tardiness issues!

That and the lack of interest in his constantly changing cover band, yes.

Has anyone at all pondered a promoter agreeing to book a band that has an extensive (20+ years) history of going on stage late,in a headlining spot at an upcoming festival.THEN announcing several days in advance that if they go on stage late he's going to pull the plug on their set?

-jesus!

I think the real question is will a promoter ever do it again. Nice job, Axl.

Been reading that statement for years..

So has everybody. Its why he's a pariah in his own home country and can't tour there.

Spectacular.

Exactly. What a badass.

I hate curfew restrictions, drinking restrictions, smoking laws, drug laws, and all other restrictions of freedom that governments and corporations have pushed on us. Axl is the antithesis of all that bullshit and I'm glad he's still out there representing the immoral majority. I hope Leeds is burned to the ground if they don't let Axl play there after the sit down protest.

I hate irresponsible assholes who can't act like a professional, or in his case, even as a grown up.

This is no day to praise Axl Rose.

This really is the only sensible way to look at what's happened today. This behavior is nothing for fans to be proud of.

I honest to God cannot see why people think it would be really cool and 'rock-star-like' for Axl to pitch up late.

I just do not understand where the logic is in that. Nothing positive whatsoever can come from him taking the stage a short time before the curfew. It's not 'cool', it's not 'bad-ass', it's just piss-poor showmanship. The only thing it will achieve, is denying the fans (like myself) who have paid their money to see a band at a festival, the chance to see a full headline set, and more than likely jeopardise the future of this great festival.

All the idiots in cloud-cuckoo-land who think that the only possible reason people may have bought a ticket is to see GN'R need their heads examined. This is the UK's most renowned and well known rock festival, with a plethora of stages and bands to see. Given that there are going to be another 4/5 bands playing at the same time, they'll probably have about a 60% share of the audience. I appreciate they are the headliner, but you buy a 'Reading Festival' ticket, not a 'Guns N' Roses with 3 days worth of support bands' ticket. Not everyone will be there to watch GN'R.

Even worse in some respects, is that people will choose to see Guns over another band, and there's the possibility that they could easily have watched the other band's whole set, long before Axl decides to set foot on the stage.

Bear in mind also, that every other band on the planet manages to get themselves on stage on time. And in the grand scheme of things, the people with closed minds that lurk on fan forums and worship Axl's every move think that it would be a really good statement to come on stage two hours late, will make up a startlingly small proportion of the crowd. Almost everyone else in attendance will think it unprofessional and discourteous to arrive any later than is reasonably acceptable - by that I mean 15-20 minutes, given the inevitable complications involved with a festival stage turnaround. After all, since he is a professional musician, and he is being paid to be there, he is technically at work. If anyone else in the real world were to turn up to work 2 hours late, not do what they were paid to do, and then give the excuse "I just didn't feel like it", we'd be fired on the spot. I do not understand why people think this is acceptable, let alone applaud it, when this sort of behaviour is prepetrated by a rock singer.

He's being paid to sing at a predetermined time, the promoter has read him the riot act to say that they won't take any of his crap, and I for one applaud Melvin Benn for that.

End of rant!!

Agree completely. Nice to see a sensible post for a change.

How anyone can read Tommy's statement and still *not* think that Axl made that tweet is beyond me.

I hope Ron understands that the fan who reprinted his e-mail wasn't trying to stir shit - the user even PM'd me asking to have the post(s) removed after realizing that it might not be best to make it public. He was just trying to clear up why Bumble was upset the other day.

I don't know if Ron reads these topics or relies on secondhand accounts from people on his own forum but I hope someone lets him know that the guy who posted his email wasn't trying to insult him.

I posted it at HTGTH, it was immediately deleted. Minutes later, Ron made his comments. That said, I think it's obvious who tipped him off, and how it was spun....

Good for Ron.

Glad to see that at least someone in this lineup gives a shit about the fans.

LOL at everyone who honestly believes this wasn't Axl throwing a tantrum.

Azoff sabotaged the website.

This is pretty funny, but also scary since it was so dead on...

Don't worry my fellow U.S. fans. At least we have the next album to look forward to! Oh wait...

This is great news IMO. I love the "It'll come out. It's too good!!" quote about the next album. Let's pray Axl feels the same.

COUGH::november::COUGH

He wont. He's going to view this as "control" and say no. Meanwhile, Slash,Duff,Steven and possibly Izzy will accept the award and take the credit. Axl will probably go into hiding from all the "emotional distress" and we'll have another 2 years of black out before another CD tour with no new music.

Ouch.

Sad thing is, that's probably exactly what's going to happen.

What's inconceivable to me is that according to Merck, Axl only needed two days worth of work to finish Chinese Democracy in '06...but the inspiration to do it never came.

We could be waiting awhile.

Merck's letter, while eye-opening, was nothing more than a backhanded way to get fans to think that Axl was crazy and he was blameless. Creativity isn't something you can force on someone just to meet a deadline, so I can't really blame Axl there...

I do agree that if this approach is taken again towards CD II we could still be waiting a good bit longer for it.

While we're in this ballpark, I'd like to mention that it's uncool and a social faux pas to post people's personal PMs to you, and to share them with Manets as well, I'm sure Beta didn't appreciate that,and don't play innocent,

I've got the PM that was posted openly, in another place, Are you that carniverously hungry to spread and obtain information about a CD release?

Some of you guys are a pack of backstabbing hyenas.

Settle down you self-righteous idiot. If the band, Axl, or literally anyone updated the fans on what's going on, they wouldnt have to worry about PMs from a message board getting released months after the fact.

And you know, for a person who hates that forum and its members so much, you sure spend a lot of time there.

I would name it Put Me Out In 2010 While People Still Care And Before Bumblefoot Rerecords all of Bucketheads Good Parts. That would rock.