Where do I start?
Damn it was hot, I don’t think it was this hot at any of the previous shows I have attended, there were aprox. 36 degrees Celsius. I went with my friends but I somehow managed to join the early entry group ( the person checking the tickets wasnt really paying attention to what my ticket actually was ) and I got into the venue two hours earlier, heard soundcheck, bought some merch and dipped cause I couldn’t let my friends alone. So back to the normal GC queue, we stood in the blazin sun for about an hour and the moment they gave us the greenlight i sprinted so hard I was actually the first person to reach the entrance but the ticket wouldnt scan (not my fault but the scanning machine’s) so I just told the guy there “Let me the fuck in, your thing is not working” and just walked by without getting anything scanned, ran to the rail and got in the second row on Slash’s side. Many people fainted around me while waiting the 4 hours until they got on, there could’ve been some fans or something to blow on the fans cause it was unbearable.
They were 40 minutes late and I was afraid it would mean a shortened set but luckily there was no curfew, I think they went late on purpose so the heat would go away a bit knowing they could still perform the whole set. The anticipiation grew bigger and bigger until the intro started playing and I got goosebumbs.
The crowd around me wasnt the best but certainly wasnt the worst I’ve seen, the first few songs the energy was really high. Axl seemed really happy, was always laughing and telling jokes to the crew in the inner mic. When I saw this I knew it will be a great show. Slash was also very goofy and did all kinds of silly poses and dances to the crowd, which he didnt do at the previous shows I’ve been to.
The mix was ok-ish, there were some times I couldnt hear Slash properly but that was about it.
The tempo of WTTJ kinda ruined the hype around the song, it is too slow. The highlights for me were You Could Be Mine, Nightrain, Dont Cry and of course Locomotive! Hard Skool was ruined by some idiot trying to get in front that I had to fight off. Was nice to see SOYL again. Civil War got a nice reaction since many Ukrainians came as refugees in Romania.
Axl almost dropped his mic again, but he recovered fast, also Slash spat off the stage before his RQ solo and it landed on a security guard.
The set was pretty standard, Sorry was a nice addition and Axl sounded good on it, but then came the encore, and I thought all I was getting was Wichita Lineman and PC but them BOOM, Axl said they were gonna “double down on their train fetish” and the intro to Locomotive was played. I was in awe, it was a song, along TWAT, I always wished to see live ever since 2019 when they brought it back. Axl sang in his lower tone and it sounded sooo good. It really was the best iteration with the reunion lineup, it was just incredible. Well except when Axl randomly decided the 4th verse should be sang high again and we just couldnt hear him, it was such a big difference between the other verses and the 4th that people around me literally thought his mic cut off. It wasn’t the mix’s fault, Axl’s voice just completely dissapeared there. Don’t Cry should be a staple, maybe I’m subjective as it is my favourite song but it is just so beautiful live, I actually cried.
Overall, another beautiful concert, a really nice encore, if you haven’t seen them yet on this tour or if you are on the verge, you HAVE to go, don’t miss it. I’m already thinking about going to Athens, probably won’t happen but I need something to be looking forward to, I was so excited for this gig and now that it’s over I feel a sense of emptiness. Only this band can make me feel so happy and so sad in such a short time! I need to see them again soon.
Yeah I'm sure that's what she'll do
