Gnrcane

The next show is scheduled for Tuesday. It won't take the CIA to figure out if they are setting up for it. I'm sure people have friends on the local crew and will report when their shifts are cancelled. The build out would start by tomorrow night. If it was strained or tired vocal chords I'd assume the doctors would have a pretty good idea how long he'd have to rest his voice and rehab it before he can perform again. I think that the fact that there hasn't been a postponement of multiple shows means that it is more likely an illness that is causing issues with his voice and that's why they don't know when he'll be able to perform again. Also, we are all assuming the ill member is Axl. It could just as easily be Slash who has a history of more health problems than Axl.

If it was an issue as big as some on here are speculating I would think they would have already postponed more shows to save the money on the build out of the venues.

I think if Frank, Richard, Dizzy or Melissa were sick and couldn't perform they'd have somebody fill in and just not play songs that the fill in was not capable of doing. A couple of years ago Aerosmith had Joey Kramer's drum tech fill in after his car accident (or whatever kind of accident it was).

It has to be something where the ill band member is too sick to perform but it doesn't have to be (and hopefully isn't) an actual serious illness. If Axl has a really bad sore throat he can't sing if it's something that hurts to talk. I've had really bad colds or the flu that have sapped all of my energy and I couldn't do much more than sleep for 2 or 3 days straight. If I was a performer, I can't imagine getting myself into a state where I could put on a show. It could even be a bad ear infection that prevents a band member from being able to fly. Who knows but we don't need to jump to conclusions that it is something potentially life threatening because the they are in their late 50s to early 60s and have to cancel a show. It's possible that they still use pointless COVID protocols and somebody wasn't that ill but tested positive and now has to test negative before they can resume being around the rest of the band.

I think (as somebody who has attended 4 shows since 2016) that the less desirable sounding parts of Axl's voice don't stand out as much in person due to the mix and volume. I think the cell phone recordings "pick out" the vocals more in the audio processing and highlights the flaws but the flaws exist live. If you specifically focus on the lead vocals live you will notice it. If you just get absorbed in the show and the overall sound then it doesn't stand out. During parts of songs with quiet instrumentals the same vocal is definitely present live.

The rasp sometimes appears briefly in selected songs.

100%. Although Axl can't sing like he used to, especially live, I'm not going to a GNR show to hear pitch perfect vocals. Going to see a rock band isn't like going to see Celine Dione or Pavaratti. It's about the attitude more than the vocal perfection. Freddie Mercury was probably the best "singer" to front a rock band and even he wasn't perfect live. He sometimes did songs in a lower key than the recording and got a lot of backing vocal help from Roger Taylor especially. To expect Axl at 61 to sound like Axl at 28 is unrealistic. He wasn't a perfect singer back then so he certainly won't be 3 decades later.

I guess that would settle any discussion about whether the vocals are new or old. If they were from anytime recent he wouldn't have to figure out how to sing it.

If I want to see the lead singer on piano all night I'll go see Billy Joel.

Why does it seem Axl has switched to the handheld train horn vs. the full sized one mounted on the stage? Did somebody sue them like the stupid b that ruined the mic toss?

Maybe so they can say they played stuff from the alt setlist!

Maybe they can cover "barbie girl" with Melissa on lead vocals later this summer! Axl can handle the male vocals.

Great review! I wouldn't bet on the last 9 words your wrote, unfortunately.

I don't know what band you are dreaming of but certainly that kind of common sense will never happen from GNR.

I just flipped the stream on half way through Civil War and noticed in YCBM he was using half a mic stand. Is he doing a Freddie Mercury tribute due to being in the UK?

It's like two mirrors facing each other!

Maybe he tires his voice when he does the intro, "Do you know where the fuck you are, you're in XXXX baby, you're going to die" scream and it doesn't recover enough by the first line.

Do you mean the opening line in the song?

The question is what is the number that would get them to play a private show for Putin?

It could have been a joke as well. I'd have to hear the context and tone of voice.

How about they use AI to animate a hologram of Axl circa 1987 projected on a scrim at the front of the stage to go along with AI vocals for concerts? That technique works pretty well in theme park rides.

Actually it has no logic then or now. If you have normal lung function, breathing oxygen doesn't oxygenate your blood any more then breathing regular air.

Thankfully AGI is at least decades off from being possible. Current level AI also has many negative consequences and is something civilization needs to consider putting limits on. There are some good applications like using AI to replace human security bag screeners and guards watching video monitors. I have no doubt AI will be much more effective at identifying threats.

Since the Mexico show last March, has there been any sighting of Axl? If not, I wonder what his appearance will be like in July when this tour starts. Will he look the same as pre-COVID, look like sasquatch with a beard growing for over a year and no hair cut or did he spend quarantine with a virtual personal trainer and will be ripped and in great shape?