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Official London Canada Thread 1/25/10


Blaine_sixx

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Ontari-fuckin'-O!! Ready to bash it out!! I sucked on TWAT last night...wait...is that a bad thing?!! Floyd was cool. Met an army of Bach-Bierks. Baz's mom said he called her from my closet once bk in the day. Hmm...had 2 b either cops or when the girl was tied 2 the chair!! axl rose.-

Could you translate for me, seriously ?

What language do you speak?

He said he's ready to rock in Ontario.

He made an oral sex joke about the song TWAT.

He met Baz's family last night and Baz's mother said Baz once called her from Axl's closet, either because of cops looking for him or because he and Axl were apparently having group bondage sex with a girl at Axl's house.

Portuguese.

Now I get it, HUAFUFSA.

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London Free Press

Guns N' Roses blaze long into the JLC night

By JAMES REANEY,THE LONDON FREE PRESS

Every seven years or so, the frontman for Guns N Roses takes his sweet time about getting to the stage at the John Labatt Centre.

When he finally gets there, he works his Axl off.

At 2010s first big rock concert at the downtown London arena, Axl Rose and his Guns N Roses bandmates started with about an hour of Monday left and kept rocking for 80 minutes into Tuesday.

Recalling the bands epic show in the arenas early days, late in 2002, the U.S. rockers played a long show including their big hits Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City and Sweet Child OMine.

This time, they also found space for many songs from Chinese Democracy, the long-delayed album that finally emerged in 2008.

In terms of a review, a kaleidoscopic approach probably works best for a show like this one.

Sure, Guns N Roses were late to the stage and sure there was some filler as Monday blended into early Tuesday.

But any Rose that can keep running and shouting for that long and still remembers hes in London, Ontario when its time to say good night is always welcome back for more.

Who knows? Maybe there will be democracy in China by the next time Guns N Roses plays here.

One-two punch: Chinese Democracy to open and then Welcome to the Jungle over a squeal from Axl Rose: You know where you are? You in the jungle, baby. A political rocker and a menacing rocker. The new. The old. Back-to-back and the band three guitarists, two keyboards, bass and drums is on fire. Yeah, there is a lot of pyro to punctuate the riffs early on. But this band is hot.

Paradise City: This had to be the finale destination and about 1:20 Tuesday morning, it was. Axl was running so fast, his little fedora flew off. He still had some scream in the tank to finish. The three guitarists found different monitors or other elevations at the front of the stage. The confetti flew. The mic flew, in a safe, friendly, arc from Axl Roses hand to lucky fans at the far reach of the standing room main floor. Big voice, big arm. The huge light system descended like an enormous spaceship. A great song. A signature song. The song to end on.

Actually, here is how it ended: The band returned casually to the stage, joined by women in skimpy cocktail dresses with trays of drinks. Axl Rose took some drinks out to fans, said get out of here safely and thanked everybody nicely. Bumblefoot, one of the guitarists, made a joke we cant tell you here. Then, the lights went on and Frank Sinatras My Way serenaded the 6,000 fans as they exited. Thats a message song to end any evening.

Knockin on Heavens Door and Live and Let Die: Such covers in the Guns N Roses songbook. The Bob Dylan song is the nights biggest singalong with a reggae feel. It arrives late in the main set. The McCartney-Bond item is a cool bruiser, but theres a weird moment when the vocalist and the mic go their separate ways and the vocal doesnt fade a bit.

This time vs. last time (Nov. 30, 2002): Band hit the stage at 11 p.m. then and opened with Welcome to the Jungle. This time, it was 10:50 p.m. and Chinese Democracy was the opener. Axl Rose looked sleeker than in 2002 and has lost the ridiculous hair style. He moved around a lot then and doesnt seem to have lost a step when it comes to the spin moves, runs to the back of the stage, etc. His voice doesnt seem as bone-crunchingly dominant in 2010 as it did in 2002 . . . but he has come up with powerful whine that carries a lot of freight over a long night. Last time, he was in hockey jerseys including Team Canada and London Knights looks. This time, there were enough changes in coats, jackets, shirts and bandannas to compete with Cher in the most outfits during one concert category. Both times, he played too much piano.

Three guitarists, three spotlights: Richard Fortus put some metal to James Bond-styled themes and gets extra points for windmilling a la Pete Townshend and punching away at the chords all night. Ron Bumblefoot Thai played The Pink Panther Theme in his spot, cute but only that. He had some of the sweetest unplugged sounds and Bumblefoot also amazed on a fretless guitar. The weak link was the newbie, DJ Ashba. His instrumental spot was just ho-hum and he applause begged no end. Good tattoos, though.

The stage: Spectacular. Multi-runways. Many screens for showing imagery and the on-stage action. Huge, illuminated stair cases. Countless lights. A big deal and there is mucho pyro, fireworks and other dazzling effects.

Who is Chris Pitman? Keyboard player Dizzy Reed gets a solo piano feature clunky sounding Keith Jarrett or New Age ivories in a hockey rink and joins the main stage action a lot. Muscular drummer Frank Ferrer gets plenty of face time on the big screens with his T-shirt saying GREED. Bass player Tommy Stinson gets a mention from Axl Rose for saying hes getting a contact high up on stage. The three guitarists all have spots. So why does the keyboard player apparently called Chris Pitman receive none of the above . . . its a mystery all night.

Axlisms: Axl Roses pronouncements can be puzzling. In 2002, it was impossible to figure out what he was saying about Chinese Democracy, the album which was still six years from being released, or Chinas political system. This time, he talked here and there, sounding friendly or edgy as the occasion inspired him. Here is a little of what he said: Thats a question that cant be answered . . . Are you having a pleasant evening . . . Im glad we could help . . . the door only swings one way give, give, give . . . You know, its all about responsibility. You can mix your drinks, if you choose to deal with the consequences . . . (then talks about manageable hangovers and various drinks) . . . Im managing.

Roses interruptus: There is a lot of noodling between songs in a show this long and complicated. At least twice, Axl Rose shut down his bandmates, once when theyd been fooling around with a Van Halen song and another time when they were thumping away at a riff suggesting Guns N Roses, Guns N Roses.

The last word: "Did I say thank you?" Axl Rose asks as he leaves for the last time. Yes, you did and it was sweet.

.

Edited by Drakestar
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My review:

Before I review the show, I'd like you all to know a little bit about myself: I've traveled to more than 37 countries, I have been with a few very attractive women, I've skydived, I've performed in my own band for packed audiences, I've had some fun; but little compares to being front and centre at a Guns N' Roses concert when this band feels compelled to OWN every song. And that's what they did tonight in London, ON: they fuckin' owned it.

For me the night started late; you could say that I was on Axl time. My father's birthday was today so I didn't get a chance to leave Toronto till 8:10 due to dinner obligations. It's a two hour drive so I made it just in time to get a beer and find a good spot up front close to the stage. As a precaution I put my little Sony point and shoot camera in my sock thinking at the time it was overkill but it ended up saving me. To get into the venue I had to empty all my pockets, take off my bandana (which I only wear to GNR concerts), my jacket and get a full pat down. I thought I was screwed for sure but amazingly the dude never asked me to spread my legs and check my inseam where he would have felt my camera; he only patted down the outside of my legs.

Anyway, before the band took the stage the women of London put on a show, definitely giving the audience a needed distraction. These girls down here are freaks; God bless 'em. At one point it looked like the ones who put on a show (and I mean full show, as in tops off, bottoms down, and a complete display as to the type and colour of underwear) were going to get the boot from security. The crowd didn't seem to appreciate this and rightfully let security know how they felt about it. Thankfully the girls were allowed to stay.

So I believe the lights went out around 10:48; it's getting a little later every show but anything before 11:00 is still fine with me. Axl commented later on that he learned a lesson today about combining various kinds of liquor. I suppose he wasn't feeling too hot from a "fun" night after the Hamilton show. Perhaps explains the later start. Chinese Democracy was awesome and from the pit very well received. The crowd went nuts for Welcome to the Jungle. At this point of the show the pit started to get really rough; the guys to my immediate left started moshing and going crazy. Apparently one guy didn't appreciate such form of crowd support and let it be known all over some dude's head. The crowd dispersed a bit and created a pseudo ring which allowed these to "gents" to hammer into one another for 20 seconds before security climbed the rail and hauled both of these guys out. This created a great opportunity for me as I zipped closer to the front. I was now only five or six feet from the rail and I didn't even get to the stadium until 10:25!!!

It's So Easy and Mr. Brownstone were terrific tonight; no slip up by Axl this time around on Brownstone. His voice is really the best I've ever heard it. He's as good if not better than he sounds on the album. I would say he's completely shed his 2002 helium voice and found a perfect balance between rasp and tonality. He can get super raspy if he wants, but never sounds like a squawking pigeon like he tended to sound in 1991. I give Axl a lot of credit for working on his instrument 'cause it's definitely noticeable how much better he sounds this time around. November Rain was a perfect example of his vocal abilities. He really did sound a lot like he does in the recorded version.

Of the new songs, the best received and I'd argue best performed were Better and Shackler's Revenge. Shackler's was simply awesome; Axl was right in front of me through most of the choruses and you could tell he was just given'er. In fact, I could swear I could hear him even without the PA. Fortus was kicking ass; he yelled at us when he came up for his solo saying something about we "better fucking clap." Stinson would mostly stay in the middle of the stage, only a few times did he come up to rock out with Axl at the front. "Sorry" was interesting in that it's relatively played at the beginning of the show; I felt initially it took the air out of the venue but I get why they move it up in the set; there's still a lot of excitement and moving it back might slow things down a bit too much. The only real screw up that I could tell was the false start to Scraped. It sounded like they were going into something else and then it just stopped. Then the pre-recorded Axl vocal intro was played with Axl singing over top of it. For whatever reason Axl didn't feel like singing the first line "Don't you try to stop us now." Not a bad performance of the song, I enjoyed it, but perhaps the weakest moment in the show. [EDIT: I now see that they were jamming on TNT, but the way it was just killed sounded awkward and like someone fucked up].

Frank was much better tonight than last night, at least that was my impression. His drum fill in Madagascar, coming out of the guitar solo, was un-fucking-believable. Plus he didn't do the Guns N' Roses kick-drum chant too often tonight; I thought last night in Hamilton it got a little long in the tooth after the third time trying to start a chant.

If you want to argue that Fink is a better guitar player than DJ Ashba, fine, that's debatable. That said, DJ is such an improvement performance wise than Robin in every way. Thank you Axl for bringing this guy on board - you're only crime is that you didn't have him join the band much sooner. More than anyone else in the band, Axl included, DJ plays to the audience. This guy knows how to engage the people rocking out in front of him. Whereas Axl is an unbelievable performer, rarely did he look down into the pit and acknowledge those fist pumping or singing along. This wasn't the case with DJ who'd smile, point and finesse a response from whoever was in front of him. At one point I saw him beckon Fortus over to the front section and they started jamming together (though I forget what song). This guy has definite stage charisma that is very much appreciated from those rocking out in the pit. Moreover, his guitar solo, in my opinion, is the best of the three lead guitar players. It's so melodic and bluesy with a killer hook (I hope they turn this into a song) and the supporting cast really turns this into an epic instrumental piece. No one around me was complaining about another instrumental break. Hats off to you DJ; job well done.

As I mentioned in my update, Axl informed the crowd during Knockin' On Heaven's Door that his dog Dougie (named after his old manager) passed away today and dedicated the rest of the song to him. I think most people found it touching; it quieted up some of the douche bags around me. Sorry for your loss Axl, your performance of the song was definitely fitting with the dedication. Easily the best rendition I've seen the man give. I also like he's brought back the "heys" during the chorus, but he does it in an exaggerated way so it's new and yet at least acknowledges why a lot of people like his version.

After not seeing Patience last night in Hamilton, it was great to see it tonight in London. I'll tell you, watching Axl run and sing from one side to the other during the outro of Patience brings a smile to my face; it's so great and vintage Axl. It really felt like it was 1992 again and Axl was running marathons while performing. His demeanor was fantastic the whole night; he and the rest of the guys really looked like they were having fun. At the end of most songs Axl would usually have a big grin on his face and would at times bow in appreciation for the response. The encore was fantastic; This I Love has got to be the one song off the new album that blows all my expectations away as to how it would sound live. I'm a fan of the song, but it is a hundred times better live. Moreover, placing it in the encore just seems to fit.

This is the 12th concert I've seen of GNR since I first saw them in Detroit in 2002. The difference between this show and the first few I saw during their comeback tour is night and day. They don't take several minutes between each song like they use too; the instrumentals are at least interesting (was never a fan of Robin's, DJ's is a huge improvement); Axl's vocals are far better than what they were back then; this is the complete package. I'm a pretty reserved guy, but there I was, head-banging, double first pumping, and clapping all night to one of the best shows I've ever seen.

I have pictures and will try to post them soon. I was able to take some video of Axl passing out shots so hopefully I'll be able to upload that soon.

Thanks Axl, Ron, DJ, Frank, Tommy, Dizzy, Chris and Richard for a fantastic show. Good luck in Montreal and I'll see you in Toronto.

Can't wait!

Cheers,

Andrew

I generally don't read so long posts but I read yours entirely, great review, thanks a lot :thumbsup:

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When you say shots, do you mean like, shots of alcohol? lol what kind?

tequila, it looked like Axl followed his up with a lemon slice. classy.

That’s awesome…is it just the people up front on the floor that get them?

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My review:

Before I review the show, I'd like you all to know a little bit about myself: I've traveled to more than 37 countries, I have been with a few very attractive women, I've skydived, I've performed in my own band for packed audiences, I've had some fun; but little compares to being front and centre at a Guns N' Roses concert when this band feels compelled to OWN every song. And that's what they did tonight in London, ON: they fuckin' owned it.

For me the night started late; you could say that I was on Axl time. My father's birthday was today so I didn't get a chance to leave Toronto till 8:10 due to dinner obligations. It's a two hour drive so I made it just in time to get a beer and find a good spot up front close to the stage. As a precaution I put my little Sony point and shoot camera in my sock thinking at the time it was overkill but it ended up saving me. To get into the venue I had to empty all my pockets, take off my bandana (which I only wear to GNR concerts), my jacket and get a full pat down. I thought I was screwed for sure but amazingly the dude never asked me to spread my legs and check my inseam where he would have felt my camera; he only patted down the outside of my legs.

Anyway, before the band took the stage the women of London put on a show, definitely giving the audience a needed distraction. These girls down here are freaks; God bless 'em. At one point it looked like the ones who put on a show (and I mean full show, as in tops off, bottoms down, and a complete display as to the type and colour of underwear) were going to get the boot from security. The crowd didn't seem to appreciate this and rightfully let security know how they felt about it. Thankfully the girls were allowed to stay.

So I believe the lights went out around 10:48; it's getting a little later every show but anything before 11:00 is still fine with me. Axl commented later on that he learned a lesson today about combining various kinds of liquor. I suppose he wasn't feeling too hot from a "fun" night after the Hamilton show. Perhaps explains the later start. Chinese Democracy was awesome and from the pit very well received. The crowd went nuts for Welcome to the Jungle. At this point of the show the pit started to get really rough; the guys to my immediate left started moshing and going crazy. Apparently one guy didn't appreciate such form of crowd support and let it be known all over some dude's head. The crowd dispersed a bit and created a pseudo ring which allowed these to "gents" to hammer into one another for 20 seconds before security climbed the rail and hauled both of these guys out. This created a great opportunity for me as I zipped closer to the front. I was now only five or six feet from the rail and I didn't even get to the stadium until 10:25!!!

It's So Easy and Mr. Brownstone were terrific tonight; no slip up by Axl this time around on Brownstone. His voice is really the best I've ever heard it. He's as good if not better than he sounds on the album. I would say he's completely shed his 2002 helium voice and found a perfect balance between rasp and tonality. He can get super raspy if he wants, but never sounds like a squawking pigeon like he tended to sound in 1991. I give Axl a lot of credit for working on his instrument 'cause it's definitely noticeable how much better he sounds this time around. November Rain was a perfect example of his vocal abilities. He really did sound a lot like he does in the recorded version.

Of the new songs, the best received and I'd argue best performed were Better and Shackler's Revenge. Shackler's was simply awesome; Axl was right in front of me through most of the choruses and you could tell he was just given'er. In fact, I could swear I could hear him even without the PA. Fortus was kicking ass; he yelled at us when he came up for his solo saying something about we "better fucking clap." Stinson would mostly stay in the middle of the stage, only a few times did he come up to rock out with Axl at the front. "Sorry" was interesting in that it's relatively played at the beginning of the show; I felt initially it took the air out of the venue but I get why they move it up in the set; there's still a lot of excitement and moving it back might slow things down a bit too much. The only real screw up that I could tell was the false start to Scraped. It sounded like they were going into something else and then it just stopped. Then the pre-recorded Axl vocal intro was played with Axl singing over top of it. For whatever reason Axl didn't feel like singing the first line "Don't you try to stop us now." Not a bad performance of the song, I enjoyed it, but perhaps the weakest moment in the show. [EDIT: I now see that they were jamming on TNT, but the way it was just killed sounded awkward and like someone fucked up].

Frank was much better tonight than last night, at least that was my impression. His drum fill in Madagascar, coming out of the guitar solo, was un-fucking-believable. Plus he didn't do the Guns N' Roses kick-drum chant too often tonight; I thought last night in Hamilton it got a little long in the tooth after the third time trying to start a chant.

If you want to argue that Fink is a better guitar player than DJ Ashba, fine, that's debatable. That said, DJ is such an improvement performance wise than Robin in every way. Thank you Axl for bringing this guy on board - you're only crime is that you didn't have him join the band much sooner. More than anyone else in the band, Axl included, DJ plays to the audience. This guy knows how to engage the people rocking out in front of him. Whereas Axl is an unbelievable performer, rarely did he look down into the pit and acknowledge those fist pumping or singing along. This wasn't the case with DJ who'd smile, point and finesse a response from whoever was in front of him. At one point I saw him beckon Fortus over to the front section and they started jamming together (though I forget what song). This guy has definite stage charisma that is very much appreciated from those rocking out in the pit. Moreover, his guitar solo, in my opinion, is the best of the three lead guitar players. It's so melodic and bluesy with a killer hook (I hope they turn this into a song) and the supporting cast really turns this into an epic instrumental piece. No one around me was complaining about another instrumental break. Hats off to you DJ; job well done.

As I mentioned in my update, Axl informed the crowd during Knockin' On Heaven's Door that his dog Dougie (named after his old manager) passed away today and dedicated the rest of the song to him. I think most people found it touching; it quieted up some of the douche bags around me. Sorry for your loss Axl, your performance of the song was definitely fitting with the dedication. Easily the best rendition I've seen the man give. I also like he's brought back the "heys" during the chorus, but he does it in an exaggerated way so it's new and yet at least acknowledges why a lot of people like his version.

After not seeing Patience last night in Hamilton, it was great to see it tonight in London. I'll tell you, watching Axl run and sing from one side to the other during the outro of Patience brings a smile to my face; it's so great and vintage Axl. It really felt like it was 1992 again and Axl was running marathons while performing. His demeanor was fantastic the whole night; he and the rest of the guys really looked like they were having fun. At the end of most songs Axl would usually have a big grin on his face and would at times bow in appreciation for the response. The encore was fantastic; This I Love has got to be the one song off the new album that blows all my expectations away as to how it would sound live. I'm a fan of the song, but it is a hundred times better live. Moreover, placing it in the encore just seems to fit.

This is the 12th concert I've seen of GNR since I first saw them in Detroit in 2002. The difference between this show and the first few I saw during their comeback tour is night and day. They don't take several minutes between each song like they use too; the instrumentals are at least interesting (was never a fan of Robin's, DJ's is a huge improvement); Axl's vocals are far better than what they were back then; this is the complete package. I'm a pretty reserved guy, but there I was, head-banging, double first pumping, and clapping all night to one of the best shows I've ever seen.

I have pictures and will try to post them soon. I was able to take some video of Axl passing out shots so hopefully I'll be able to upload that soon.

Thanks Axl, Ron, DJ, Frank, Tommy, Dizzy, Chris and Richard for a fantastic show. Good luck in Montreal and I'll see you in Toronto.

Can't wait!

Cheers,

Andrew

I generally don't read so long posts but I read yours entirely, great review, thanks a lot :thumbsup:

Ditto! Thanks, Andrew! :)

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When you say shots, do you mean like, shots of alcohol? lol what kind?

tequila, it looked like Axl followed his up with a lemon slice. classy.

That’s awesome…is it just the people up front on the floor that get them?

he took two trips of about 3-4 shot glasses, handed them to 'security' people, who gave them to a few peeps on the rail.

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These threads are starting to depress me, when will they announce some dates in England!!!!!! I have still not seen this band live and it sucks!!!

I know EXACTLY how you feel !!! Don't worry our time will come this year -surely! :kiss:

Edited by juadlu
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Wondering if Axl is still in London?

I'd imagine that Axl, eventually, took his Magic Bus back to Toronto, after the London show. :thumbsup:

The hotel he's staying at is pretty posh. Considering the fur coat he likes to wear, I'm kind of thinking he prefers staying at posh places, as opposed to gutter-type, crackville hotels. :tongue2:

Axl does get to lead a pretty fucking comfortable life by the looks of things. rock3

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Wow. What a show. After years of supporting this band and what they've been trying to accomplish, I am extremely pleased to see that I was supporting one hell of a band.

I was near the right side of the stage and loved every single minute of it. I avoided setlists up until last night, and I'm glad I did, because I wasn't expecting Rocket Queen or If The World (both of which kicked some serious ass btw).

I don't know what else I can say that hasn't already been said by other forum members. It was an extremely special night for me, and my fiancée absolutely loved the fact that This I Love was played near the end. My favourite of the night was either Madagascar or November Rain. Madagascar, along with Civil War, were the songs that got me into Guns N' Roses way back when I was finishing high school. To be able to see at least one of those live is something I will always cherish.

Many, MANY thanks to Axl, Tommy, DJ, Ron, Chris, Dizzy, Frank, Richard and the entire GNR crew for making this happen. An experience I'll never forget.

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Wondering if Axl is still in London?

I'd imagine that Axl, eventually, took his Magic Bus back to Toronto, after the London show. :thumbsup:

The hotel he's staying at is pretty posh. Considering the fur coat he likes to wear, I'm kind of thinking he prefers staying at posh places, as opposed to gutter-type, crackville hotels. :tongue2:

Axl does get to lead a pretty fucking comfortable life by the looks of things. rock3

seen where jarmo said he was n montreal. i'd imagine axl is probably n montreal as well. im sure they will all b livin it up n montreal, gettn ready 4 axl's return there. What other kind of hotel would u imagine axl staying at? of course its gonna b posh, there rest of the band however? lol

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