Guns N' Roses - o2 Dublin September 1st

[makane]

Del James speaks out on the late starts:

I've read a few reviews where the reviewer says something along the lines of 'the band came on late but the show was great.' WHOA, WAIT A MINUTE -- who decides what late is? ... This is supposed to be an all night party. When the f*ck did rock n' roll -- and the last time I checked rock music was supposed to be a non-conformist, rebellious, art form -- get a Flavor Flav-sized time clock wrapped around its neck like a hangman's noose? Rebellion and punctuality do not go hand in hand and for those of you too young to remember, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin rarely went on before midnight in their hey day.

Here's a little insight for you -- a rock band has to do certain things in order to be prepared to hit the stage. It's a lot like a sports team warming up before hitting the field. Axl has to do his vocal warm ups or else he will blow his voice out. ... Some of the band members need chiropractic adjustments or massage therapy. Others need to warm up on their instruments. The list is endless and every night something unexpected always occurs. There's a lot more to it than showing up, grabbing an instrument, and walking onstage. No one is interested in wasting your time or keeping you waiting, but the band goes on when it is 100 percent ready to go on and give it all that they have for that evening and not one minute before. The show starts when the band hits the stage and ends when the final encore is over.

If, back in the day, Thin Lizzy or Humble Pie or Queen came on at whatever time and gave me two hours of blistering "rawk" like GN'R does every night that would have been a magical evening. A rock concert is supposed to be a celebration where for a few hours people can escape from the pressure of everyday life. Jobs and taxes and homework and traffic are all still going to be there when the show ends so what's the hurry? I mean, GN'R ain't some play by the rules, shake hands and kiss babies for public approval type band. It's Guns N' F*ckin' Roses so please feel free to raise your middle finger with GN'R because Axl, [etc.] will always stand defiant against conformity while doing their best to thoroughly kick every audience's ass. As Axl says onstage from time to time, "This isn't McDonald's or Burger King - it isn't 'Have it your way.'" Anyone who doesn't get that should really just stay the hell home. I've noticed that during our first week on tour, there's a lot of pissing and moaning on the Internet by people who aren't even at the shows. This vocal minority are not what I consider real GN'R fans. They are obsessive pests (go ahead and flame) in need of a real outlet other than GN'R chat rooms and posting on fan sites because the real fans are at the shows having fun. When someone overanalyzes something as ... what Axl says to the audience, the set list from one show to the next, or the tuning of Bumblefoot's fretless guitar, it's time to get a life. Disconnect from the Internet and reconnect with the real world.

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2204353241&topic=1714

Ouch, Del James has lost touch with reality. It's like hes angry at the fans for them being late.

Also maybe someone should tell the band theyre supposed to start warming before and not after the time they're supposed to be PLAYING, oh bu they are rebellious, they start warming up their instruments late! rocknroll, HELLOO CLEVELAAND.

Oh and btw. I heard there was some "piss and moaning" at your last concert as well. have a nice day.

Edited September 2, 2010 by makane

[Sunn]

It is being reported that Irish Phantom rock radio 105.2 is being inundated with texts this morning of people who were pissed at the show last night that it wasn't the original line-up performing.

I would say where have they been all this time, but it is also consistent with a crowd that also apparently didn't know Axl goes on so late so they were pissed off.

Is it possible that we dramatically over estimate just how much the casual fan really knows about GNR?

Lol, yes, yes you all dramatically over-estimate how much the casual fan really knows about GNR.

[Mastodonny]

I am impressed that Del could type that and keep Axl's dick in his hands at the same time.

He says that this is GnR and they are rebels and badasses, etc. Once again this is living in the past. What have these guys in GnR today done that is so rebellious? Ashba's guyliner, ooohh how rebellious. A foot shaped guitar? Back in the day, all five guys were capable of bringing elements of danger and unpredictability to the show. The same can not be said today.

[jacdaniel]

Del James is SO funny talking about how its "Rock n Roll" to be late or turn up whenever they feel like it... then they need to get massages before going on stage!

I am impressed that Del could type that and keep Axl's dick in his hands at the same time.

He says that this is GnR and they are rebels and badasses, etc. Once again this is living in the past. What have these guys in GnR today done that is so rebellious? Ashba's guyliner, ooohh how rebellious. A foot shaped guitar? Back in the day, all five guys were capable of bringing elements of danger and unpredictability to the show. The same can not be said today.

I used to love that GNR were unpredictable but thats no longer the case. Its actually too predictable for me now.

They turn up late, fans are unhappy and some stupidly throw bottles, Axl threatens to leave......... sometimes does.

Axl then tweets and blames the fan's or the promoters or management... its a joke.

I know this band has its haters...but Axl is playing into their hands by leaving.

[Orsys]

I am impressed that Del could type that and keep Axl's dick in his hands at the same time.

And what is with this stuff, they 'restrained' Axl from leaving the venue? How does one exactly go about restraining Axl Rose? That would have been worth the price of admission right there!

[D..]

I see what Del James is trying to say, I think more or so the same, but the massage comment made me laugh hahaha. Anyway, this guy tours with the band backstage so he knows a little more than you what's going on and he gives his insight here. If you're pissed off about GNR hitting the stage late, just don't attend the shows.

[axldavies]

First of all, if anyone does not know that Slash is not in Guns N' Roses, then they wouldn't care enough about Slash or GNR to give a fuck who's up there.

As for Del's thing, if anyone needs to re-connect with the real world it unfortunately seems to be Del. You're making your audience stand in a sweaty arena for hours, making them stay up when they've got work the next morning, and seriously hampering their ability to get home. Meanwhile the people in the fancy dressing rooms, getting massages and a tour bus out of there afterwards are telling them they aren't rock n' roll because they won't stand there and take it.

I love this band, and thankfully the show on this tour I saw them at was amazing. Seriously though, if they continue to go on stage at all hours then there's no defending them. Sorry, but it's true.

People genuinely want to like you, stop making it so hard for them.

Edited September 2, 2010 by axldavies

[Mastodonny]

Am I the only one that finds it ironic that Axl is applauded by some on here for following through with his threat to leave if the throwing didn't stop but yet the Reading promoter was crucified on here for following through with his threat to pull the plug if tardiness/curfew became an issue????

[appetite for illusions]

"O2 crowds have been noted for their no-nonsense approach in the past when they booed Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam) off stage for playing new songs and bringing on guest singers. Ronan Keating had to be brought in to calm things dow"

Kinda says alot

[Guest]

Am I the only one that finds it ironic that Axl is applauded by some on here for following through with his threat to leave if the throwing didn't stop but yet the Reading promoter was crucified on here for following through with his threat to pull the plug if tardiness/curfew became an issue????

Funny that eh. Throwing the bottles and getting pissed; fair enough. Especially with whatever the fuck was in them - you just don't know. But leaving after three songs - you eject those who threw the shit and get on with the fucking show, rather than storming off.

Better sure as hell not do that in Adelaide.

[axl666]

Am I the only one that finds it ironic that Axl is applauded by some on here for following through with his threat to leave if the throwing didn't stop but yet the Reading promoter was crucified on here for following through with his threat to pull the plug if tardiness/curfew became an issue????

Also people are condemning the guy in the audience (who I really, really hate for triggering everything)

for throwing something at Axl when during chinese democracy Axl threw something pretty hard at

one of the roadies. Everyone saw it.

[makane]

Am I the only one that finds it ironic that Axl is applauded by some on here for following through with his threat to leave if the throwing didn't stop but yet the Reading promoter was crucified on here for following through with his threat to pull the plug if tardiness/curfew became an issue????

You don't get it.

That promoter is rebellious, hes rocknroll, hes edgy, he doesnt give a fuck, he just cuts the power when the fuck ever he wants. If you don't like that then don't attend shows where hes in charge of the power.

[Guest]

Also people are condemning the guy in the audience (who I really, really hate for triggering everything)

for throwing something at Axl when during chinese democracy Axl threw something pretty hard at

one of the roadies. Everyone saw it.

Yeah but was that pointed out or even that well-known? In a way you can't be a hypocrite for that.

[Young_Gun]

None of this would have happened if he had not made an ultimatum to an increasingly angry and drunk audience. Someone was bound to

break it. He should have just said can you please stop throwing things, thanks, or tried to pick out the person who was throwing things.

It was not good to punish whole crowd for one drunken guy's mistake. He squandered all the good will that he had even up to half ten,

when he came on late.

ok then thank you stop blaming Axl as it was clearly a security issue... it is not Axl's responsibility to pick people out

Agreed. Since when is it any band's responsibility to act as their own security guards??!

I just can't believe the amount of negativity on this board, especially towards Axl. Losers throw bottles at him (plastic or otherwise) and it's HIS fault. He hits the stage when he's ready - and when he goes on doesn't just depend on him! - and everyone's throwing a kindergarten hissy fit cause he didn't cater his showtime to perfectly meet each and every concert goers' needs. It's a ROCK CONCERT people, not a bedtime story. And no one turns into a fuckin' pumpkin or however that fairy tale goes if they're not home and snuggled up in bed by midnite. Can some of you just grow the fuck up?

I swear you are the most biased pro-Axl member on this board, whenever a negative comment is said you are always there to defend your precious Axl. That kind of behavior is downright scary, not to mention creepy.

No one likes waiting for their favorite band to rock up on stage. When Guns played in Melbourne in 2007 they showed up at 12, yes 12am and finished at 2am. You can say "oh but the fans should know Guns show up late" and thats fine, but Axl should expect some angry fans and emptier arenas. Im not justifying the bottle throwing, its not something i would do, but i can surely understand that fans would be less then impressed. Maybe Axl will learn some discipline and common decency to paying fans when he is playing for 3000 people instead of the 8000 he gets now? That would surely be justified as people are sick of his late shit.

Im not condoning the bottle throwing, but im not condoning the lateness of the shows either. An hour and a half is a long time to wait between bands, the energy that the front band generated would be long gone. When i saw Megadeth and Slayer there was probably 30 minutes in between them, thats perfectly acceptable, not 1.5 fucken hours...

Im certainly reconsidering going to see Guns when they come down to Australia at the end of the year in fear of Axl walking off because of a bottle thrown, that would be a huge downer...

[Salman Rushdie]

None of this would have happened if he had not made an ultimatum to an increasingly angry and drunk audience. Someone was bound to

break it. He should have just said can you please stop throwing things, thanks, or tried to pick out the person who was throwing things.

It was not good to punish whole crowd for one drunken guy's mistake. He squandered all the good will that he had even up to half ten,

when he came on late.

ok then thank you stop blaming Axl as it was clearly a security issue... it is not Axl's responsibility to pick people out

Agreed. Since when is it any band's responsibility to act as their own security guards??!

I just can't believe the amount of negativity on this board, especially towards Axl. Losers throw bottles at him (plastic or otherwise) and it's HIS fault. He hits the stage when he's ready - and when he goes on doesn't just depend on him! - and everyone's throwing a kindergarten hissy fit cause he didn't cater his showtime to perfectly meet each and every concert goers' needs. It's a ROCK CONCERT people, not a bedtime story. And no one turns into a fuckin' pumpkin or however that fairy tale goes if they're not home and snuggled up in bed by midnite. Can some of you just grow the fuck up?

I swear you are the most biased pro-Axl member on this board, whenever a negative comment is said you are always there to defend your precious Axl. That kind of behavior is downright scary, not to mention creepy.

No one likes waiting for their favorite band to rock up on stage. When Guns played in Melbourne in 2007 they showed up at 12, yes 12am and finished at 2am. You can say "oh but the fans should know Guns show up late" and thats fine, but Axl should expect some angry fans and emptier arenas. Im not justifying the bottle throwing, its not something i would do, but i can surely understand that fans would be less then impressed. Maybe Axl will learn some discipline and common decency to paying fans when he is playing for 3000 people instead of the 8000 he gets now? That would surely be justified as people are sick of his late shit.

Im not condoning the bottle throwing, but im not condoning the lateness of the shows either. An hour and a half is a long time to wait between bands, the energy that the front band generated would be long gone. When i saw Megadeth and Slayer there was probably 30 minutes in between them, thats perfectly acceptable, not 1.5 fucken hours...

Im certainly reconsidering going to see Guns when they come down to Australia at the end of the year in fear of Axl walking off because of a bottle thrown, that would be a huge downer...

as long as their are people like junglecat, gunsguy, deljames and jarmo condoning axls behavior, encouraging it even, axl will continue to act like a diva.

these people - the yesmen - are part of the problem.

[LesPaul_Player_91]

None of this would have happened if he had not made an ultimatum to an increasingly angry and drunk audience. Someone was bound to

break it. He should have just said can you please stop throwing things, thanks, or tried to pick out the person who was throwing things.

It was not good to punish whole crowd for one drunken guy's mistake. He squandered all the good will that he had even up to half ten,

when he came on late.

ok then thank you stop blaming Axl as it was clearly a security issue... it is not Axl's responsibility to pick people out

Agreed. Since when is it any band's responsibility to act as their own security guards??!

I just can't believe the amount of negativity on this board, especially towards Axl. Losers throw bottles at him (plastic or otherwise) and it's HIS fault. He hits the stage when he's ready - and when he goes on doesn't just depend on him! - and everyone's throwing a kindergarten hissy fit cause he didn't cater his showtime to perfectly meet each and every concert goers' needs. It's a ROCK CONCERT people, not a bedtime story. And no one turns into a fuckin' pumpkin or however that fairy tale goes if they're not home and snuggled up in bed by midnite. Can some of you just grow the fuck up?

I swear you are the most biased pro-Axl member on this board, whenever a negative comment is said you are always there to defend your precious Axl. That kind of behavior is downright scary, not to mention creepy.

No one likes waiting for their favorite band to rock up on stage. When Guns played in Melbourne in 2007 they showed up at 12, yes 12am and finished at 2am. You can say "oh but the fans should know Guns show up late" and thats fine, but Axl should expect some angry fans and emptier arenas. Im not justifying the bottle throwing, its not something i would do, but i can surely understand that fans would be less then impressed. Maybe Axl will learn some discipline and common decency to paying fans when he is playing for 3000 people instead of the 8000 he gets now? That would surely be justified as people are sick of his late shit.

Im not condoning the bottle throwing, but im not condoning the lateness of the shows either. An hour and a half is a long time to wait between bands, the energy that the front band generated would be long gone. When i saw Megadeth and Slayer there was probably 30 minutes in between them, thats perfectly acceptable, not 1.5 fucken hours...

Im certainly reconsidering going to see Guns when they come down to Australia at the end of the year in fear of Axl walking off because of a bottle thrown, that would be a huge downer...

+1

It's also not just the wait between bands its the time he hits the stage as car parks close, trains/buses/tubes finish etc. And not everybody follows this band like we do on here so they probably don't expect this. Although to be honest there's no point trying to reason with people who defend Axl whatever. That guy could do anything and those people would claim how "rock and roll" it is and how it's other people's fault etc.

Bottle throwing isn't acceptable but then neither (if we're being realistic here) is rocking up at 10:30 which is 90 minutes later than other bands. And people probably throw the bottles because of the lateness so if you want to stop the bottles stop the lateness. Also, it is very naive of Axl to think he can waltz on stage at 10:30 with no explanation for lateness (other than I wanted to) and no apology and expect everyone to welcome him with open arms. And as for the stage taking a long time to set up that's bullshit. KISS have a huge stage show and they were on stage at 9pm when I saw them. If the stage act is that complex then don't have a support. That's probably the reason Roger Waters never has support at his own shows. (At least he didn't in '07 for the whole tour) Personally I think the whole stage thing is just to buy them time.

Also, if if were printed on the ticket that Guns wouldn't be on till 10:30 ticket sales would diminish and I think he knows this. You can't really have it both ways. Either get on stage at a reasonable time and have no shit from the audience or go on stage late and take the shit.

It really is a damn shame because GN'R are the best damn live act around.

Edited September 2, 2010 by LesPaul_Player_91

[axl666]

About taking time to set the stage up:

Roadies set the stage up very quickly after the support band finished (within twenty minutes).

They then spent another forty minutes double checking (i.e. stalling) what they had done.

There was one period where a roadie spent ten minutes sitting on a drum stool staring at the audience-

not even playing or hitting the drums. Just staring. I got the impression that everything had been checked before the

support band had even come on.

[misch]

There's a lot more to it than showing up, grabbing an instrument, and walking onstage.

Hmm, actually, this is exactly what I would consider Rock n' Roll! Grab your instrument, go out on stage and put on one hell of a show. It's that simple. You don't need pyro, you don't need massage and you don't need to come late every night, cause this is not Rock n' Roll.

[LesPaul_Player_91]

About taking time to set the stage up:

Roadies set the stage up very quickly after the support band finished (within twenty minutes).

They then spent another forty minutes double checking (i.e. stalling) what they had done.

There was one period where a roadie spent ten minutes sitting on a drum stool staring at the audience-

not even playing or hitting the drums. Just staring. I got the impression that everything had been checked before the

support band had even come on.

It's all just stalling. hell, if Nine Inch Nails with their insanely complex visuals can get on stage at 9pm after two support bands so can GN'R. The same goes for Roger Waters (when he was at a festival and therefore had bands on before him). It's just buying them time as fans will get less restless if they think something is being done.

[highvoltage]

Del James speaks out on the late starts:

I've read a few reviews where the reviewer says something along the lines of 'the band came on late but the show was great.' WHOA, WAIT A MINUTE -- who decides what late is? ... This is supposed to be an all night party. When the f*ck did rock n' roll -- and the last time I checked rock music was supposed to be a non-conformist, rebellious, art form -- get a Flavor Flav-sized time clock wrapped around its neck like a hangman's noose? Rebellion and punctuality do not go hand in hand and for those of you too young to remember, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin rarely went on before midnight in their hey day.

Here's a little insight for you -- a rock band has to do certain things in order to be prepared to hit the stage. It's a lot like a sports team warming up before hitting the field. Axl has to do his vocal warm ups or else he will blow his voice out. ... Some of the band members need chiropractic adjustments or massage therapy. Others need to warm up on their instruments. The list is endless and every night something unexpected always occurs. There's a lot more to it than showing up, grabbing an instrument, and walking onstage. No one is interested in wasting your time or keeping you waiting, but the band goes on when it is 100 percent ready to go on and give it all that they have for that evening and not one minute before. The show starts when the band hits the stage and ends when the final encore is over.

If, back in the day, Thin Lizzy or Humble Pie or Queen came on at whatever time and gave me two hours of blistering "rawk" like GN'R does every night that would have been a magical evening. A rock concert is supposed to be a celebration where for a few hours people can escape from the pressure of everyday life. Jobs and taxes and homework and traffic are all still going to be there when the show ends so what's the hurry? I mean, GN'R ain't some play by the rules, shake hands and kiss babies for public approval type band. It's Guns N' F*ckin' Roses so please feel free to raise your middle finger with GN'R because Axl, [etc.] will always stand defiant against conformity while doing their best to thoroughly kick every audience's ass. As Axl says onstage from time to time, "This isn't McDonald's or Burger King - it isn't 'Have it your way.'" Anyone who doesn't get that should really just stay the hell home. I've noticed that during our first week on tour, there's a lot of pissing and moaning on the Internet by people who aren't even at the shows. This vocal minority are not what I consider real GN'R fans. They are obsessive pests (go ahead and flame) in need of a real outlet other than GN'R chat rooms and posting on fan sites because the real fans are at the shows having fun. When someone overanalyzes something as ... what Axl says to the audience, the set list from one show to the next, or the tuning of Bumblefoot's fretless guitar, it's time to get a life. Disconnect from the Internet and reconnect with the real world.

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2204353241&topic=1714

That is from 2006 and is not in response to the recent events. That statement was later pulled from the website too.

[Dangelus]

Am I the only one that finds it ironic that Axl is applauded by some on here for following through with his threat to leave if the throwing didn't stop but yet the Reading promoter was crucified on here for following through with his threat to pull the plug if tardiness/curfew became an issue????

You don't get it.

That promoter is rebellious, hes rocknroll, hes edgy, he doesnt give a fuck, he just cuts the power when the fuck ever he wants. If you don't like that then don't attend shows where hes in charge of the power.

Haha!

[Naupis]

ER-

That was a good post. Why was it deleted? Is the information gestapo out in full force right now?

[Salman Rushdie]

ER-

That was a good post. Why was it deleted? Is the information gestapo out in full force right now?

What did I miss?

[Anahzul]

"The artist was prevented from leaving the venue by the Promoter and following backstage discussions Guns N' Roses went back on stage at 23:20 hrs and performed their full set until 00:53 hrs.

Really? They convinced Axl to come back?

What a night

[highvoltage]

ER-

That was a good post. Why was it deleted? Is the information gestapo out in full force right now?

I'm the only mod on, and no - didn't delete anything.