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Proper US tour promotion


Captain_Squid

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I live in Texas and I bought tickets to the Dallas and Houston shows as soon as they went on sale. I'm excited to finally get a chance to see Axl live, he's one of the last few living performers I really want to see that I haven't crossed off my list yet. I'm concerned however that the tickets won't sell well and the tour will be canceled. On the Livenation website where I bought the tickets for the Gexa Energy Pavilion show there's a feature that shows the entire venue, seat by seat, and you can pick out exactly what ticket you want. It shows which are sold and which aren't. Ticket sales have barely budged since the day they went on sale, maybe half of the seats are sold at best. I don't know about the lawn section. If there isn't any proper promotion for this tour the only thing US concert goers will see when they type in "Guns n' Roses" into google news are articles about Axl looking and sounding horrible at Rio. While I think the media is being a bit over critical as usual, what is the average person supposed to think given no other information? I know Axl hates the press and has long refused to do interviews, but if he doesn't do something to get some good widespread publicity he'll sell himself and the fans short and the tour will fail. How much effort would it take to go on Letterman or some other late night show, put on a killer performance of one song and maybe sit in a chair and be charming for a few minutes? It would make a world of difference. He can't just sit there and do nothing and expect it to work out any better than the show in Rio worked out when he showed up unprepared. I want to see Guns n' Roses live, I want America to be a viable touring destination again, so with all good intentions and well wishes, I ask if anybody from the Guns camp reads this, please don't let the ravenous American media control the narrative. Own the press, own the tour.

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Got my tix for Dallas too.

The only reason I care how well the show sells is if they cancel the concert. Guess I'll get my money back for the tix, but I'd rather see the show. Isn't the Dallas GNR show part of another fesitval (oh no) called Fall Brawl? Other bands performing? That would help sell tixs.

I appreciate your post to the band. Unfortunately, without real management or PR, this tour & band will not promote itself. Its a shame really b/c I think Ashba and Ron would win over any crowd. Kind of the Yin to Axl's Yang. But for whatever reason, that won't happen.

Again, as long as the concert isn't cancelled, it isn't "any skin off our back." If they got our there & promoted this tour, they could make A LOT more money. But they choose not to. This band is hardly driven by money.

I would have at least hoped they worked on new material for the first 9 months of 2011. But I doubt that happed either.

Edited by SALonghorn
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Yeah I noticed the "Fall Brawl" title, I don't know who else if anybody is playing, I don't really care. My main concern is it getting canceled too, I just wanna see the damn band. I don't see why they would go through the trouble of scheduling an entire tour if they aren't going to promote it. I'm hoping for the best but we all know there is no show until Axl is on the goddamn stage and stays there. I've got my fingers crossed. I still think some sort of interview/performance on US cable TV would be a good idea. I think the performances themselves would be better if the crowds are better anyway, as a performer who wants to play to half full arena?

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Yeah I noticed the "Fall Brawl" title, I don't know who else if anybody is playing, I don't really care. My main concern is it getting canceled too, I just wanna see the damn band. I don't see why they would go through the trouble of scheduling an entire tour if they aren't going to promote it. I'm hoping for the best but we all know there is no show until Axl is on the goddamn stage and stays there. I've got my fingers crossed. I still think some sort of interview/performance on US cable TV would be a good idea. I think the performances themselves would be better if the crowds are better anyway, as a performer who wants to play to half full arena?

The opposite of Axl is Slash. Slash is always ready to do an interview or mug for the cameras. But unlike him, Axl doesn't want to answer questions about the old band in every town he visits. As for performing on Letterman or another tv show, that would require the band (Axl) to work on someone else's schedule. Again, the polar opposite of Slash. Pay enough and Slash will perform with anybody anywhere anytime.

Conversely, this GNR does what it wants want when they want. Its part of the reason why I am a fan. That being said, I know to expect a late start and a late nite in Dallas in four weeks.

Hell, they were asked to headline the "biggest rock fesitival in the world" Rock In Rio. They got screwed/screwed it up, but that is a BIG honor for a band that doesn't promote itself and has only released one album in the last 15 years.

Not meant to be a Axl vs Slash post. I'm a fan of both still today. Just comparing the differences.

Edited by SALonghorn
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You're right, and Slash is the biggest sellout on the face of the earth, but I think there's bound to be some middle ground. Social networking? Viral promotion? Something. I love that Axl is truly the last huge rockstar that answers to nobody and does whatever he wants, but I also really really want to see him live rather than have the tour implode. I'm not asking that he be a media whore, maybe he could think of something which could get a buzz going without having to involve the media directly. When he posted on the boards and spoke to the fans directly that definitely got some press. He needn't stoop to Slash's media whoring, but I think he should do something.

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I live in San Antonio, TX. I was surprised to hear that my local rock station, 99.5 KISS< is going to be giving away tickets to the Dallas show. Might not have bought them if I knew I could win them. Anyway, for a rock station 4 hours away to be giving away tickets, there must be a small promotional team working as the radio station doesn't usually buy tickets just to give them away. They might be affiliated with Live Nation, the promoter. Either way, LiveNation will be sure to advertise and sell the place out.

GNR doesn't have to anything but not fuck up.

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