Is anyone else noticed...

[Flayer]

I saw a live concert with the stones recently and had me thinking, those guys although old and wrinkled look pretty much the exact same. Slash looks pretty much the same, Bon Jovi, Bono, Bret Michaels, Sebastian Bach, Metallica, the list goes on , those guys all look pretty much the same as they did in the old days just with a few years added. When the Metal Show interview aired I heard a LOT of people ask "who's that" and when I told them , they could not believe it. Do you think Axl purposely changed his look to be able to blend in easier?

No. People fucking age differently.

[wasted]

Pics can misrepresent. That's why celebs want to control photos. I think it's good they don't care.

[iftheworld]

I thought axl looked great when I saw him in December... he looked slimmer than he used to.

I see what you did there. It was a typo. I'm posting on my PS3 so it's harder for me to check and have perfect grammar. But I'll laugh with you.

[Kill Devil Hill]

I hadn't noticed. The only time I took notice of his weight was at the proshit LA gig because it looked like he lost so much weight since RIR'11. You're right. He does seem to have gotten it back.

He'll probably slim down as the tour progresses like the '11 tour. I just hope his voice improves (once he gets better).

I saw Axl after the show Friday night, and he looked just fine. More importantly, on stage for 3 + hours, he moved and sounded just fine. Amazing, in fact.

Well, that's sincerely great to read. My observation was based off the recent proshot, where he was sick, I guess, so I could've been wrong.

[AXL_N_DIZZY]

Thought about this some more (God knows why)... and even looked at a few shots from the end of the 2011 arena tour... and there is NOTHING to really worry about here IMHO. Axl clearly enjoys life to the fullest (i.e. fine wine, fine food, perhaps some not so fine food, stays up late, etc.) and when he's off-the-road- as he had been all of January- it very likely tends to catch-up with his waistline. He gets on the road. Puts in about 10-15 shows under the hot lights- and he starts shedding the pounds again. I'm sure we all wish he felt motivated to be a little more disciplined during the "down times"- but he just does not seem to be wired that way. C'est la vie. Personally, I think there's a good chance we'd NEVER see Axl tour if he felt a requirement to be insanely fit to hit the road. I think the guy just inherently rebels against anything that even gives off a faint odor of being an "obligation". Sure- some could argue that that's very unprofessional- but yet on the other hand you could argue that it's all part of his unique "charm" in a way. Whatever the case- it either works for you as a fan or it doesn't... Personally- I've seen the band live multiple times since '91 and as recently as in Orlando last October and have NEVER ever walked out of an arena/stadium disappointed.

Now the Bumblefoot thing on the other hand is some serious stuff. OP was right to bring that up. Hopefully he gets himself straightened out a bit (literally and figuaratively) during the coming break- cause he must be going through absolute hell. Get well Ron! rock2

[AIC04]

Axl isnt theo ne im worried about he seems/looks fine.. I hope however Ron is okay..

[axlslash]

I was about a foot from the stage last night, and closer to Axl than that when we met hime afterward. For a man of 50, the man is in fine shape. He was not out of breath anymore than any person should be singing those songs. I'm a marathoner, if you wanna talk about ability to keep your breath, and I was winded from singing along. I was standing in one place and not wailing away like he does. He was keeping his breath better than me. Don't worry about his cardio. He's fucking fine.

Bumble is fucked. His back is really in a bad way. I hope the band come together and demand that he stay off the Euro tour. He should not even be doing the UCAP shows, but the man is too devoted to his fans and his band to back out on anything without being forced out. The man is a wreck and in need of some very serious medical attention.

Ron, take care of yourself. We love you, and we appreciate you, but your body is telling you to take a break.

[The Real McCoy]

I was about a foot from the stage last night, and closer to Axl than that when we met hime afterward. For a man of 50, the man is in fine shape. He was not out of breath anymore than any person should be singing those songs. I'm a marathoner, if you wanna talk about ability to keep your breath, and I was winded from singing along. I was standing in one place and not wailing away like he does. He was keeping his breath better than me. Don't worry about his cardio. He's fucking fine.

Bumble is fucked. His back is really in a bad way. I hope the band come together and demand that he stay off the Euro tour. He should not even be doing the UCAP shows, but the man is too devoted to his fans and his band to back out on anything without being forced out. The man is a wreck and in need of some very serious medical attention.

Ron, take care of yourself. We love you, and we appreciate you, but your body is telling you to take a break.

This.

ALL of this.

[SoulMonster]

there is NOTHING to really worry about here IMHO.

Of course Axl being average weight for his age and delivering great 3 hour shows night after night is nothing to really worry about!

Man, what a neurotic fan base the band has.

[saber_]

None of you know what medical shit might be going on behind the scenes. I have to say, I'm a bit surprised to see some of the superficiality emanating from supposed fans. He's 50. Hell, I give him credit for not wearing baggier clothing. Carry on.

[Lirosee]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with Axl!

Fucking useless thread!!!

Oh wait! It's not that useless... RON!

[jonah]

I'm not worried about Axl's weight but it's a pretty simple explanation aside from him being 50. In 06 and 2010 he came into the tours prepared, he shed any extra weight he was carrying and he had his voice ready to go. When this tour started in October he didn't do anything to prepare, vocally or with his weight, he shed the pounds while playing shows and the month they had off he gained it back...happens to the best of us. I'm a pretty jacked guy, work out every day. I had surgery and couldn't go to the gym for 8 weeks, I put on 30 pounds in that time and I didn't eat overly bad. Took me a while to lose it.

Point is he seems to be enjoying himself which is all that really matters, but he didn't put the time in to prep for touring the last few months.

[Flayer]

Is anyone else noticed.

[GnRDuff1]

Is anyone else noticed.

I already said "i am noticed"

[Bailey15]

Today is Jon Bon Jovi's 50th birthday and it is amazing how drastically different the two 80's era front men are in 2012.

One is in very good shape, is a respected businessman, has managed to continue to put out music, is a devoted family man (still married to his high school sweetheart), and is considered a genuine good guy by almost everyone........... and at the other extreme we have........ AXL.

I'm not bashing, I am a huge Guns n' Roses fan but Axl needs to stop blaming everyone else for every little thing that goes wrong in his life and take responsibility for the things he can control. Axl was the better talent but Jon is the better human being.

Edited March 3, 2012 by Bailey15

[ChristianGNR]

Today is Jon Bon Jovi's 50th birthday and it is amazing how drastically different the two 80's era front men are in 2012.

One is in very good shape, is a respected businessman, has managed to continue to put out music, is a devoted family man (still married to his high school sweetheart), and is considered a genuine good guy by almost everyone........... and at the other extreme we have........ AXL.

I'm not bashing, I am a huge Guns n' Roses fan but Axl needs to stop blaming everyone else for every little thing that goes wrong in his life and take responsibility for the things he can control. Axl was the better talent but Jon is the better human being.

Fuck you and Jon Bon Jovi =D

[Young_Gun]

How out of shape Axl is? This is not a "Pick on Axl thread". I'm truly concerned. Looking at the Philly vids, I noticed how considerably large his stomach is. He's constantly out of breath. I was shocked to see the vid of Axl apologising to the Philly fans, not because he was apologising, but the way he looked. He seems to be having fun, but I'm worried. This isn't good for his health. Am I the only one noticing this shit. I think Axl may be the biggest I've ever seen him. If he's out of shape it'll be hard for him to fight off illnesses aka, bronchitis. To top it all off, Ron looks like he's went twelve rounds with Mike Tyson. I know the touring just started, but I think they need to take a step back and get healthy. Especially Ron. My father has a chronic back disease and he can hardly walk some days Ron needs to fix himself. He doesn't need to be standing for three plus hours holding a twenty pound guitar around his spine. I say, get healthy. Hit the R&R HOF hard. Then tour.

thoughts?

I didn't notice Axl's weight to be honest. Would be sweet if he got himself down to a lighter weight and took the vocal lessons he did back in 2006 though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkjX2R9q1iU&feature=player_embedded

Watch this from like 0:12 - 0:30. I've seen Slash with a gut but never Axl. Not like this. It's very concerning. Especially at his height, he's not going to look good with extra weight. I honestly think its 's effecting his voice. ( effecting or affecting )

Fair point. It would be good if he lost a bit of weight and went back to his 2006 godliness but his voice has improved alot, especially at Philly, so I can't complain. While his weight has fluctuated and he is certainly doesn't have the "heroin sheik" look of when he was in his 20's, I never considered him "fat" in a traditional sense.

[bumblecool]

Today is Jon Bon Jovi's 50th birthday and it is amazing how drastically different the two 80's era front men are in 2012.

One is in very good shape, is a respected businessman, has managed to continue to put out music, is a devoted family man (still married to his high school sweetheart), and is considered a genuine good guy by almost everyone........... and at the other extreme we have........ AXL.

I'm not bashing, I am a huge Guns n' Roses fan but Axl needs to stop blaming everyone else for every little thing that goes wrong in his life and take responsibility for the things he can control. Axl was the better talent but Jon is the better human being.

Bon jovi what?

Axl sound 10000x better than him and axl didn't evade parts of the songs like john

Check http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xgaeeWmyDY&feature=related

[Young_Gun]

Today is Jon Bon Jovi's 50th birthday and it is amazing how drastically different the two 80's era front men are in 2012.

One is in very good shape, is a respected businessman, has managed to continue to put out music, is a devoted family man (still married to his high school sweetheart), and is considered a genuine good guy by almost everyone........... and at the other extreme we have........ AXL.

I'm not bashing, I am a huge Guns n' Roses fan but Axl needs to stop blaming everyone else for every little thing that goes wrong in his life and take responsibility for the things he can control. Axl was the better talent but Jon is the better human being.

Bon jovi what?

Axl sound 10000x better than him and axl didn't evade parts of the songs like john

Check http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xgaeeWmyDY&feature=related

What a terrible example to back up your claim. Axl is like a god compared to Jovi in this video. Jovi's voice is terrible and he barely moves around. Axl moves around(maybe not like in the 90's but still) more than Jovi and his voice supersedes him. Jovi sounds like a drunk dude singing karaoke here.

There is no denying that Jovi is a more savvy business man and is 'safer'. Axl has burnt alot of people in the past and has done some stupid things for sure. But in terms of showmanship. Not many hold a candle to him, he is cut from a different piece of cloth. As for the devoted family man thing, who gives a toss about that? Does that equate to being a great showman? Does that equate to the music being better? Jovi does alot of things better than Axl I will admit(putting out more albums, interviews, tours, their website is fucken excellent too) but in terms is pure music and live shows, I'll take Axls boot over a Bon Jovi show, anyday of the week.

Edited March 3, 2012 by Young_Gun

[Cosmo]

Today is Jon Bon Jovi's 50th birthday and it is amazing how drastically different the two 80's era front men are in 2012.

One is in very good shape, is a respected businessman, has managed to continue to put out music, is a devoted family man (still married to his high school sweetheart), and is considered a genuine good guy by almost everyone........... and at the other extreme we have........ AXL.

I'm not bashing, I am a huge Guns n' Roses fan but Axl needs to stop blaming everyone else for every little thing that goes wrong in his life and take responsibility for the things he can control. Axl was the better talent but Jon is the better human being.

Bon jovi what?

Axl sound 10000x better than him and axl didn't evade parts of the songs like john

Check http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xgaeeWmyDY&feature=related

What a terrible example to back up your claim. Axl is like a god compared to Jovi in this video. Jovi's voice is terrible and he barely moves around. Axl moves around(maybe not like in the 90's but still) more than Jovi and his voice supersedes him. Jovi sounds like a drunk dude singing karaoke here.

There's just no comparison between them just for the fact that the easiest vocal-wise GnR songs such as Mr.Brownstone, Sorry and It's So Easy require more vocal skills than any Bon Jovi song.

[Young_Gun]

Today is Jon Bon Jovi's 50th birthday and it is amazing how drastically different the two 80's era front men are in 2012.

One is in very good shape, is a respected businessman, has managed to continue to put out music, is a devoted family man (still married to his high school sweetheart), and is considered a genuine good guy by almost everyone........... and at the other extreme we have........ AXL.

I'm not bashing, I am a huge Guns n' Roses fan but Axl needs to stop blaming everyone else for every little thing that goes wrong in his life and take responsibility for the things he can control. Axl was the better talent but Jon is the better human being.

Bon jovi what?

Axl sound 10000x better than him and axl didn't evade parts of the songs like john

Check http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xgaeeWmyDY&feature=related

What a terrible example to back up your claim. Axl is like a god compared to Jovi in this video. Jovi's voice is terrible and he barely moves around. Axl moves around(maybe not like in the 90's but still) more than Jovi and his voice supersedes him. Jovi sounds like a drunk dude singing karaoke here.

There's just no comparison between them just for the fact that the easiest vocal-wise GnR songs such as Mr.Brownstone, Sorry and It's So Easy require more vocal skills than any Bon Jovi song.

This. Comparing any 80's artist's current performances to Axl's current performances show how much talent the man has. Many people here know I was one of the first and most vocal detractors about Axl's voice during 2011. I thought it was bad and still carry that sentiment. He was out of shape and did not train his voice. But we all know he gets better as the tour progresses. Compare Philly to any recent Jovi show and you'll be blown away. Same with Motley Crue, who I saw live last year, fucken terrible they were, 90 minute set including solo spots and Tommy's stupid drum roller coaster spot... Vince was absolutely appalling.

[sailaway]

I had high hopes for 2012, looks like it's just gonna be another year of nothing

Interesting. If a year where the band tours all the time, are inducted into HOF, do live streams, launches a new website, and does lots of interview while talking about hitting the studio is "nothing", then I need to ask: what do you call all the years were _literally_ nothing happened?

This is a good year. A very good year. Too bad people haven't been around long enough, or are too dense, to realize that.

You covered that issue completely,It is a good year!

[Purely Magnetic]

I had high hopes for 2012, looks like it's just gonna be another year of nothing

Interesting. If a year where the band tours all the time, are inducted into HOF, do live streams, launches a new website, and does lots of interview while talking about hitting the studio is "nothing", then I need to ask: what do you call all the years were _literally_ nothing happened?

This is a good year. A very good year. Too bad people haven't been around long enough, or are too dense, to realize that.

You covered that issue completely,It is a good year!

Yep, that!

[Black Sabbath]

I had high hopes for 2012, looks like it's just gonna be another year of nothing

Interesting. If a year where the band tours all the time, are inducted into HOF, do live streams, launches a new website, and does lots of interview while talking about hitting the studio is "nothing", then I need to ask: what do you call all the years were _literally_ nothing happened?

This is a good year. A very good year. Too bad people haven't been around long enough, or are too dense, to realize that.

You covered that issue completely,It is a good year!

Yep, that!

Agreed.

Really, the only thing I can say at this point, and I'm not really "complaining", more of hoping, is that more stuff added to the website (pictures, live videos, more streams, a store), and the biggest of all, some news about new music in the hopeful future.

[sailaway]

I had high hopes for 2012, looks like it's just gonna be another year of nothing

Interesting. If a year where the band tours all the time, are inducted into HOF, do live streams, launches a new website, and does lots of interview while talking about hitting the studio is "nothing", then I need to ask: what do you call all the years were _literally_ nothing happened?

This is a good year. A very good year. Too bad people haven't been around long enough, or are too dense, to realize that.

You covered that issue completely,It is a good year!

Yep, that!

Agreed.

Really, the only thing I can say at this point, and I'm not really "complaining", more of hoping, is that more stuff added to the website (pictures, live videos, more streams, a store), and the biggest of all, some news about new music in the hopeful future.

Black Sabbath I seriously owe you an open apology,I made some snarky unwarranted comments regarding ur Black Sabbath/Ozzy collection you display in your room,If I could have,I would have had plastered posters of my favorite groups all over my walls as well.

It's never wrong to hope,or want a New Album, the line in the sand occurs when people demand new material due to a false sense of entitlement,delusional thinking that manifests in the minuscule brains of some,that illogically come to a conclusion that because they bought an album,a concert tix or licensed merchandise they are enabled to dictate elements of the Artist's life,and they could demand their will to be imposed.

This is so far removed from reality of the Artist/Band relationship.