Axl is fine.

[dalsh327]

This isnt news, I know, but I'll say this. Most of you sound like bitter old men talking to the children that this world is dammed and that it will never be as good as it was when they were younger.

Pay attention - the way Axl sings aint easy to handle. Especially at the beginning of the tour. Since his comeback he is worried about his vocal chords so he knows when he's ready to use them properly. In 2006 after the rock in rio show people said that he would never be able to sing like the old times again, but a few shows went by and there he was, kicking ass at download festival - he had a decent show at RAR but not his best, he still struggled to sing songs like Better and SOD and PC. Oh, and back then he was doing a 2-hour show, 2 hours and a half here and there. Then the european tour was over. And then there's the VMA's and Axl presenting the killers did his highest scream (live) ever but with the 'helium' voice so people freaked out like crazy. We then had inland invasion, he was in a decent shape but the next few shows were not the best - mickey mouse was present. By the end of the tour he was on top of his game. And then the same thing happened in 2007...his voice sucked for the first shows, and then there was the adelaide show some weeks after the start of the tour. Someone threw a bottle that hit Axl and he sung the first words to Jungle in a soft voice, so that called people's attention and they all said that his voice magically came back, etc.

I am not saying that he is gonna sing like he did 3+ years ago, but seriously...when will you learn that he needs time to warm his vocal chords properly? Ill give you a recent example. When they had the Chicago show streamed you guys were saying that his voice was gone for good, and then almost two weeks went by and we had the Philly show. Not only he was at his best night on the tour, he had almost 10 shows to warm his voice properly to the Philly one.

By the end of the residency he will be fine, he will be much better. He will not sing all the songs with his raspy vocals, those days are gone - especially if we take into consideration that he's doing 3-hour shows, not 2, 2 and a half. But he will be able to deliver strong and consistent vocals throughout the whole show and that's what we want - consistent vocals. I couldnt care less about the donald duck (aka full rasp), I want consistent and strong vocals. And that he will deliver.

So calm the fuck down and watch the shows. They will only get better and better.

I don't think he'll get better if he's been singing the same way for the past year. He can't do what he did 20 years ago unless he was at the end of a tour and decided to say "fuck it" and go for broke, because the recovery time at his age, even with the help of medicine, just takes longer than it used to. He's not doing 3 hours of straight singing, but he has to save his voice for the next show.

[SoulMonster]

not sure how long he honestly gets away with it, guess as long as the huge GN'R name sells good he will go on - cash hungry as he is.

Oooh! Can I answer that questions? He will "get away with it" as long as people leave the shows content and with a feeling they got what they paid for. Am I right?

[stumbleine]

I'm paying for airplane,hotel and tix.

for that I will get Catcher and TWAT live for the first time.

it will actually be first times for estranged and CW as well.

psyched now.

[moreblack]

I am not saying that he is gonna sing like he did 3+ years ago, but seriously...when will you learn that he needs time to warm his vocal chords properly?

the better question is, when will he?

[Crash Diet]

they will only get better and better

yeah, more Mickey Mouse?

Philly just a one of...

I really don't know what some of you are talking about? I just saw Axl give an awesome performance a couple weeks ago live! The people I went with were amazed on how good he sounded! I saw him in Sturgis in 2010, and the show at the hard rock blew that away! You can't really judge if you are not live people. Big difference!!

Most people that complain don't even go to the shows

I know! And what they hear at times are cheap recording through a cellphone. That does no justice! I have recorded through my phone and camera, not the same!

you hear the FM broadcast from 11.09?

he clearly can't sing now...

[Eu4ic]

Sturgis and Reading werent representative of '10 at all for Axl. They were aberrations. Anybody who followed '10 knows that. He also wasnt great at the beginning during the Asian and Canadian leg. He ripped through S America and Europe, though.

[GNR123GNR456]

Many people keep making excuses for Axl like his age or the fact that he play's 3 hour shows.

Axl's voice when he was 48 was killer. It was full of rasp and power. He still had the signature growl in his voice that was awesome, and sometime he sang so good it was like it was the 90's. His age is not a factor at all. I don't see how in 2 years a person can lose all his power in his voice. That's the key word too, "power." Sometimes you still hear the rasp, but the power of his voice, even with the clean vocals, seems to be deteriorating. It's unfortunate too, because he's such a great frontman, but it seems like every week his raspy voice (the one many people associate with Axl Rose) is going away. I don't know what happened, it is a throat problem, sickness, or he's just doesn't want to push his voice anymore?

[Lim666]

cash hungry as he is.

God I hate the envious liberal movement. Dude is just making a living. I suppose you don't make as much as you can with your trade, huh? It is called working. Lots of us do it.

"just making a living", sure.....re-read his 2008 online chats where he said himself that "dropping the name became suicide". By goin' on with the huge GN'R b®and name Axl put his hunger for $$ and his life-style over integrity.

[Lim666]

not sure how long he honestly gets away with it, guess as long as the huge GN'R name sells good he will go on - cash hungry as he is.

Oooh! Can I answer that questions? He will "get away with it" as long as people leave the shows content and with a feeling they got what they paid for. Am I right?

it'd be very interesting to see some objective statistics from that.

i have my doubts that all people are feeling this way in 2011/2012. all power to people who feel satisfied from these shows, but it stops right away when you tell us Axl sounds better than ever, sorry.

he might get away with it because the GN'R name is so fuckin' huge cause of what mainly happened 1985-1993. sure there'll always be people wanting to see Axl sing Guns' songs, if he does justice to it is on another planet.

[JayGatz]

sorry, but Nightrain Rock Am Ring kills any 2010 performances:

Yep, that's the best New GNR performance ever imo. Mainly the 2nd half.

Shame Axl couldn't ever really replicate it on other songs.

[trqster]

Many people keep making excuses for Axl like his age or the fact that he play's 3 hour shows.

Axl's voice when he was 48 was killer. It was full of rasp and power. He still had the signature growl in his voice that was awesome, and sometime he sang so good it was like it was the 90's. His age is not a factor at all. I don't see how in 2 years a person can lose all his power in his voice. That's the key word too, "power." Sometimes you still hear the rasp, but the power of his voice, even with the clean vocals, seems to be deteriorating. It's unfortunate too, because he's such a great frontman, but it seems like every week his raspy voice (the one many people associate with Axl Rose) is going away. I don't know what happened, it is a throat problem, sickness, or he's just doesn't want to push his voice anymore?

This pretty much sums it up.

[ChristianGNR]

No, he's not.

Axl's weakest perfomance from 2006-7, 2009-10 is way better than his best perfomance in 2011/2012.

Not a question of rasp, it's a matter of POWER.

He lost it!

[Kosonen]

Many people keep making excuses for Axl like his age or the fact that he play's 3 hour shows.

Axl's voice when he was 48 was killer. It was full of rasp and power. He still had the signature growl in his voice that was awesome, and sometime he sang so good it was like it was the 90's. His age is not a factor at all. I don't see how in 2 years a person can lose all his power in his voice. That's the key word too, "power." Sometimes you still hear the rasp, but the power of his voice, even with the clean vocals, seems to be deteriorating. It's unfortunate too, because he's such a great frontman, but it seems like every week his raspy voice (the one many people associate with Axl Rose) is going away. I don't know what happened, it is a throat problem, sickness, or he's just doesn't want to push his voice anymore?

yes. it`s about power. falsetto with no power in it. he needs to scream to get the rasp......now he just whispers. axl get drunk high whatever, and just scream your lungs out!!!!

[ARX77]

Sturgis and Reading werent representative of '10 at all for Axl. They were aberrations. Anybody who followed '10 knows that. He also wasnt great at the beginning during the Asian and Canadian leg. He ripped through S America and Europe, though.

I'll disagree... Toronto 2010 was by far the best vocal performance Ive personally heard Axl sing. Better than anything I saw in the 2011/ 2012. Sound was awesome!

[ARX77]

Many people keep making excuses for Axl like his age or the fact that he play's 3 hour shows.

Axl's voice when he was 48 was killer. It was full of rasp and power. He still had the signature growl in his voice that was awesome, and sometime he sang so good it was like it was the 90's. His age is not a factor at all. I don't see how in 2 years a person can lose all his power in his voice. That's the key word too, "power." Sometimes you still hear the rasp, but the power of his voice, even with the clean vocals, seems to be deteriorating. It's unfortunate too, because he's such a great frontman, but it seems like every week his raspy voice (the one many people associate with Axl Rose) is going away. I don't know what happened, it is a throat problem, sickness, or he's just doesn't want to push his voice anymore?

I dont know the exact answer... but my opinion is that Axl really prepared for 2010 vocally. He seemed to be in decent shape and was ready to go. People like to say he started slow in 2009 in Asia and that may be true but nothing like RIR. I think at the end of the day he's taking care of his voice but not doing what he needs to, to have the rasp and power. I thought is voice was decent in 2011/ 2012 live but now in Vegas its just off to me. Im sure like all live shows he sounds good to the audience and thats what matters most. but I find myself less excited about seeing this band live.