Re-Evaluating Rock In Rio 2011

[bacardimayne]

James still sounds ok, though nothing like James Hetfield.

Axl sounds awful most of the time.

Edited April 11, 2013 by bacardimayne

[Flayer]

The raincoat was worth it. My jaw dropped when I saw him come on stage in it.

[ARX77]

Beyond his voice being off that night... it was clear Axl was out of shape physically and vocally. It was disappointing to see and I wondered why when the stage was so big does Axl come up short? Why not be mentally, physically and vocally prepared for such a huge event? It honestly looked like he sat on his ass for a year and did nothing.

[dalsh327]

Anything broadcast/webcast sounds different than being at the show. Talk to people who were at Rock in Rio about their experiences, not the ones who saw it on You Tube. I'm just basing this from going to shows that sounded good, but then I saw the video later and they sounded like shit at home.

To me it was a shaky, uneven show, but still a good show. It was def. not a great show, but it had a lot of good moments. But "good" isn't good enough. Maybe because he pushes for 3 hour shows, it's not helping his voice, and I'm sure if he stripped the shows back to 90 minutes and did an hour of singing and shredding his voice night after night and taking more time off in between shows, people would say he had a "comeback".

I doubt Axl would've done That Metal Show if Rock in Rio had gone better. But to his credit, for the fall 2011 tour and making little to no money from it, and venues being far from full, delivered great shows that fall.

[jimb0]

When Axl FUCKED UP the VMA's, he still had good years ahead.

When Axl FUCKED UP RIR 2011 / Bridgeschool.... we could easily say those years are fucking gone.

Sorry Axl, when you suck that bad live, it's time to suck it up and practice. That's why they call you a has been instead of James Hetfield.

James has not sounded like James for at least 10 years. It's actually worst than Axl.

He does sound a lot better than he used to. Less yodeling and more growl! I saw 'em in Jersey on the Death Magnetic tour and they put on a killer show. Though it left me wishing they woulda thrown in 6 solo spots, 6 covers, and a Chicken Inspired Robot Dance.

[Coma16]

Beyond his voice being off that night... it was clear Axl was out of shape physically and vocally. It was disappointing to see and I wondered why when the stage was so big does Axl come up short? Why not be mentally, physically and vocally prepared for such a huge event? It honestly looked like he sat on his ass for a year and did nothing.

The problem with this argument is that the very next show in Chile he was on fire. People have bad nights and it is shame that Axl's have been on live broadcasts of late.

When Axl FUCKED UP the VMA's, he still had good years ahead.

When Axl FUCKED UP RIR 2011 / Bridgeschool.... we could easily say those years are fucking gone.

Sorry Axl, when you suck that bad live, it's time to suck it up and practice. That's why they call you a has been instead of James Hetfield.

James has not sounded like James for at least 10 years. It's actually worst than Axl.

He does sound a lot better than he used to. Less yodeling and more growl! I saw 'em in Jersey on the Death Magnetic tour and they put on a killer show. Though it left me wishing they woulda thrown in 6 solo spots, 6 covers, and a Chicken Inspired Robot Dance.

Blame it on YouTube

[Nosaj Thing]

RIR4 was the end for me. I mean, I supported Axl throughout 2010 and even if I never considered his band to be Gn'R, I liked the fact that Axl was out there and kickin' ass -- unfortunately, that didn't last forever.

[jimb0]

RIR4 was the end for me. I mean, I supported Axl throughout 2010 and even if I never considered his band to be Gn'R, I liked the fact that Axl was out there and kickin' ass -- unfortunately, that didn't last forever.

You must be a Slash fan. Haha

[volcano62]

RIR4 was the end for me. I mean, I supported Axl throughout 2010 and even if I never considered his band to be Gn'R, I liked the fact that Axl was out there and kickin' ass -- unfortunately, that didn't last forever.

You must be a Slash fan. Haha

Don't say the S word in this section.

[ARX77]

Beyond his voice being off that night... it was clear Axl was out of shape physically and vocally. It was disappointing to see and I wondered why when the stage was so big does Axl come up short? Why not be mentally, physically and vocally prepared for such a huge event? It honestly looked like he sat on his ass for a year and did nothing.

The problem with this argument is that the very next show in Chile he was on fire. People have bad nights and it is shame that Axl's have been on live broadcasts of late.

When Axl FUCKED UP the VMA's, he still had good years ahead.

When Axl FUCKED UP RIR 2011 / Bridgeschool.... we could easily say those years are fucking gone.

Sorry Axl, when you suck that bad live, it's time to suck it up and practice. That's why they call you a has been instead of James Hetfield.

James has not sounded like James for at least 10 years. It's actually worst than Axl.

He does sound a lot better than he used to. Less yodeling and more growl! I saw 'em in Jersey on the Death Magnetic tour and they put on a killer show. Though it left me wishing they woulda thrown in 6 solo spots, 6 covers, and a Chicken Inspired Robot Dance.

Blame it on YouTube

I wouldn't say he was on fire in Chille. He was better vocally but was still outta shape. IMO Axl has been very inconsistent since RIR. I've seen them 4 times since 2010 with the 2010 Toronto show being the best. I will say all the shows I've seen I have enjoyed but he could be in better shape which I think would help vocally

[downzy]

As much as I bust Axl's balls, I remember the months leading up to Rio, and I do remember a lot of people drenched in curiosity. His voice was top notch when we last saw him. We knew about this show for months, and knew how it'd be broadcast live all over the world on youtube. I'm sure he knew for even longer but will probably play dumb (*cough OMG was a demo, what 2002 tour!?!?! *cough ) He had nothing on the schedule for all of 2011. I think everybody thought something...big...was gonna go down that night. Whether it'd be news songs, an album announcement, etc. Mind you, this was well before the CONSTANT touring of same ol', same ol' (hard to remember, I know). Even the most critical members such as myself were giving him the benefit of the doubt.

And then he blew it. And that's where I gave up any hope for Axl's future. There was really no excuse for his lack of professionalism that night, and made a complete and total ass of himself in front of the biggest audience he had watching him since the 2002 VMAs. Everytime I take a gander at those performances, it's just heart breaking. I never agreed with his use of the name and all that, but I truly do love Axl as a musician and did want better for him than this. It's tragic how far from grace he's fallen.

Great post Bobbo.

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. What RIR4 represented was a massive transformation in the standard that most have used to evaluate Axl's performances since. Was it the worst performance ever? Probably not (I'm thinking the Chicago '12 and Bridge School performances share that title). But It's not as though his performances since have seen incremental improvements (mind you, he's done a better job reading the teleprompter remembering the lyrics since then). When GNR later came to my area a few months later, I went more because I promised to take my girlfriend to a GNR show because she had never been. I had also built up the band and Axl due to the stellar performances of 2010. It was not because I was extremely thrilled to see the band do basically the same set that I had seen 13 times previously (though seeing Don't Cry and Estranged live for the first time was pretty special).

Ironically, watching RIR4 helped me enjoy the Hamilton '11 show more because I had lowered my standards. Had I not seen the Rio performance and gone to the show in Hamilton I would have been pretty disappointed (though, Axl's performance of Madagascar and Jungle were pretty phenomenal that night). It just made me so glad that I got to see him in 2010 when he sounded killer.

So to the OP's original assertion, I agree looking back at the show it's not the worst. However, for the fact that it greatly shifted people's perception of where Axl stood in terms of vocal capabilities it's been one of the most infamous GNR shows since the MTV Awards show in '02. Except for those around here who feel Axl is the second coming of Jesus, I would wager that very few get as excited as they once did by the prospect of Axl doing what he's most known for.

Edited April 11, 2013 by downzy

[Amir]

So to the OP's original assertion, I agree looking back at the show it's not the worst. However, for the fact that it greatly shifted people's perception of where Axl stood in terms of vocal capabilities it's been one of the most infamous GNR shows since the MTV Awards show in '02. Except for those around here who feel Axl is the second coming of Jesus, very few get as excited as we once did by the prospect of Axl doing what he's most known for.

Yeah, I really thought Rio '11, after all that silence since Abu Dhabi '10, was going to *finally* be the start of "Round 2". It's a bit silly telling people they're impatient for new music after one album released 5 years ago after God knows how long. I thought if anyone was going to get new songs debuted live it'd be the Brazilians, seeing how much they love Axl, they'd deserve it.

Edited April 11, 2013 by Amir

[ManetsBR]

There were actually a few good performances during that show, Estranged being played of course and Axl really pulled out (with rasp...) This I Love that night. One of my favorite renditions of the song actually.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiHSQmOmuEs&sns=em

Yes, This I Love was also amazing. It was a good concert overall. I doubt that when Rock in Rio III happened people loved it like they do today. I don't think Rio IV will ever get to the Rio III level, but you got what I mean.

[MattElias]

Sorry, but, i can't think in another way of this:

That was pretty much the whole concert, as being anything else than... Sad, awful. Bridge School and RIR 4 share the title of worst GNR presentation ever. Maybe sorry really fit in this show, as representing it. Axl Rose, i'm sorry for you 'cause of that damn concert.

Edited April 11, 2013 by MattElias

[ManetsBR]

It wasn't like this the whole concert. For me, overall was regular, on the same basis of the vast majority of the concerts. It had some amazing moments too, like Sorry, This I Love, Estranged. Obviously, there were really bad moments like November Rain and Patience, but overall I don't see why and how this concert is anyway that bad like you're all painting.

[Bumblefeet]

As that show jumpstarted the CD tour again, it was clear that it sucked ass due to two factors:

1. The technical problems which meant the mix sounded terrible

2. I'm convinced that after any long period of non-activity, little preparation is done by the band (read Axl) and they just get better at it as the shows progress. Before the China concerts in 2009 didn't the band rehearse without Axl only to get on stage the first time with him (for Ashba) then and there?

Had it not gotten broadcasted in HD, I doubt it would get such a bad rep on youtube, but the video speaks for itself.

Edited April 11, 2013 by Bumblefeet

[WhazUp]

Cringeworthy. Its a shame that the show was broadcasted on Youtube, Axl was really not good at all.

But Estranged was a cool moment, the silver lining of that show if there is one

[James Bond]

so you're telling me there's a show which is worse than RIR 4? God, things are bad for GNR...

In a heartbeat, it's easily Bridge School. The gig was terrible. Sure, the acoustic stuff was all cool, but I've never actually been so embarrassed about Axl in my life. His voice was terrible. Needed a little bit of rasp.

At least he didn't forget his own lyrics, like RIR4.

He still did.

"Welcome to the jungle, we've got fun n' games, we've got everything you want, honey we know the names because you.... me... you've got money, we've got what you need... Jungle!"

[ManetsBR]

hahahaha

[Amir]

so you're telling me there's a show which is worse than RIR 4? God, things are bad for GNR...

In a heartbeat, it's easily Bridge School. The gig was terrible. Sure, the acoustic stuff was all cool, but I've never actually been so embarrassed about Axl in my life. His voice was terrible. Needed a little bit of rasp.

At least he didn't forget his own lyrics, like RIR4.

He still did.

"Welcome to the jungle, we've got fun n' games, we've got everything you want, honey we know the names because you.... me... you've got money, we've got what you need... Jungle!"

Weirdly, he's gotten Jungle a bit confused at a couple of the gigs I've been to: London 14th Oct '10 and Abu Dhabi '13. Not badly, just obvious he flubs a line or two. At that London gig he mixed up order of verses of Rocket Queen, too. Still an amazing gig, one of the best gigs I've ever been to, well worth downloading the audio bootleg.

[PirateRadio]

The yellow raincoat could have produced more favorable opinions if Axl performed well. But that's a big "if". He needed, at the very least, to put on a show where he sang as good, if not better than his very best performance of 2009/2010. Fans are looking for Axl to sing better, not worse. Also, he would've needed more than just Estranged to debut. At least 4 new songs from CDII or whatever the new album will be named. At the time, those were the kind of expectations some fans had for this monster show.

[ManetsBR]

Yes. I expected exactly what you said. New songs from the new album, Estranged and Axl singing well. There was only Estranged. Which sang well, so it's ok...

[HisRoyalSweetness]

that big yellow raincoat was the shit. i'll bet if there was a way to track stats on these things, we'd see that a lot more big yellow raincoats were sold in the weeks following RIR.

[Black Sabbath]

From what I remember, Street of Dreams was pretty decent. I remember Better was absolutely awful though. It was so disheartening.

[Eu4ic]

Yellow raincoat made it all the more terrible, imo, but it reminded me of Buckethead and RIR'02 when the band meant something instead of the shitstorm it turned starting at RIR'11