2001-2002: Anyone else miss those days? Miss Axl?

[Dr. Who]

Not in terms of vocal quality or anything - if we're going by that rubric, Axl's voice was touch and go - but...

Considering all that has happened since, don't 2001-2002 in retrospect seem like a golden era?

Axl was energetic, both on stage and off. You could tell all his heart and fire were in making this idea of a new Guns N' Roses a viable thing - that he really believed in what he was doing. He assembled this amazing band full of weird, but interesting and talented players. The shows were full of energy and promise - Axl's heart into it, the band was totally into it, he was in great shape, he still ran around the stage and owned it, he still ranted but they weren't the childish rants of the early 1990s; We heard for the first time some of the songs that would make it onto Chinese D. It was an era full of such amazing promise and such an exciting time to be a fan - do you agree?

This was the era of:
-The very first (IMHO best) version of The Blues. Maddy. Riad. All new stuff.
-Buckethead and Robin, an awesome guitar duo, making magic with the older songs.
-Guns still being relevant/popular enough to sell out MSG in minutes and be the highlight of the MTV Awards
-The mystique surrounding Axl, Chinese Democracy and the members

Yeah, there were downsides to it. Axl's voice was different - but honestly, watching Rio 2001, his voice, while different, wasn't bad. You could tell in retrospect he was just trying out a new style and on some of the songs it works.

Does anyone else miss this era? I think 2001-2002 - and maybe 2006 - were the most exciting times this band ever had. In that time, I thought this new Guns N' Roses had a chance to retake the world.

I honestly hope that Vegas in 2014 wasn't the last time we'll see Axl Rose on stage. The stage is where he belongs - that's his calling, that's his gift, and always has been. Axl is the last great rockstar, last of a dying breed, the last Immortal - the ginger bastard son of Janis Joplin and Robert Plant - Let's all hope the guy comes back, with the same amount of heart, soul and inspiration he had, gives us a great record, and some amazing shows. If we're nearing the end, let's go out on a high note, not a whimper.

Does anyone else miss 2001-2002? Does anyone else miss Axl Rose?

[Sixes]

I still maintain that the show I saw in 2002 was the best I've seen from them and I have seen them in 1988, 1991, 1992, 2006, 2010 and 2012, multiple times in most of those years.

[Padme]

Maybe 2001 and 2002 it could´ve been a golden era. But I think the cancellation of the euro tour in 2001, the Vancouver and Philly riots, cancellation of U.S. tour in 2002, the CD delay, the total lack of explanations, communication, it made it a shit era.

Edited July 31, 2015 by Padme

[EvH]

Clean voice and all, yes, I do. Boston 2002 is one of my favorite GNR shows ("G N'R" as some might wisely add) and Rio 2001 has my favorite version of KOHD by this band.

Chi Dem sounded badass with the bass line during the verses.

Edited July 31, 2015 by EvH

[DR DOOM]

Clean voice and all, yes, I do. Boston 2002 is one of my favorite GNR shows ("G N'R" as some might wisely add) and Rio 2001 has my favorite version of KOHD by this band.

Chi Dem sounded badass with the bass line during the verses.

I hate how the album versions of Chinese Democracy and IRS have every space filled in with bleugh.

Ron clogging up IRS with directionless noodling ruined probably my favourite of the CD songs.

edit: on topic, you could hardly call this era a success though, but it sure showed a lot of potential.

I'd kill to hear all the stuff from back then as it was/is?

Edited July 31, 2015 by DR DOOM

[EvH]

Clean voice and all, yes, I do. Boston 2002 is one of my favorite GNR shows ("G N'R" as some might wisely add) and Rio 2001 has my favorite version of KOHD by this band.

Chi Dem sounded badass with the bass line during the verses.

I hate how the album versions of Chinese Democracy and IRS have every space filled in with bleugh.

Ron clogging up IRS with directionless noodling ruined probably my favourite of the CD songs.

I'd kill to hear all the stuff from back then as it was/is?

I agree 100 %. I love many songs off CD, esp. Madagascar, Better, Prostitute and TWAT but the mix is so busy the music can't breathe. I don't need three vocal layers, and 98 different guitar licks DO get in the way of enjoying the music, Axl.

[BreakDown2014]

Don't forget Pitman!

[magisme]

Only in hindsight. If you were around and paying attention at the time, this was the period when you had to admit that Axl was never going to reclaim any sort of throne. It was great to see him for us, but most people either laughed or didn't care. Half-empty shows, shit voice, new songs suck, etc.

[Len Cnut]

Whoose Miss Axl? Is she up for it?

[TheSeeker]

Axl's voice was terrible and all those shows are really hard to listen to

[ChineseIRS]

Cant stand the '01-'02 years. Axl and the band looked ridiculous. Axl didnt sound that great...'06-07 was the whole package. The only thing it missed was the album actually coming out. 2010 was also awesome. Those were the best 3 years for the new era.

[Mendez]

Only thing I liked was Axl's look in the first two pictures you posted (aka his look on the december show(s) of 2001 ) and Bucket. I think the band would have been accepted if they dressed like they did in 2006 (normal looking clothes) besides bucket of course. Instead of "ah fucking freak show" itd be "ah fuckin axl's guns"

Edited August 1, 2015 by Mendez

[Pedrolg]

I was great to have Axl back, performing and all that. In hindsight, I think we end up looking back and viewing it as good period. The reality though is that back then I was shocked, and not in a good way for the most part. I was at RIR 2001, and the band was shocking. While they turned out to be a solid formation with Bucket and Robin, the looks and everything were very odd, very non GNR like.

Then there was Axl. Many people say that his vocals back then were "clean but powerful" and that he "had the fire". In reality, he sounded awful most of the time. One could see he was trying, but he was failing. I'd rate his vocals back then in 2011-2014 level. Above RIR 2011 for sure, but quite a tad below the last two vegas shows, for instance.

Summarizing, looking back now, I can throughly enjoy that period, and I can see how fortunate I was to have attended RIR 2001. This makes me forget that back then I was absolutely certain that Axl's voice was shot and gone, and I was very unsure about WTF was that gothic dude and that Slash wannabe with the KFC thing.

I think 2001-2002 was a poor time for Axl, but he bounced back amazingly and was badass in 2006. Then the band dissolved, but he came back in 2010 doing fine - I must confess I throughly enjoy chubby uncle Axl with those characteristic mean eyes, clumsly dancing around, wearing those large shirts and absolutely ripping the songs with shitloads of rasp. 2010 Axl is the template to how rockstars should age.

01/02 is also cool because it is a time when Axl was at rock bottom vocally, and he did get out of that. That's kind of where he is now - 2011-2014 is a very poor period vocally, and anyone who denies that is delusional. If he recovered from 01/02, perhaps he can recover again now, even though it's been five years now. That would probably be my no. 1 wish as a fan, before a reunion, a new album and everything. Once Axl Rose was back, the rest would eventually sort itself out.

[Apollo]

I still think that Robin and Bucket would have pushed Axl to creative heights that would have completely re-invented Axl and GnR and they would have became an absolutely huge and relevant band again.

Better, The Blues, Twat, Catcher, Shacklers - for me, those are the real standouts of CD. So if we just imagine that CD2 is basically the same as CD ......if they would have just taken the 14 best songs and made one album (instead of splitting them up)............an album with two songs each of the quality of Better/Twat/Catcher/Blues........that's an amazing album.

[whatashame]

I do miss the 2001-2 band I feel their mission stands upmost unfulfilled

[jeancarlo]

2006-2010 is the best, he is on good shape and great voice, i hope he recover that vocal range and rasp to the next tour.

Axl need to get in shape, let your beard and hair grow and back to this style with jeans haha

[Nosaj Thing]

I miss Buckethead. Well, not like "miss" him in Guns. I just love his music and his guitar playing. It would have been amazing if he played TWAT live before he left the circus band.

[tomfriend]

Not in terms of vocal quality or anything - if we're going by that rubric, Axl's voice was touch and go - but...

Considering all that has happened since, don't 2001-2002 in retrospect seem like a golden era?

Axl was energetic, both on stage and off. You could tell all his heart and fire were in making this idea of a new Guns N' Roses a viable thing - that he really believed in what he was doing. He assembled this amazing band full of weird, but interesting and talented players. The shows were full of energy and promise - Axl's heart into it, the band was totally into it, he was in great shape, he still ran around the stage and owned it, he still ranted but they weren't the childish rants of the early 1990s; We heard for the first time some of the songs that would make it onto Chinese D. It was an era full of such amazing promise and such an exciting time to be a fan - do you agree?

This was the era of:

-The very first (IMHO best) version of The Blues. Maddy. Riad. All new stuff.

-Buckethead and Robin, an awesome guitar duo, making magic with the older songs.

-Guns still being relevant/popular enough to sell out MSG in minutes and be the highlight of the MTV Awards

-The mystique surrounding Axl, Chinese Democracy and the members

Yeah, there were downsides to it. Axl's voice was different - but honestly, watching Rio 2001, his voice, while different, wasn't bad. You could tell in retrospect he was just trying out a new style and on some of the songs it works.

Does anyone else miss this era? I think 2001-2002 - and maybe 2006 - were the most exciting times this band ever had. In that time, I thought this new Guns N' Roses had a chance to retake the world.

I honestly hope that Vegas in 2014 wasn't the last time we'll see Axl Rose on stage. The stage is where he belongs - that's his calling, that's his gift, and always has been. Axl is the last great rockstar, last of a dying breed, the last Immortal - the ginger bastard son of Janis Joplin and Robert Plant - Let's all hope the guy comes back, with the same amount of heart, soul and inspiration he had, gives us a great record, and some amazing shows. If we're nearing the end, let's go out on a high note, not a whimper.

Does anyone else miss 2001-2002? Does anyone else miss Axl Rose?

Axl isn't fit to be mentioned in the same breath as Janis Joplin. Janis was driven to create music that resonated with her fans. To not just sing her heart out but theirs too. Always restless, always finding new musicians to drive her forward, always creating, always RELEASING what she created and she only stopped when she well...stopped.

I'd walk a hundred miles to be able to hear Janis sing one note. I wouldn't cross the street to hear Axl trot out his shishow in his current state.

Sidenote: Axl regards her one of the best vocalists ever, yet can't even spell her name correctly when he writes to Rolling Stone or whoever it was.

[wasted]

I prefered the time after CD was released. As soon as Axl lost the cornrows he seemed to be back to being a rock star. In 2001-2002 the show I saw was fine but Axl was more cautious. Hedidn't seem sure of his role in rock.

[Rovim]

I prefered the time after CD was released. As soon as Axl lost the cornrows he seemed to be back to being a rock star. In 2001-2002 the show I saw was fine but Axl was more cautious. Hedidn't seem sure of his role in rock.

Personally I loved his 2006/2007 predator phase. 2010 was crazy. His not leaving Las Vegas phase is fun, I like it.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Rovim

[J Dog]

01-02, that's when CD seriously needed to be released. That's really the only nu-gnr lineup that had any kind of originality. And the sound was so much rawer. Even a songs like CD and Maddy had a more raw feel than the finished product. But Axl in '06 was his best form imo, he killed it in '06.