loosecannon3 Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 As we are likely approaching a new era with the GNR band, I wanted to look back at the first Las Vegas show with Axl and his new band. I was lucky enough to go that show. I was 22 years old at the time. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any friends to travel all the way from Toronto to Las Vegas with me just to see a Guns N' Roses concert. In fact, many of my friends thought I was crazy and they all seemed to think that the band just wouldn't be as good without the original members (looking back, they were right). However, the excitement of this show, after trolling the Guns N Roses newsgroups (run by Jeff Boreo(sp?)), along with the freshness of the internet in which everyone had their own GNR website on Geocities, Angelfire, etc., just made it something I had to see. I ended up finding two people on the internet to room with me - Dennis & Bob (you guys still around?). Again my buddies wished me luck with this idea. However, although I didn't know these two guys, the amount of discussions, speculations, etc. going on back then, made me feel like I knew these guys and that we had a camaraderie. I remember running into a bunch of people that I had spoken with on the web for a few years prior - Ravi, Jan, John M. It was a blast - although waiting in the line to get into the GA after Goo Goo Dolls finished at the House of Blues was not my favourite time, especially with security making us stand up! Is there anyone else on this board who also went to that show? What are your memories? I'm again going to Vegas to see them this year, however, now I am going with my wife and 2 year old daughter. Although, I am again seeing them on my own. lol 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZoSoRose Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Thanks for sharing, i like hearing old stories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSoftie Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Great post. You're a lucky man, I'd love to have seen that show, or the upcoming Vegas shows. They're a real piece of music history. I wish we had that pro-shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunsfanoldie Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Awesome post. Must have been an amazing experience. Regardless of what I thought of the new band, you can't deny the excitement back then and you saw one of the most exciting ones to date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkarmy Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 fawk I wanted to be at those shows so badly. But i was in university with debt compiling daily, and I only had dial up at the time. Trying to coordinate that trip alone back then would have been a nightmare. I was at all 4 hammerstein shows, 5 times in 2010 and Van and Seattle for 2012. Looking forward to Las Vegas! Such a nerd for this band. Can't wait to meet everyone in Vegas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirdeyeuss400 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 I was actually in the Vegas area at the time these shows took place around new years eve going into 2001 for a friends bachelors party but I had no idea GNR was performing at the time... I heard rumors and other people talking about it around the city but considering Axl basically fell of the map for almost a decade with no news or anything I simply just lost touch with the entire GNR world thinking it was history... If I knew about the shows I would've gone in a heart beat. It was a good time though nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnr157 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 This was an amazing show. I was lucky enough to attend as well. I was in College in Santa Barbara at the time. I remember going to Warehouse Records and I was the only one there asking for the Gun's and Rose's tickets, and when they pulled them up they were $250 dollars each, I freaked the fuck out and didn't have enough money to buy or even enough credit!!!! After convincing my big brother that we HAD to go this show, I purchased two GA tickets on eBay for about $600 for both on his Credit card. First Ebay purchase. We ended up driving to Vegas (and had a third ticketless friend tag along). We drove in, with no hotel reservations, and every intention of sleeping in our car. The show and the anticipation leading up to the show definitely ranks as one of the greatest entertainment experiences of my life. Definitely the number of unknowns going into the show played a big part. Also the lack of Axl sightings since 1993 also helped in building the mystic. But most importantly, THAT band kicked ass. From the first chords of WTTJ.....down to the final...daylight breaking and confetti raining drums of PC, the show was spot on. I've seen them several times since (Hammerstein Shows in NYC, Hardrock 01', 06', and both residences, Sturgis) and the shows have been good to great, but nothing has every touched the HOB show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackjacker Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 3 hours ago, Wagszilla said: I'm so jealous of anyone that got to see HOB 01/01 or 12/01. The December shows at The Joint were fun, but 01/01/01 HOB was nuts, for the atmosphere before/during as much as the show itself. I didn't/don't care for any of the hired guns, but the show really was special. Posted my recollections earlier in the Jan 1 2001 thread here: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loosecannon3 Posted March 5, 2016 Author Share Posted March 5, 2016 Glad the forum members are liking this post. One thing I forgot to add, is at the end of the show, Axl slammed his microphone down on the stage and it bounced right into my arms. It was spinning when it hit my chest and I couldn't catch it. It hit the ground and when everyone looked for it, it was gone. Some lucky fan managed to scoop it up and it still bothers me to this day when I think about it. I would love to have another shot at making that catch! It was just such a shock and it was also 3:35am PST for a guy who was coming from the east cost. I was also lucky enough to see GNR the following year at Vegas and while it was fun, it wasn't quite the same. Meeting up with the fans before the first show in 2000 was such an incredible experience that couldn't be replicated the following year. Plus, as people already mentioned, after not seeing Axl after so many years (other than the two or so pics of him playing with Gilby), the first HOB show was just something special What are people planning on doing before the April 8th show this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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