07/01/17 - Hämeenlinna, FI - Kantolan Tapahtumapuisto

[Scream of the Butterfly]

Another question: did anybody check out the "Guns on the Rocks" -exhibition in Hämeenlinna? I didn't have a chance to see it yesterday and was wondering if it's worth it to pay another visit to Hämeenlinna just to see the exhibition?

[weaponsnflowers]

I was in the circle and the crowd in front of me was into it. We clapped and waved our hands. Some jumping too. About the gig though, the first hour or so was great. But the delay really took a toll on me, my legs were hurting like hell for all that standing. By the end of it I was hoping they would just finish already. And they really should drop the covers, like Knockin' on Heaven's Door. It's just boring. Black Hole Sun was a nice surprise though. But that should go eventually too. It was strange how some people seemed almost uncomfortable listening to Axl sing This I Love. And it really is Axl's solo. Anyway, the show was too long for too long. I'm happy that I got to see them, but no reason to go again, unless they have something new to play.

[Fourteenbeers]

A review from Guns n’ Roses gig at Hämeenlinna.  This is going to be really a long one (and there can be typos etc.).

My hands and feet are sore (and my voice is gone)

At first: I  have to defend a little at least part of the audience there. If you got one stream from the back (near the beer tents and the crowd who were there just to drink), it must have looked really bad. Me and my friends were closer to the stage (not in the GC, which I  really regret now – we’ve should have been there) But what I heard/saw there were lots of people clapping their hands and singing a long with the biggest hits (not 100 %  of the people but many)  So the whole picture of the audience wasn’t that bad, at least from my POV.

Me, my friends and  quite many people in the part of the audience near us were singing along, clapping/waving our hands and rocking our asses off and we had a really great time. If GC crowd was not good (not totally sure about it cause i didn't see them that much) , I really feel sorry for the band, they deserved better. But maybe they were ok, somebody else closer to GC or in GC could comment on that one. 

I guess one factor about the not-so-great- audience is this: this is a very small country and the % of people who bought tickets just to see what fuss was about, could be pretty high. Also the average age of the audience could be a factor. And as a country we’re can be pretty reserved (if we’re not drunk) This is stereotyping (and it doesn’t apply to everyone, I’m a live wire in any rock concert - I sing along even if I don’t know the lyrics )

But now to the show: 

They were an hour late (maybe they were still in Central Europe Time or somebody got stuck somewhere,  in the toilet maybe? Who knows). While waiting, at one point I almost yelled: Get in the Ring motherfucker! Almost. (and everybody around me talking about it were guessing that the lateness was Axl’s fault –the poor guy always gets the blame.) 

Axl Rose  - I think I love you (as a performer and a front man of a band) No worries  Izzy fans – Izzy is still my favorite.

Axl really won me over. I always known he has charisma but witnessing that first time live is pretty overwhelming experience. Anyone who says that he’s doing it just for the money - I don't believe it anymore. The guy works his ass off on stage. Even if the crowd was not the biggest source of  enthusiasm for him (duh),  he was smiling, moving like mad and singing like there's no tomorrow. His voice sounds sometimes better sometimes a little worse, but I didn’t think that he sounded awful at any point. And there were times when he sounded really great too. 

Axl  is the main reason why I’m really  happy that I went to see them.

Slash -  he’s one cool motherfucker and great guitarist. At one point he was playing with guitar behind his head – what a show off. 

Even if I liked Richard’s solo in Rocket Queen, when they were dueling with guitars later on – it’s clear that Richard is the more technical one and Slash has the smooth, more soulful style which I prefer.   Slash was really ”cool” during the whole show. I didn’t get one single facial expression from him until  the very end. Just before he left the stage he walked on his hands and people started clapping and he smiled. 

Duff was good, he sang New Rose which was nice. And even if he is a giraffe – it was great that at times he moved to  the upper level of the stage so people could see him better. 

Frank seemed to be having fun, he smiled a lot. I didn’t get any major fuck ups from him.  Melissa – the backing vocals of Better – that’s where I really paid attention to her. She has a good voice, it would be interesting to hear her singing by herself. 

Speaking objectively (not as a pissed off Izzy fangirl): Richard Fortus is a good guitarist. A part from few weird ”spasms” he didn’t do anything too annoying on the stage. 

Things I have to say about the setlist: 

The Jungle-  sounded good (and yes- there was singing along in the audience) I had a blast  with this one.
Chinese Democracy – I have to take a second look/hearing at this song. It sounded really great live.
 

I'm really glad  they played Night Train instead of My Michelle from AFD. I love the album but I really don’t care for Michelle’s melody that much.  

YCBM – I couldn't tell what Axl sounded like on this because I was singing along so loudly. 
Civil War  - the  most touching song of the show IMO. 
No stage diving (or I’ll take it god damn it)  from Axl during Rocket Queen – awww what a disappointment
Whole Lotta Rosie was great as always.

We’ve got NR, DC and Patience – I didn’t notice any of the guys (at least near me) singing along with these ones at all. Come on, there's nothing wrong about a guy singing about love. 

 
But during Patience something really weird happened: a short time (less than 30 secs) Axl’s voice sounded exactly the same as he did when he was young. It was like a time travelling experience and I got goosebumps and couple of tears in my eyes. Then his voice went back to what it is now and the moment was over. 

They ended with Paradise City (where the grass is red and the schools are shitty) Fireworks, confetti etc. It was a great ending for the show. 

I’ve started listening Gn’R when I was a kid (too young to be listening that kind of music, but that didn't stop me).I secretly sneaked (or is it snuck?) to my room with my older sister's AFD-cassette and a walkman when she wasn’t at home. In the end  I became the bigger fan of the band. 

With all the bullshit surrounding this tour, I considered selling my ticket at one point, but now I’m really happy that I didn’t. It was amazing experience . It was the first time I saw them- but hopefully not the last. 
 

Edited July 2, 2017 by Fourteenbeers
typos, typos and more typos

[t-p-d-a]

12 hours ago, houseri said:

This is from 2010 Finland

 

 

You should use this video:

Axl Rose in FULL rasp mode

Edited July 2, 2017 by t-p-d-a

[DieselDaisy]

Three hours? You know there are Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young shows from 1974 which reached the 220 minute threshold (not including support acts which usually included people like Joni Mitchell and The Beach Boys)!!

[Lies They Tell]

That was a freaking great show! Here's my review or what ever you wanna call it:

I was there with my two brothers. They didn't want to pay for Golden Circle ticket's, so I didn't either. I've already seen GNR from the front row in 2006, so it was no big deal to me. Now we were at the front row of the bigger area. Michael Monroe's performance was super energetic. Believe it or not, this was my first time seeing MM, even though I'm from Finland. He played pretty much everything I hoped he would play, except maybe a couple of Hanoi Rocks songs. Loved Trick of the Wrist especially. It's a shame that nobody around me seemed to know almost any of the songs. WTF?

The Darkness were in a though spot having to play after such an energetic show and having to warm the audience for GNR. They actually joked about that. I've never been a huge fan of The Darkness, but they sounded really cool and they just might be the funniest band I've ever seen live.

Apparently GNR were an hour late. I barely noticed it, cause they were much more late in 2006. Seems that the reason for the lateness was technical problems. There were people on the stage fixing the lights. Anyway it was definitely worth the wait.

It was epic hearing McBob's scream at the beginning, though I didn't  catch what he actually said. One of the first things I noticed was that Duff was wearing a Smack -shirt. The Smack is an old finnish punk rock band from around the same time as Hanoi Rocks. Nirvana has actually covered a Smack song called Run Rabbit Run. Go check it out! It's a cool band. Some might prefer it over Hanoi Rocks.

My oldest brother had never seen GNR live, so I was a little concerned what he would think of it. Sometimes he's so critical. But after Double Talkin Jive he said "That was really something", so I knew he was sold. Some people around me were very boring. They just standed still and didn't seem to know any other songs except the biggest hits. But that didn't prevent me from having fun. I was dancing and jumping and having the time of my life.

The band sounded great. Well I guess you all know what the band sounds like, so I'm not gonna comment much on that. At times Axl's voice is a bit weaker and at times he sounds phenomenal. He sounded especially good on Nightrain, I think. Slash is the guitar god that he's always been. Not much new to say about that. The rest of the band sounded good too. Melissas backing vocals on November Rain are really nice.

Axl didn't talk to the audience all that much. I remember that the first thing he said was: "You're too kind. No seriously"  Probably because we didn't boo or anything even though they were late. Before You Could Be Mine he said something along the lines: "Now we're gonna get a bit sentimental. This is a romantic song. Then the drums kicked in and he said " I told you". "On Knockin On Heavens Door he said something to Slash with a jamaican accent. Probably just making fun of the reggae vibes. Before Nightrain he said something about how this is probably as dark as it's gonna get here in Finland. At the encore he said something along the lines: "we're thinking about doing a couple of more. Not if you don't want to". 

And oh boy the encore was something! 5 freaking songs!  I felt so spoiled after the show. They had played everything I wished they'd play and more. After the first couple of shows of the European leg of the tour, I stopped watching these shows on Periscope, cause I wanted it to feel a bit fresh again when I see them with my own eyes. They didn't play anything that they hadn't played before. But that wasn't really a surprise. Some might be disappointed that they didn't bring Michael Monroe on stage, but that wasn't really a surprise either. The biggest surprise for me was that they played soooooooo many songs. They played Yesterdays AND Out Ta Get Me. They played Don't Cry AND Patience. They played Whole Lotta Rosie AND The Seeker. It was seriously one of the best setlist of the entire NITL-tour IMO.

Black Hole Sun was really epic too. Sadly I never got to see Soundgarden live, so me and my brothers were really happy to hear the song live this way. This I Love was really nice too. Is it just me, or did Axl sing it with more emotion than usually. It could be just because I was there, but it felt really emotional. I almost started crying, just like on the first time I heard that song. There's something so sincere about it. I had warned my brothers that they might not play Out Ta Get Me or Don't Cry. My oldest brother seemed genuinely disappointed about that, since Out Ta Get Me is one of his favorite songs. And I've actually never heard Don't Cry before, so I was really hoping that they'd play it. And they played both! It was amazing.

Out of all songs Axl seemed to be the most into The Seeker. He really seemed to enjoy performing it, so I guess that explains why it's been on the setlist for so long. I actually like the song, so I was happy that they played it. I was even more happy about Whole Lotta Rosie though. It's probably my favorite AC/DC song and I've always secretly wanted to hear it live. They truly played everything that I hoped they'd play. Even Duff's choice of the song was exactly what I hoped for. I'm talking about New Rose. Loved hearing him sing one tune too. 

Last but not least I just want to say THANK YOU to GNR for this unforgettable show and especially thank you for playing Coma!!!!! I've been looking forward to hearing Coma live the whole year and I got to see it. I was so afraid that they would remove it from the setlist before they come to Finland, but they didn't. So THANK YOU! And it didn't disappoint. Sure some of the casual fans didn't know the song, but I was rocking to the tune like there was no tomorrow. And at the silent -part, the atmospehere was just as magical as I had imagined it to be.

That's it from me now. It was a really cool experience. Even my oldest brother though it was the best concert he had ever been to, even though he tends to be so critical. The ending with Paradise City, fireworks and all the shredded paper in the air is always such a blast. What a night!

 

Edited July 2, 2017 by Lies They Tell

[houseri]

Good one

 

[houseri]

Jungle from the front

[.Seal]

Great gig! Axl's voice went a bit mickey at moments, which is weird as it was better in LA last August and usually touring enhances his voice.

 

Organizers sucked ass but what can you except in Finland.. Hopefully Nijmegen is better organized!

[jumanism]

I was right outside the golden circle area and there were other mega-gnr fans around me. We sang along to damn near every song, (even only women bleed and wish you were here) jumped around and screamed our fucking throats out. A dude lifted me and the person next to me during Paradise city, and we were in Rock n roll ecstasy. That's why I was honestly kinda to see people bashing the crowd here because from my point of view the whole crowd was super lively. Also super pissed by the fact that people complained and worried about the FUCKING LACK OF BEER when one of the greatest rock bands of ALL TIME is playing their fucking hearts out for 3 hours. That's finnish white trash I guess.

What I really noticed was that the people just outside the golden circle were mostly kids my age or a bit older (17-20-year olds) were the ones with the most fire and excitement in their souls for the band, not the people in the golden circle. I remember all of us being outraged by seeing someone literally 2 metres next to slash just filming with their cameras and not actually enjoying the show. What a disgrace. I really hope they wont have the golden circle thing for the next time they come here, if at all. The people with the most passion should get close to the band, not the people with the most amount of money.

Well that's my rant I guess. Still enjoyed the gig tremendously, damn near cried at many parts. Axl sounded great for the most part, and he did some vocal things I swear he's never done before (added raspy parts and ad libs into some parts of songs) He seemed really happy and into it. Things like sweet child o mine were still kinda rough sounding for him but the fact that the audience sang along made up for it. Patience and Don't cry sounded fantastic as well, the best I've heard this tour. Didn't sound lazy or half assed at all. Coma was surprisingly okay too. I just hope that he didn't get discouraged by the lame non-partying people in the audience

[Carburetta]

Cool Estranged video, first half sounded like '93 Axl to me.

All in all this seems like a pretty cool show, late start aside.

[Kelmi]

What a show. Where to begin.

It was very easy to get close to the stage after Mike Monroe, as many left for food and drinks etc. First time I heard or saw The Darkness. I was blown away. The sound in their show was much better than GnRs (Franks drums were too loud.. could barely hear Slash) and their stage show was fun and energetic. 

When The Darkness finished their awesome and fun concert, people were on fire and ready for Guns. The enthuatishm went down as they kept audience waiting nearly 1 hour. 

Well Its so easy started and I was excited as hell, jumping and fistpumbin. The sound was shit, last time I saw Slash in arena I could hear everything perfectly... now Slash was just in front of my eyes soloing and I couldnt feel it cause I didnt hear it.

The major complaint about the show for me are the idiots in Slash side golden circle. I was standing behind some really zombie people just in front of the stage. Fuck! Im in a rock concert, where is the energy and desire? I partied and jumped up until Slashs solo.. then I decided fuck it.. no one will join the fun.

I enjoyed songs like This I Love, November Rain, Kohd, .. almost everythinh after SCOM. The first part of the set is a rocker and I wanted to rock but the audience and sound problems almost ruined my experience.

I saw them last time in Finland 2010. I was 15yrs old.. quite close to center stage. Screaming and jumping to almpst every song.. and so did everyone else then. Now there were some fat burgers who looked news feed during the show.

Usually I feel energised and like Ive been to therapy after good rock show. I still remember fondly AxlDc show from last year.. so much energy. But not yesterday.

I wonder if you guys who enjoyed the show had better sound than I did and was it your first time seeing Axl or Slash? Glad for those who got great experience.

Unlogical review maybe but please comment and share your thoughs

[Stress Fracture]

1 hour ago, houseri said:

Jungle from the front

 

After seeing some of the comments, I feared the worst, but thankfully Axl got to hear some of them scream on his command.

[Bumble's Bridge Pickup]

It was a lot of fun but I don't need to see them ever again unless there will be new music.

My main nitpick is that there are way too many boring songs in the setlist. I would prefer it if they cut out KOHD, This I Love, Don't Cry, Patience, NR and added something more interesting.

Also they could have had Michael Monroe get up for Outta Get Me or something.

I don't generally like huge concerts and festivals because the logistics are a pain in the ass, and this was no exception to that. Also it's not nice to have to worry about your train because the band decides to be 45 minutes late, so I left when PC started and ran to the train station - but actually the train waited for the audience so that's cool from their part.

All in all it was a good show though, nothing too surprising. The most rock n' roll moment was when Slash broke his B or E string during Nightrain and still played the long outro solo with no problems

[jekylhyde]

34 minutes ago, Kelmi said:

 

I wonder if you guys who enjoyed the show had better sound than I did and was it your first time seeing Axl or Slash? Glad for those who got great experience.

The sound was great in the back. I heard everything clearly. The band sounded perfect to me.

[nikothebellic]

Well, the concert was really great, if not outstanding. However, some concerns may exist.

Actually, they late not for an hour, but for 40 minutes - for GnR thats pretty okay, including the fact that there may be real problem with equipment. And the show was worth waiting. 

What has really amazed me is a dull Golden Circle audience. My first after-show thoughts were much the same as in many comments before. I mean, it's was not soooo bad, but only less than a half of the GC audience was really rocking and supporting the group. And the sad thing is, that the culture of rock supporting is dissapearing: we have or amorphous peolpe who just stands and eventually hinting others not to "rock"(but it's damn rock concert, wtf) or people who inadequate(hopefully only a few). At the same time, this statement can be reffered mostly to the golden circle - as I've read here, audience in GA was much better. I was on this venue on AC/DC at the GA and the atmosphere was really great with all jumping and supporting. But still, GC was an amazing experience with the stage and the whole band just in front of you. 

What is more, now I hate people using cameras on live venues. Okay, it's cool to shoot something, sometimes, and then go supporting, but they shoot and just stay then (or some sort). Maybe this idiots don't know that in case of Axl Rose the show quality depends on how audience react? I even was a bit suprised of so astonishing setlist (Don't Cry and Patience were played together only 3 times in more than 70 gigs), good Axl's mood, and the fact that they've played for 3 hours (it's the second longest concert in this tour). That's amazing, but it seems to me that's happened not because of 'fan's circe", but because of general audience. Maybe cameras should be taken away before the show? Or maby before the Circle? If you wanna permamently shoot, create bootleg or some sort, go for a sitting space or something, but not for the fan's space in front of the stage. 

All in all, the show was almost perfect, indeed. Even some bugs with technique or something(closer to the end Axl used to talk throught their inside channel several times) didn't spoiled it - everything sounded and looked awesome. Even Mr. Rose's voice sometimes reminded of its 1990's edition. Thank you Guns N' Roses!

[Scream of the Butterfly]

I don't quite understand the complaining about the audience not singing along, jumping etc. Just let people be and enjoy the show as they see fit as long as they aren't hurting others! The audience is not there to entertain the band or other people in the audience. Not everyone is young, happy, bouncy and energetic. Since when has this been a band for shiny happy people and no one else?

Myself I was very tired because I hadn't had a proper night's sleep for at least a week. It seems that every time I see GNR I'm sleep deprived, dehydrated etc. I'm also a person who is very uncomfortable in a large crowd, especially a large crowd of drunken people, so just surviving the concert was a bit of a challenge. I danced a little bit, but not a lot, but it wasn't for lack of appreciation. If I didn't love GNR to death, I wouldn't go see them at all, because being in a crowd is horrible.

With that said, I also don't quite understand those people who are just chatting with their friends and not even paying attention to the band. If GNR is just background music to you, wouldn't it make more sense to put on the record and throw a drinking party somewhere else?

[Zurimor]

10 minutes ago, Scream of the Butterfly said:

I don't quite understand the complaining about the audience not singing along, jumping etc. Just let people be and enjoy the show as they see fit as long as they aren't hurting others! The audience is not there to entertain the band or other people in the audience. Not everyone is young, happy, bouncy and energetic. Since when has this been a band for shiny happy people and no one else?

Myself I was very tired because I hadn't had a proper night's sleep for at least a week. It seems that every time I see GNR I'm sleep deprived, dehydrated etc. I'm also a person who is very uncomfortable in a large crowd, especially a large crowd of drunken people, so just surviving the concert was a bit of a challenge. I danced a little bit, but not a lot, but it wasn't for lack of appreciation. If I didn't love GNR to death, I wouldn't go see them at all, because being in a crowd is horrible.

With that said, I also don't quite understand those people who are just chatting with their friends and not even paying attention to the band. If GNR is just background music to you, wouldn't it make more sense to put on the record and throw a drinking party somewhere else?

Well, a lame crowd can really kill a concert for many people. Personally, I don't care and just jump around anyway and live with people staring strangely at me, but since it is Rock'n'Roll... The term alone includes some movement imho, if people just want to stand and watch, maybe some Pop concert is better for that.

[The Cosmic Ted]

1 minute ago, Zurimor said:

Well, a lame crowd can really kill a concert for many people. Personally, I don't care and just jump around anyway and live with people staring strangely at me, but since it is Rock'n'Roll... The term alone includes some movement imho, if people just want to stand and watch, maybe some Pop concert is better for that.

Lol. Opera would be better.

[Scumcat Esq.]

While I was not able to make it to the gig for a number of reasons, my buddy who's never been a fan of the band went to see them from St. Petersburg, Russia.
Well, GN'R got another neophyte last night. He's amazed, to say the least.

[DieselDaisy]

27 minutes ago, The Cosmic Ted said:

Lol. Opera would be better.

My sort of crowd!!

[marlingrl03]

1 hour ago, Scream of the Butterfly said:

With that said, I also don't quite understand those people who are just chatting with their friends and not even paying attention to the band. If GNR is just background music to you, wouldn't it make more sense to put on the record and throw a drinking party somewhere else?

Well, and honestly that is what I had said earlier....that if you don't want to dance and move, fine....but there were full on loud conversations going on drowning out Axl singing. These people had their backs to the stage even. Unreal to me but that's just me I guess. 

[Mrk]

I saw some streams from Slane that were even worse. Miles from stage and no one paying any attention to whats going on stage. Do not judge a gig by a crappy stream shot far from stage. No one was saying how lame some stadium shows are because half the audience is sitting down

Edited July 2, 2017 by Mrk
Typo

[Dangelus]

It was like that in parts of the first London show too. Some fatty woman in front of us got drinks for her friend and they were all loudly chatting away and paying no attention to the band except for when SCOM was played.

Really ruins the atmosphere and is fucking annoying when you're trying to have fun and rock out.

i think the problem is many people who aren't necessarily fans, booking tickets just to say they saw Guns N' Roses, like as a fashion statement.

[LandOla]

Extremely positive review:

http://www.iltalehti.fi/musiikki/201707022200241214_m0.shtml

In Finnish though, but use google translate.

 

edit: here's the translated version

https://translate.google.fi/translate?hl=fi&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iltalehti.fi%2Fmusiikki%2F201707022200241214_m0.shtml

Edited July 2, 2017 by LandOla