The "Axl's Voice" Thread - Please Keep All Discussion Here

[Pedrolg]

So 4 shows into the leg, where we at? I'd say the horrendous voice issues that made me think Axl was done are disappearing now, he seems to be able to reach the high notes again. Still, I'd say he is firmly in early-mid 2014 or 2017 form, with absolutely no indication of future significant improvement.

[GNRfanMILO]

17 minutes ago, Pedrolg said:

So 4 shows into the leg, where we at? I'd say the horrendous voice issues that made me think Axl was done are disappearing now, he seems to be able to reach the high notes again. Still, I'd say he is firmly in early-mid 2014 or 2017 form, with absolutely no indication of future significant improvement.

I tend to agree with almost every of your posts about Axl’s voice. So I’ll ask directly to you: which songs were the ones that he improved the most today? I’ve read that TIL was pretty good  

[Pedrolg]

11 minutes ago, GNRfanMILO said:

I tend to agree with almost every of your posts about Axl’s voice. So I’ll ask directly to you: which songs were the ones that he improved the most today? I’ve read that TIL was pretty good  

I was at work do I didn't listen to the whole thing. TIL was vastly improved, I even thought it was good, with some nice rasp on the chorus. SOYL sounded the same, with Axl sounding good but singing it in his own personal timing. Slither was mostly the same. Nightrain was also improved and decent again. The rest was mostly the same, with LOADS of mickey throughout the set. I found Jungle to be particularly terrible this time, since is a song that used to be a highlight through 2016.

[IncitingChaos]

heres an Axl flashback for the day. Hardest song in the set, end of a 2014 tour...Axl brings his best

[Gordon Comstock]

4 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

heres an Axl flashback for the day. Hardest song in the set, end of a 2014 tour...Axl brings his best

I was at that show. It was the last time that line-up played Prostitute, and they played other gems like Yesterdays and Marseilles. TWAT was especially great because I'd met Ron the night before the show and asked if they'd play TWAT, Yesterdays and especially Prostitute (they'd played them at the previous show for the first times that year), and he gave me a nod/funny look when the intro started (I was right in front of him, front row). Probably the 2nd best nugnr show I saw, after 2010.

[Stro]

Expecting a dude to push his voice to the point of shredding his vocal chords in the midst of literally one of the most profitable music tours of all time just so you can hear 30 year old songs closer to what you remember as a kid is pretty silly shit

Edited June 13, 2018 by Stro

[Gem Archer]

53 minutes ago, Pedrolg said:

So 4 shows into the leg, where we at? I'd say the horrendous voice issues that made me think Axl was done are disappearing now, he seems to be able to reach the high notes again. Still, I'd say he is firmly in early-mid 2014 or 2017 form, with absolutely no indication of future significant improvement.

i feel sorry for him, he's really trying but it seems that going for the high notes are hurting him, there's is clearly some decay in his voice plus his lack of training and months of who knows what he does off tour 

[IncitingChaos]

1 minute ago, Gordon Comstock said:

I was at that show. It was the last time that line-up played Prostitute, and they played other gems like Yesterdays and Marseilles. TWAT was especially great because I'd met Ron the night before the show and asked if they'd play TWAT, Yesterdays and especially Prostitute (they'd played them at the previous show for the first times that year), and he gave me a nod/funny look when the intro started (I was right in front of him, front row). Probably the 2nd best nugnr show I saw, after 2010.

Those last few Vegas shows were the only reason I believed Axl would be fine when they announced him as singer for ACDC. Those shows proved he wasn’t bringing his best every show and had something left in the tank.

2 minutes ago, Stro said:

Expecting a dude to push his voice to the point of shredding his vocal chords in the midst of literally one of the most profitable music tours of all time just so you can hear 30 year old songs closer to what you remember as a kid is pretty silly shit

Or is it silly shit to pay $250 for a half assed performance? 

[Gordon Comstock]

2 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

Those last few Vegas shows were the only reason I believed Axl would be fine when they announced him as singer for ACDC. Those shows proved he wasn’t bringing his best every show and had something left in the tank.

I've said it before - when Axl actually gives a shit, it's obvious, and it's fuckin awesome. I always thought he upped his game at those shows so that Ron's/nuGNR's(?) 'farewell' shows were good ones.

[Pedrolg]

16 minutes ago, Gem Archer said:

i feel sorry for him, he's really trying but it seems that going for the high notes are hurting him, there's is clearly some decay in his voice plus his lack of training and months of who knows what he does off tour 

An improvement over a disaster is hardly an improvent, but he managed to get through the whole song this time.

Those last 2014 tours are awesome. TWAT and Yesterdays from those gigs are above what Axl did in 2016 on most nights. He clearly kept something at the tank at all times and could bring it when needed. Now it seems he is spent. 

Also, retrospect, this below is how he sounded in the much maligned SA Leg of 2014. The worst he ever sounded, we said back then, horribly unprepared. Would anyone question this being an improvement over the two clips above?

Axl is not unprepared, his voice is fried from relentless touring and doing every night with AC/DC what he kept to 10 songs a year, spreaded over shows, with GNR from 2011 to 2016.

Edited June 13, 2018 by Pedrolg

[Stro]

22 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

Those last few Vegas shows were the only reason I believed Axl would be fine when they announced him as singer for ACDC. Those shows proved he wasn’t bringing his best every show and had something left in the tank.

Or is it silly shit to pay $250 for a half assed performance? 

No one is forcing anyone to buy tickets and nearly all reviews from shows that aren't GNR message boards talk about how great he sounded that given night 

 

They've been selling out stadiums all around the world for 2 years, even coming back and hitting the same areas for a second time and people are happy to pay those prices and happy to hear Axl sing the hits.

[Pedrolg]

5 minutes ago, Stro said:

No one is forcing anyone to buy tickets and nearly all reviews from shows that aren't GNR message boards talk about how great he sounded that given night 

 

They've been selling out stadiums all around the world for 2 years, even coming back and hitting the same areas for a second time and people are happy to pay those prices and happy to hear Axl sing the hits.

You think commercial reviews are spot on? You truly think he sounds great? Really, please, scroll up a few inches, literally just a few inches, put on TIL from Download, then put on YCBM from today. You really, truly think Axl sounds great and like Axl Rose at all?

I get it that there is demand to listen to him at this current state. It was a massive band that broke up in 93 and a lot of people don't know how long they have to see Axl and Slash together again. Rock is also not what it was, and once those legacy acts die out things will never be what they used to be, and everybody who grew up listening to this stuff will never, ever get another shot of seeing a live show. So yeah, people will pay for, I've been underwhelmed by Axl for god knows how long and did twice.

I don't see however how that makes it right for a band to charge above most other musical acts in the world when their lead singer 1) is jumping and mumbling over words 2) struggling to reach notes right and left and 3) clearly physically struggling to perform. This is what's happening to Axl right now. He can keep charging whatever he wants and performing, it's a free capitalist world after all, but people have every right to have an opinion about it on an opinion board. 

Mine is that Axl should a) acknowledge his shit b) address his shit and c) do whatever he can to sort it out.

[Stro]

I'm not buying tickets so his voice at a live show has no impact on me other than I might get to hear a cool bootleg. People are paying absurd money to see GNR with Axl and Slash in 2016-2018, and reviews from people that went to the shows have been overwhelmingly positive across social media this whole time. Maybe every person that had a good time or posted Axl sounded good is a Russian spam bot or something.

 

They've been touring for 2 years now, people have had more than enough time to see or hear about what they sound like and people are still filling the place up even when they've come back for a second round. Most people going to the shows either think he sounds good or don't care that he doesn't because they're having a good time hearing their favorite songs with 10s of thousands of other people also having a good time. 

Just like no one is forcing people to pay those tickets to see a show they don't want to see, no one is forcing people to watch bootlegs and get mad over how they sound. If you don't like how it sounds, why are you torturing yourself listening to vids of your favorite band sounding like shit to you? Couldn't you just like...listen to performances you actually like? 

 

If he sounds as bad as you think he sounds, people will stop paying and the shows will dry up. Until then, they have an overwhelmingly positive response even on shows where he might have trouble with songs. 

Edited June 13, 2018 by Stro

[IncitingChaos]

@Stro I think you make some valid points. The disconnect with us “critics” is we expect and hold Axl to a higher level than most. We see him as a professional singer with one of the most unique and fantastic voices in the history of music, so of course hearing how he sounds now is crushing as a fan. You honestly have the feeling of wanting to fix him Bc he’s losing or not using a true gift! 

For you, you see the writing on the wall. You see a 56 year old man trying to play a 4 hour show, trying to scream with the same ferocity that made us fans. However he has a lot of miles on those vocals and eventually we have to accept he’s going to be a shell of what he was. And you just enjoy the man for trying and still being on that stage.

but back to the critic. I think as long as Axl is taking that stage then there is always a chance we could hear something special. And that’s why we tune in week to week, that’s why we dissect these performances, it has nothing to do with hate. It’s just a matter of viewpoints. We are still delusional in believing that he can turn this around and give us another highlight like 2016. 

[Dar97]

Axl sounds amazing atm

This i love sounds amazing 

 

[Georgina Arriaga]

6 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

You honestly have the feeling of wanting to fix him Bc he’s losing or not using a true gift! 

But if he is losing his gift, what he can do? Stop and retire? Change the song to accomodate his vocals? Maybe, but Imagine if he is losing his voice how he feels? We accuse and say is lack of preparation, lazyness, that he doesn't care, money grab, etc, etc.....but we don't really know. 

Chris Slade in the podcast that he made with Jericho explain a little bit the audition that Axl made for AC/DC, he said that Axl reach notes that only dogs can hear...that he was staggering and  he cannot think in another person replacing Brian, so I have a hard time believing he lost his voice, but really we don't know, in China Exchange he talk a bit about his clean voice but nobody ask more...and he is not talking...

At the end we only have 19 shows in Europe and 8 more in November, a lot of people are very excited to see them, after that, maybe we will not see him in a long time, or never...I believe GNR will going in a long hiatus or call it quits

[D..]

11 minutes ago, Dar97 said:

Axl sounds amazing atm

This i love sounds amazing 

 

Much better!

I just don't like what Slash is doing with the solo... He should have stuck to the material. Robin's solo fits the song so much better.

Slash sounds amazing and is unbeatable when he plays his own material and some covers, but "Chinese Democracy" requires a totally different style.

Who knows, maybe we could have Bumblefoot or Buckethead joining for an upcoming tour. Along with Izzy and Steven. 

Nintendo announced "Smash Bros. Ultimate", EVERYONE IS THERE.

Now imagine a "Guns N' Roses Ultimate" tour with the full roster from every line-up ever. How amazing would that be!

[Dar97]

All you people moaning about Axl's voice should go get a life because he sounds amazing.

[Pedrolg]

10 minutes ago, IncitingChaos said:

@Stro I think you make some valid points. The disconnect with us “critics” is we expect and hold Axl to a higher level than most. We see him as a professional singer with one of the most unique and fantastic voices in the history of music, so of course hearing how he sounds now is crushing as a fan. You honestly have the feeling of wanting to fix him Bc he’s losing or not using a true gift! 

For you, you see the writing on the wall. You see a 56 year old man trying to play a 4 hour show, trying to scream with the same ferocity that made us fans. However he has a lot of miles on those vocals and eventually we have to accept he’s going to be a shell of what he was. And you just enjoy the man for trying and still being on that stage.

but back to the critic. I think as long as Axl is taking that stage then there is always a chance we could hear something special. And that’s why we tune in week to week, that’s why we dissect these performances, it has nothing to do with hate. It’s just a matter of viewpoints. We are still delusional in believing that he can turn this around and give us another highlight like 2016. 

To add to that, most of us love the guy and really want him to shine. I don't mind him struggling vocally, most rock singers do at some point. He is getting old and what he did through his career is insane. I also have serious doubts regarding all the beliefs that he is lazy or doesn't prepare. I do think he's voice is starting to fail him, and I bet that is devastating to him and a very sensitive topic.

What kind of bothers me as a fan is to see him just keep performing, and the band and the fans pretending he is performing those songs properly at this point. Sad truth is he isn't, a lot of songs sound honestly bad, and he is taking massive high profile gigs and failing to simply perform some of the songs fully at those, eating words, failing to reach nores. 

It's rough right now, and there are two alternatives. 1) there`s something he can do, between working with a vocal coach, putting the tour on hold or reinventing the songs to fit better into his capabilites. In this scenario, he should identify the best course of action and do it asap. 2) it is what it is, he works harder than most of us think, but his voice is going. In that case, he could be a bit more open about and relieve some of the pressure on himself, performing with fans support for as long as he can. 

It is bad to not be able to look forward to a proshot gig, because you know it's going to expose him. It's bad to see him struggle out there, and to fear that, as the reunion novelty wears off and his voice further deteriorates, he might get slammed by a rabid press that still holds him accountable for shit he did in his youth - that, if it happens, is likely to hurt him much more than a bunch of fans complaining in mygnr. It's bad to listen to unreleased leaked material knowing he is already unable to sing it like it's recorded.

Bottom line, tl:dr, there is something up with his voice, and he should take the time and effort to address it, whatever addressing it may be at this point. That's just my opinion. 

[Santacruz]

4 minutes ago, Dar97 said:

All you people moaning about Axl's voice should go get a life because he sounds amazing.

 thanks for this great explanation.

[Politania]

On 12.06.2018 at 12:53 AM, Blackstar said:

Axl's clean vocals in 2001-02 were a choice. He said that about the vocals on CD in China Exchange, but I believe it's true for the shows of that time too, as most of the CD vocals were recorded then and he wanted to sound live like in the album which was due to be released. And some of his live vocals weren't bad at all. For example, My Michelle at HoB was clean but good, imo.

But now I think it's not purely choice, and that's evident from the fact that his clean vocals are much less powerful than in 2001. And his raspy voice with AC/DC and on some GnR songs is still great, but different. His voice has weakened naturally due to age and probably other factors. I've noticed that many times he puts his hand on his chest when he sings with rasp. It looks like he puts a lot of effort.

I also think he's fully aware of how he sounds and has always been - it's ridiculous to say that he isn't and that he thinks he sounds good because people tell him he does.He knows when he has a good night, an average one or a bad one. He is also aware of what the fans think; that was clear as well in the China Exchange interview.

Bolded:  does it make him a physical pain? I know it's kinda stupid question...

Alcohol and cigarettes could also demage his voice??

[TheGeneral]

To be honest, I don't like most of the rasp he did from 2017 onwards.

It just sounds really, REALLY forced and unhealthy. Sounds more like a voice crack than rasp. (For example PC or I think near the end of Prostitute, not sure though)

[Blackstar]

5 hours ago, Politania said:

Bolded:  does it make him a physical pain? I know it's kinda stupid question...

Alcohol and cigarettes could also demage his voice??

I don't know, I'm not an expert on these things, it's just something I noticed him doing sometimes and I reckon it's because his voice doesn't come out effortlessly.

[IncitingChaos]

 

@nikothebellic pointing out that he’s not good on two ACDC tracks is fine. But there needs to be some understanding that these two songs come from Bon’s era. Brian harsh rasp is not the original Axl drew from. He chose to sing these songs in the same style as Bon. 

Dirty Deeds-Brian is the one that made the chorus of “Dirty Deeeds” harsh and louder. Go back and listen to the original. Bon is singing it like it’s a stroll in the park. It’s cool, calm and much softer than the live version from Brian. So that’s how Axl portrayed it. He wasn’t shouting Dirty Deeds, he was singing it in that laid back way Bon would. And he rasped the lines in between like Bon would. Axl’s version of Dirty Deeds is almost spot on to the album version.

TNT- I don’t like how Axl sings TNT, so I may tend to agree with some of what you say here, but again go listen to the original. It’s Bon singing in that calm cool meticulous manner. He has that “who’s going to stop me” attitude. Axl chose to sing it that way. And to be honest he wasn’t as far as people think he was

Axl is pretty spot on with the album version.

So even if you call these songs misses he’s still hitting on 20+ songs a night. Songs like Rock n Roll thunder, RNR Damnation, High Voltage. These are not those fast screaming vocal songs. It takes a lot of control to nail those. And with gnr he’s hitting on 6 songs a night? At best right now. 

Here’s the thing about TNT too..Axl could have sang it in this voice 

 

[IncitingChaos]

I’ll add @highvoltage to my post above. 

i thought Axl was fine on Dirty Deeds at the start of the tour too.  

He definately improved in the US leg but coming in singing in replacement of two singers essentially Axl deserved that time to find his rhythm here.