09/21/21 - Saint Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center

[Live Like a Suicide]

5 hours ago, jamillos said:

Why would they release it now when there's a few dates letf and then we're in for another half-year silence, with Slash going solo. Unless they plan to release things while they can't tour them, which I somehow don't think it's the case. 

I think it's possible we could see a single release with Absurd/Hardskool later this year/early next year followed by a full album release coinciding with the European tour next year.

[Coma16]

Did they play Coma ???

[FabioRoses]

Just now, Coma16 said:

Did they play Coma ???

Only on soundcheck without Axl

[jamillos]

46 minutes ago, Live Like a Suicide said:

I think it's possible we could see a single release with Absurd/Hardskool later this year/early next year followed by a full album release coinciding with the European tour next year.

I mean, it would be nice...

[DPR714]

The review from one of our local papers:

Lots of distance for fans — social and otherwise — at Guns N' Roses show at Xcel Energy Center

Chris Riemenschneider

14-17 minutes

---

Welcome to the post-COVID concert jungle.

Guns N' Roses came to Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday night a year later than planned, at a smaller venue than planned, and with a lot of uncertainty still hovering over the show like the dark cloud of hair that looms above the band's iconic guitarist, Slash.

The first of two concerts on back-to-back nights at the St. Paul arena — followed by British pop star Harry Styles on Wednesday — GNR did not implement any kind of vaccine or mask requirement despite the concert being moved indoors. Attendance may have suffered because of it.

Ticket prices were, um, slashed in the days leading up to the concert to around half-price. And that's after the show was already downsized from Target Field last summer (with about a 35,000-person concert capacity) to the X. Only about 11,000 fans showed up in the end, about 1 in 20 of whom rocked out with masks on. At least there were plenty of empty rows for the fans who did want to play it safe and socially distance.

Conversely, tickets to the Styles concert remain sold out and priced over $200 on the resale market. That's after the former One Direction heartthrob announced both a mask and vaccine/test mandate for all U.S. tour dates.

Of course, the difference in demand may have more to do with career trajectories than COVID worries.

Guns N' Roses filled U.S. Bank Stadium on their 2017 reunion tour, when Slash and bassist Duff McKagan first rejoined frontman Axl Rose in the band after 15 years apart. They haven't really done much of note since then, though, and have only one revered album to their name — although 1987's "Appetite for Destruction" remains one of rock's most celebrated records. Especially in hockey arenas in Middle America.

Tuesday's concert at least offered some noteworthy new music, courtesy of opening band Mammoth, the group Wolfgang Van Halen formed following last year's death of his father, guitar god Eddie Van Halen.

The 30-year-old rock vet — he joined his dad's namesake band as a bassist at age 16 — sounded more like the offspring of Foo Fighter Dave Grohl throughout the 35-minute set, in a good way. He shredded more as a deep-howler singer than as a guitarist during grungy and hard-driving but melodic anthems such as "Don't Back Down" and "Circles." There was still plenty of guitars, though. Two other axemen rounded out the live lineup after Wolfie played all the instruments on Mammoth's album; so he still has a little of Dad's great showoff attitude in him.

GNR hit the stage promptly at 8 p.m. — unheard of in the old days! — and opened with two old favorites, "It's So Easy" and "Mr. Brownstone."

Shaky at first, Rose sounded warmed up by the time he bellowed and screeched through "Chinese Democracy," title track to GNR's Slash-less 2008 album. That was followed by "Slither," a song from the guitarist's 2000s-era band Velvet Revolver with McKagan — one of only a handful of Tuesday's tunes not also featured on 2017's GNR set list. (Others included "You're Crazy," the trashy new one "Absurd" and covers of "Wichita Lineman" and "I Wanna Be Your Dog.")

Rose's voice is nowhere near as hair-raising as it was in the band's hairsprayed days. Like Robert Plant, though, the 59-year-old Rose has learned to modify his approach to get around the unreachable notes — a tactic that proved effective in the slower and dirtier "You're Crazy" and that should've been employed in the whimpering "You Could Be Mine."

Slash was, as always, a marksman on guitar throughout the nearly three-hour set. His grimy and downright groovy solo in "Rocket Queen" turned that semi-forgettable oldie into a highlight. His extended solo after "Civil War" — based around Muddy Waters riffs — raised the excitement level just in time for "Sweet Child o' Mine."

Along with "Patience" before the encore — and "Paradise City" at the show's end — the big singalong moments sounded as sweet as ever coming out of quarantine and without the troubled acoustics of the band's last show in town. Too bad a third as many people attended this time.

Here's the GNR setlist from Tuesday:

• It's So Easy
• Mr. Brownstone
• Chinese Democracy
• Slither (Velvet Revolver)
• Double Talkin' Jive
• Welcome to the Jungle
• Better
• Estranged
• Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney & Wings)
• You're Crazy
• Rocket Queen
• You Could Be Mine
• I Wanna Be Your Dog (The Stooges)
• Absurd
• Civil War
• Slash's guitar solo
• Sweet Child o' Mine
• November Rain
• Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb)
• Patience
• Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan)
• Nightrain
• ENCORE:
• Madagascar
• Don't Cry
• The Seeker (The Who)
• Paradise City

 

[Locke]

I'm not sure what the critic saw that I missed when it came to seating. It looked packed from my viewpoint from just off the main floor in the middle. I didn't get a great feel for the seating in the second level behind us, but I was surprised to look up to see both sides and corners in the upper level were full. The only empty seats I noticed were at the very back of the main floor section. So while there may have been others that I couldn't see, I think the writer overstated the number of empty seats. Any other attendees have a different perspective? 

[Voodoochild]

25 minutes ago, DPR714 said:

semi-forgettable oldie

Ok, Rocket Queen has become a meme here because of the lengthy solos, but the AFD track is amazing and surely not "semi-forgettable" at all.

[Bitchisback]

Pretty brutal review

[Free Bird]

15 minutes ago, Voodoochild said:

Ok, Rocket Queen has become a meme here because of the lengthy solos, but the AFD track is amazing and surely not "semi-forgettable" at all.

As AFD isn't their only revered album. This dude is full of shit.

[AxlRoseCDII]

46 minutes ago, DPR714 said:

The review from one of our local papers:

Lots of distance for fans — social and otherwise — at Guns N' Roses show at Xcel Energy Center

Chris Riemenschneider

14-17 minutes

---

Welcome to the post-COVID concert jungle.

Guns N' Roses came to Xcel Energy Center on Tuesday night a year later than planned, at a smaller venue than planned, and with a lot of uncertainty still hovering over the show like the dark cloud of hair that looms above the band's iconic guitarist, Slash.

The first of two concerts on back-to-back nights at the St. Paul arena — followed by British pop star Harry Styles on Wednesday — GNR did not implement any kind of vaccine or mask requirement despite the concert being moved indoors. Attendance may have suffered because of it.

Ticket prices were, um, slashed in the days leading up to the concert to around half-price. And that's after the show was already downsized from Target Field last summer (with about a 35,000-person concert capacity) to the X. Only about 11,000 fans showed up in the end, about 1 in 20 of whom rocked out with masks on. At least there were plenty of empty rows for the fans who did want to play it safe and socially distance.

Conversely, tickets to the Styles concert remain sold out and priced over $200 on the resale market. That's after the former One Direction heartthrob announced both a mask and vaccine/test mandate for all U.S. tour dates.

Of course, the difference in demand may have more to do with career trajectories than COVID worries.

Guns N' Roses filled U.S. Bank Stadium on their 2017 reunion tour, when Slash and bassist Duff McKagan first rejoined frontman Axl Rose in the band after 15 years apart. They haven't really done much of note since then, though, and have only one revered album to their name — although 1987's "Appetite for Destruction" remains one of rock's most celebrated records. Especially in hockey arenas in Middle America.

Tuesday's concert at least offered some noteworthy new music, courtesy of opening band Mammoth, the group Wolfgang Van Halen formed following last year's death of his father, guitar god Eddie Van Halen.

The 30-year-old rock vet — he joined his dad's namesake band as a bassist at age 16 — sounded more like the offspring of Foo Fighter Dave Grohl throughout the 35-minute set, in a good way. He shredded more as a deep-howler singer than as a guitarist during grungy and hard-driving but melodic anthems such as "Don't Back Down" and "Circles." There was still plenty of guitars, though. Two other axemen rounded out the live lineup after Wolfie played all the instruments on Mammoth's album; so he still has a little of Dad's great showoff attitude in him.

GNR hit the stage promptly at 8 p.m. — unheard of in the old days! — and opened with two old favorites, "It's So Easy" and "Mr. Brownstone."

Shaky at first, Rose sounded warmed up by the time he bellowed and screeched through "Chinese Democracy," title track to GNR's Slash-less 2008 album. That was followed by "Slither," a song from the guitarist's 2000s-era band Velvet Revolver with McKagan — one of only a handful of Tuesday's tunes not also featured on 2017's GNR set list. (Others included "You're Crazy," the trashy new one "Absurd" and covers of "Wichita Lineman" and "I Wanna Be Your Dog.")

Rose's voice is nowhere near as hair-raising as it was in the band's hairsprayed days. Like Robert Plant, though, the 59-year-old Rose has learned to modify his approach to get around the unreachable notes — a tactic that proved effective in the slower and dirtier "You're Crazy" and that should've been employed in the whimpering "You Could Be Mine."

Slash was, as always, a marksman on guitar throughout the nearly three-hour set. His grimy and downright groovy solo in "Rocket Queen" turned that semi-forgettable oldie into a highlight. His extended solo after "Civil War" — based around Muddy Waters riffs — raised the excitement level just in time for "Sweet Child o' Mine."

Along with "Patience" before the encore — and "Paradise City" at the show's end — the big singalong moments sounded as sweet as ever coming out of quarantine and without the troubled acoustics of the band's last show in town. Too bad a third as many people attended this time.

Here's the GNR setlist from Tuesday:

• It's So Easy
• Mr. Brownstone
• Chinese Democracy
• Slither (Velvet Revolver)
• Double Talkin' Jive
• Welcome to the Jungle
• Better
• Estranged
• Live and Let Die (Paul McCartney & Wings)
• You're Crazy
• Rocket Queen
• You Could Be Mine
• I Wanna Be Your Dog (The Stooges)
• Absurd
• Civil War
• Slash's guitar solo
• Sweet Child o' Mine
• November Rain
• Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb)
• Patience
• Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan)
• Nightrain
• ENCORE:
• Madagascar
• Don't Cry
• The Seeker (The Who)
• Paradise City

 

Someone’s angry he didn’t get to hear Hard Skool…

[Original]

4 minutes ago, AxlRoseCDII said:

Someone’s angry he didn’t get to hear Hard Skool…

That review is from the Mpls Strib (liberal covid nutters) hence it's a biased covid op ed basically.  

[agustingloger]

I was about to share this Review! Finally a honest one! 

Rose's voice is nowhere near as hair-raising as it was in the band's hairsprayed days. Like Robert Plant, though, the 59-year-old Rose has learned to modify his approach to get around the unreachable notes — a tactic that proved effective in the slower and dirtier "You're Crazy" and that should've been employed in the whimpering "You Could Be Mine."

13 minutes ago, Free Bird said:

As AFD isn't their only revered album. This dude is full of shit.

But he's right on some things...their done nothing since the reunion, trashy absurd and Axl's voice 

[James Bond]

The reviewer makes some good points about many things, in particular Axl's voice. He fairly gives credit where credit is due but I don't think it was unreasonable to call out You Could Be Mine. If anything, it's impressive that a casual reviewer even noticed the new arrangement of You're Crazy and felt that You Could Be Mine is among those of which could benefit from the same treatment. Many posters here have expressed the same sentiment.

[Coma16]

I never though about the singalong to KOHD either, wonder how many people got covid from all those droplets floating through the crowd for 12 minutes!

[Original]

Last night show was A+ outstanding.  Loved it all (form back of the PIT).  Some thoughts:

Band sounds so good and Axl gives 100% no doubt, can't take that away.  For 59 years old he sounds kick ass (singing ass off, running all over stage, dripping sweat).  Estranged was outstanding. 

Slash just dominated all night.  Crowd was great, Axl was in a great mood.  Wish they'd dump The Seeker and add PTU or some other Illusions track.  Never need to hear KOHD again.  Meeghan was right in front of my sight line- does she take that many photos/videos every show?  My god she was non stop.  How many shots does she need?  Melisssa- LOL.  Other than some backing vocals no idea what she brings to table...would anything sound different without her?  Is her keyboard even plugged in?  

[Gnrcane]

41 minutes ago, Coma16 said:

I never though about the singalong to KOHD either, wonder how many people got covid from all those droplets floating through the crowd for 12 minutes!

The crowd doesn't sing for 12 minutes.  They do the chorus line what 3 times?

[MaskingApathy]

6 hours ago, Live Like a Suicide said:

I think it's possible we could see a single release with Absurd/Hardskool later this year/early next year followed by a full album release coinciding with the European tour next year.

Maybe, need to have room for UYI box set too though.

4 hours ago, Voodoochild said:

Ok, Rocket Queen has become a meme here because of the lengthy solos, but the AFD track is amazing and surely not "semi-forgettable" at all.

Yes 100%, one of my favorite songs. Cool riff, great melody, awesome solos.

[k12]

great show made even better as I got the pick Slash used after Paradise City, also got a Duff pick he tossed into the crowd after the show

 

 

 

as far as the attendance, here is a quick video I made during KOHD as I panned the crowd, you can see it was pretty much full, there were some seats at the opposite end of the upper level that looked empty, other than that I would say the place was at least 90% full or so it seems, I don't know if that 11,000 is an official number, but it sure looked mostly full to most

 

[MaskingApathy]

3 minutes ago, k12 said:

great show made even better as I got the pick Slash used after Paradise City, also got a Duff pick he tossed into the crowd after the show

 

 

 

as far as the attendance, here is a quick video I made during KOHD as I panned the crowd, you can see it was pretty much full, there were some seats at the opposite end of the upper level that looked empty, other than that I would say the place was at least 90% full or so it seems, I don't know if that 11,000 is an official number, but it sure looked mostly full to most

 

Can you share a pic of the other side of the picks? Really cool that you got both.

Edited September 22, 2021 by MaskingApathy

[Martin Riggs]

Good to hear they’re having to discount so many tickets and even then being quite a ways from capacity. Especially coming off playing a stadium there just 4 years ago. Quite a precipitous drop. The promoters and Axl and Co will need to feel it in the pocketbook for anything to change for the better. 

[k12]

46 minutes ago, MaskingApathy said:

Can you share a pic of the other side of the picks? Really cool that you got both.

[Original]

5 hours ago, Original said:

Last night show was A+ outstanding.  Loved it all (form back of the PIT).  Some thoughts:

Band sounds so good and Axl gives 100% no doubt, can't take that away.  For 59 years old he sounds kick ass (singing ass off, running all over stage, dripping sweat).  Estranged was outstanding. 

Slash just dominated all night.  Crowd was great, Axl was in a great mood.  Wish they'd dump The Seeker and add PTU or some other Illusions track.  Never need to hear KOHD again.  Meeghan was right in front of my sight line- does she take that many photos/videos every show?  My god she was non stop.  How many shots does she need?  Melisssa- LOL.  Other than some backing vocals no idea what she brings to table...would anything sound different without her?  Is her keyboard even plugged in?  

1 more comment- Axl looked like a million bucks.  (They all actually are in great shape.  Which bodes well for future touring).  

[kiwiguns]

4 hours ago, Martin Riggs said:

Good to hear they’re having to discount so many tickets and even then being quite a ways from capacity. Especially coming off playing a stadium there just 4 years ago. Quite a precipitous drop. The promoters and Axl and Co will need to feel it in the pocketbook for anything to change for the better. 

You have taken your negative opinion and the issues you personally have with the band, and that's clouded your judgement. 

Fact. 4 years ago COVID-19 did not exist. People at the show have clearly stated the venue was at a much higher level of attendance then the writer of the article suggests. 

 Lastly the writer of the article is comparing attendance between Harry Styles and Guns N Roses. This compression is Apples to Orange's. 

Any one with knowledge on the Harry Stylus fan base would understand, a large majority of the attendees would be teenagers accompanied by their parents. 

Guns N Rose and Live Nation would have no concerns at all, as previous shows on the tour with higher capacity and attendance, offset smaller capacity venues and attendance. This particular venues correct record capacity is just over 20,000 set in 2018 by Shania Twain. 

You clearly don't understand how promotors operate in terms of profit and loss. 

Live Nation as the promotor would have undertaken research and would have established what markets and shows in advance, would make a profit or a loss based on attendance. They would have factored this into their over all touring costs, and would have a break even figure, knowing that higher attendance shows and profit would offset lower attendance figures. 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2021 by kiwiguns

[ChristianGNR]

Best Rocket queen of 2021.

[HollyWoodRose84]

Hey guys I just wanted to put this in here. For all of the heat that’s being thrown Axl’s way, he is sincerely trying his best. It’s been completely evident since the start of the tour. I feel more so on this tour since 2016 when the reunion happened. He’s never going to sound like he did in the past. If anything, we will probably get some glimpses of that old sound in recordings. But in a live setting? It’s just not possible for him to pull off every single note the way it was recorded on the albums. He has done so much with his voice and was so versatile in all of his recordings. That is his gift. He tried so many different things and so many different styles that it is physically impossible to sing exactly the way the songs have been recorded.  We should be happy that he’s still out there giving it his all. He’s happy, he’s healthy. Let’s acknowledge that. 
 

On an unrelated note, I am personally not doing well. However, it brings me happiness to still be able to see my favorite band of all time in a live setting and via YouTube recordings. Axl and Slash are together. Imagine that? Something NOBODY thought would ever happen. Let’s all take a step back and look at the big picture and enjoy what we, as fans, currently have because it’s not going to last forever.