Watching Leeds 2002

[JAxlMorrison]

Man, this band did kick ass, and play what people wanted to hear at that time. 

[Gordon Comstock]

"It appears that we're gonna have an interesting evening..."

[DefinitelyInThisLifetime]

I was there.

 

”I DIDN’T FUCKING COME ALL THE WAY TO FUCKING ENGLAND....”

 

what a rant.

[ChristianGNR]

Sadly, recognition and admiration to that band is 20 years late. 

[allwaystired]

Genuinely one of the best shows I've seen. Everything about that night seemed special to me, which was probably added to by the internet being not so prevalent so not being as aware as I would be now about aspects such as how the new songs would sound. 

The standout thought for me was how few people there seemed to be into GNR or even care about the band. Which sort of made it all the more exciting. 

I actually went to the launch party for the festival, where the lineup was announced to us all, and people were cheering and applauding when they announced the headline acts.....but when they announced GNR I was the only one to react and people laughed at me as I shouted out 'yes!' in an otherwise silent room! The images they showed on the screen all had Slash in too! 

I'd love a proper recording of this gig.

2 hours ago, DefinitelyInThisLifetime said:

I was there.

 

”I DIDN’T FUCKING COME ALL THE WAY TO FUCKING ENGLAND....”

 

what a rant.

FUCKHEAD! GO HOME! 

[Sweersa]

Sounds like one hell of a show! From the videos I've seen, the 2002 and 2006 shows looked super energized. Great lineups. I've seen them a handful of times 2011-2016. 

[jackparker123]

It blows my mind that this gig occurred just weeks before I started high school and somehow we didn't get Chinese Democracy until a few months into my second year in 6th form, over 6 years later!

Reading 2010 eventually became my first GNR gig.

35 minutes ago, allwaystired said:

Genuinely one of the best shows I've seen. Everything about that night seemed special to me, which was probably added to by the internet being not so prevalent so not being as aware as I would be now about aspects such as how the new songs would sound. 

The standout thought for me was how few people there seemed to be into GNR or even care about the band. Which sort of made it all the more exciting. 

I actually went to the launch party for the festival, where the lineup was announced to us all, and people were cheering and applauding when they announced the headline acts.....but when they announced GNR I was the only one to react and people laughed at me as I shouted out 'yes!' in an otherwise silent room! The images they showed on the screen all had Slash in too! 

I'd love a proper recording of this gig.

FUCKHEAD! GO HOME! 

This is crazy to me!

[allwaystired]

6 minutes ago, jackparker123 said:

It blows my mind that this gig occurred just weeks before I started high school and somehow we didn't get Chinese Democracy until a few months into my second year in 6th form, over 6 years later!

Reading 2010 eventually became my first GNR gig.

This is crazy to me!

Which bit do you find crazy?  The lack of interest from people? 

It's difficult to explain, but GNR became one of the naffest bands to like for a bit as the music scene changed. You'd never hear them on the radio, see their shirts around. So when they came back it was nothing to most people- they were sort of irrelevant. A couple of nights after Leeds they played in London at a very small capacity arena and that wasn't sold out. At the time the dominant music was bands like The Strokes- no-one wanted the likes of GNR! 

[jackparker123]

1 minute ago, allwaystired said:

Which bit do you find crazy?  The lack of interest from people? 

It's difficult to explain, but GNR became one of the naffest bands to like for a bit as the music scene changed. You'd never hear them on the radio, see their shirts around. So when they came back it was nothing to most people- they were sort of irrelevant. A couple of nights after Leeds they played in London at a very small capacity arena and that wasn't sold out. At the time the dominant music was bands like The Strokes- no-one wanted the likes of GNR! 

I was referring to the bit about Slash being used in images of the band at the launch event.

[Sweersa]

8 minutes ago, allwaystired said:

Which bit do you find crazy?  The lack of interest from people? 

It's difficult to explain, but GNR became one of the naffest bands to like for a bit as the music scene changed. You'd never hear them on the radio, see their shirts around. So when they came back it was nothing to most people- they were sort of irrelevant. A couple of nights after Leeds they played in London at a very small capacity arena and that wasn't sold out. At the time the dominant music was bands like The Strokes- no-one wanted the likes of GNR! 

Indeed, they were sort of being taken in a not-so-serious fashion then. I remember 2006-2008 after hearing the leaks, thinking about how big GN'R will be again after dropping Chinese Democracy.

The Better leak got me interested in the band. 

Of course I was let down when the album eventually did come out, but not because of the album itself. The shitty art (would have been way better if they used the alt booklets and covers) And the lack of promotion and the limited release through Best Buy was all a mess. 

[allwaystired]

8 minutes ago, jackparker123 said:

I was referring to the bit about Slash being used in images of the band at the launch event.

Ah right! Yeah, he was. Clips of the band from the 90s were running in a loop too! 

That probably tells you a lot about how GNR were considered actually- not even those in charge with the promotion knew who was in the band! 

[ToonGuns]

I was there also.

What. A. Night.

[themadcaplaughs]

2001/2002 Axl remains fascinating to watch. He has that old Axl "fuck you" fire, but at the same time you can tell he feels very insecure about his legacy and the acceptance of the new band. As other pointed out, GN'R was written off as something as a flash in the pan at that point in time. Duff, Slash, Matt, and Steven all kept relatively low profiles and their popular songs from Appetite for Destruction and the Use Your Illusion albums had not quite reached the "classic rock" status they hold today. The little we did hear about Axl was what a dictator he was and how he threw the band's legacy away. Obviously, the crowds at these shows were substantially smaller than the 1990s, but they still drew a respectable crowd for a band that had not toured in seven years and did not have any classic members. I'm sure Axl feared there would be shows that would have to be cancelled due to low attendance. In the 2001 HOB show, you can see him almost start crying at one point when the crowd chants his name. Apparently at the 2001 Rio show, he was in literal disbelief at how big the crowd was. Gilby mentioned that when he showed up and jammed at that club in 2000, Axl was apparently truly surprised at how much attention the even got. 

After the bumpy start with the riot at the Vancouver show, you could see him slowly gain confidence as the tour went on. At the Madison Square Garden show, he actually seemed to have some of that "2006 Axl" energy, but then the plug got pulled for reasons that, despite Axl's explanation years later, still are not entirely clear. 

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by themadcaplaughs

[Tom2112]

6 hours ago, DefinitelyInThisLifetime said:

I was there.

 

”I DIDN’T FUCKING COME ALL THE WAY TO FUCKING ENGLAND....”

 

what a rant.

Bucketlist stuff! 'Be at a show where Axl rants'. I got a walk off, a walk back on again! but never a rant! Now THAT'S the holy grail! congrats!

[ToonGuns]

5 minutes ago, Tom2112 said:

Bucketlist stuff! 'Be at a show where Axl rants'. I got a walk off, a walk back on again! but never a rant! Now THAT'S the holy grail! congrats!

Bucketheadlist stuff.

[BangoSkank]

24 minutes ago, themadcaplaughs said:

2001/2002 Axl remains fascinating to watch. He has that old Axl "fuck you" fire, but at the same time you can tell he feels very insecure about his legacy and the acceptance of the new band. As other pointed out, GN'R was written off as something as a flash in the pan at that point in time. Duff, Slash, Matt, and Steven all kept relatively low profiles and their popular songs from Appetite for Destruction and the Use Your Illusion albums had not quite reached the "classic rock" status they hold today. The little we did hear about Axl was what a dictator he was and how he threw the band's legacy away. Obviously, the crowds at these shows were substantially smaller than the 1990s, but they still drew a respectable crowd for a band that had not toured in seven years and did not have any classic members. I'm sure Axl feared there would be shows that would have to be cancelled due to low attendance. In the 2001 HOB show, you can see him almost start crying at one point when the crowd chants his name. Apparently at the 2001 Rio show, he was in literal disbelief at how big the crowd was. Gilby mentioned that when he showed up and jammed at that club in 2000, Axl was apparently truly surprised at how much attention the even got. 

After the bumpy start with the riot at the Vancouver show, you could see him slowly gain confidence as the tour went on. At the Madison Square Garden show, he actually seemed to have some of that "2006 Axl" energy, but then the plug got pulled for reasons that, despite Axl's explanation years later, still are not entirely clear. 

 

I'd kill to have seen this band. I was 15 at the time and my first and second GNR shows were supposed to be in Philly. Like you said, I still do not get what actually happened.

[ToonGuns]

I've actually seen a few "rants" over the years...

Leeds 2002 - fuckhead

Download 2006 - slipping over etc

Newcastle 2006 - bailed early due to a charver chucking coins at him (don't blame him on that one)

[Finck2006]

I was there I missed Chinese Riad...

[allwaystired]

5 hours ago, Finck2006 said:

I was there I missed Chinese Riad...

They didn't play either of them that night.....

[SoundOfAGun]

10 hours ago, allwaystired said:

A couple of nights after Leeds they played in London at a very small capacity arena and that wasn't sold out. 

I went to that show at the Docklands, no one even knew who was in the band! Really weird show, they played a few CD songs and Think About You, but came on pretty late and people had been queuing/drinking for hours so the general mood was a bit deflated. And Buckethead did a weird nunchuck dance.

[Blackstar]

Reviews and reports on the Leeds show:

https://www.a-4-d.com/t2051-2002-08-23-carling-weekend-leeds-festival-leeds-england

for London:

https://www.a-4-d.com/t2053-2002-08-26-london-arena-london-england

and this article:

https://www.a-4-d.com/t2923-2002-11-dd-classic-rock-the-madness-of-king-axl

Both shows in England were received quite well. 

It wasn't the same with the U.S. tour, which was after the MTV awards. A lot of negativity in the press and low ticket sales for most shows - and then the disastrous ending.

[allwaystired]

22 minutes ago, SoundOfAGun said:

I went to that show at the Docklands, no one even knew who was in the band! Really weird show, they played a few CD songs and Think About You, but came on pretty late and people had been queuing/drinking for hours so the general mood was a bit deflated. And Buckethead did a weird nunchuck dance.

Yeah same. I don't remember them being TOO late, but it was certainly a weird one. He did the nun-chuck dance at Leeds too, with a guy in a wolf mask gesturing behind his back. 

London was a great show too-  I'd agree that people seemed really confused though! 

[allwaystired]

If anyone has good quality photos etc from either of these two UK shows, or anything else interesting, I'd love to know/see! They both hold quite a lot of magic for me. 

[allwaystired]

29 minutes ago, Blackstar said:

Reviews and reports on the Leeds show:

https://www.a-4-d.com/t2051-2002-08-23-carling-weekend-leeds-festival-leeds-england

for London:

https://www.a-4-d.com/t2053-2002-08-26-london-arena-london-england

and this article:

https://www.a-4-d.com/t2923-2002-11-dd-classic-rock-the-madness-of-king-axl

Both shows in England were received quite well. 

It wasn't the same with the U.S. tour, which was after the MTV awards. A lot of negativity in the press and low ticket sales for most shows - and then the disastrous ending.

Thanks. Some of those reviews made me laugh- riddled with errors to the point that I have my suspicions as to whether the reviewers even saw the show! 

I think they were fairly received by elements of the press as I recall- but there was a full UK tour lined up and cancelled twice before these shows. The tour eventually became just one show in London that didn't sell out, so I imagine sales wise it was sort of the same situation as the US really. 

I still think a lot of it was timing- the band were so, so out of place with where the music world was going at that point in time. 

[Finck2006]

8 hours ago, allwaystired said:

They didn't play either of them that night.....

I missed, I meant I wanted them to play