08/25/21 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center at San Jose

[SoulMonster]

3 minutes ago, Martin Riggs said:

Your point is assuming that everyone that attends these shows is happy with what they paid for. Not quite sure how you would possibly know this as the vast majority of people attending these shows have never once logged into one of these forums. But if your point is accurate I would assume all the satisfied customers and the positive word of mouth that must be generated because of this must be selling out these new shows in minutes and GNR must still be playing a majority football stadium concert tour without any serious diminishing returns.  That’s great. The new Rolling Stones indeed!! 

Not all. One could never expect everybody to be happy. About anything. But if his voice is so bad as Jamillo claims, this should be evident from the good amount of testimonials we have read. 

As for attendance numbers: These aren't solely based on whether people thing Axl's voice is good or passable. 

[GoodOlJohnnyK]

Maybe not for most people, but certainly for me. I really want to see Guns at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore. But I'm not sure with the current state of Axl's voice. I'll wait til the day of and hope for a cheap ticket before making my decision.

[axlvai]

24 minutes ago, GoodOlJohnnyK said:

Maybe not for most people, but certainly for me. I really want to see Guns at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore. But I'm not sure with the current state of Axl's voice. I'll wait til the day of and hope for a cheap ticket before making my decision.

Going without expectations is the best u can do.

[W. Axl Kev]

3 hours ago, SoulMonster said:

I think we can get an understanding of how Axl's voice is perceived by people attending the shows by reading reviews in newspapers (and even if they don't include quotes from attendees, usually the reviewer herself will comment upon it). And also by reading reports from people posting at fan forums, because, as I said, I am sure we hardcores are much less forgiving about Axl's voice than causals so if we don't hate on his voice after returning from shows, then surely causals won't either. I don't know if you have paid attention to what people here on this very forum has said about the shows lately? It doesn't support your argument that Axl needs to do something. And that doesn't mean his voice hasn't changed and deteriorated over the years, just that it isn't as bad right now as you make it out to be. If he had continued singing like he did at Hershey, I think you might have had a point.

I think this is fair. I often read the reviews, expecting to read something about Axl's voice sounding poor but it seldom appears. Most compliment his ability, aged 59, to reach some of the high notes. The "rasp" concept was more-or-less an obsession invented by this forum.

[Tom2112]

2 hours ago, WAR41 said:

Fair enough.  I was selfishly thinking of myself (and other hardcore fans). But Axl does sing backing vocals on those songs too.  I'm not suggesting he leave the stage completely, but rather do those songs to give his voice a break and satisfy us maniacs.  Oh and to be clear, I don't want all 4 of those in one set, I was thinking just rotate them in place of the covers. 

Rotation would be fair enough, I would rather hear Axl singing BVs on those songs too though, or in the case of So Fine i'd want him as the lead singer.

[downzy]

Setlist updated in OP

 

[siraddam]

For a lot of people it's really just a night out. Listen to a few famous songs, have a few beers with friends and family, then go home. Good night.

[DTJ80]

3 hours ago, GoodOlJohnnyK said:

Looking for someone more educated voice-wise than me to fill me in here:

I don't think he can just 'lose' his voice, right? This has to be technique related or something that could be corrected surgically, no? Bruce Springsteen is 70, tours just as extensively, and - while his voice isn't the same as it was in '85 - still sounds more or less like Bruce. James Hetfield went through a period from the mid-90s through the late 2000s where he chose to stop using the 'rasp' in his voice, but has actually shown a marked improvement since then and 2018-2019 were actually some of his best years, vocally. Steven Tyler is 14 years older than Axl and still sounds pretty damn amazing.

I just can't see what could have happened between 2017 and now to cause such a rapid loss to Axl's voice and I also have a hard time believing it can't come back. Houston 2016, Nashville 2017 were just great shows, vocally. They're not *that* long ago.

Because the issue I'm finding with changing the setlists to suit Axl's lower register is that his trademark is his upper register. I'd like to think that the first step would be 'fix the voice' as opposed to change the setlist around the voice.

There was a poster on here who was pretty switched on with vocals….. @Lies They Tell I think? Perhaps they could give you a better insight?

[Ak1nney]

12 minutes ago, siraddam said:

For a lot of people it's really just a night out. Listen to a few famous songs, have a few beers with friends and family, then go home. Good night.

That's honestly like 80% of the audience.

[Powderfinger]

2 hours ago, SoulMonster said:

So you have decided that his voice is so poor that he needs to change things and no amount of testimonials from people actually attending the recent shows is going to change your mind. Gotcha 

Or... His voice is poor.

If you can’t hear how weak, reedy, out of breath he is I’m amazed. Truly. Some lines have no distinction any more they’re just slurred out with whatever lung capacity he has. The NITL selects had it there in all its soundboard glory. I can tell you hands down, a soundboard recording of a gig is better than the sound AT the gig. I’ve heard multiple soundboards from shows I’ve been to, and it’s always a better mix than on the night. 

Mick Jagger

Rob Halford

Brian Johnson

Thom Yorke

Bruce Dickinson

Black Francis 

Robert Plant

Liam Gallagher

Bobbie Gillespie 

Roger Daltrey

David Bowie

Joey Ramone

Neil Young

Iggy Pop

Michael Stipe

Eddie Vedder

Lemmy

Even fucking Ozzy Osbourne, Shane MacGowan, Ian Brown & John Lydon. 

....all have had more consistency to their voices is in later years than Axl has. I could add another 20 names to that list! 

If GNR is the only band you like, Axl sounds ok and it’s all just ok. 

But if you go see other bands, you’d wonder at times why Axl isn’t arrested for stealing peoples money. 

[SoulMonster]

4 minutes ago, Powderfinger said:

Or... His voice is poor.

If you can’t hear how weak, reedy, out of breath he is I’m amazed.

Cool. But again, we were talking about whether the state of his voice is such that he needs to change things, or whether it is good enough as is. My argument is that as long as people going to the shows aren't complaining, then it doesn't really matter what you or I think subjectively, and it is hard to find a good reason for Axl to make any changes, but last I heard, the concerts are for the audiences and not the two of us, and based on recent testimonials his voice is fine bar the occasional line here and there.

Edited August 26, 2021 by SoulMonster

[moreblack]

1 hour ago, Ak1nney said:

That's honestly like 80% of the audience.

Probably way more than that now, the hardcores that went from 2016 to 2020, I don't expect them back for these shows. For what? to sit with their arms folded and go complain about it here after?

[AxlRoseCDII]

Part of me has made peace with how Axl sounds because I don’t think it’ll get better again. This seems to be it. Maybe 2017 level again at best. He’s old and his vocal style is very demanding, more than the singers people compare him to at times. Axl does look like he’s trying to be fair to him. But I can’t deny he sounds bad on a good number of songs.

[Powderfinger]

1 hour ago, SoulMonster said:

Cool. But again, we were talking about whether the state of his voice is such that he needs to change things, or whether it is good enough as is. My argument is that as long as people going to the shows aren't complaining, then it doesn't really matter what you or I think subjectively, and it is hard to find a good reason for Axl to make any changes, but last I heard, the concerts are for the audiences and not the two of us, and based on recent testimonials his voice is fine bar the occasional line here and there.

But it appears the shows have been far from sold out on this run so far. Ticket prices have been slashed, Even a new song hasn’t seemed to impact ticket sales. Looks like it’s time for a change already.

This band have sold so many records it’s ridiculous. They have a large avid fan base, far far more than us on this board. 5.3 million people saw them on the NITL tour. This current leg won’t come close. People already seem to be wanting a change. 

The frustrating thing for me as a fan is, there is a lot of Material they could do that would suit Axls voice currently but they just aren’t playing. 

When I compare GNR to all the other bands I’ve seen live, this is the weakest big scale act I’ve seen. I don’t expect 1992. But this is a pale ghost of the band I saw then.

[SoulMonster]

Just now, Powderfinger said:

But it appears the shows have been far from sold out on this run so far. Ticket prices have been slashed, Even a new song hasn’t seemed to impact ticket sales. Looks like it’s time for a change already.

This band have sold so many records it’s ridiculous. They have a large avid fan base, far far more than us on this board. 5.3 million people saw them on the NITL tour. This current leg won’t come close. People already seem to be wanting a change. 

The frustrating thing for me as a fan is, there is a lot of Material they could do that would suit Axls voice currently but they just aren’t playing. 

When I compare GNR to all the other bands I’ve seen live, this is the weakest big scale act I’ve seen. I don’t expect 1992. But this is a pale ghost of the band I saw then.

If they fail to sell tickets then they need to make changes. But we were specifically talking about having to make changes due to the state of Axl's voice. I would argue that the reason they are failing to sell tickets now is market saturation in the US, and not that the audiences think Axl's voice is too terrible to endure.

As a fan too, I can't be frustrated by shows I don't attend. And going by testimonials from other members here from the past few concerts, the shows are great. So it seems like we, or rather you and those guys, are living on separate planets. 

[FabioRoses]

Guys, am I going insane or what? Just saw some videos of the concert, and it seems that they're using some kind of "distortion" in Axl's mic. It doesn't sound crystal clear as 2016, 2017. Maybe it's a recording issue? Same thing happened in some videos from Portland. 

[darkside259]

11 hours ago, SAU3R said:

I disagree as well, the only songs where he sounds really terrible imo are Better and YCBM. Others like SCOM, NR or PC are not great, but not terrible either 

He sounds good on Easy, Brownstone, CD, DTJ, You’re Crazy, Patience, Maddy, Seeker, Wichita, etc.

i am spartacus i mean... i disagree to axl sound better day by day and yesterday sound great, in LA sound amazing in estranged for example 

[DTV88]

6 minutes ago, FabioRoses said:

Guys, am I going insane or what? Just saw some videos of the concert, and it seems that they're using some kind of "distortion" in Axl's mic. It doesn't sound crystal clear as 2016, 2017. Maybe it's a recording issue? Same thing happened in some videos from Portland. 

100% there are effects on his voice. I’m sure someone can correct me on the technicalities but there are delays, reverb and other things going on.

[FabioRoses]

Just now, DTV88 said:

100% there are effects on his voice. I’m sure someone can correct me on the technicalities but there are delays, reverb and other things going on.

Ah, thanks. I tought I was going deaf. In 2016 there where some effects, yeah. But this year seems there are way more. 

[B5Redeye]

15 minutes ago, Powderfinger said:

But it appears the shows have been far from sold out on this run so far. Ticket prices have been slashed, Even a new song hasn’t seemed to impact ticket sales. Looks like it’s time for a change already.

Sold out? I don’t think a show had to be “sold out” to be considered a success.

I can tell you MetLife, which is a big venue, was packed when I was there.

[DTJ80]

2 hours ago, Powderfinger said:

Or... His voice is poor.

If you can’t hear how weak, reedy, out of breath he is I’m amazed. Truly. Some lines have no distinction any more they’re just slurred out with whatever lung capacity he has. The NITL selects had it there in all its soundboard glory. I can tell you hands down, a soundboard recording of a gig is better than the sound AT the gig. I’ve heard multiple soundboards from shows I’ve been to, and it’s always a better mix than on the night. 

Mick Jagger

Rob Halford

Brian Johnson

Thom Yorke

Bruce Dickinson

Black Francis 

Robert Plant

Liam Gallagher

Bobbie Gillespie 

Roger Daltrey

David Bowie

Joey Ramone

Neil Young

Iggy Pop

Michael Stipe

Eddie Vedder

Lemmy

Even fucking Ozzy Osbourne, Shane MacGowan, Ian Brown & John Lydon. 

....all have had more consistency to their voices is in later years than Axl has. I could add another 20 names to that list! 

If GNR is the only band you like, Axl sounds ok and it’s all just ok. 

But if you go see other bands, you’d wonder at times why Axl isn’t arrested for stealing peoples money. 

Lots of tremendous singers on the list and whilst I agree he isn’t the force he was….I’d put up an argument for the fact that no-one on that list sings/ever sung like Axl did…..that’s what made him stand out and why physically he doesn’t get the level we want. Brian Johnson I guess is the closest and even he has struggled. Dan Mccaferty is the best comparison and even on his last album from 3 years ago his vocals were different with the classic rasp used extremely sparingly (albeit he is older).

He should change his approach/songs to suit his current abilities for sure however.

Edited August 26, 2021 by DTJ80

[2020_Intensions]

5 hours ago, WAR41 said:

He never even attempted it though.  It doesn't seem vocally challenging (full disclosure I'm NOT a singer).  I dunno, I'm just fiending something different. 

There's no room for breathing that's why it was never attempted. He didn't sing it straight through for the album

[ChristianGNR]

SCOM: Axl trying to rasp during the chorus. Good version. 

[StrangerInThisTown]

7 minutes ago, 2020_Intensions said:

There's no room for breathing that's why it was never attempted. He didn't sing it straight through for the album

I call bullshit on that because they played Garden Of Eden which has even less room for breathing

[MaskingApathy]

8 hours ago, We love Axl Rose said:

Best performance of Better so far on tour

He brings back jumping during Better  (0:36-0:41)- https://www.facebook.com/edsonfeltrin/videos/1765746983612032

He also did the higher octave in the bridge, which he hasn't the last few shows.

50 minutes ago, FabioRoses said:

Guys, am I going insane or what? Just saw some videos of the concert, and it seems that they're using some kind of "distortion" in Axl's mic. It doesn't sound crystal clear as 2016, 2017. Maybe it's a recording issue? Same thing happened in some videos from Portland. 

It's probably the phone recording that's distorting, I don't think they're using a distortion effect on his vocal. Reverb and delay yes but that's pretty standard in live concert production.

42 minutes ago, DTV88 said:

100% there are effects on his voice. I’m sure someone can correct me on the technicalities but there are delays, reverb and other things going on.