08/29/23 - Charlotte, NC - Spectrum Center

[6lake sa66ath]

A sobering review indeed after the high of seeing them live at Hyde Park and proshot Glastonbury this year

[Dangom1]

Axl started the tour pretty good, had a strong middle (Hyde Park) and now sounds like vocal fatigue is setting in. Pretty natural for a 61 yo I would say.

 

I would imagine tours will become shorter and shorter now. Didn't they only have a week break between Europe and the US leg?

[Martin Riggs]

30 minutes ago, Dangom1 said:

Axl started the tour pretty good, had a strong middle (Hyde Park) and now sounds like vocal fatigue is setting in. Pretty natural for a 61 yo I would say.

 

I would imagine tours will become shorter and shorter now. Didn't they only have a week break between Europe and the US leg?

14 days between the legs. Most of the shows are also 3 days apart which seems like it would be a good amount of rest in between. 

[Dangom1]

2 minutes ago, Martin Riggs said:

14 days between the legs. Most of the shows are also 3 days apart which seems like it would be a good amount of rest in between. 

Maybe they'll go the Metallica route next, 2 gigs 2-3 days apart followed by 1-2 weeks rest 

[mystery]

18 hours ago, Gordon Comstock said:

 

I don't think Axl would sound good on it nowadays... Black Leather and Raw Power (as a duet with Duff) would be awesome though.

Since I Don't Have You seems like it could fit mostly into Axl's current vocal range. It's interesting they haven't done it live as they made a video for it and released it as a single but it seems like a song that was fun for a cover at the time and kind of left for history.

It could fill the same spot Wichita Lineman used to fill. One thing I notice about the setlist is they greatly reduced the covers to stuff they recorded themselves or related bands like VR.

One of the criticisms for the longest time was the amount of covers that's been switched with actual GNR songs like PTU, Perhaps, Hard Skool, Bad Obsession, and Anything Goes among others. People are getting a mostly Guns N' Roses show at this point where a quarter of it isn't covers.

[Slugworth]

8 hours ago, Italian girl said:

3 Pages:American fans are not hyped?

This is the pattern. Lots of interest when a tour leg starts and then it nosedives.

 

Everything is simply too predictable to sustain the interest of hardcore fans.

 

Who would foam at the mouth or nearly die from anticipation following a set list you know like the back of your hand or watch Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube clips to hear Jungle live for the millionth time?

 

What briefly kept interest up this tour is Perhaps. It was released and has been heard live. No one expects The General to get performed this tour leg.

 

What else should get people hyped online?

 

3 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

 Don't record a main vocal if you can't replicate live... Especially when it's your brand new single 

This is one of the main problems with releasing songs in your 60s that you recorded in your 30s-40s.

[TheGeneral]

I love Axl but man, Perhaps has to be the worst song on the setlist. It sounds absolutely awful live and it's getting worse every time they play it.

[Old_school_gnr_fan]

7 hours ago, Blackstar said:

Review (harsh on Axl's voice - and the sound mix):

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article278722079.html

 

Seems to mirror the Fenway Park show, in my opinion. The sound quality was all over the place there, but it was based on what I'd heard and read about shows at Fenway. Axl was spotty in Boston also. He was Mickey-ish on Sweet Child O' Mine, but nailed Nightrain, which came well after SCOM.

[Blackstar]

5 hours ago, Martin Riggs said:

Also the band may want to consider letting in news photographers to these shows. Otherwise they’ll use 2019 photos of Axl like they did in that review. 

They usually provide media with their own (GN'R) photos, but maybe sometimes they're slow to do so - or maybe some media outlets don't want to use pictures provided by the artist (although I doubt it).

[Mascadcar]

29 minutes ago, TheGeneral said:

I love Axl but man, Perhaps has to be the worst song on the setlist. It sounds absolutely awful live and it's getting worse every time they play it.

Agreed, Perhaps was dreadful last night.  Cringy.

[kiwiguns]

You Americans like to complain and yet you don't know how easy you have it. 

I notice, some people have mentioned driving from home (5 hours away) or picking up some last minute tickets based on a last minute decision. 

You do realise that for the majority of us in the rest of the world, seeing the band play in another city means, air travel, accommodation costs or not seeing the band play at all due to traveling distance. 

I saw the band in my home city of Auckland and travelled to Wellington. The show in Wellington cost me an additional $700 NZD for flights and accommodation plus tickets on top.

Maybe that's why we outside the US understand the importance of enjoying the moment while we can... 

Edited August 30, 2023 by kiwiguns

[MattyIce3924]

6 hours ago, Martin Riggs said:

Gotta say this review is basically where I’m at. Still thrills but the cutting in and out of Axl’s voice is unfortunate. 

I can honestly say it didn’t feel like Axl’s voice was the problem so much as the mixing. Which, on that note, is ironic because I saw something recently that Fortus said about the front of the house engineer being new and better; Fortus sounded more included than I’ve ever heard him (positive) but Axl’s sound mixing was horrendous. 

[Martin Riggs]

1 hour ago, Blackstar said:

They usually provide media with their own (GN'R) photos, but maybe sometimes they're slow to do so - or maybe some media outlets don't want to use pictures provided by the artist (although I doubt it).

I get the feeling Axl’s crew doesn’t interface with the media that well and may have some conditions that the media doesn’t like. Could explain why there weren’t many reviews of the shows in Chicago, NY/NJ, Nashville, etc. I think a Billboard review of the MetLife show was the only one for those dates. 

[Amir]

It's a fair enough review, definitely agree re: Rocket Queen and YCBM, there haven't been good vocal performances of those songs since 2016, also about having Slash as a lifeline at times. Sound mix was fine from where I was in London and Paris (though a review for the latter complained about it from someone in the seats), but I definitely noticed issues at the Bucharest show.

[Mascadcar]

4 hours ago, kiwiguns said:

You Americans like to complain and yet you don't know how easy you have it. 

I notice, some people have mentioned driving from home (5 hours away) or picking up some last minute tickets based on a last minute decision. 

You do realise that for the majority of us in the rest of the world, seeing the band play in another city means, air travel, accommodation costs or not seeing the band play at all due to traveling distance. 

I saw the band in my home city of Auckland and travelled to Wellington. The show in Wellington cost me an additional $700 NZD for flights and accommodation plus tickets on top.

Maybe that's why we outside the US understand the importance of enjoying the moment while we can... 

Your sir are way off…..I have to drive 6 hours to see them next month…

[k12]

7 hours ago, kiwiguns said:

You Americans like to complain and yet you don't know how easy you have it. 

I notice, some people have mentioned driving from home (5 hours away) or picking up some last minute tickets based on a last minute decision. 

You do realise that for the majority of us in the rest of the world, seeing the band play in another city means, air travel, accommodation costs or not seeing the band play at all due to traveling distance. 

I saw the band in my home city of Auckland and travelled to Wellington. The show in Wellington cost me an additional $700 NZD for flights and accommodation plus tickets on top.

Maybe that's why we outside the US understand the importance of enjoying the moment while we can... 

I am not sure what you are saying, do you think the US is a small place all within a 5 hour drive of each city? I am planning to see GNR 3 times on this tour, 1st was New Jersey which was a 1000 Mile plane trip from where I am, I saw them in Chicago last week which was a 3 hour drive, and I am hoping to see them in Kansas City in 3 weeks which is a 7 1/2 hour drive, most markets in the US are very far from each other

[Slugworth]

9 hours ago, kiwiguns said:

You Americans like to complain and yet you don't know how easy you have it. 

I notice, some people have mentioned driving from home (5 hours away) or picking up some last minute tickets based on a last minute decision. 

You do realise that for the majority of us in the rest of the world, seeing the band play in another city means, air travel, accommodation costs or not seeing the band play at all due to traveling distance. 

I saw the band in my home city of Auckland and travelled to Wellington. The show in Wellington cost me an additional $700 NZD for flights and accommodation plus tickets on top.

Maybe that's why we outside the US understand the importance of enjoying the moment while we can... 

Just like grandma complaining about walking 30 miles uphill in 40 below zero weather to get to school when all I had to do is ride 10 miles in an overcrowded bus with a driver who yells shut up every 30 seconds.

[Italian girl]

10 hours ago, Slugworth said:

This is the pattern. Lots of interest when a tour leg starts and then it nosedives.

 

Everything is simply too predictable to sustain the interest of hardcore fans.

 

Who would foam at the mouth or nearly die from anticipation following a set list you know like the back of your hand or watch Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube clips to hear Jungle live for the millionth time?

 

What briefly kept interest up this tour is Perhaps. It was released and has been heard live. No one expects The General to get performed this tour leg.

 

What else should get people hyped online?

 

This is one of the main problems with releasing songs in your 60s that you recorded in your 30s-40s.

you, spoliled americans

 

(just joking, I'm envy you can see GNR more easily than us in the rest of the world...)

[adamsapple]

1 hour ago, Slugworth said:

Just like grandma complaining about walking 30 miles uphill in 40 below zero weather to get to school when all I had to do is ride 10 miles in an overcrowded bus with a driver who yells shut up every 30 seconds.

You need a ride for 10 miles? In Europe, that's like walking your dog.

[Tom2112]

14 hours ago, Dangom1 said:

Maybe they'll go the Metallica route next, 2 gigs 2-3 days apart followed by 1-2 weeks rest 

Hopefully not, that's excessively relaxed. Minimum 3 gigs a week. Especially keeping to the 2 weeks on/off schedule 

[Blackstar]

12 hours ago, Martin Riggs said:

I get the feeling Axl’s crew doesn’t interface with the media that well and may have some conditions that the media doesn’t like. Could explain why there weren’t many reviews of the shows in Chicago, NY/NJ, Nashville, etc. I think a Billboard review of the MetLife show was the only one for those dates. 

I don't know about that. I don't think the media deal with TB directly for the shows, because GN'R is working with a publicist.

Another explanation for the lack of reviews for some shows is that GN'R played in some of these places (and in some cases even in the same venues) just two years ago, so the media weren't interested as much to send a reviewer. There were three reviews for the Pittsburgh show (I think they hadn't played there since 2016). I suppose there will be reviews of the next show since GN'R haven't played in the area in a long time.

[Seb91]

I think the key thing with Axl's voice is that it just isn't feasible to do three hour long shows on long tour legs anymore. The closest vocal example I can think of in terms of vocal theatrics is Robert Plant and when he became Axl's age he was doing 90 minute to two hour sets and he'd throw a fair few acoustic songs. The one full on balls to the wall hard rock show he did was The O2 reunion and a fair few songs were detuned a whole step. I feel the time has come for Axl to take a similar approach - detune some of the songs and do shorter sets. There's no shame in it, I can't think of any of the hard rock guys who in their 60s were doing shows of a similar length to Guns. 

The thing is though, in spite of the vocal issues I really do applaud Axl's efforts on stage. The only other guys who do shows of a similar length are Springsteen and McCartney and whilst they're significantly older, they're not hard rock guys. The thing with Axl is that he's a phenomenal performer, he's living those songs and you can really see that (and the fact he's sung them a gazillion times and is still like that shows how great he is as I have seen bands phone it in who've been doing similar sets for a few years). I mean, Axl/DC really proved that to me, they weren't his songs but he was fully connected to the material and was living it. One main point of comparison would be Myles - dude can hit all the notes but I've never really felt like he's fully connected to the material.

Ultimately, I'll take a great performer over a great singer any day. I mean Ozzy got flak for his voice as he got older but I've always left an Ozzy show feeling amazing. The dude's just a phenomenal performer and can work a crowd. I'm not massively bothered by Axl's voice for that reason. I think the issue is though that more reviews like that will pop up. 

[JasmineSwe]

15 minutes ago, Seb91 said:

One main point of comparison would be Myles - dude can hit all the notes but I've never really felt like he's fully connected to the material.

Ultimately, I'll take a great performer over a great singer any day. 

I very much second this - Myles Kennedy is a technically very skilled singer, but to me he lacks charisma and is so boring to watch, there's no feeling there. Whatever Axl lacks vocally today, he totally makes up for with his amazing stage presence and connection with the music and the crowd. 

[Gnrcane]

2 hours ago, Seb91 said:

I think the key thing with Axl's voice is that it just isn't feasible to do three hour long shows on long tour legs anymore. The closest vocal example I can think of in terms of vocal theatrics is Robert Plant and when he became Axl's age he was doing 90 minute to two hour sets and he'd throw a fair few acoustic songs. The one full on balls to the wall hard rock show he did was The O2 reunion and a fair few songs were detuned a whole step. I feel the time has come for Axl to take a similar approach - detune some of the songs and do shorter sets. There's no shame in it, I can't think of any of the hard rock guys who in their 60s were doing shows of a similar length to Guns. 

The thing is though, in spite of the vocal issues I really do applaud Axl's efforts on stage. The only other guys who do shows of a similar length are Springsteen and McCartney and whilst they're significantly older, they're not hard rock guys. The thing with Axl is that he's a phenomenal performer, he's living those songs and you can really see that (and the fact he's sung them a gazillion times and is still like that shows how great he is as I have seen bands phone it in who've been doing similar sets for a few years). I mean, Axl/DC really proved that to me, they weren't his songs but he was fully connected to the material and was living it. One main point of comparison would be Myles - dude can hit all the notes but I've never really felt like he's fully connected to the material.

Ultimately, I'll take a great performer over a great singer any day. I mean Ozzy got flak for his voice as he got older but I've always left an Ozzy show feeling amazing. The dude's just a phenomenal performer and can work a crowd. I'm not massively bothered by Axl's voice for that reason. I think the issue is though that more reviews like that will pop up. 

100%.  Although Axl can't sing like he used to, especially live, I'm not going to a GNR show to hear pitch perfect vocals.  Going to see a rock band isn't like going to see Celine Dione or Pavaratti.  It's about the attitude more than the vocal perfection.

Freddie Mercury was probably the best "singer" to front a rock band and even he wasn't perfect live.  He sometimes did songs in a lower key than the recording and got a lot of backing vocal help from Roger Taylor especially. 

To expect Axl at 61 to sound like Axl at 28 is unrealistic.  He wasn't a perfect singer back then so he certainly won't be 3 decades later.

[IzzysMissy]

4 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

Maybe they'll go the Metallica route next, 2 gigs 2-3 days apart followed by 1-2 weeks rest 

 

4 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

Hopefully not, that's excessively relaxed. Minimum 3 gigs a week. Especially keeping to the 2 weeks on/off schedule 

So both of these ideas are SUPER expensive to execute tour budget wise. It’s basically fly-in dates for everyone involved.. flights from diff points, hotels, transport…

Metallica is pulling it off because the designed a 360 experience and have sold every ticket of that 360…

2wks on/2wks off means your still paying crew ongoing.. even if off weeks are half pay..

Weekend Warrior tours do very well when spaced out properly, but again, it’s all fly in dates. I think Axls voice has sounded best with 2 shows a week on 4 days rest. 
 

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by IzzysMissy
Typo