06/27/23 - Glasgow, GB - Bellahouston Park

[allwaystired]

31 minutes ago, MaskingApathy said:

Very well written, great review.

I've had a thought, maybe Slash looks kind of bored and noodles through the solos because he knows that a lot of people in the front are only there for the hits? They won't know that he's not playing the solos like on the record. Compared to SMKC where most of the people up front are more serious fans who know all the songs.

Can you elaborate on this?

Thanks! I appreciate that. 

I definitely think Slash does that to keep himself interested- and I'm sure he's soad that exact thing in the past. 

As for that comment, it came right at the beginning of the song, and he did it in a sort of playful way, but he spoke to Axl just before the song. Axl then said "this one is a band request". I got the impression Slash asked him to play it right then and it wasn't planned. Slash didn't seem angry or anything,  it it was pretty much the only thing he said for the show. 

[Oxford]

6 hours ago, allwaystired said:

Finally home, and here's my 'rather too long' review for anyone who wants to wade through it. I wrote it as if I was writing for people not using this forum but some sort of general news source. 

 

Attend a Kiss concert anywhere in the world and you'll witness the same phenomenon. Clad head to toe in the iconic Kiss logo fans will flock to see the face paint, the glitter, explosions and sparkles.....and 'Rock N Roll All Night', 'Crazy Nights' and 'God Gave Rock N Roll To You'. Serve them up anything else and they'll politely applaud, gasp at the bright lights and wait for those songs. Kiss are a brand. You'll slap their stuff all over your body, but the music? Ah, that's optional. Take it or or leave it. 

In a world where social-media hyperbole trumps lived experience ("OMG it was the best thing EVAAAH!!! Check out my socials for all the vids!) it's not hard to see the appeal to people of wanting in on a brand. GNR seem the latest victims/beneficiaries of this. 

No-one in the venue is without something GNR related. Be it a hat, shirt, bandana or self-modified jacket, the place is swamped. You'd be forgiven for thinking this was a band with simply hordes of devoted fans hanging on every note, watching every setlist, devouring and debating every note. Until the band play a song that you might not hear in a Saturday night bar. 

With Golden Circle tickets topping out around the £200 mark it's simply inexplicable why a sea of blank faces greet a song such as "Pretty Tied Up". A front central location in said Golden Circle should absolutely guarantee immunity from comments such as "I don't know any of these songs", "I've never heard this before" and "I hope they play some we know soon". With a remarkably slender back catalogue, who are these people that will shell out a couple of days working wages, yet haven't had the time or inclination to listen to the band's albums? 

At times, you can see the band's frustration. Slash's muttered "oh, come on!" at the tepid reaction to their latest AC/DC cover and Axl's jovial but pointed jibing at someone clapping "like a golf fan" mask an awareness that the audience has changed, even in the relatively short time since the 2016 reunion. 

Not that the band let this touch them though, as they plough through a set designed to enthrall the niche component of the audience. There's a genuine joy to them ripping through 'Reckless Life" and "Shadow Of Your Love" at breakneck speed simply because they want to. The band sound tighter than ever, energised and enthusiastic, howling, screaming, scratching and thrashing in a manner that seemed long gone just a year ago. Axl continues his complete personality shift as he laughs, jokes and dedicates himself fully. A near slip and fall on a wet monitor draws a joke, when once it would have been a mike throw, a rant at the crew and possibly a stage exit. The moment embodies the remarkable shift in the man. 

A double bill of 'Sweet Child O'Mine' and 'November Rain' gives the crowd the dopamine dose they want, as 34,968 people watch it through their camera phones. Choosing not to do so marks you out as a minority dinosaur from a past of cigarette lighters where "living in the moment" was never uttered. Reams could be written on the phonemem of disengagement phones have caused, but they're here to stay and all one can do is speculate as to what people do with their vast amounts of poorly recorded videos. 

With semi-new (a long story that anyone on a GNR forum can doubtless bore you to tears with) material soundchecked, it is a slight disappointment to a core few that nothing is played. An argument exists that GNR don't "need" to do anything new, something that seems borne out entirely by tonight. Oddly, the divisive semi-new "Absurd" gets heads nodding slightly thanks to it's punky and passionate performance, but the unnecessary nature of GNR playing it is clear to see. The crowd would be absolutely happy for the band to hit them with 5 or 6 'biggies' and roll off into the night. Hitting them with unreleased material would be like gifting your elderly Grandmother an XBox Series X. Not only unnecessary but potentially annoying and frustrating. 

As the encore plays out with a politely received but exceptionally well played 'Street Of Dreams'  ("I hope they play 'Patience' next") the die is really cast; here is a band who still don't give too much of a fuck, in the best possible way. You want one you know? Well.... here's one you SHOULD know. It's the band GNR fans fell in love with, operating at total odds to current trends and culture. 

Sure, their transition from 'band' to 'brand' is virtually complete now, but it's almost out of their hands. A victim of nostalgia, passivity and changing tastes in media and let's face it, F'N iconic logos and type fonts, GNR are the new Kiss.....but as long as no-one tells them that, they're still the greatest band in the world. 

 

Excellent write up.  And I can echo the sentiments about the brand.  How many times I’ve stood next to someone with Guns clothing on and engaged them in conversation, only to realise they’ve no idea about the band and quite a lot of times, the songs themselves.  It amazes me that people would spend so much money just to get a few likes on Twitter and Instagram for their in the moment imagery.   

[allwaystired]

49 minutes ago, Oxford said:

Excellent write up.  And I can echo the sentiments about the brand.  How many times I’ve stood next to someone with Guns clothing on and engaged them in conversation, only to realise they’ve no idea about the band and quite a lot of times, the songs themselves.  It amazes me that people would spend so much money just to get a few likes on Twitter and Instagram for their in the moment imagery.   

Thanks! 

Yeah, it really struck me actually. I think it's probably changed my perception of who and what GNR are in 2023 actually, I'm a positive manner as well as a negative one. 

So much money! I wouldn't even consider spending what I've spent for any other band. 

[Kosonen]

Ok. Watched a few youtube videos. WTF happened to Axl? He sounds, looks, all the moves and shit....so damn good😵

[MaskingApathy]

1 hour ago, allwaystired said:

So much money! I wouldn't even consider spending what I've spent for any other band. 

Same here.

I've experienced similar things with people at SMKC shows (they went hoping to hear SCOM or something, but if they did a little research they would know that they aren't doing that anymore) or people that I've overheard at Mammoth WVH shows who were there hoping to hear a VH song (same situation there). Like at that point I don't understand why you're even there.

[sneeks]

Are the tour T-shirts available to buy online, didn’t get the chance to buy one at the gig on Tuesday night?

[AxlSlashthebest]

1 hour ago, Kosonen said:

Ok. Watched a few youtube videos. WTF happened to Axl? He sounds, looks, all the moves and shit....so damn good😵

i'm complettly right with u. the lever is really higher.Far from Mickey

[MaskingApathy]

18 minutes ago, sneeks said:

Are the tour T-shirts available to buy online, didn’t get the chance to buy one at the gig on Tuesday night?

Yes, it's open on show days.

https://gnrmerchtruck.com/

[LandOla]

22 hours ago, Carburetta said:

Frank watched the Pretenders set (or most of it) from the golden circle area with his partner. 

Partner? Is he gay 😵

[janrichmond]

1 hour ago, LandOla said:

Partner? Is he gay 😵

No

 

[Powderfinger]

Cheers to those who gave me their take on The Pretenders set! 

[sneeks]

1 hour ago, MaskingApathy said:

Yes, it's open on show days.

https://gnrmerchtruck.com/

Excellent, thank you.

[DurhamGirl]

10 hours ago, beebee_head said:

Why don’t you go?

Simply cannot afford. ..effect  on mortgage due to interest rates blah blah..

[beebee_head]

Ah, not because it became a joke?

[Gordon Comstock]

12 hours ago, allwaystired said:

Finally home, and here's my 'rather too long' review for anyone who wants to wade through it. I wrote it as if I was writing for people not using this forum but some sort of general news source. 

 

Attend a Kiss concert anywhere in the world and you'll witness the same phenomenon. Clad head to toe in the iconic Kiss logo fans will flock to see the face paint, the glitter, explosions and sparkles.....and 'Rock N Roll All Night', 'Crazy Nights' and 'God Gave Rock N Roll To You'. Serve them up anything else and they'll politely applaud, gasp at the bright lights and wait for those songs. Kiss are a brand. You'll slap their stuff all over your body, but the music? Ah, that's optional. Take it or or leave it. 

In a world where social-media hyperbole trumps lived experience ("OMG it was the best thing EVAAAH!!! Check out my socials for all the vids!) it's not hard to see the appeal to people of wanting in on a brand. GNR seem the latest victims/beneficiaries of this. 

No-one in the venue is without something GNR related. Be it a hat, shirt, bandana or self-modified jacket, the place is swamped. You'd be forgiven for thinking this was a band with simply hordes of devoted fans hanging on every note, watching every setlist, devouring and debating every note. Until the band play a song that you might not hear in a Saturday night bar. 

With Golden Circle tickets topping out around the £200 mark it's simply inexplicable why a sea of blank faces greet a song such as "Pretty Tied Up". A front central location in said Golden Circle should absolutely guarantee immunity from comments such as "I don't know any of these songs", "I've never heard this before" and "I hope they play some we know soon". With a remarkably slender back catalogue, who are these people that will shell out a couple of days working wages, yet haven't had the time or inclination to listen to the band's albums? 

At times, you can see the band's frustration. Slash's muttered "oh, come on!" at the tepid reaction to their latest AC/DC cover and Axl's jovial but pointed jibing at someone clapping "like a golf fan" mask an awareness that the audience has changed, even in the relatively short time since the 2016 reunion. 

Not that the band let this touch them though, as they plough through a set designed to enthrall the niche component of the audience. There's a genuine joy to them ripping through 'Reckless Life" and "Shadow Of Your Love" at breakneck speed simply because they want to. The band sound tighter than ever, energised and enthusiastic, howling, screaming, scratching and thrashing in a manner that seemed long gone just a year ago. Axl continues his complete personality shift as he laughs, jokes and dedicates himself fully. A near slip and fall on a wet monitor draws a joke, when once it would have been a mike throw, a rant at the crew and possibly a stage exit. The moment embodies the remarkable shift in the man. 

A double bill of 'Sweet Child O'Mine' and 'November Rain' gives the crowd the dopamine dose they want, as 34,968 people watch it through their camera phones. Choosing not to do so marks you out as a minority dinosaur from a past of cigarette lighters where "living in the moment" was never uttered. Reams could be written on the phonemem of disengagement phones have caused, but they're here to stay and all one can do is speculate as to what people do with their vast amounts of poorly recorded videos. 

With semi-new (a long story that anyone on a GNR forum can doubtless bore you to tears with) material soundchecked, it is a slight disappointment to a core few that nothing is played. An argument exists that GNR don't "need" to do anything new, something that seems borne out entirely by tonight. Oddly, the divisive semi-new "Absurd" gets heads nodding slightly thanks to it's punky and passionate performance, but the unnecessary nature of GNR playing it is clear to see. The crowd would be absolutely happy for the band to hit them with 5 or 6 'biggies' and roll off into the night. Hitting them with unreleased material would be like gifting your elderly Grandmother an XBox Series X. Not only unnecessary but potentially annoying and frustrating. 

As the encore plays out with a politely received but exceptionally well played 'Street Of Dreams'  ("I hope they play 'Patience' next") the die is really cast; here is a band who still don't give too much of a fuck, in the best possible way. You want one you know? Well.... here's one you SHOULD know. It's the band GNR fans fell in love with, operating at total odds to current trends and culture. 

Sure, their transition from 'band' to 'brand' is virtually complete now, but it's almost out of their hands. A victim of nostalgia, passivity and changing tastes in media and let's face it, F'N iconic logos and type fonts, GNR are the new Kiss.....but as long as no-one tells them that, they're still the greatest band in the world. 

 

 

This reminded me of when I saw them in Vegas in 2014. I was front row, in front of Bumblefoot, and they started playing Prostitute - I think it was only the 4th time they'd ever played it. I went nuts... and the woman behind me asked "is this a cover?"

[sneeks]

I bought the Glasgow tour T-shirt online tonight, £40 is a bit steep for a T-shirt but it will be a lovely memento of the night. The artwork they created for Glasgow is excellent.

Edited June 30, 2023 by sneeks

[Caught_in_a_Coma]

Any links to a video that shows highlights from the show?  I haven't seen this much positivity around Axl on here in a long time (that's not an insult to people who tend to be hard on Axl and/or have felt the semi-reunion has been too much about touring or too underutilized)?

 

Edited July 1, 2023 by Caught_in_a_Coma

[sneeks]

5 hours ago, Caught_in_a_Coma said:

Any links to a video that shows highlights from the show?  I haven't seen this much positivity around Axl on here in a long time (that's not an insult to people who tend to be hard on Axl and/or have felt the semi-reunion has been too much about touring or too underutilized)?

 

I posted a link to my YouTube upload a few pages back.

[scottish nutter]

On 6/29/2023 at 8:54 PM, AxlSlashthebest said:

i'm complettly right with u. the lever is really higher.Far from Mickey

Not sure i agree, yes he sounded good in the lower voice but as always he struggles with the higher,  he still sounds like micky or herbert the pervert.  he has lines here and there that sound good.

I wasnt there only what iv watched on youtube.

  i await the axl sounded better in person than he does on youtube comments, as if youtube has something against axl making him sound like this Lol.

Aslong as those paying their money are happy thats all that matters, just wont be me  im afraid

[Axl_morris]

3 hours ago, scottish nutter said:

Not sure i agree, yes he sounded good in the lower voice but as always he struggles with the higher,  he still sounds like micky or herbert the pervert.  he has lines here and there that sound good.

I wasnt there only what iv watched on youtube.

  i await the axl sounded better in person than he does on youtube comments, as if youtube has something against axl making him sound like this Lol.

Aslong as those paying their money are happy thats all that matters, just wont be me  im afraid

I think the Mickey stuff isn't as noticeable when you are there. Especially when your in the golden circle. 

[LA_0013]

I honestly think he can sing with rasp when he wants to -  but keeps it safe to get through the show (and more importantly the tour). There’s too many examples where he sounds nice and raspy (end of Its So Easy at the start of the show, the occasional Nightrain towards the end, Reckless Life, end of Rocket Queen etc). Was always amazed how much he nailed the AC/DC shows then went straight back to GNR mode afterwards.

Sure, not the rasp of the 90s - but helluva lot better than his thin falsetto that is the base for the show 

Edited July 2, 2023 by LA_0013
Edit

[We love Axl Rose]

 
 
  
 

[scottish nutter]

13 hours ago, Axl_morris said:

I think the Mickey stuff isn't as noticeable when you are there. Especially when your in the golden circle. 

From what i remember being closer to the stage was harder to hear the vocals even way back in the 90s?

[beebee_head]

I thought he meant those in gold wear rose tinted goggles…

[WildStar]

On 6/29/2023 at 12:05 PM, allwaystired said:

Finally home, and here's my 'rather too long' review for anyone who wants to wade through it. I wrote it as if I was writing for people not using this forum but some sort of general news source. 

 

Attend a Kiss concert anywhere in the world and you'll witness the same phenomenon. Clad head to toe in the iconic Kiss logo fans will flock to see the face paint, the glitter, explosions and sparkles.....and 'Rock N Roll All Night', 'Crazy Nights' and 'God Gave Rock N Roll To You'. Serve them up anything else and they'll politely applaud, gasp at the bright lights and wait for those songs. Kiss are a brand. You'll slap their stuff all over your body, but the music? Ah, that's optional. Take it or or leave it. 

In a world where social-media hyperbole trumps lived experience ("OMG it was the best thing EVAAAH!!! Check out my socials for all the vids!) it's not hard to see the appeal to people of wanting in on a brand. GNR seem the latest victims/beneficiaries of this. 

No-one in the venue is without something GNR related. Be it a hat, shirt, bandana or self-modified jacket, the place is swamped. You'd be forgiven for thinking this was a band with simply hordes of devoted fans hanging on every note, watching every setlist, devouring and debating every note. Until the band play a song that you might not hear in a Saturday night bar. 

With Golden Circle tickets topping out around the £200 mark it's simply inexplicable why a sea of blank faces greet a song such as "Pretty Tied Up". A front central location in said Golden Circle should absolutely guarantee immunity from comments such as "I don't know any of these songs", "I've never heard this before" and "I hope they play some we know soon". With a remarkably slender back catalogue, who are these people that will shell out a couple of days working wages, yet haven't had the time or inclination to listen to the band's albums? 

At times, you can see the band's frustration. Slash's muttered "oh, come on!" at the tepid reaction to their latest AC/DC cover and Axl's jovial but pointed jibing at someone clapping "like a golf fan" mask an awareness that the audience has changed, even in the relatively short time since the 2016 reunion. 

Not that the band let this touch them though, as they plough through a set designed to enthrall the niche component of the audience. There's a genuine joy to them ripping through 'Reckless Life" and "Shadow Of Your Love" at breakneck speed simply because they want to. The band sound tighter than ever, energised and enthusiastic, howling, screaming, scratching and thrashing in a manner that seemed long gone just a year ago. Axl continues his complete personality shift as he laughs, jokes and dedicates himself fully. A near slip and fall on a wet monitor draws a joke, when once it would have been a mike throw, a rant at the crew and possibly a stage exit. The moment embodies the remarkable shift in the man. 

A double bill of 'Sweet Child O'Mine' and 'November Rain' gives the crowd the dopamine dose they want, as 34,968 people watch it through their camera phones. Choosing not to do so marks you out as a minority dinosaur from a past of cigarette lighters where "living in the moment" was never uttered. Reams could be written on the phonemem of disengagement phones have caused, but they're here to stay and all one can do is speculate as to what people do with their vast amounts of poorly recorded videos. 

With semi-new (a long story that anyone on a GNR forum can doubtless bore you to tears with) material soundchecked, it is a slight disappointment to a core few that nothing is played. An argument exists that GNR don't "need" to do anything new, something that seems borne out entirely by tonight. Oddly, the divisive semi-new "Absurd" gets heads nodding slightly thanks to it's punky and passionate performance, but the unnecessary nature of GNR playing it is clear to see. The crowd would be absolutely happy for the band to hit them with 5 or 6 'biggies' and roll off into the night. Hitting them with unreleased material would be like gifting your elderly Grandmother an XBox Series X. Not only unnecessary but potentially annoying and frustrating. 

As the encore plays out with a politely received but exceptionally well played 'Street Of Dreams'  ("I hope they play 'Patience' next") the die is really cast; here is a band who still don't give too much of a fuck, in the best possible way. You want one you know? Well.... here's one you SHOULD know. It's the band GNR fans fell in love with, operating at total odds to current trends and culture. 

Sure, their transition from 'band' to 'brand' is virtually complete now, but it's almost out of their hands. A victim of nostalgia, passivity and changing tastes in media and let's face it, F'N iconic logos and type fonts, GNR are the new Kiss.....but as long as no-one tells them that, they're still the greatest band in the world. 

 

Good Lord I'm glad I wasn't standing next to you at the gig ... hang on I was