08/18/23 - Pittsburgh, PA - PNC Park

[mystery]

I have to say after watching a few videos from this current run that Axl really cares. He looks great, is putting in as much as he can vocally, seems into it onstage,  and is singing stuff we thought was either stuck in the past or would never be performed live. Perhaps sounds better than I thought it would live and has an interesting vibe to it.

We're living in what feels like an alternate timeline where these Chinese Democracy session songs are actually being played live which felt like a pipedream circa 2009-14.

[colonizedmind]

1 minute ago, mystery said:

I have to say after watching a few videos from this current run that Axl really cares. He looks great, is putting in as much as he can vocally, seems into it onstage,  and is singing stuff we thought was either stuck in the past or would never be performed live. Perhaps sounds better than I thought it would live and has an interesting vibe to it.

We're living in what feels like an alternate timeline where these Chinese Democracy session songs are actually being played live which felt like a pipedream circa 2009-14.

We ain't ready for The General....we ain't worthy...

[Champy]

3 hours ago, mikeman5150 said:

I figured GNR would be humbled by the poor ticket sales at this show, but once they hit the stage, I was shocked at how full the stadium was. They closed off the upper deck, but the lower bowl and field was packed. So my hope of seeing them at star lake pavilion (smaller venue in pittsburgh), probably won’t happen anytime soon. 

Good to hear man, so how many wee there do u reckon?? Maybe allot of tickets sold in the days leading to the gig.. Great for fans to get cheaper tickets for sure 

[mikeman5150]

It holds around 35k, so I’m guessing it was probably around 25k or so. I’d say the lower bowl and floor was 90-95% sold. 

[felixGNR]

11 minutes ago, mikeman5150 said:

It holds around 35k, so I’m guessing it was probably around 25k or so. I’d say the lower bowl and floor was 90-95% sold. 

for sure they can play the star lake.(25k capcity)

out of those 25k ( looks less than that on video but ok). tons were giveaways 

[mikeman5150]

40 minutes ago, felixGNR said:

for sure they can play the star lake.(25k capcity)

out of those 25k ( looks less than that on video but ok). tons were giveaways 

For sure they could, but probably won’t. Star lake is only a little over 7k reserved seats and then the lawn. If they are selling 25k reserved seats, or close to it, there’s no incentive to downsize. Again, maybe it wasn’t 25k in attendance, but I was in the pit and turned around and it looked full minus the upper deck. Also, the lines were forever at the bathrooms and merch/concessions. This place is equipped to handle 35k so you’d think it wouldn’t have been as long. 

[Drakestar]

Just a thought. If anyone happened to get an extra litho and would also like a Toronto one I can try and grab two and we can trade. 

[Coma16]

4 minutes ago, Drakestar said:

Just a thought. If anyone happened to get an extra litho and would also like a Toronto one I can try and grab two and we can trade. 

Hey do you know if they're going to have some merch/lithos outside Skydome that afternoon? I'd like to grab some if they do rather than worry about the lines etc later in the evening...

[evilfacelessturtle]

21 hours ago, Blackstar said:

Only one song (CD) has been staple on this tour anyway. Most of the time they've played one more, but there were other times where only CD was played.

I've never understood that. Better is a much (no pun intended) better song. It's by far the most catchy song on CD. But I guess CD is a very easy song to sign whereas Better has that bitch of a bridge on top of some tough verses as well.

[gnr1967]

4 hours ago, Coma16 said:

Hey do you know if they're going to have some merch/lithos outside Skydome that afternoon? I'd like to grab some if they do rather than worry about the lines etc later in the evening...

The two shows I went to had a small batch for sale outside the stadium.  In Hershey I got a litho in the outdoor merch tent about 2 hours before gates opened, and they were running low.  In Pittsburgh, they opened the outdoor merch tent around 11 am (gates opened at 4:30), and by the time I got there the outdoor merch tent was out of lithos.  But I got one inside the venue once the gates opened.  

[Martin Riggs]

4 hours ago, evilfacelessturtle said:

I've never understood that. Better is a much (no pun intended) better song. It's by far the most catchy song on CD. But I guess CD is a very easy song to sign whereas Better has that bitch of a bridge on top of some tough verses as well.

Better was included in the set a lot longer than it should have been imo. Axl simply couldn’t sound very good on it. 

[Drakestar]

12 hours ago, Coma16 said:

Hey do you know if they're going to have some merch/lithos outside Skydome that afternoon? I'd like to grab some if they do rather than worry about the lines etc later in the evening...

They did last time I went (‘16). It was nice bc I could run it too my car. Such a piss off seeing people post that they got multiple copies of the Pittsburgh one. I’ve already had people message me, trying to sell one to me.

[Drakestar]

7 hours ago, gnr1967 said:

The two shows I went to had a small batch for sale outside the stadium.  In Hershey I got a litho in the outdoor merch tent about 2 hours before gates opened, and they were running low.  In Pittsburgh, they opened the outdoor merch tent around 11 am (gates opened at 4:30), and by the time I got there the outdoor merch tent was out of lithos.  But I got one inside the venue once the gates opened.  

Did they only make 250 for Pittsburgh? A guy is trying to sell me #198 of 250, looks like it is written in one of those crappy metalic sharpies.

 

 

[felixGNR]

1 hour ago, Drakestar said:

Did they only make 250 for Pittsburgh? A guy is trying to sell me #198 of 250, looks like it is written in one of those crappy metalic sharpies.

 

 

so far every date had only 250 available  for sale. 

[Drakestar]

2 hours ago, felixGNR said:

so far every date had only 250 available  for sale. 

Okay thanks. This guy who contacted me only wants $50 for it. It just doesn’t feel legit to me.

[GoodOlJohnnyK]

9 hours ago, Martin Riggs said:

Better was included in the set a lot longer than it should have been imo. Axl simply couldn’t sound very good on it.

2016 had some truly excellent Better performances.

Anything after that…yikes.

[gnr1967]

2 hours ago, Drakestar said:

Okay thanks. This guy who contacted me only wants $50 for it. It just doesn’t feel legit to me.

250 per city. There’s also a North American tour Lithograph that has a total of 1000. 

[Spike Killer]

3 hours ago, Drakestar said:

Okay thanks. This guy who contacted me only wants $50 for it. It just doesn’t feel legit to me.

Very interesting.  $50 is face value.  If it's legit, a great deal.  The ones I'm seeing online are several times that price.

Let's pretend it's legit - you are paying the same price as those that bought it at the venue.

If it's fake, you've paid $50 for a fake.  Everyone's financial situation is different but I'd wager face for a shot at legit is worth the work.  

My $0.02.

FWIW, I was walking around towards the end of the show and it looked like the Pittsburgh poster was still available at the merch stands.

Edited August 20, 2023 by Spike Killer

[Drakestar]

1 hour ago, gnr1967 said:

250 per city. There’s also a North American tour Lithograph that has a total of 1000. 

Haha. This guy has 3, one of them is numbered 256.

21 hours ago, Coma16 said:

Hey do you know if they're going to have some merch/lithos outside Skydome that afternoon? I'd like to grab some if they do rather than worry about the lines etc later in the evening...

I don’t. They did in 2016. Just hoping.

[Drakestar]

1 hour ago, Spike Killer said:

Very interesting.  $50 is face value.  If it's legit, a great deal.  The ones I'm seeing online are several times that price.

Let's pretend it's legit - you are paying the same price as those that bought it at the venue.

If it's fake, you've paid $50 for a fake.  Everyone's financial situation is different but I'd wager face for a shot at legit is worth the work.  

My $0.02.

FWIW, I was walking around towards the end of the show and it looked like the Pittsburgh poster was still available at the merch stands.

It was fake. I came across a legit seller with the same number this guy was trying to sell.

[We love Axl Rose]

Photos from show in New Jersey: 

[We love Axl Rose]

On 8/19/2023 at 3:34 AM, Alexmee239 said:

Its like he is singing this song for the first time, like he never rehearsed it at all and he doesnt know how to approach it. Mickey this line, baritone the next

On 8/19/2023 at 5:40 AM, beardedranga said:

The same could be said for the majority of the set, each tour has its thing, not sure if it's bad breath control or just not knowing which voice to use. You can sense when he catches himself using the wrong voice or goes to use a certain range and nopes it midline 

When you watch it, it really seems like Axl doesn't know which part he will sing with a lower voice, and which part will be Mickey. 

But it's not like that. The parts he sings in a low voice he sings the same throughout the whole song, and the parts he sings with Mickey voice he sings the same throughout the whole song as well.

1st and 3rd verse he sangs with his lower voice:

Perhaps I was wrong 
When I didn't see you, hey, hey
Perhaps I was wrong, hey
When I don't believe you

But (When I don't believe you) part in 1st and 3rd verse he sangs with his Mickey voice.

Then pre chorus, full low voice:

But how would I know how it feels
Or what it is to be you?
I've been so upset
Harboring this hate for days

But 2nd verse is full Mickey:

Hey, my sense of rejection, hey, hey
Is no excuse for my behavior, hey
You pulled the gun, hey, hey
That shot and crucified my savior

And then next and last pre chorus are full low voice except (What a weight upon your shoulders) part:

Now he is no more and I am without you
Just like I was before
The way I used to be, hey
What a weight upon your shoulders that you don't need
My heart bleeds for me

But how would I know how it feels
Or what it is to be you?
I've been so upset
Harboring this hate for days
Oh, what a weight upon your shoulders that you don't need
My heart bleeds for me

And then chorus is full high voice/rasp:

Got a lot more than I bargained for
You're all alone now
You forgot about the others you were fighting for
You're all alone
Sold out to the ones that you once ignored
You're all alone now
You used to be a little crazy, now there's so much more
You're all alone
 

On 8/19/2023 at 7:02 AM, GNR 1991 said:

He did a great job on the chorus, seriously impressed with the rasp there. Changes the feel of it in a good way.

He’s gotta commit to just the low voice for the verses though, I wanna hear “what a weight upon your shoulders” without that weak mid range voice man. Go full baritone.

I agree, he should sing the whole song with a lower (baritone) voice, except for the chorus. 

Just like when he tried to sing Locomotive with lower voice throughout the whole song and it sounded great.

[Blackstar]

3 hours ago, We love Axl Rose said:

When you watch it, it really seems like Axl doesn't know which part he will sing with a lower voice, and which part will be Mickey. 

But it's not like that. The parts he sings in a low voice he sings the same throughout the whole song, and the parts he sings with Mickey voice he sings the same throughout the whole song as well.

1st and 3rd verse he sangs with his lower voice:

Perhaps I was wrong 
When I didn't see you, hey, hey
Perhaps I was wrong, hey
When I don't believe you

But (When I don't believe you) part in 1st and 3rd verse he sangs with his Mickey voice.

Then pre chorus, full low voice:

But how would I know how it feels
Or what it is to be you?
I've been so upset
Harboring this hate for days

But 2nd verse is full Mickey:

Hey, my sense of rejection, hey, hey
Is no excuse for my behavior, hey
You pulled the gun, hey, hey
That shot and crucified my savior

And then next and last pre chorus are full low voice except (What a weight upon your shoulders) part:

Now he is no more and I am without you
Just like I was before
The way I used to be, hey
What a weight upon your shoulders that you don't need
My heart bleeds for me

But how would I know how it feels
Or what it is to be you?
I've been so upset
Harboring this hate for days
Oh, what a weight upon your shoulders that you don't need
My heart bleeds for me

And then chorus is full high voice/rasp:

Got a lot more than I bargained for
You're all alone now
You forgot about the others you were fighting for
You're all alone
Sold out to the ones that you once ignored
You're all alone now
You used to be a little crazy, now there's so much more
You're all alone
 

I agree, he should sing the whole song with a lower (baritone) voice, except for the chorus. 

Just like when he tried to sing Locomotive with lower voice throughout the whole song and it sounded great.

I think it may be some sort of "muscle memory" - not only in relation to Perhaps, but also Locomotive and other songs in general. It's likely that he doesn't put much thought beforehand about how to sing them, so when he's on stage he instinctively goes for the voice he'd normally use, especially in certain lines with higher notes, forgetting about the state his voice is currently at.

Edited August 21, 2023 by Blackstar

[gnr1967]

I enjoyed the show, and I do think he’s improved overall since the last tour. But I agree that he sounds better in a lower voice. The “Mickey” moments are still tough for me to enjoy personally. 
 

Once this tour concludes, I really would like to hear how he sounds after a good long rest. When I look back at how he sounded for AC/DC (which wasn’t that long ago and sounded good), I can’t help but wonder if a little hiatus might refresh his vocals a bit.

It was still awesome though - so glad to see them twice on this leg. He seems to be having a great time these days and it’s refreshing to see that.

[We love Axl Rose]

Official photos are taken from this site: https://triblive.com/aande/music/review-guns-n-roses-rocks-pittsburgh-despite-vocal-imperfections/

Unfortunately, I couldn't download them in better quality.