NuGNR Nostalgia Thread

[ZoSoRose]

Time is a circle... or something

It is no secret that I am a huge Slash fan. Every time I see a reunion show, I end up leaving with a huge smile on my face. It is great to see him back in the band (Duff, too). It is as it should be. Hooray!

That being said, I have that nostalgia- thing for all of the memories I had made with NuGNR. With The General finally coming out, I thought it might be nice to reminisce for a bit. Here is an unnecessary wall of text as an ode to the 1999- 2014 lineups. Thanks to everyone who played in the band in all the different lineups. Despite the controversies, those lineups still made a lot of people happy (and frustrated) on here.

I became a GNR fan in around 2005. My intro to the band was thanks to Youtube. For some reason, I went through a "The Godfather" phase freshman year of high school. I mean, 1 and 2 are incredible movies. Some of my favorites, in fact. But what a weird fucking thing... maybe it was because I liked the music so much, especially the main theme. Well, that was around when I started playing guitar. Youtube was brand spanking new and I decided to search "Godfather Guitar" or something. What do you think came up?

So I had discovered Slash. I didn't really dig further, funny enough. That year was that weird "only OLD rock music is good" phase some idiot teenagers go through. I guess I thought 80s bands were too new? I was a moron. Anyways, the following year or so I was listening to my iPod (remember those?), the one with the clicky- wheel, and I had all sorts of pirated rock music I was discovering on there. "Sweet Child O' Mine" came up and then the solo came up and FUCK. I remember it vividly, I was doing yard work and then I went inside to listen better. I was hooked then, it all clicked, and I started going down the GNR rabbit hole. I soon picked up my first GNR album- Use Your Illusion I on CD and I played the shit out of it. I realized GNR was as much the Axl- show as it was the Slash- show with that record. My favorite part was the outro to Coma and that was all Axl. Wikipedia and Youtube were my friends and I learned and listened to all sorts of stuff related to the band. I was so bummed to find out I missed their 2006 stop in Detroit at the time (I also sadly missed the 2007 VR show in Detroit, as my mom didn't want me going into the city alone with my teenage friends... well, they went. Lame). So how does discovering them tie into NuGNR? Well, as a fresh GNR fan in 2005/2006, there was only NuGNR and Velvet Revolver. I dug VR, but wasn't into Scott's voice as much (at the time, I liked high- pitched singers like Plant and Axl. In hindsight, Scott was excellent with STP and VR. RIP), but then I read about Chinese Democracy.

A mythical album that was supposed crazy- Axl's magnum opus with this crazy new band called GNR but it wasn't really GNR except it was? Sounded really interesting. Then, holy shit, there were songs from it out?! Then I got into the leaks, and you know what? I thought those songs fucking ROCKED. I loved The Blues, TWAT, Better, IRS, etc. All of them, really. It wasn't an old band vs. new band thing for me, I just liked all the music. And there were so many songs that were leaked. It felt like I had the album, already (we basically did). Buckethead and Robin Finck weren't Slash, but I didn't care because their guitar playing fucking (and Ron's) worked for me. I still firmly will say Chinese is a kick- ass guitar record. Then I discovered the forums.

The first forum I discovered was Chinesedemocracy.com which led me to finding NewGNR.com and then of course, this forum (pour one out for CD.com and NewGNR.com). I read them all pretty regularly and MyGNR eventually became my most visited website. Crazy to think that was closer to 20 years ago than not. GNR became one of my favorite bands during the last 2 years of high school along with my Led Zeppelin obsession. I wanted to see them so fucking bad and was worried 2006 was my last shot. Its funny thinking that now, since they tour so fucking much, but in the 2000s Axl really only did the 2001/02 and 2006/07 tours, so him coming to town was still a rarity. Finally, in the start of my senior year, Chinese Democracy was actually released and my interest in the band soared. I remember the Axl chats pretty vividly. I had lurked here for a year or two prior, but made an account when he was on here. It was pretty cool, and it put the Chinese takeout songs to the forefront since Chinese was sadly released as a single album- "Atlas Shrugged", "Oklahoma", "Checkmate/Jackie Chan", "Soul Monster", and the big grail for some reason: "The General". Dreams of ChiDem 2 coming in 2009 with these songs and Robin Finck SRV solos were fresh in the air. Oh well. It was fucking dumb in hindsight we all hyped these songs so much without even knowing wtf they were. Its all part of the fun, I guess.

A year went by and there was still no tour. There were rumors and little tidbits (orchestra, Van Halen, Azoff blah blah blah, reunion talk, Robin drama, DJ coming in). DJ was announced as the new guitar player (everyone rightfully thought it was a bad choice from the get- go on here), so surely that meant a tour was coming. Finally, right at the start of college, they announced the Asian tour and then the Canadian tour. The 2010 Canadian tour was surreal for me because there was a show relatively close. I was from metro Detroit, and going to school in Lansing. A show was announced 3 hours away in London, Ontario at a smaller arena. My friend who is not on the forums, but who got into GNR and grew up with them this way the same way was also hyped. I bought two tickets (I didn't drive or have a car), and luckily, his mom agreed to drive us and got us a hotel room. I remember the Taiwan kick- off show like it was just last night. That was absolute peak- GNR fan craze for me. The reunion was close, but I was older and wiser for that. I was a stupid teenager with misplaced priorities in 2009. Of course a Guns N' Roses concert with 1 original member across the globe would be the most exciting thing in the world to me at the time. I followed the show on here, it was a blast. Everyone was at peak hype. The setlist was exciting with "new" Chinese songs in the set, DJ got most everyone's approval (crazy, looking back, but he did exceed expectations in 2010. That quickly died off...), and then the band went on to play crazy marathons in Tokyo. Plus, a great soundboard of the last Tokyo show leaked which was amazing to listen to. Finally, the excruciating wait for the London show ended, and I got to go with my friend to see them. That experience is probably one of my favorite memories. I was also going through my first heartbreak at the time (now I am engaged to the same chick) and I didn't know how to deal with that. GNR was the perfect remedy. We had the quintessential GNR experience at that London show. A long wait, a rowdy crowd where I almost got into a big fight with a low- rate UFC fighter that wanted my spot, girls getting naked in the crowd during the wait for the cameras, Sebastian Bach and Danko Jones opening, and finally, GNR. It blew my fucking head off. We were really close to the stage, and let me tell you, those 2010 shows were magic. Axl sounded fucking amazing and moved around a ton. Now that I think about it, that still might be my overall favorite concert because of the sheer joy I had seeing them. You can't really replicate that when you get older. Priorities change, and even though you still get excited about things, it isn't the same. The show ended super late (because the band went on super late), and we just didn't care. We met people from here and other diehards who shared stories of attending the Vegas 2001 show. At the time, I would have loved seeing them with Bucket and I thought 9 years seemed like an eternity, but now I can say that 2010 London show was 13 years ago. Almost 14. What in the fuck?

I can attach a lot of my memories throughout college to following the band and this forum. I wasn't some loser, I swear! I had a great college experience with a great circle of friends. I should have studied more, but meh, who cares? I had fun! All throughout it I was on this site every day. Meeting people on here, arguing with internet strangers, following shows, pining for new music that wouldn't ever really come in the way we imagined, and even speculating on what a reunion would look like. Rio 2011 was a shift, but hearing Estranged was magic. I saw them in Detroit that winter and getting that live was sublime. That show didn't match London 2010 because it wasn't my first time and because we sat in the stands, but getting Estranged live that first time meant the world. Then, my same buddy and I saw them a few months later on the Up Close and Personal Tour and holy shit, we were so fucking excited to see them in a small venue. We were front row and there was like no barrier. Ron met us before the show (I've had the pleasure of hanging out with him several times, and he is a great dude) and let me play his guitar and signed autographs which blew my mind, and I caught guitar picks from everyone and a drumstick that show. Even high- fived Axl a few times. For 21- year- old- me, I was pretty stoked. We later attended the Hall of Fame, and that was an awesome trip and show, but it didn't match the high of that theater GNR show. We also got to meet Slash at one of his gigs, that year. Not NuGNR related, but 2012 was killer, overall. I always liked Slash and NuGNR, it wasn't a versus thing for me. One of my favorite years and it had lots of Guns- related memories attached. 

All- in- all, I saw that lineup three times. 2010, 2011, 2012. After 2012, they didn't come back to Michigan until the reunion. From 2012-2014, I still followed them on here, but the frustration of diminishing venues and a lack of new music took its toll. There was still fun to be had when things weren't great. For better or worse, this place was pretty fun during things like Bridge School and the Golden Gods. It was nice Duff helped the band out towards the end and I am glad 2014 ended on a high note. Those final Vegas shows seemed pretty cool with some deep cuts and Axl sounding good. I would have liked to have been at the last Vegas show in 2014. It was also cool they put Appetite for Democracy out. It might not be the best NuGNR show, but it is a nice goodbye to that era. Either way, I think the reunion came at the right time. Ron seemed frustrated in the band for years, DJ had become a complete caricature, Tommy was perhaps checked out and focusing on The Replacements reunion, and the project did seem to have run out of gas.

2016 was GREAT. I wouldn't trade that year as a fan for even a new album. It was a dream come true for a GNR fan born in 1991. I never got to see the real- deal, and even though Steven and Izzy were sadly not there, that Vegas trip was incredible. A high level of hype like when I was excited for the Taipei show, but different at the same time (I had other things to care about than GNR in my mid- 20s). The two stadium shows I caught that year were fucking insane. The band may not be as good now as they were in 2016, but I'm still glad they pulled their shit together for this juggernaut. Still, I have a lot of incredible memories that NuGNR was a part of, a lot of the best years were when I was really, really into that band. and lineup. I can also say the same for 2016, and someday, this era too to an extent. It won't be around forever. 

I'm excited for The General with Slash and Duff, but it is still a NuGNR- song at heart. It is crazy we are finally getting it. Even if it sucks, it will be something just to have it out. It can't live up to the hype, but I am hoping it is at least a kick- ass tune. I would have been far more excited for it in 2010-2014, but better late than never! I also totally get why NuGNR was not for everyone. If you grew up while GNR was active, I understand why Axl and a cast of Bucketed and Bumbled characters is not GNR to you. That is cool. It's all just a band name to me, and for me, music is music. A lot has changed over the years, in my life and with the band. It is interesting that some people tie music to stages of their life, and that really sticks. I definitely do. I've met a lot of cool people on here. Some still post, many don't. Either way, I am thankful for the ride and everyone, even the bad stuff. It's a real gas.

Thanks, GNR!

TLDR- What I thought was beautiful is only memories

Edited November 6, 2023 by ZoSoRose

[F*ck Fear]

I've been  a fan since about 1993/1994 but due to the fact the band was no longer active I got my first chance to see them live in 2002. Because of the tour announcement I found HTGTH. Later joined CD.com & NewGNR.com before coming here in 2003.

All 5 gigs I saw from that time period were special, for different reasons.

Toronto 2002 - first time seeing Axl in person. One of the stronger sets from that tour, new songs & Buckethead!

Toronto 2006 - Axl was a different animal by this point. The leaks had happened and I fondly remember singing Better from front row and Axl smiling at me. (I was worried he'd have a fit).

Hamilton 2010 - This was fucking awesome! Axl's voice was as close to what it sounded like in 1992! TWAT live with Bumble (Playing the solo right).

Things started to slip after that.

Hamilton 2011 - Riff Raff was a highlight.

Toronto 2013 - I was closer than ever here due to it being a club show, so that was cool. Having to watch DJ and his girlfriend making out was not cool. (He stepped off stage for one of the other solo spots and stood right in front of me). Axl's voice wasn't as strong as the 2006/2010 shows but I still enjoyed the show.

[Nick85]

Hearing Paradise City when I was 13 made me a fan and buying AFD soon after sealed the deal, but by then it was 1998. I remember buying the RIR III bootleg CD at Rolling Stones Records here in Chicago in 2001 and that pulled me right into the Chinese Democracy odyssey.

I bought tickets to the sold out show at the Allstate Arena in 2002, and boy am I glad I got to witness that slice of GNR history in person. The feeling was electric that night and the crowd went wild for Buckethead. I saw them again in 2006, 2010, 2011 & 2012…but that 2002 show will always hold a special place in my heart. 

[ZoSoRose]

I really do wish I could have seen a 2002 or 2006 show. I was too young for 2002, but seeing Bucket in the band would have been killer. Love the Vegas, RIR, and Boston boots from that era. I saw Bucket solo in around 2011, though.

I also would have loved to have seen 2006. I was close... it could have been my first concert (that ended up being Rush in 2007, so not a bad choice). Axl looked and sounded killer and I still have not seen Robin in person, sadly. I think that tour was fucking sweet. The 2007 Japanese shows are highlights for me to listen to. It’s been years since I have, but I should track them down for old time’s sake. Loved all the little guitar jams like Beautiful, Endless Rain, and Bumble’s Don’t Cry. 

Still, that 2010 London Ontario show was a perfect first GNR show for me. The memory of that trip, anticipation, and show itself were amazing. I saw a few 2016 shows with that same buddy and I remember him turning to me and saying “imagine if this was our first time seeing the band” but I don't really agree with that. I do think 2016 was overall the best, but I’m still glad that Ontario trip was my first GNR show. Good memories. 

Got a good showing of Chinese at that gig, too. If The World, Scraped, Shacklers, Sorry, Better, Street of Dreams, Chinese Democracy, TiL, Madagascar all in one show. I still haven’t gotten TWAT at a gig, but that was pretty cool getting all those songs. I doubt ITW, Shackler's, and Scraped will return and those actually kicked ass live back then. Really felt like they were touring a “new” album, which they kind of were and weren’t. 

Edited September 27, 2023 by ZoSoRose

[Cosmo]

Nice to read about your GnR story @ZoSoRose!

 

I used to know GnR very losely, knowing basically SCOM, Jungle and PC + idk... KOHD and Don't Cry, maybe? And I remember two of my friends, who were also into rock music, used to say GnR was dead, etc... One day I saw the Dirty Little Thing music video on MTV or VH1 and I thought "wtf? this dude's dressed as Slash from GnR!" and I remember taking it to those friends like "dude I saw a videoclip with a guy cosplaying as Slash lol" and eventually found out it was Slash in his new band, but I never told them which clip I was referring to, to avoid all the jokes 

I remember there was a show called "Top Top MTV" and they listed the VMAs performance as one of the most disappointing TV performances in rock history and I remember thinking "wtf is Axl doing with these freaks?" so yeah, I never really took the time to properly enjoy GnR. I was, though, kinda into VR.

At one point, though, I remember that CD (the song) leaked and it somehow found its way to me - but it didn't have the Bumblefoot fretless in the verses or the higher pitched vocals in the chorus. I remember thinking it was kinda meh.

Then, one day, in 2008, I went to a FNAC near my home and there it was - Chinese Democracy. I remember thinking "WTF, isn't this the mythical GnR record that became like the most expensive record ever and took a million years to put out?" so I just bought it. I never even listened to it before I bought it.

So I put it on my car one my way home and I was like "ok, this is good" up until If The World. Then when If The World started, I was "wow this is really good" and then I got home, listened to TWAT and was completely blown away. I fucking loved that song from the first time I listened to it. In the next few days, I was listening to GnR on repeat, and I started visiting these forums, looking for news as the official website had "Saw hello to DJ Ashba" for months.

Then, in 2010, GnR came to town and I went to see them live. It was by far the best concert I had gone up until that point. I was sure I had just witnessed the greatest GnR show ever, but that was the rule back then. It was such a great show you thought it must've been something special. 

Not long after, I joined these forums, I think. I remember being REALLY hyped for 2011's Rock in Rio thinking "CD2 starts now" and shit. Then being really disappointed and almost on denial about how bad that was compaired to 2010. In 2014, I decided to go see every GnR show in their brazilian tour. That was so disappointing. They basically played the same set though out all the shows, with mickey mouse Axl. After that, I never went to see GnR live again. Not even after the reunion. 

What I mostly miss about NuGnR is the pre-2011 aura of mystery that surrounded them. In 2010, I thought Axl was focused on proving something, on the music itself, etc... After that RiR 2011 performance, I saw that it wasn't really the case. I wish I had seen the 2001/2002 line-up live. It would have been a dream. Today, I'm a huge Buckethead fan and I would love to see him live some day but to see him with GnR would have been magical. I also think the 2006 Rock Am Ring show is one of GnR's greatest live performances ever, better than many of the classic line-up concerts and I was also blown away by those first 2010 Asian Tourdates. 

To this day, TWAT is one of my favourite songs, perhaps my favourite, by any band, of all time. And I still dream to see what NuGnR has in their vault. A documentary/book + boxset from that era would be a dream. I love reading about it. Some weeks ago I read all of @SoulMonster's and @Blackstar's material at A4D and I loved every moment of it.

Edited September 27, 2023 by Cosmo

[ZoSoRose]

14 minutes ago, Cosmo said:

Nice to read about your GnR story @ZoSoRose!

 

I used to know GnR very losely, knowing basically SCOM, Jungle and PC + idk... KOHD and Don't Cry, maybe? And I remember two of my friends, who were also into rock music, used to say GnR was dead, etc... One day I saw the Dirty Little Thing music video on MTV or VH1 and I thought "wtf? this dude's dressed as Slash from GnR!" and I remember taking it to those friends like "dude I saw a videoclip with a guy cosplaying as Slash lol" and eventually found out it was Slash in his new band, but I never told them which clip I was referring to, to avoid all the jokes 

I remember there was a show called "Top Top MTV" and they listed the VMAs performance as one of the most disappointing TV performances in rock history and I remember thinking "wtf is Axl doing with these freaks?" so yeah, I never really took the time to properly enjoy GnR. I was, though, kinda into VR.

At one point, though, I remember that CD (the song) leaked and it somehow found its way to me - but it didn't have the Bumblefoot fretless in the verses or the higher pitched vocals in the chorus. I remember thinking it was kinda meh.

Then, one day, in 2008, I went to a FNAC near my home and there it was - Chinese Democracy. I remember thinking "WTF, isn't this the mythical GnR record that became like the most expensive record ever and took a million years to put out?" so I just bought it. I never even listened to it before I bought it.

So I put it on my car one my way home and I was like "ok, this is good" up until If The World. Then when If The World started, I was "wow this is really good" and then I got home, listened to TWAT and was completely blown away. I fucking loved that song from the first time I listened to it. In the next few days, I was listening to GnR on repeat, and I started visiting these forums, looking for news as the official website had "Saw hello to DJ Ashba" for months.

Then, in 2010, GnR came to town and I went to see them live. It was by far the best concert I had gone up until that point. I was sure I had just witnessed the greatest GnR show ever, but that was the rule back then. It was such a great show you thought it must've been something special. 

Not long after, I joined these forums, I think. I remember being REALLY hyped for 2011's Rock in Rio thinking "CD2 starts now" and shit. Then being really disappointed and almost on denial about how bad that was compaired to 2010. In 2014, I decided to go see every GnR show in their brazilian tour. That was so disappointing. They basically played the same set though out all the shows, with mickey mouse Axl. After that, I never went to see GnR live again. Not even after the reunion. 

What I mostly miss about NuGnR is the pre-2011 aura of mystery that surrounded them. In 2010, I thought Axl was focused on proving something, on the music itself, etc... After that RiR 2011 performance, I saw that it wasn't really the case. I wish I had seen the 2001/2002 line-up live. It would have been a dream. Today, I'm a huge Buckethead fan and I would love to see him live some day but to see him with GnR would have been magical. I also think the 2006 Rock Am Ring show is one of GnR's greatest live performances ever, better than many of the classic line-up concerts and I was also blown away by those first 2010 Asian Tourdates. 

To this day, TWAT is one of my favourite songs, perhaps my favourite, by and band, of all time. And I still dream to see what NuGnR has in their vault. A documentary/book + boxset from that era would be a dream. I love reading about it. Some weeks ago I read all of @SoulMonster's and @Blackstar's material at A4D and I loved every moment of it.

That is awesome, did you attend one of the 2010 Brazilian shows? That 2010 SA tour was incredible to follow. Even in Michigan, I was excited for all the fans there who hadn't gotten a GNR show in what seemed like an eternity. Seeing the band play these massive, packed stadiums seemed awesome. For my 2010 show, they played a small arena. Pretty sure the upper bowl was open but not full. I distinctly remember the 2011 Michigan arena show being pretty sparse and them not even selling out the 2012 theater show a few months later. I still enjoyed those concerts a lot, of course. Getting songs like Estranged and Civil War in 2011/2012 was pretty surreal for me, too. UYI live material was almost as exciting as the prospect of new songs because they were so far and few between in 2001-2010. I remember there was this Twitter account in around 2009 that posted all sorts of rumors and alleged leaks. It was about a year or two before the MSL email saga, and I don't remember if they were credible, but it was really fun to follow. One of the rumors it posted was that the band was rehearsing more UYI material for 09/10. I was pretty happy about that. It is still kind of crazy when they whip out stuff like Pretty Tied Up, Coma, Bad Obsession, etc. all these years later. 

It is also crazy how starved we all were for CD 2 even in like 2011 considering that was over a decade ago. Every time the band had a new tour leg there was hope on here that maybe something different would happen. Even though we got Estranged at Rio 2011 (which was awesome for me), I still remember being really disappointed no new songs were played (and that is all without getting into the show itself). The Village leaks did seem like an epilogue to the entire CD saga, it was crazy hearing at least the bones of all of those titles. 

[BreakDown2014]

Great thread! Thank you.

 

I became a GNR fan around 2006 and Chinese Democracy was the first album I ever bought. Been on GN'R forums since 2007 and those were very interesting times. In 2010 I got to see them live for the first time and it was probably the greatest GN'R show i've ever seen, Axl was incredible (DJ Ashba not so much).

 

Chinese Democracy still is to this day my favourite GN'R album and one of my favourite albums of all time. A huge thank you to all the musicians and people that made it possible.

[ZoSoRose]

To be completely honest, I still don't mind DJ at those shows I went to. I admit that is probably me forcing myself to accept him because I cared a lot about that lineup. In 2010 he looked more normalish and wore flannel and tried his best to play a lot of the material note- for- note. He wore that stupid hat, but overall, he wasn't unbearable. For the USA tour in 2011 I thought he played fine at my show, and then for the 2012 theater gig a few months later, he was actually really great with the crowd. He let me strum some guitar strings and interacted with the front, a lot. I got to meet him that year and he was alright. I am not defending the dude, he is definitely the worst lead guitar player the band has ever had, but I think a lot of that is due to his social media persona and his deteriorating image. It became ridiculous as that lineup went on. The playing got sloppier too throughout 2012- 2014. I am thankful he contributed to a lineup I followed very closely, but I am of course glad he is long- gone from GNR. 

I do wish it was Robin throughout 2010- 2014 or even just Richard and Ron. I don't think the three-guitar lineup was ever used to its full potential in GNR. 

Edited September 27, 2023 by ZoSoRose

[Seb91]

41 minutes ago, ZoSoRose said:

To be completely honest, I still don't mind DJ at those shows I went to. I admit that is probably me forcing myself to accept him because I cared a lot about that lineup. In 2010 he looked more normalish and wore flannel and tried his best to play a lot of the material note- for- note. He wore that stupid hat, but overall, he wasn't unbearable. For the USA tour in 2011 I thought he played fine at my show, and then for the 2012 theater gig a few months later, he was actually really great with the crowd. He let me strum some guitar strings and interacted with the front, a lot. I got to meet him that year and he was alright. I am not defending the dude, he is definitely the worst lead guitar player the band has ever had, but I think a lot of that is due to his social media persona and his deteriorating image. It became ridiculous as that lineup went on. The playing got sloppier too throughout 2012- 2014. I am thankful he contributed to a lineup I followed very closely, but I am of course glad he is long- gone from GNR. 

I do wish it was Robin throughout 2010- 2014 or even just Richard and Ron. I don't think the three-guitar lineup was ever used to its full potential in GNR. 

Yeah, I'm with you re DJ. I actually liked him in the band back when he first joined. I remember Robin getting a fair amount of flak for how he'd play the Slash stuff and DJ was a lot more polished live playing the old stuff. I'd also seen Robin with NIN on the Wave Goodbye tour and it was great seeing him back with Trent so I wasn't massively upset. I've always seen Robin as Trent's Mick Ronson really. I think the key thing for me was that in the DJ era, Ron was also there and I've been a massive fan of his since he joined so I feel that as it wasn't just DJ it worked. I agree the sloppiness really set in from 2012-2014 and it really was astounding how ropey he could be. I mean, Robin could have some bum notes in there but DJ was a whole rung down sloppiness wise as time went on. I also have no idea what he was thinking with that Patience solo - I mean, if any song really doesn't need a Heartbreaker style solo in it, it's Patience - completely ruined the vibe of the song. It did give us the Tommy clapping meme though so it was at least useful for something 

I think the thing with DJ is, the cliched rockstar stuff aside and all the marketing stuff, he came across alright and fans have positive things to say about him. The issue is that guitar players with DJ's chops are a dime a dozen, there's nothing special or innovative about him when compared with the other guitarists in the band - I mean, I saw Richard do a show with Thin Lizzy in 2011 and it showed he could play rings around DJ technique wise. In some respects though, I've never seen that as DJ's USP really - he's a producer and writer first and foremost really and that was main input with Crue and Sixx:AM. I guess given new material was never going to happen with the NuGuns guys that was the issue really, without the producer/co-writer role DJ was essentially just a guitarist covering other people's parts with diminishing accuracy as time went on. I think Ron and Richard could easily have just carried the guitars together in NuGuns as there's no drastic difference with two guitarists in the current era, especially as NuGuns had (and GN'R still has) two keyboard players to fill out the sound anyway. 

 

Edited September 27, 2023 by Seb91

[ZoSoRose]

Robin did get a lot of flak from 2007-2010. I probably would cringe on some posts I made on him looking back. He was a very sloppy player in the band, but because of that, a lot of really creative and interesting playing came out of his contributions at the shows. Jimmy Page was a sloppy player, too. Some Zeppelin shows were train wrecks and some were the most magic things ever because of that. Keeps things interesting. Robin had his own style and made old songs his own while contributing some excellent parts to the new material. Guys like Robin, Bucket, and Ron are artists with their own stamp of playing and a desire to contribute artistically to a project. Richard is more of a session guy, but he is INCREDIBLE with an amazing way of playing and tone. I am glad he is in the current lineup with Slash, actually.

As you said, @Seb91, DJ just didn't bring anything to the table. He is a very average heavy metal/hard rock guitar player that chooses style over substance. It doesn't help that his visual style sucks and his original playing is underwhelming at best. I liked Sixx AM as a teenager, I guess. That same buddy I mention often in this thread, and I still bring up his "Betcha Can't Pay This" Youtube solo because its fucking hilarious. At the time, it was cool hearing him try and do some of the older stuff note- for- note, but looking back, I'd take a guy like Robin in that spot doing his own thing. I like it when live music is different, and since it wasn't Slash up there, it was cool to have all these guitarists playing things differently to reflect their way of playing. DJ was still decent on a lot of the stuff in 2010, though. Sorry, Better, Street of Dreams, Knocking, Brownstone, etc. weren't bad with him. I didn't really dig his Nightrain solo, but that is more of a personal preference. I always preferred the awesome 2002 Bucket versions and the 2006 Rock Am Ring Bumble version for NuGNR Nightrains. 

Edited September 27, 2023 by ZoSoRose

[F*ck Fear]

At first, I thought DJ was great for the band. He brought something out of Axl that I hadn't seen on stage since Slash. 

At some point in 2011 or after he must have seen the writing on the wall. His contributions were not going to be used, and it was going to be a continuous cycle of playing the old songs. That = frustrations and boredom.

[Its Tino]

I’m 37. Became a fan of GNR in 1990 at 4 years old. I had a very cool young Aunt . She gave me her AFD cassette (along with Ride the Lightning and Killing is My Business… And Business is Good). 

WTTJ was my early favorite. Then, like @ZoSoRose I noticed the SCOM solo. I can’t believe I can still hear cause for many years, I blasted that solo at full volume with cheap headphones plugged into my boom box.

I was not on any forums during NuGuns. I saw the VMA performance and loved the idea of Madagascar. Got pretty hooked into the song. At that time I was big into skateboarding and hell raising so I spent zero time in front of a computer so I let it go. “An album would surely be out soon.” 
 

I heard no leaks. The first time I heard about CD being released was 2010! So I immediately pirated it. It sucked. 

The following year I had a new coworker who loved music. GNR came up, then CD came up. He begged me to give it a few more full listens. So I did. And it was magically awesome somehow! I couldn’t believe I went from hating it to loving it. I primarily listened to only CD for probably 6 months. 

I will ALWAYS and FOREVER consider it as an Axl solo record tho and I refuse to rank it against any Guns album prior.

 

[ZoSoRose]

I honestly like the entire album. Better, There Was a Time, Madagascar, and Prostitute are probably my top tracks from it. I think the triple punch of ChiDem- Shackler's- Better is a killer album opener. My least favorite song on the album is Scraped, but I did enjoy it live. It isn't a bad song for me, just not as good as the others. Maybe Hard Skool would have been better in that slot. Doesn't matter, though. 

Riad is the song that has grown on me the most in recent years. There is some cool shit on that track. 

[Sweersa]

Nice write up, it almost mirrors me, even with the college timing and I’m on the west side of Michigan, my first show was 2011 Chicago, before they announced the Detroit show show of that year. My dad and I saw them again in 2012, 2016, and 2021 all in Detroit. I hope they play there on the next tour. 

BIG missed opportunity not releasing CD2 before the reunion. If they managed to get it out between 2009-2016 or whatever, it both would have forced them to actually make new music with NITL (though they still would have had some Chinese tunes outside of CD1 and 2) and we would get to hear more amazing Buckethead and Robin stuff (with Bumble playing over some) which I’d prefer over butchered reworked versions, though 2023 Perhaps was pretty good, except for Slash’s solo IMO. Absurd was mixed poorly, otherwise ok and Hard Skool was a mess!

[Kosonen]

CD starts now!!!

[Dummy]

7 minutes ago, Kosonen said:

CD starts now!!!

Get ready for

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

atlas!!!

[F*ck Fear]

3 hours ago, ZoSoRose said:

I honestly like the entire album. Better, There Was a Time, Madagascar, and Prostitute are probably my top tracks from it. I think the triple punch of ChiDem- Shackler's- Better is a killer album opener. My least favorite song on the album is Scraped, but I did enjoy it live. It isn't a bad song for me, just not as good as the others. Maybe Hard Skool would have been better in that slot. Doesn't matter, though. 

Riad is the song that has grown on me the most in recent years. There is some cool shit on that track. 

I agree. The whole album is rather enjoyable, even if not all of the songs GREAT.

There's also a few of the tracks where I prefer earlier demo's (Riad with Bucket solo), Catcher (With Brian May) & Street Of Dreams (2002 live version).

I rarely listen to If The World, though. That's one of the ones that was far better with raspy vocals.

[-W.A.R-]

Prostitute is one of those songs that will just randomly pop into my head and i can't get it out. God forbid someone say the word intentions.

[NewGNROldGNR]

Say what you will about the Chinese Democracy tours, but I enjoyed the smaller venues and lower ticket prices. Axl Rose has always been Axl Rose, and getting to witness him perform was always special.

[DTV88]

Really nice thread here @ZoSoRose!

As an older Guns fan, I did enjoy following the whole CD saga and bought my copy on the day of release en route to Monterrey with my wife and young kids. I played the disc back to back three times before I got the look that told me it was time for something different 

As much as I do really like a lot of CD, the entire era is still not considered to be GnR for me. The only time I saw NuGuns live was at the Bridge School and you all know how that went. 

[axlslash]

I'm right there with you, @ZoSoRose. I got into GNR listening to classic rock radio in 2000-2001, just in time for 2002. I desperately wanted to go see them, but I was 14 and my parents were afraid the shows wouldn't be safe after the early riots. In 2006 I almost got tickets but plans fell through at the last second. I kept wanting to see them when they'd pop back up but it never worked out. 2012 Up Close and Personal in Philly was my first time seeing them. People will shit on that band - especially Dj - until eternity, and I get it. But at the same time, that was MY GN'R for a long time (pun intended). Having my elbows on the stage, catching the pick that Dj used for his Sorry solo, getting to meet the band at the stage door after the show... I have nothing but incredible memories of that night and that band.

[themadcaplaughs]

Great read and you bring up a great point; for those of us that were really "all-in" when it came to Guns N' Roses and loving all their lineups, the hype of 2009/2010 was almost (if not) higher than the 2016 shows. Between Axl being absolutely on fire with energy and vocals and the marathon set lists, it really was a great time to be a fan. Not having Robin there was (for me at least) a bummer, but they more than made up for it. Add in the surprise shows and Axl still having some of the "old Axl" in him in terms of rants and breakdowns, I would argue the 2009/10 was the closest the band felt to the UYI era since 1993. I can still remember the ridiculousness of the rant against Madison or looking at that video of Axl hitting the photographer at the airport to determine whether or not he still had the braids. 

Also good points all around on DJ. I really do not think it was hatred right off the bat. People had reservations about him from the get-go admittedly, but we also emphasized the positives: he had a much deeper background to hard rock than Robin did, the fact that DJ was as well known as a songwriter as he was a guitarist was a good sign that Axl might be interested in writing new material, and even before he played a show with the band, DJ seemed interested in trying to reach out to fan in a meaningful way. And for his shows in 2009/10, he ranged from "fine" to actually pretty good. Like others said, he seemed more interesting in playing things note for note and his whole "persona" seemed toned down compared to later years. I would argue he played Slash's solos more faithfully than Robin (which is not a rock on Robin, as I liked some his versions of the Slash solos) and, in hindsight, certainly tackled the Chinese Democracy material better than Slash has since 2016. Heading out of 2010, I honestly remember the vibe being very similar to how it was for many people with Robin in 2002; there was a lot of room for improvement but the task did not seem above him to be a great fit in the band. It was when they came back with RiR 2011 that all the negative things about DJ seemed amped up: the showboating on stage, the teenage girl level social media posts, being a walking billboard for other brands (and his own shit), and (most unforgivably), his guitar playing really seemed to just stop improving and, in some cases, get worse than it had been. Say what you will about Robin, but even some of his most ardent haters admitted he really put the work in to improving his playing between 2001/2002 (where I personally thought he still sounded great) to 2006/2007. 

Edited September 29, 2023 by themadcaplaughs

[BangoSkank]

Great thread, one of my favorite eras of the band. Fills me with a sense of "What might have been" every time I think about it. Kills me that I never saw Bucket play with them.

[Ak1nney]

I was a big follower of this era until Chinese Democracy was released. I guess I would call it the "braids/cornrow"/Finck era of the band. It was really interesting right from the star with Buckethead in the band, then Axl hit his stride vocally in 2006 and that was amazing to see. Once the album finally got released, I loved (and still enjoy) most of it. After the release came and went though with no promotion/touring, it soured for me. I did see them in 2011 and it was an awesome show. I could just never really get into the whole Ashba era very much and never felt compelled to pick up the blu ray from that era.

[rumandraisin]

I think what this thread hits home is the difference the gap in touring from 2010 to 11 made. Axl returns at Rio bloated, out of practice, the band became sloppy and the whole vibe had changed in to a never ending nostalgia act. 

2010 he had such venom and a drive. Like he was trying to prove himself. Whatever changed between 2010 and 11 obviously effected him and killed nu guns, the remaining few years in hindsight were just visiting each country around the world one last time.