DUFF MCKAGAN Defends GUNS N' ROSES' Three-And-A-Half-Hour Live Performances: 'What Songs Do You Take Out?'

[ZoSoRose]

25 minutes ago, Tom-Ass said:

No doubt the show was good but I still feel shorted. I spent almost $400 a ticket for great seats. Part of the reason I justified that was because of their extra long sets which Fenway was robbed of twice in a row now.  Last time was partly due to the weather but they could have also started earlier than they did.  But yes, it was still an awesome show \m/

Fuck me, that is a lot of money! I spent like $50, but I was in the lower bowl and not the floor. 

[janrichmond]

Can you stop with moaning at other people's posts. Take it to PMs please. 

[Gordon Comstock]

Some (predictable) people on here are being ridiculous, of course. If you're not complimenting them, you must be complaining.

I saw them this year for the first time since 2017, I'm definitely not complaining that they played 10 songs I hadn't heard them play before. But I'm not gonna pretend the show is flawless. They're my favourite band, I want them to play consistent, all killer no filler shows, even if that means changing things up and shortening the sets. If you want Axl to continue beyond the next 4-5 years you gotta accept that the shows needs to be overhauled in some way.

[evilfacelessturtle]

On 12/17/2023 at 7:18 PM, Tom2112 said:

I purposefully didn't mention Ashba, because I like a lot of others was not a fan🤣

Like I said, there are people that just love seeing Slash play I get that. The quality can be from meh to great and it makes almost no difference, as long he's there the box is ticked. Beyond that there's also personal taste, just enjoying his style (I love his style too) over the other guys, which is fair I certainly don't enjoy every guitar  player I hear and I also didn't enjoy every single note Bumble, Bucket, Richard, Robin etc. played 1999-2014. I just haven't ever been entertained by a Slash solo spot (besides the move to the city live era band solo). Slash in the context of a song is usually good though. 

To me Slash is not as good as he used to be both live and on record, naturally not everyone will agree with that.

I miss this Slash:

He's lost that fluidity that really made his playing so unique.

[JAxlMorrison]

On 12/18/2023 at 1:03 PM, bmus1 said:

People want their favorite band to sound good for an entire show.

Yeah, the rockingest 58 minutes ever! Gotta get outta the show to go…wait for the next GNR show. Or for a song to come out with a missed kick drum. Whichever…

[Tom2112]

6 hours ago, evilfacelessturtle said:

I miss this Slash:

He's lost that fluidity that really made his playing so unique.

Yeah, he's not awful by any means. But he's far less memorable when he plays now. What's weird is that he can still play all his old material is ease if he wants so it's not that he's lost his edge technique wise. I guarantee if he plugged into his UYI rig tomorrow he'd sound 100 times better

[evilfacelessturtle]

11 hours ago, Tom2112 said:

Yeah, he's not awful by any means. But he's far less memorable when he plays now. What's weird is that he can still play all his old material is ease if he wants so it's not that he's lost his edge technique wise. I guarantee if he plugged into his UYI rig tomorrow he'd sound 100 times better

Tone is definitely a big part of it. He really just needs to bump up the gain. But ever since he got sober, he's not as smooth and fluid with his licks. Maybe it was a byproduct of being drunk all the time, literally slurring his playing. I always though of it like a snake, the way he could slither through notes in one long phrase without any breaks, all one long connected piece. That was always the thing that amazed me as a guitarist.

[Spike Killer]

I would do nothing to change the memory of the two shows I went to.  I enjoyed the songs.  I really loved the jams.  I really don't understand the hate for the Rocket Queen noodle.  Seeing the band that the song and really expand on it is really great to watch / listen to.  

3.5 hours is long, this is true.  But after I spent the time and money to be there, might as well make the most of it.  It's 2023.  We know exactly when the show has to end by.  There's no blowing through curfew like in the past.  If they have to end by 11pm, why not start at 8 and not 9pm?  The show will end at the time regardless of when they start.  Wouldn't you rather have music instead of nothing?

[GnR Chris]

On 12/16/2023 at 1:44 PM, Uncle Bob said:

Wichita Lineman? Black Hole Sun? The Seeker? Walk All Over You? Back In Black? Live And Let Die? KOHD? neverending extended versions of KOHD and RQ?

I know for the last shows it wast just Wichita and oldies like Live and Let Die or KOHD, but for many shows for this whole NITL run, there has been way too many covers and unnecessary boring extended songs.

I wish that time spent for all that stuff would have been dedicated to perform other of their actual songs (or more new songs) or maybe just to rest themselves as even Duff admitted it can be hurtful

Duff does a song so Axl can have a break. You can't take out "LALD" and "KOHD." Those are two of their most well-known songs and always get great crowd reactions. You're pretty much proving his point with those two examples. 

I'll grant you the other covers you named, yet initially "Black Hole Sun" was getting big crowd reactions. And I love "The Seeker," personally.

[Ratam]

It isn't regarding it thread, but is some funny about Duff, it appear in the Blabbermout site. Duff reveals he received some Lemmy's ashes in his house 

[GnR Chris]

I love the long shows. I also understand why other people might not. But most of the crowd is sitting down. What the hell else do you have to do that night besides watch and listen to a kick ass rock and roll band?

At the Chicago show this year, it was, like, a 117 degree heat index, and they DID NOT cut their set. They played long and hard into the night. I got there when doors opened and stood around for hours before they even came on. So my only complaint would be they shouldn't open doors that early. lol

Edited December 21, 2023 by GnR Chris

[Amir]

The absolute essentials for 80+% of the audience are WTTJ, SCOM, NR, KOHD, and PC. The rest can be subbed in and out as alternates. Here's a condensed setlist where Axl gets the same number of breaks as he does now:

WTTJ
ISE/YCBM/Slither
My Michelle/Anything Goes/OTGM/Reckless/SOYL
RQ/DTJ (Axl break song in second half)
CD/Better/TIL/Shackler's/IRS
Locomotive/Coma/Estranged
Duff Solo (Axl break)
TWAT/Prostitute/Madagascar/Sorry/ITW/SoD/Catcher
Civil War/Breakdown/PTU/The Garden/Bad Obsession/Down on the Farm/Yesterdays
ABSURD/Hard Skool/Scraped/Dead Horse
Perhaps/The General/Monsters/Atlas
KOHD
Slash Solo (Axl break)
SCOM
NR
Nightrain

Encore:
Don't Cry/Patience
PC

That's 16 songs for Axl to sing. Iron Maiden do 15-16 songs on their tours. Between a shorter set and keeping at least two nights rest between shows, Axl's voice should be in OK shape for a few more years. With just one night rest between Seattle and Vancouver this year, I could tell Axl was struggling a lot more at the latter show, and then there was the two nights back-to-back in LA later which really took its toll on him. Could bump it up to 17 or 18 songs depending on how Axl feels on the night.

[DoMw94]

This fanbase will always puzzle me.

For years people wanted Slash back. For years people moaned about Axl always being late.

Now Slash is back, Axl's on time, and they play mammoth shows every night. All things that as recently as 2015 would've been unthinkable...

And people still aren't happy?

[History2010]

33 minutes ago, DoMw94 said:

And people still aren't happy?

It's never enough. Everything is disappointing to some unless it magically became 1987 or 1991 again. 

[DTV88]

16 hours ago, History2010 said:

It's never enough. Everything is disappointing to some unless it magically became 1987 or 1991 again. 

1988 was pretty good too