Engineering a Reunion

[Jennifer]

Don't misunderstand me.  I'm just saying that many others were Gun shy ( sorry) but if I'd had the money I would have taken the chance in a heartbeat.

I know what you meant. Some people after buying tickets for the tour then having it cancelled might be hesitiant or at least worried that it might happen again, especially if they have to travel far. Oh yes if I had the chance I would definetly try to go depending on where it is.

[axlsmum]

Re: the new doing old gnr songs.  How can you bit.ch about this considering the old gnr have always done loads of covers?  I mean, for a band with such talent, why they even had a need to release a cover album is beyond me.  Time wasted on producing more original music, IMHO.  

Re: buying tickets.  I got stung bigtime over the cancellation and now the likelyhood of the them coming to Australia, Brisbane no less, is very unlikely but would I take a chance, of course.

Re: boycotting shows just because the band doesn't have a name you agree with,  : pathetic.

[Carne_asaDA]

i never said i was boycotting the show. I said the album. And sold out venue's have nothing to do with the performance. When i was talking about the venues, i was talking about how i don't think they will be as successful. When i said that they were not good performers. i am judging that based on the show that i seen. Plus being scared of the show being cancelled, i don't think had nothing to do with it not selling out. Ticketmaster offers refunds for cancelled events and people know that.

[little_witch]

Of course the cancelled shows made a difference. These weren't your average stadium shows. It wasn't what the hell lets go see GNR. Those shows were on the 29th and 31st of December at a time when most of us are (stuck) with our families.  And the tickets ran from $150 - $300.  It wasn't the kind of thing your average neighborhood fan could do.  And even if Ticketmaster gave refunds for cancelled shows I'm sure they wouldn't have reimbursed travel or accommodations which must people that went had to spring for.  

[madison]

Well if sell out shows make you a good performer the Back Street Boys and Britney Spears must be f*cking amazing!

 

lol .. Great point Little Witch.  

And, of course, the canceled shows made a HUGE difference. There's no doubt in my mind the Vegas shows would have easily sold out -- even if the tickets were $500 a pop -- if it hadn't been for that string of concerts that were booked and then called off.  

People did not want to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on non-refundable airfares and hotel rooms if Axl wasn't going to show up.

[madison]

... Axl writes the lyrics and maybe some of the structure of the songs, but it's the jamming that has the backbone to the music. Believe it or not!!

Believe it or not?!  OK, .. Not.   ;D

While I agree the music is amazing, I find the lyrics even more outstanding.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, many of us here connect with the music because we recognize, appreciate and relate to the message, spirit, attitude and sheer genius of the lyrics. There's just no other band out there turning out music/lyrics like this today.  So, without Axl's brilliant writing skills -  not to mention incredible vocals -  there would be no GNR.  

btw, welcome back Nathan. Good to see ya posting again.

[gnr_manis]

both music and lyric are great, i find the lyric is honest and the music is wild. it's hard to find another music that have this combination.

[little_witch]

We aren't "lyric only lovers", Nathan.  We just have a healthy appreciation for the words and the meaning.  

[Docmagoo]

DA_illest you said "Ticketmaster offers refunds for cancelled events and people know that..", well, it's not always like that. They cancelled European tour last June and I lost 2 tickets money....

No Nathan, it's not fucking ridiculous.... we give an opportunity to this new band: why are you so stubborn?? I bet you'll dislike the new album only because they didn't change their name!!! Probably it's you that should "get some ears and listen"!!

Ok, if we are "lyric only lovers " what are you?? A name only lover?! ;D

[little_witch]

 Ok, if we are "lyric only lovers " what are you?? A name only lover?! ;D

SLAM!!!!!  Give 'em hell Doc.

[Docmagoo]

Eh, Eh, Revenge...

;D ;D

[Carne_asaDA]

I know someone that works for ticketmaster and tickets are refundable only if the event is cancelled. But the European shows were not cancelled. GnR cancelled but the events did not. That is probably why.

Maybe the reason why you guys are so Pro Axl is because that you think that he is Sooooooo sexy.

It's like, you cannot argue with an 11 year old girl about Justin Timberlake. Maybe that is the reason.

[little_witch]

Spare me the bullsh*t.  It isn't just women.  And I think Rob Thomas is pretty f*cking hot too but I can't say I'd cross the street to hear him.

[Carne_asaDA]

but i do think that it has alot to do with you being so biased.

[little_witch]

Because we think he's hot?  There are hundreds of hot guys out there.  And I'd say it's more likely the other way around.  We probably find him that much more attractive because of that voice, those lyrics, and that attitude.

[Jennifer]

Yes most definetly!! If I were to compare Axl, looks only to someone like say I don't know, an example, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, or Mel Gibson, I would chose the actors. It's music he produces that makes him all that more attractive. If a person other than Axl who was not so becoming, created the music that drives shivers up my spine, I might find that person attractive. Does that make sense?

[Docmagoo]

Hey Da_ I'm starting thinking you're fuc*ing jealous of Axl, his attitude and his power towards women (but not only).

As Jennie or LW said there are plenty of "Hot" guys in Hollywood (but also in the city where we live!) but only him gives us something remarkable...

When I see him or when I hear his voice my heart goes crazy and it has been 10 yrs for I feel like that; it's much more than "physical attraction".

[Jennifer]

especially when there's not much of a 'phyisical' presence. We don't see him on tv much, except on rock specials on VH1, all we really get is the music blasing out of the radio. There are videos of course, but I prefer my stereo as it sounds much better.

[axlsmum]

Maybe the reason why you guys are so Pro Axl is because that you think that he is Sooooooo sexy.

ROTFLMGDFAO!  That would have to be the biggest load of sh.it I've read on this forum.  It's his lyrics and honesty and how we relate to that throughout various stages of our lives, be it through our angry teen years or older with more baggage, trials and errors.  No, he may not have written all the lyrics but I could nearly guarantee if he didn't like a song one of the others wrote, it didn't get past the first listen.  Eejit!

Nathan, what is in a name that is so important to you?

[Carne_asaDA]

LOL @ axls mum.

She let me have didnt she!!!!

[madison]

Hey Da_ I'm starting thinking you're fuc*ing jealous of Axl, his attitude and his power towards women (but not only).

... .

You're right Doc. It certainly sounds that way doesn't it?

... Maybe the reason why you guys are so Pro Axl is because that you think that he is Sooooooo sexy.

...

That is such a crock of s*it.  You're really scraping the bottom of the barrel now ...

It's the mind, the psyche and the wisdom of the man who wrote those incredible lyrics that draws us to Axl.

As Axls Mum and others have said, many of us can relate to those words and emotions in our lives.  

.. and the fact that Axl happens to be attractive -- well, that's just a bonus.   8)

[Carne_asaDA]

Yeah ok........here we go I am jealous.  :

your absolutely right.

[Carne_asaDA]

I just heard the Rhiad song by the new band. It sucks!!!

How come between Madagascar, Blues, and Rhiad......why does he OOOOOOOOhhhhhhs and AAAAAAAAAAahhhhhhhhs so much. Maybe he in this new album, his songwriting is not gonna be that good after all. It sounds like he is crying for most of the songs.

And what's up with his voice?? You can tell that he is using some kind of technical device that is adding distortion to his voice. I hope his voice is not fading like Jon Bon Jovi's did.

[Gauda]

Doing some quoting from reviews of their shows with the new line-up:

Rose, appearing superbly confident, then marched abruptly to the stage, his red hair back down to his shoulders, his wailing vocals easily hitting the old screeching high notes. For all the mystery and uncertainty that has surrounded him in recent years, it was like he'd never left.

The band was extra tight musically without being mechanical, clearly feeding off its first time in front of a live audience. Buckethead and Finck were never showy as they traded sharp guitar leads during "Sweet Child o' Mine," while the crowd sang along.

The best news in Las Vegas for Guns followers was that the new material frequently held up against the band's older work. The title song for "Chinese Democracy" (the album is scheduled for a June release) was lean, quick-paced and dramatic, constructed along dark, modern riffing and Rose's impatient vocals.

Like many others in line, he said he was only slightly disappointed that the band on stage would not be the original lineup, saying, "Guns N' Roses is all about Axl

But, unlike what many expected -- maybe even secretly hoped for -- the source of the shock and amazement didn't come in the form of a bloated, overweight, washed-up rock star whose infamous bad attitude was the cause of many an aborted show. Rather, it came in the form of an unmistakably new W. Axl Rose. This was a physically fit, youthful-looking Rose who sounded exactly like he did 12 years ago, but who has seemed to shed the prima donna rock star persona that so many have loved to hate him for.

Everyone needs some time on their own, everyone needs some time all alone." He sang with such passion, it was as if he was explaining his absence from our lives for so long. And the audience sang with him with such an intensity as if they understood...

He may be with all new players, but trust me, there were times if you just closed your eyes, you felt the same way that you did over a decade ago. Yeah, everyone misses the old line-up and it's gonna be hard to get used to the new, but change isn't always a bad thing. The "new guys" held their own. After all, those are some fuckin' tough shoes to fill! Fans loved every single member of the old GN'R. True. And every single one of them will be missed, but kudos to the new guys for stepping in. And kudos to Axl for finally bringing it back to us. Like the old members, the new all have their own individual identity on the stage. And they're all amazing musicians. You can't condemn them just because they weren't part of the band since the beginning. It's not their fault and they're in the band now. So you either accept it or not. It's your call, but they sounded pretty damn good to me.

The introductions of his new lineup went smoother than expected. The audience greeted them rather warmly (with the occasional cry for Slash), but by the end of the night, the crowd seemed to grow more accepting of the band. It'll take some time getting used to, especially since Guns N' Roses was always known as a "true band," but as Axl said onstage when he introduced bassist Tommy Stinson, he comes from a band whose name is synonymous with what this industry is known for. . .The Replacements. GN'R proved they can still make it work with the "new guys:" Stinson, Brian (Brain) Mantia (former Primus) on drums, Chris Pitman and Dizzy Reed (old gunner) on keyboards, Paul Tobias, Robin Finck (ex-NIN) and Buckethead on guitars. (It would be different if the old band was trying to replace Axl, that would be impossible! No one can be Slash, no one is Slash, or Izzy or Duff or Steven or Matt, but they came pretty damn close. Let's face it, no one can be Axl or even come close.

Axl's a rock star. Plain and simple. He's a frontman like no other with a set of pipes that can easily blow anyone off the stage. He wailed, he inhaled, that "yowser" sweet inhale that only he can do, and he sang with such a passion and force that it sent chills down your spine, to the point where you had to pinch yourself just to make sure you weren't dreaming.

Not only did he sound amazing, he looked amazing.  His hair's a bit shorter, but still full flowing and shiny enough to be in a Pantene commercial.  He swayed the "Axl sway" and spun the mic stand around ferociously. His energy level was different though. There was a new found maturity and stealth to his undeniable presence and movements. Not as erratic or as hyped up as he was before, but hell, this was his first show back! (And he still had the audience by the balls the entire time!)

At times, he joked around with the other members, laughing and smiling. He treated his crew with an unprecedented amount of respect that made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Axl and the new GN'R seemed to have a genuinely great time and so did the audience. He connected to each and every one of them gazing at them with the same awe in which we were gazing at him, seeming to enjoy playing the music we've longed for, as much as we enjoyed listening to and watchin' it. It was hard to take your eyes off him.

As he sat on the piano gathering up his "Patience," the room burst into a chant, "Welcome Back...Welcome Back..." It was a time for goosebumps

and welled up eyes. The room exploded with love and an invitation for Axl back into our hearts. The smile on his face was absolutely indescribable.

The difference is: They are pro`s at review, they where there, you guys were not

[little_witch]

Yeah ok........here we go I am jealous.  :

your absolutely right.

Well you opened yourself up for that.  If you sling sh*t someone's bound to sling it back.

And thanx Gauda.  That says it all.