smokingarthur Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...ws/15574554.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odecom5 Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 article quoted so you don't have to click Guns N' Roses comeback not bad, but not nearly good enoughBy Tony HicksCONTRA COSTA TIMESAxl Rose has a lot to make up for. How he's going to do it is still a mystery, even after seeing the singer and his band, Gun N' Roses, at the Warfield in San Francisco Wednesday night.If you don't want to hear comparisons to the old GNR, stop reading now. That's what's going to happen when a one guy hijacks the name of a legendary band, doesn't tour or make records for a decade, then comes back resting squarely on the deeds of years past.Rose has hired a stage full of musicians to play under the moniker that so many people still know and love. No Slash to play guitar anymore? No problem. Rose hired three great players who look and sound like superstars -- though three was probably a bit of overkill., leading one to the obvious conclusion as to the identifiable sound and skill level of the old guys.No Duff on bass? No problem. Rose hires Tommy Stinson, the bassist from the Replacements, one of the greatest alt-rock bands to ever grace the planet.No Matt Sorum on drums? Rose gets Brian "Brain" Mantia, the excellent drummer of the Bay Area's own Primus.That's a lot of credibility with which Rose has armed himself to take Guns N' Roses into its new phase. Well, at least the touring version of the new phase. We're still waiting (more than a decade) for the release of GNR's infamously oft-delayed "Chinese Democracy" record.So the question is this: What was Rose trying to accomplish Wednesday night? Is it truly a new Guns N' Roses he's shaping, or is he trying to replicate the feats of the old band while nudging the current lineup into new territory?It wasn't clear. Rose may not realize that without a new record, and playing with an ever-shifting line-up of non-household names, fans can only judge the new GNR on the old GNR. As far as that goes, they sounded fine. They played all the old stuff during a late-running set that, while a nice trip down memory lane, still fell short of expectations. That's what happens when a legendary band lets four out of five original members leave and waits more than a decade to do anything.While Rose is still a dynamic frontman with a unique voice, so much of GNR used to depend on the laid-back coolness-that-could-explode-at-anytime vibe of the former members. It's hard to even call the new GNR anything but an Axl Rose solo band, featuring some nice backing players.Looking better and more lively than what he's shown on scarce TV appearances in the past few years, Rose himself fought through sound problems to attack the stage like the Axl of old.From opener "Welcome to the Jungle," through "It's So Easy," "Mr. Brownstone," "Live and Let Die," "Sweet Child O' Mine," and "You Could be Mine," everything sounded good and looked good, except for a couple of minor hiccups on "It's So Easy." At least, everything was as right and good as possible with so many unidentifiable faces on stage.That's the thing -- guitarists Robin Finck, Ron Thai and Richard Fortis are all very good players (though we could've done without three guitar soloists taking up so much of a 21/2-hour set). All three try damn hard, running about, striking the right rock poses, sneering ... all the standard stuff from Rockstar 101. But that in itself was strange, as GNR never had to try so hard. The new guys are doing their best, but when it comes down to it, they painfully lack by comparison. It takes three guys bashing about to equal the absolute coolness of Slash and Izzy, who never had to resort to punching strings and doing windmills to make a point.The few new songs scattered about the set were short of memorable, lacking the band's former and very-underrated natural groove. Some songs dragged ("Knocking on Heaven's Door,") and some were appropriately epic, like "November Rain," though Slash was dully missed. The crowd didn't seem to care who was up there playing under the GNR banner, with monstrous sing-alongs all night, especially during "Patience."Maybe old fans need to get over the fact that it's a new century for GNR. But until Rose and his new crew can forge an identity with a new record one of these years, Guns N' Roses won't be able to escape the shadow of its former greatness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feconroses Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 "It's hard to even call the new GNR anything but an Axl Rose solo band, featuring some nice backing players."i totally agree with that...and with many things said in that articule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kesseli Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 But until Rose and his new crew can forge an identity with a new record one of these years, Guns N' Roses won't be able to escape the shadow of its former greatness.he got that right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busngabb Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Thats a great write up.At this stage it is ALL about the album. Axl still pi$$ing about with the old material is not going to gain one ounce of respect for himself or the band.Sure they can play the old songs well, but so could about 10,251 other bands if they had Axl on vocals.They need to stop the messing about and release the album. Tour with that material and at least they can be judged on what they have created and performed rather than suffering in comparison with the old band simply because they are different people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patience 4 Axl Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 If you don't want to hear comparisons to the old GNR, stop reading now. That's what's going to happen when a one guy hijacks the name of a legendary band, doesn't tour or make records for a decade, then comes back resting squarely on the deeds of years past.Correct!While Rose is still a dynamic frontman with a unique voice, so much of GNR used to depend on the laid-back coolness-that-could-explode-at-anytime vibe of the former members. It's hard to even call the new GNR anything but an Axl Rose solo band, featuring some nice backing players.Correct Again!That's the thing -- guitarists Robin Finck, Ron Thai and Richard Fortis are all very good players (though we could've done without three guitar soloists taking up so much of a 21/2-hour set). All three try damn hard, running about, striking the right rock poses, sneering ... all the standard stuff from Rockstar 101. But that in itself was strange, as GNR never had to try so hard. The new guys are doing their best, but when it comes down to it, they painfully lack by comparison. It takes three guys bashing about to equal the absolute coolness of Slash and Izzy, who never had to resort to punching strings and doing windmills to make a point.This guy just scored a hat-trick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Vega Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Wow, when I first read the title to this I thought it was a Kaneda post...Then I realized it's pretty much the same thing, except the author is different.Same shit, different day, diferent author Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funeral Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 who wrote this, a fucking third grader? whining and bitching like most of the Slash fans in here! No Slash? ....oh my GWAD....this three guitar players cant come closer to coolness that is Slash! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sandman Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 What wasn't so good about it? The fact Slash wasn't there?BIASED Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cjc1706 Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 That's the thing -- guitarists Robin Finck, Ron Thai and Richard FortisLove the last 2 names, Ron THAI ( ) and Richard Fortis ( ) lol Atleast get the names of the guys right lmaoCJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patience 4 Axl Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 No Slash? ....oh my GWAD....this three guitar players cant come closer to coolness that is Slash! I know, I know. Sometimes the truth hurts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Vega Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Here we go again....Old Band vs. New Band, round 10,560 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlsend Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Here we go again....Old Band vs. New Band, round 10,560I know....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JONEZY Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 I think we're gonna see a lot of these types of reviews until Axl finally releases the album. Get used to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patience 4 Axl Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Here we go again....Old Band vs. New Band, round 10,560The guy explains in the 4th sentence why there are comparisons, and I think he makes a valid point.Anyway, the review is pretty accurate. It's not really about Slash not being there, or Duff or Izzy, it's about the guys who ARE there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
droezle Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Great read. Thanx B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-GenerationX Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 I think we're gonna see a lot of these types of reviews until Axl finally releases the album. Get used to it.Correctamundo.Due to the rather narrow defition scale around here, I am an "axlite".But not one blind enough not to be albe to see Axl has brought this on himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moreblack Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 who wrote this, a fucking third grader? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetness Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 Gread read, thanks for postingwho wrote this, a fucking third grader? whining and bitching like most of the Slash fans in here! No Slash? ....oh my GWAD....this three guitar players cant come closer to coolness that is Slash! I didnt see any bitching or whining, what does that say about the people who call it that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveysham Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 (edited) i thought it was a pretty fair review a little against axl at times but it's still showing axl is slowly winning people over. now people are recognising as a great frontman and that guns n roses wasn't all slash. Edited September 21, 2006 by steveysham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busngabb Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 i thought it was a pretty fair review a little against axl at times but it's still showing axl is slowly winning people over. now people are recognising as a great frontman and that guns n roses wasn't all slash.People as in the few who attend the shows are. But the band in general hasn't made any impact at all.The album HAS to come out for anything positive to happen.All Axl is doing now is playing for time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveysham Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 (edited) People as in the few who attend the shows are. But the band in general hasn't made any impact at all.The album HAS to come out for anything positive to happen.All Axl is doing now is playing for time.steveysham Posted Today, 09:58 PMwell who would axl care about more? the people willing to buy tickets to support the band or mr. joe lets download the album, listen once and slander until kerrang gives it a gd review and change my mind. Edited September 21, 2006 by steveysham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOLDEN Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 That's the thing -- guitarists Robin Finck, Ron Thai and Richard Fortis are all very good players (though we could've done without three guitar soloists taking up so much of a 21/2-hour set). All three try damn hard, running about, striking the right rock poses, sneering ... all the standard stuff from Rockstar 101. But that in itself was strange, as GNR never had to try so hard. The new guys are doing their best, but when it comes down to it, they painfully lack by comparison. It takes three guys bashing about to equal the absolute coolness of Slash and Izzy, who never had to resort to punching strings and doing windmills to make a point. Best part in the article....he's exactly right in this part.great article overall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 (edited) This guy just scored a hat-trick!But you've made the effort and spent a certain of money going to see them twice. Correct?R. Edited September 21, 2006 by x_Estranged_x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 This guy just scored a hat-trick!But you've made the effort and spent a certain of money going to see them twice. Correct?R.i aint though, i agree with the hat trick point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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