Reviews Mixed On GNR Performance At KROQ Festival/Webcast

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DATE: Sept. 25, 2006

SOURCE: L.A. Times

POP MUSIC REVIEW; Guns N' Roses relights fire; A rejuvenated Axl Rose leads a revamped band that wins over some of the wee-hour fans at KROQ's show.

Ann Powers

Times Staff Writer

25 September 2006

Los Angeles Times

Home Edition

E-1

"I see fire!" said W. Axl Rose as he peered out at the masses filling the huge Hyundai Pavilion in San Bernardino. He'd spotted a small conflagration, somewhere past the loge area, which was soon extinguished. But Rose, the singer and proprietor of the concept called Guns N' Roses, might have been articulating his hopes for the band's first Southern California appearance in 14 years -- a nervy homecoming that could have proved disastrous but, five songs in, was going all right.

Rose did bring the fire, but it wasn't always reciprocated by the fans, who'd been at the amphitheater all day Saturday to witness KROQ's annual Inland Invasion fest. After sets by arena-rock aspirants including Avenged Sevenfold, 30 Seconds to Mars, Papa Roach and Muse, plus the poignant return of grunge standard-bearers Alice in Chains (with solid new singer William DuVall replacing the deceased Layne Staley, and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park jumping out for a cameo), tens of thousands of black-clad beer drinkers were primed for GNR's onslaught of heavy-metal parking-lot hits. They didn't even riot when Rose took an extra hour to get onstage (around 1 a.m.). But GNR's two-hour set, which relied primarily on those hits, only held half the room, as others fled when Rose tried new material or gave one of his three guitarists a lengthy chance to stretch.

Those who stayed enjoyed a rejuvenated Rose. In 2002, when he last unshackled GNR from the studio sessions for the perpetually delayed "Chinese Democracy" album, Rose wasn't really ready to tour: His pipes were rusty, his physique chunky, and his band unable to click. He proved free of those ills this time as he howled through such barn burners as "Mr. Brownstone" and "It's So Easy" or mid-tempo epics including "November Rain," hitting even the high notes.

Still sporting that baffling cornrow ponytail and looking tight around the forehead, the 44-year-old Rose nonetheless reclaimed his mojo. Big rock gestures drew attention to his agility: his patented snake dance, now more of a big-cat prowl but still commanding; speedy runs down the long side-stage ramps; even a leap atop the baby grand as Dizzy Reed (the only band member from GNR's glory days) played the rolling, unreleased ballad "The Blues."

Rose's theatrics verged on mugging but were perfectly timed. There was a bit of Sinatra-in-Vegas in his approach: Rose is aware that, this late in his career, his gestures could seem hardened, so he throws in a little emotional distance to epoxy the hits his way.

What's grown more flexible is Rose's relationship to his band -- always an autocracy but now one that leaves a little room for his subordinates to relax. Guitarist Robin Finck, in particular, has grown toward something like equality with Rose; his solos flashed and bubbled, deviating enough from ex-GNR lead guitarist Slash's style that they gave hope that the new Guns N' Roses is becoming more than a replicant. The other two guitarists, Richard Fortus and Ron Thal, demonstrated killer chops but less brio, mostly hewing to notes that replicated the original versions. Still, when Fortus and Finck turned Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" into a sky-is-crying-style blues, Slash's memory was almost -- not quite -- washed away.

That guitar interlude was one of many allowing Rose to exit the stage, presumably to rest his voice and maybe slap Sebastian Bach on the back. (The Skid Row singer joined Rose onstage in a chummy run-through of GNR's "My Michelle.") His costume changes, though simpler than Mariah Carey's, were just as frequent, and those absences affected the set's pace.

The crowd's mood also sank when the "new" material surfaced.

For all the years Rose has spent tinkering with them, these selections won't shock Guns fans into a new age -- they're logical extensions of the GNR sound Rose left us with in the 1990s, swashbuckling and enjoyably overgrown, a sound expressing no concern for trends, only for Rose's own Blakean vision. It's not that the prickly "Better" or the abstract but promising "I.R.S." were weak; they just couldn't match the excitement of "Sweet Child O' Mine," the song that reinvented the power ballad, or the exquisitely bittersweet "Patience."

Those certified classics got the throng singing, which energized the band, the electricity trickling up until Rose himself gained another layer of rock-star aura.

A few fans could be spotted singing along with the night's four unreleased songs; they're easily available on the Internet. "You downloading ... -- you're responsible for putting us on this gig," Rose said with a chuckle in a rare bit of stage patter. GNR doesn't need Internet buzz to attract fans, any more than Bob Dylan does, but if Rose needs to believe online buzz is bringing GNR back into the light, let him fool himself. Maybe he'll put "Chinese Democracy" up on iTunes.

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DATE: Sept. 24, 2006

SOURCE: Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Welcome to the desert: Axl & Co. rip it up

24 September 2006

Reuters News

Guns N' Roses (Sat. (23), Hyundai Pavilion, Devore, Calif.)

By Paul Gargano

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The KROQ Inland Invasion in the desert east of Los Angeles may have been an all-day affair Saturday, but by the time the dust settled early Sunday morning, there was only one band that mattered.

Yes, the summer-ending festival hosted by America's trend-setting rock radio station featured many of the boldest and brashest bands of the modern rock movement, but when headliner Guns N' Roses took the stage shortly before 11 p.m. at the Hyundai Pavilion, everything old became new again -- and everything new on the bill, well, just couldn't hold a candle in comparison.

Make no mistake, Axl Rose knew the magnitude of the night's show, and few in attendance could argue that the iconic Guns N' Roses frontman didn't rise to the occasion. No, his vocals weren't pristine, but they never were. And topping a bill that featured as much screaming as it did singing, they didn't have to be.

With the pacing of the show impacted by the at-times illogical progression of bands, the day's preliminary highlights had been scattered. Buckcherry's gritty, glam-rock explosion would have been better suited prior to Papa Roach's punk-powered, radio rock riffs, as opposed to working between the hardcore screaming and emo teasing of Atreyu and the punk rock uprising of Rise Against. Muse benefited from playing after the sun had set, but other bands would have benefited more, as the back-to-back billing of the unassuming, prog-flavored U.K. power trio and the dark and dreary (though well-received) return of Alice in Chains resulted in a notable letdown in energy prior to the night's marquee attraction.

It would have been fitting for Avenged Sevenfold to have taken the stage immediately before Guns N' Roses, but the spacing between the Orange County heavy metal revivalists and their heroes served them well, as it gave the crowd ample time to forget just how similar its latest single "Seize the Day" was to Guns classic "November Rain." Papa Roach boasted the daylight's most anthem-heavy return to arena-rock splendor, frontman Jacoby Shaddix's over-the-top charisma offering a power-packed counterpunch to the memorable set of 30 Seconds to Mars, whose art house approach to hard rock opened with the band -- fronted by actor Jared Leto -- marching through the crowd with an army of flag-waving fans before taking the stage in China doll masks and ninja-white get-ups.

But the night belonged to Guns N' Roses. When the house lights dimmed a scant 45 minutes later than the scheduled set time and the opening shards of "Welcome to the Jungle" pierced the packed pavilion and shoulder-to-shoulder lawn section, the mood became manic.

The 19-song, 130-minute set featured all but three of the tracks from Guns N' Roses' classic debut "Appetite for Destruction," as well as four new songs. While Rose's ever-evolving band has become a punching bag for cynics, tonight they lived up to the band's storied past.

Lead guitarist Robin Finck injected a personality to rival Slash, even if his guitar tones sometimes strayed slightly from the originals (most notably during "Patience"), and keyboardist Dizzy Reed jazzed up "Night Train." One of the night's most memorable performances was "November Rain," which featured Rose on piano at center stage and Finck and guitarist Richard Fortus trading leads.

Former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach joined Rose onstage to tear through "My Michelle," and received a notably louder ovation upon his introduction than Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, who joined Alice in Chains for their signature "Man in the Box." The Inland Invasion may have been a long way from the Sunset Strip, but the rock stars still ruled. Even the almighty KROQ couldn't have planned that.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

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DATE: Sept. 24, 2006

SOURCE: Orange County Register

Inland Invasion: Duds N' Poses

Review: Axl Rose's delayed return at Inland Invasion fell flat, but Muse and Alice in Chains saved the day.

By BEN WENER

The Orange County Register

The harder-edged sixth staging of KROQ's Inland Invasion festival was supposed to be remembered for the highly anticipated but somewhat dubious return of headliner Guns N' Roses, marking oft-ridiculed, long-missing Axl Rose's first major performance near his adopted hometown of Los Angeles in nearly 15 years.

Instead, it's just as likely that the event will be remembered for the final 90 buzz-killing minutes before Axl and his technically proficient but still fake GNR emerged.

The 30,000-plus multitudes on hand Saturday at Hyundai Pavilion were well aware he was due on at 10, which already made the 40-minute gap of nothing that followed a surprisingly strong turn from a reconstituted Alice in Chains an irritation, considering how the rest of the fest arrived almost nonstop. Tack on an extra 50 minutes of downtime, filled with bone-chilling gusty winds and a loop of the same dozen songs KROQ had been playing for hours, and it's little wonder that trash was soon flying and fires on the lawn started blazing.

It was a long enough wait to make even never-say-die fans wonder if Axl would cause yet another riot by flaking at the last minute, as he had more than once when GNR attempted a quickly aborted North American tour four years ago. To say that everywhere you turned there was palpable, rapidly accelerating tension among ready-to-rumble types who had been downing giant beers all day is an understatement. A rumor that Axl wasn't even on the premises once Alice finished its set didn't help.

Gratefully, just before 11 the seemingly impossible became a reality – and the crowd let out a deafening, cathartic cry as the teasing opening of "Welcome to the Jungle" rang out. Out of the darkness sprang the notorious one himself, wrapped in leather and leaning back to shriek with all his might: "Do you know where the (bleep) you are?"

It was undoubtedly a striking moment, exactly the jolt not-so-patient devotees were hoping for.

It was also the best moment in GNR's set.

Everything that followed became increasingly laughable, from Axl's hilariously overstated trademark phrasing (you know: "oh, don't you cry-eee-yi," "knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's doh-oooh-whoa") to momentum-shredding, stage-clearing solos from L.A. scenesters that merely helped a 75-minute set stretch to nearly two hours. (I'm sure a two-guitar solo built around Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" is precisely what GNR die-hards were hoping to hear.)

It's bewildering how this pseudo-GNR has earned near-raves overseas and elsewhere stateside. Yes, the seven-man band performs the group's hard-rock staples (the overwhelming majority this night from 1987's seminal "Appetite for Destruction") with considerable skill, though I'd expect nothing less from players whose resumés include stints in Nine Inch Nails (guitarist Robin Finck), Primus (drummer Brain) and the Replacements (bassist Tommy Stinson).

But, c'mon, Velvet Revolver (sporting three former Gunners) is more GNR than this sham – and they've got a frontman (Scott Weiland) with still-strong pipes. At 44, Axl Rose, who really should perform under his own name, is a hulking, huffy shell of his former terrifying self.

His cornrows remain, and now and then he can flash his old sinisterly sweet smile. His beefiness, however, can appear bloated. His bursts of comin'-to-get-ya energy have all the danger of a belligerent dad at a family picnic – that is, when he's even on stage, since much of the time he disappears to change shirts or perhaps have a cig.

Worst of all, his voice is shot. Once in a while here he could muster the high-pitched police-siren wail of yore (notably during "Sweet Child o' Mine" and parts of "November Rain") as strongly as he could summon his skull-piercing screech-bark (at its best during "It's So Easy" and "You Could Be Mine"). I have no doubt that, well-tweaked in the studio, his cartoonish nasality could still be potent on record, should the fabled "Chinese Democracy" or anything else ever see the light of day. (Though if new glop like the Billy Joel-ish "The Blues" is any indication, maybe it should stay unreleased.)

Live, Axl simply lacks force, his faint words fading into the mix, his "act" reduced to mythologizing the past. At least Velvet Revolver has recaptured that spirit and moved forward. Axl is just idling in a glorified tribute band.

To be fair, Alice in Chains, one of the small handful of truly noteworthy bands to emerge from the Seattle explosion of the early '90s, is little more than an homage to what it once was as well, with relative unknown William Duvall filling in for vocalist Layne Staley, who was claimed by drugs in 2002. But where heightened expectations after a lengthy absence helped sink GNR, zero expectations after nearly a decade away made Alice's return that much more invigorating.

Usually reunions with new singers mimicking old heroes are doomed to fail instantly. But frankly it's been so long since Alice's finest sides have been heard, much less performed so confidently by original members like guitarist Jerry Cantrell, that it was like discovering some of these heavy but lysergic and uniquely moody songs all over again.

"Rooster," for one, is a slow burner like few have attempted since, and "Man in the Box" – here treated to a deeply impressive vocal turn from freshly mohawked Chester Bennington of Linkin Park – will remain a stone cold classic. Those cuts alongside the rest of the band's equally superior material reminded that Alice should be lauded for the multilayered density of what it created, not what it spawned (that is, dreck from Candlebox to Godsmack).

No band on the bill, however, could hold a flame to the staggering power of Muse, the tenacious, gifted, few-frills English trio that is finally surpassing years of all-too-easy Radiohead comparisons.

Nothing else here compared. Not Papa Roach, though its newly Hollywoodized metal continues to gloss over its self-pitying annoyances. Not Jared Leto's star trip 30 Seconds to Mars, which, like My Chemical Romance, is all style and no substance. Not Chicago's Rise Against, an out-of-place punk band nowhere near as strong live as it is on record.

And not any of the day's O.C.-based or -related acts, be it Avenged Sevenfold (which, youth on its side, can handily out-GNR the real thing these days) or the Aerosmith-y throwbacks of Buckcherry and illustrated frontman Josh Todd (who, though he resembles Willem Dafoe, can easily out-Axl Axl) or the talentless growling and emo whining of Atreyu.

Muse, led by the sick skills of guitarist Matt Bellamy and bassist Chris Wolstenholme, simply operates on an entirely higher level. Its wall of sonics can be as tremendous as anything at Ozzfest, but the intense, almost Tool-like complexity of its frantically but fluidly arpeggioed structures, set against Bellamy's near-operatic, emotionally rousing melodies (think neo-Queen) and the group's inventive danceable grooves, puts it in a class by itself right now.

It took a great album ("Black Holes and Revelations," its fourth) to make me hear Muse's greatness at home. Took seeing the group amid a fairly redundant and formulaic metal fest to solidify that realization live.

Now I'm reallykicking myself hard for having missed its recent Greek gig.

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DATE: Sept. 24, 2006

SOURCE: Daily Bulletin

Axl and friends invade the IE

By George A. Paul Staff Writer

CONCERT REVIEW

KROQ INLAND INVASION

Where: Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen, Devore

When: Saturday

First the good news: Axl Rose did actually turn up with Guns N’ Roses – 50 minutes past the scheduled set time -- at KROQ’s sixth annual Inland Invasion on Saturday. The Devore show marked the first time it had played Southern California since Pasadena in October 1992.

Now the bad: GnR put on an uneven performance that stretched past midnight. A majority of the crowd stayed put though. The curiosity factor probably had something to do with it. You never know when the unpredictable Rose will be here again.

The natives were restless on the vast Hyundai Pavilion lawn section following Alice in Chains. After stewing around for what seemed like an eternity (90 minutes), watching the same music videos on an endless loop and not hearing a word from KROQ deejays, they started a bonfire and threw debris in the air.

Finally, a GnR guitarist (there are three new ones to replace Slash and Izzy Stradlin) emerged and rattled off the familiar opening riff to "Welcome to the Jungle." Then a pyrotechnics blast and strobe lights signaled Rose’s entrance.

Clad in leather jacket, blue jeans, T-shirt and sporting the usual red dreadlocks, he immediately dashed across the stage and managed that famous caterwaul just fine. "Mr. Brownstone" was merely serviceable and left Rose gasping for breath.

Concertgoers roared their approval at the band’s high flying, orchestrated rock cover of Paul McCartney’s "Live and Let Die," bolstered by more pyro effects and Rose’s lackluster roar at the end.

Momentum was lost whenever Rose turned over the stage to the musicians’ mind-numbing solos. He would disappear (to get a quick massage? hydrate?) and return with a new shirt on.

If you’re headlining a daylong festival and don’t have a new album out, a tight set filled with hits and fan faves is always the best way to go – not new songs without introductions and instrumentals.

"Sweet Child O’ Mine" was an early highlight where Rose ad-libbed new inflections, ran around and did his swaying moves. Bob Dylan’s "Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door" was equally strong with the singer engaging in call and response action with fans.

The group, including guitarist Robin Finck (ex-NIN), former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, guitarist Richard Fortus (ex-Psych Furs), Primus drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia, keyboardist Dizzy Reed (a lone holdover from the ‘90s "Use Your Illusion" tour), were competent, but just didn’t sizzle like the original lineup.

Rose sat down at a piano for the sweeping epic drama of "November Rain," which got a rousing reception despite an awkward pause before the Middle 8 kicked in. Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach joined his old pal for the fun, ragged rocker "My Michelle." An acoustic-guitar driven "Patience" was a welcome change; the brawny "Night Train" finally closed the main set at 12:40 a.m.

Although Rose was often energetic, seemed to have a good camaraderie with his axe men and nailed a majority of the wails, Guns N’ Roses’ onstage heat was primarily the manufactured fireworks variety.

Hours earlier, dozens of concertgoers staked out their places at the lawn section barriers right after the gates opened. With the temperature hovering around 90 degrees, it didn’t take long for a crowd to find the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream truck. A steady stream of people grabbed free samples.

Later, two Ben & Jerry’s employees walked through the reserved seat sections and tossed out more (a potentially dangerous endeavor). Mighty Santa Ana winds kicked up and several vendors struggled to keep their stands from collapsing.

All music was concentrated on the main stage, which made it easier to see the entire show. People were allowed to bring in a bottle of water and food in a small plastic bag – wise moves since the dining fare is minimal at Hyundai Pavilion.

Poets & Pornstars kicked off the proceedings shortly after 2 p.m. The L.A. quintet beat out more than 2,500 acts that submitted song clips to KROQ’s Big Break for Local Bands online contest for a chance to open Inland Invasion. It was too generic to merit more than a few minutes’ time.

O.C. screamo group Atreyu, featuring larynx lasher Alex Varkatzas and singer/drummer Brandon Saller, provided an intense set of metalcore with songs like "Creature" and "Your Private War," but ultimately failed to impress.

"It’s the weekend – let’s party," yelled flame-haired, gravel-throated singer Josh Todd of rowdy L.A. rockers Buckcherry. The energetic tunes about drinking, smoking and sex ("Broken Glass," "Next 2 You") were rooted in Aerosmith-styled classic rock, but with less widespread appeal. Buxom women in the audience went nuts. "Onset" recalled early STP, while an extended version of current hit "Crazy B****" was driven by a new wah-wah guitar groove and a snatch of Billy Squier’s "The Stroke."

Serious-minded Chicago hardcore specialists Rise Against delivered an invigorating set in Devore that had plenty of people singing along and pumping their fists. Principal Tim McIlrath’s lyrics are geared toward young working class adults. He introduced the pummeling assault of "Drones," by saying "I’m one of those people who believe the power of music can change lives; I hope you are too." Highlights included the blistering "Ready to Fall" and solo acoustic "Swing Life Away," from 2004’s "Siren Song of the Counter Culture."

Jared Leto and his band 30 Seconds to Mars proved a little theatricality goes a long way. Dressed in matching white Japanese-themed attire and wearing white masks, the musicians arrived onstage carrying red and white flags. They made the most impact on the moody, enrapturing alt-rock title track to 2005 disc "A Beautiful Life" and breakthrough hit "The Kill," propelled by Tomo Milicevic’s moody guitars and keyboards. "The Fantasy," where Leto climbed up the stage crew ladder, revisited the atmospheric sound of early U2. Leto was dynamic and 30 STM’s riveting set was one of the day’s best.

Sporting a spiky hairstyle that made him look like a glam metal holdover from the Sunset Strip circa 1988, Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix was a manic live wire who jumped into the audience at every turn. The group’s taut new alt-metal ("Crash," "To Be Loved") tunes went over well, but older hits from the rap-rock era ("Broken Home," "Last Resort") sounded dated.

Avenged Sevenfold was one of the more anticipated sets of the day. Drummer The Rev took his seat on a high platform and the Huntington Beach band launched its set with "Beast and the Harlot." Four scantily-clad women writhed behind faux jail bars while imposing, heavily tattooed vocalist M. Shadows let out in a blood curdling scream. Guitarists Zacky Vengeance and Synyster Gates locked into a speed metal dual. At times, the band’s lengthy tunes mined Judas Priest and Metallica territory. The stripped-down "Seize the Day" found Shadows doing his best Axl Rose imitation. Ferocious Offspring-styled radio fave "Bat Country" was preceded by a TV soundbyte that said "we were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert." Overall, it was better than expected.

Muse opened with its current radio hit -- the whacked out surf rock-meets-Ennio Morricone sound of "Knights of Cydonia." The British trio packed quite a sonic wallop and immediately went down a storm. Matt Bellamy’s operatic vocals were in fine form and his guitar feedback excursions ("Hysteria," set closer "Stockholm Syndrome" where he toppled over a guitar amp) were stunning. The dense, electronic synth-driven "Map of the Problematique," "Assassin," with Dom Howard’s insistent beats and bassist Chris Wolstenholme’s counterpoint vocals and "Time is Running Out" were all standouts.

Maybe it was the monotone nature of the music, but gloomy grunge band Alice in Chains almost put me to sleep. Recently reunited, with singer William Duvall taking over for the deceased Layne Staley, the foursome did well-known ("Them Bones," "Angry Chair") and more obscure selections ("Heaven Beside You"). Duvall acquitted himself well on vocals and guitar, but one guy in my section didn’t think so: he kept yelling, "Get off the stage, Lenny Kravitz!" The energy level finally picked up when guest Chester Bennington of Linkin Park added a much-needed spark to "Man in the Box." Talk about a perfect combination. "Rooster" and "Would?" also benefited from the crowd energy that followed.

Edited September 25, 2006 by highvoltage