An Amazing Show!!!!!!!!!!!

[jellyzero]

I have seen Guns N’ Roses three times now, the first in Vegas (01-01-01) and Columbus (11-02) but this Guns N’ Roses concert in Cleveland was the most amazing rock concert I have ever attended. It had everything that the classic Illusion shows had. Knowing the reputation of the tour thus far, my friend, Chad, and I arrived about an hour and a half after the start of the show (little did we know that we were missing the SUICIDE GIRLS). I had read that for most of the tour GN’R hadn’t hit the stage until midnight so we weren’t in a huge hurry. We had lower level balcony tickets, had driven seven hours to get to the show and when we parked and got out of the car, a live version of “Patience” was blarring through the streets and Chad (being his first GN’R show) started to freak but I immediately noticed it was the version from the LIVE ERA CD and told him not to worry. As we were walking towards the stadium, a guy in a SUV slowed down and asked us if we had good seats cause he had free tickets, Chad blew him off but I went and talked to the guy. I asked the guy why they were free and he said because Axl wasn’t going on until midnight and they couldn’t stay that long. I took the three free tickets from him and told Chad that we would just ask the gate people which tickets were better, his or ours, and use them. As we were walking in a woman was telling people Axl wasn’t going to show. I hate people like that at a GN’R concert. Why are you even there if you are just trying to start bullshit?

We got into the stadium and asked the lady at the gate about the tickets. She told us that the free tickets were by far the best. As we were taken to our seats, Sebastian Bach was starting to play “Youth Gone Wild” and we were shown to out 5th row seats on the side of that stage, eye level with the stage and no more than 20 ft from the band. They were the BEST seats I have ever had and we kept looking back at the balcony, unable to believe how lucky we were not to be sitting back there. After Bach finished I hit the restroom and there was a guy in the bathroom starting more bullshit and saying how there was going to be a riot. I told him that this concert needed good vibes and he should stop saying this shit to people. Sometimes I wonder if people like this come to see the show, or come hoping that a riot will start and they can get in on the destruction.

When we got back to our AMAZING SEATS, the EAGLES OF DEATH METAL had taken the stage. I had never heard of this band, and for good reason, they were god awful. Every song sounded the same, they had a song about cherry cola that somehow wasn’t as good as the one SAVAGE GARDEN had out years ago, and the singer (who looked like a cross between a 70’s pimp and the Beastie Boys in “Sabotage”) had no vocal OR dancing ability. They continued to get booed loudly and the singer and other guitarist seemed to be laughing about that fact on stage. I will in their defense say they had on catchy song that went “shit god damn, I’m a man I’m a man.”

Finally their show was over and the SUICIDE GIRLS, who I am sad to have missed earlier in the night, took the stage again. They threw water all over each others thin white t-shirts, hoola-hooped half naked, and played with a whip all to the songs “Black Betty” and “Hells Bells”. They were amazing! The wait for GN’R began after that.

At Midnight the lights dimmed and Robin Finck hit our side of the stage kneeling down and hitting the beginning notes of “Welcome To The Jungle”. Axl yelled out “Do you know where the fuck you are?!?!” and it was ON!!! The show had everything you could want in a GN’R show. It was obvious from the beginning of the show that Axl was having problems with his ear monitor. He kept yelling at the sound guy from the stage but this guy was totally sucking it up, not to mention the sound guy out front who had no idea that the singer needs to be the loudest guy onstage. Remember how I was saying it was a classic GN’R show? Well, in the middle of “Live and Let Die” Axl kicked a fan out of the show, and that security guard did not terry at all, that guy was gone and everyone cheered. Then Axl asked us how we liked the “PIGEONS OF SHIT METAL“, it was very obvious that we all hated them and I loved that he was up there making fun of his opening band. He went on the say that it would be the Pigeons of shit metal’s last show of the tour with GN’R, what a shame! J

Robin Finck took the first, and worst, solo of the night. Robin went from one side of the stage to the other bending notes in and out of tune, and generally making noise. When he started “Sweet Child O’ Mine” the bass was heard but no Tommy Stinson. To my eyes it seemed like he was being a dick all night. After that Axl looked towards Tommy and said “you might as well go home” when Tommy looked over to him he said “not you, the soundman”. A few songs later he went on to say that he didn’t know what it sounded like out front but in his ear piece it sounded like someone took an old FM transmitter and stomped the fuck out of it over and over and over. In fact that is how it did sound when he went up high, I really could have killed the soundman because Axl and the band gave it everything they had and were top notch. There were no flaws in their performance and most of the time it sounded great. The only qualm I had with the show is the excessive solos. Robin Finck’s solo was terrible and unnecessary, Ron Thal’s was “Don’t Cry” as an instrumental plus some tapping which, IMO was still unnecessary, but Richard Fortus is without a doubt the best guitarist in this band. He is technically as good as Ron Thal from what I could tell from the solos and he doesn’t bend bad notes, which Robin Finck continues to throughout the night despite glares from Axl. Richard Fortus also treats the music with respect and has an amazing stage presence. The old songs were perfect and the new songs (5 in total) were played very well despite the Axl’s soundman trying to ruin them (the vocal on MADAGASCAR was almost inaudible. When it came time for “Paradise City” pyro and confetti filled the arena and the nearly full arena went crazy once again. After his signature “good fuckin’ night” he came back to stage and said something to the effect of “despite all of the setbacks tonight this turned out to be a lot of fun, thanks and everyone drive safe”. Afterwards they grouped together for a bow, except Tommy who was apparently still acting like the rockstar the he is not.

An amazing show and I pity any rock fan on this earth who doesn’t see this show. I still can’t believe that Chad and I lucked into those great tickets, what a night!

The setlist: (sometimes out of order)

Welcome to the Jungle

It’s So Easy

Mr. Brownstone

Live and Let Die

Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

Robin Finck Solo

Sweet Child O’ Mine

You Could Be Mine

Dizzy Reed Solo (with “Angie”)

The Blues

Better

Richard Fortus Solo (with “Whiter Shade Of Pale”)

Out Ta Get Me

IRS

Ron Thal Solo (with “Don’t Cry”)

My Michelle (with Sebastian Bach)

November Rain

Patience (which Axl said was what he needed to exert some of)

Nightrain

Encores:

Chinese Democracy

Madagascar

Paradise City

Even though the show is great, here is what could fix the GN’R tour and make it even better:

Cut out the guitar solos!

Hire capable soundmen!!

And

Put out a product

Edited November 26, 2006 by jellyzero