REFLECTION ON NY SHOWS THREAD

[87-93]

lets take a step back and analyze the serious shit that just happened, thoughts. . .

[adrian]

Izzy was there

[sr1752]

when the bulk of the people had filed out on the 17th, the band and guest came out for a curtain call, and axl also mentioned something about putting out a live disc of the hammerstein shows. I couldn't tell if he was joking or being serious, if he was serious though that would be great, cause they really rocked.

[YCBM]

-Axl's voice is back

-he is cool again (no baggy hockey jerseys)


I dont want to start a whole new thread for this so Ill just mention it here, what on earth was the deal with Axl in '02?  I mean he seriously did not look like the same person we remembered, his face looked like some major plastic surgery had been done and he generally looked pretty bad.  Now we seem him and he looks healthy and normal and much better.  What gives?  




Im not even kidding, when I became on GNR fan I watched old Gnr clips and stuff, and then I was looking around the net for new pics and I actually thought that GNR had a new lead singer when I found the '02 pics.  But now except for the hair Axl really looks like he did in the early to mid 90's.

[Demon]

Yeah, the Axl from 2002 as compared with the Axl from 2006...it's like 2 differen't people completely. If you put them side by side, you might actually think that's the case. I have no clue what happened, but he looks and sounds better now, so that's great.

[x13zoo]

I thought  he looked great yesterday, 5/17/2006.  He looks like he lost that "heavy" look he had in 2002.  Probably all the weight he had gained made him look different - and then with with whatever plastic surgery he had done.  Also, remember that Axl has made some comments about "saving his life" or something - he could have been dealing with some emotional issues - that can affect the way you look especially if you are not happy.  He looks great now.

[Mr. Paradise City]

Yeah I do think his mind set, physical fitness, and eye brows are what make him look different than '02.

[RKD]

actually looking at those pictures i think he has put some weight on. In 2002 i think what happened is he lost alot of weight fast and it showed. and now hes filled out a bit better. cool stuff.

[x13zoo]

The way Axl looked last night - he looks just right.  He hasn't gained weight - he lost it.  

You know, Axl and Izzy both looked good.  Izzy looks really healthy.  Of course, the thing is that neither Axl or Izzy is young anymore.  They both look like cool guys in their 40s.  They rocked.

[xgrego]

i know axl looked scary back in 02, but my god... that second pic up, is well.  sweet jesus.  a wax sculpture gone wrong to say the least.

[bjd2933]

I went to all four and here are my thoughts:

Friday and Wednesday were tied for the best show. The feel, and the emotion of being the first show on Friday coupled with the best set list, and a ton of surprises on Wednesday made them both incredible. Not that Sunday and Monday weren't great... just I think the first and last will always stand out to me.

Axl looks and sounds great. He dropped some weight, he laid off whatever he was doing to his face, and he looks like a rock star. His new threads are awesome, and he is singing all of the songs, new and old the best that he has since his official comeback in 2000.

The band is as tight as ever. I thought the loss of Buckethead would be a tough one, but its not the case. Without him, the band looks, and feels more like a rock band. Robin no longer looks like a freak, and everyone kinda fits together, making it generally more acceptable. Bumblefoot is not only a great guitarist, but a nice fucking guy, class act all the way around. He is really trying to connect with GNR fans, and I feel in due time(aside from Axl), he will be the most liked new member. Quote me on that in the future.

The set list was very solid, a great mixture of new and old. I would have still preferred a couple of more illusions tracks, but we got all three leaked tracks, improved versions of the other new songs, and great renditions of the classics. I like that Axl brought Knockin' On Heavens Door back closer to the Guns version.

The stage was really nice as well. In 2002 someone said something that the stage was really impressive, and it never did it for me. The red arcs on the side, coupled with the white chinese symbol backdrops were really nice.

The Merch kinda sucked. Yeah, I got all three new logo event t-shirts, but there was too much old logo stuff.

The surprises were vintage Guns. When you go to a Guns concert you never know what to expect, and seeing Sebastian Bach, Izzy, and even Kid Rock there was really nice. I hope we get more duets in the future.

Axl was in a great mood, and has really seemed to have fallen in love with New York.

This is the way the comeback should have been all along. The band looks better, sounds better, and just is better than it was in 2002. The old songs sound better, and the new songs are incredible live. "Better" and "IRS" are fantastic. I only got one listen at "TWAT" live in the opening show, so cant fairly judge it.

Overall: one thousand thumbs up, 100000/10, ******************** stars out of 5... everything I could have asked for and more.

[F*ck Fear]

Awsome gigs with guest appearances from Baz,Izzy and Kid Rock which is fucking cool. Axl found his voice,and a clothing store . Set lists have been pretty amazing. I can't wait till the whole fucking tour is going.

Ron Thal!!!

[Spedgear]

I have to agree with Friday night and Wednesday night sets were really energetically strong. I didn't make the Monday show but the Sunday show was good but there was something missing.  Friday night was opening night so the energy from the crowd and the band was on target as we all waited for the greatest band to return to give us what we wanted...a reason to rock loud and hard.  Wednesday night I felt there was a ton of energy from the crowd as they went ape shit for Izzy and Kid Rock as wellas the secret no more, Sebastian Bach.

In my honest opinion, the band was tight with their stuff and if Robin stage dives int the crowd in European tour there's a good chance he might not get out
the Fortus - Finck duet on Christina Aguliara's "Beautiful" was interesting but it showed off the talents.

The changes to Chinese Democracy and The Blues made the songs better than the 2002 version...esp C.D. as that opening riff was just raw and heavy somewhat like an angry pitbull or something played by Robin..

Hope they return in the fall.

[x13zoo]

Yeah, I agree - Ron plays great and on our side of the stage was smiling at the fans.  He looks like a really nice person.  Awesome.  

By the way, was it just me or did I hear Axl say on Wednesday that "maybe the album will be out" - the "maybe" is what I'm referring to because however Axl said it - it didn't sound from what he said that its ready for release.  I just thought, hell - here we go again.  His comment was not definite about the release.

The new songs are good - but I would have liked more new stuff.  I wonder if Axl feels that the new stuff just can't compare with Appetite for Destruction.  I mean those songs are classic.  I'm sure Axl wants the new stuff to be on the same level of those songs.