"New" new GN'R...they've come a long way with us

[Axls Roses]

Now that that GN'R have completed their European tour and the Chinese Democracy tour is under way, there are loads of vids and audio files look at and listen to. I have been doing some reflecting. Reflecting on the old-new GN'R. By that I mean the GN'R of 2001/02 and the GN'R of 2006.

I will never forget the first time GN'R blew back on stage to an American audience. I saw it August 29 2002. I was in the downstairs bedroom of some girls house that was having a party lying on the bed getting ready to get a sweet hummer from a girl who would end up being my girlfriend of three years.
I had already heard the bootleg versions of "The Blues" and "Madagascar", but those were hard to come by on the net, and I never really thought I would ever hear of Guns N' Roses again.

The TV, was on he foot of the bed and the 2002 MTV music video awards was on, but neither of us were really paying attention to it as she took my shirt off and we started making out. Just as we began to lie down I heard that guy who introduced them yell "GUNS N FUCKIN ROSES".

I jumped up from the bed in mid kiss in a flash and yelled "HOLLY FUCK THEY'RE BACK".
The girl had an absolutely priceless expression of bewilderment, confusion and surprise on here face.

"Oh...Yeah" she replied.

But all I could respond with was "It's guns n' fucking roses".

By this time the guitar tease intro had passed and Axl had begun his lung busting holler and I began to take in what I was hearing and seeing. A thousand thoughts went rushing threw my mind all at once.

"He looks like a fucking wanna be thug with braids"
"What the fuck is that thing holding a guitar beside Axl, and drunk astronaut with a Skullet?"
"Does that Buckethead dude have an advertising contract with KFC or something?"

And then Axl starts to sing. Thousands more thoughts come blistering threw my diminished-by-beer-and-bud brain cells.

"Jesus Christ, he sounds like he's out of breath"
"He sounds weak and dying"
"There is no rasp, almost like he sucked in on a helium balloon"
"Fucking Christ, he is out of breath, that’s it, slow down boy, your not as young as you used to be"

But the weirdest thing was, at the same time I was thinking this, I also was ignoring these thoughts and busy convincing myself that he looked good. He just changed a bit. He still sounded good, just a bit...Fuck I dunno...Softer like on Madagascar? Yeah that’s, Madagascar is good, he isn’t embarrassing himself in front of the surprised fans...

By the closing notes of the paradise city part I truly had myself convinced that the new GN'R was a good band that looked and sounded like GN'R should.

I got back into the bed with the girl I was with. I ended up asking her out that night...I called her by the wrong name by mistake, but she still said yes anyways. I always had no problem remembering our anniversary...hahaha.

So as time went on, I hunted down GN'R bootlegs and vids and audio from the RIR III show. I cringed to here Axl's faint voice over the instruments. I ignored the fact that he was a fat man in track pants and a massive Chinese shirt that looked like it came fresh off the Wal-Mart clearance rack.

I paid no attention to the fact that GN'R didn’t really look like a rock band, but more like a circus freak show and I even began to convince myself that Silk worms and Riahd were good songs.

So the years passed and I eventually broke up with that girl who I "left lying on the bed" because of the 02 MTV final performance. (but not before ruining my credit rating and hairline). Buckethead had left the band and GN'R had once again dropped to nothing.

Then came along 2006. The year of the great second return. The year Robin lost his space man theme. The year that secret advertising agent for Kentucky Fried Chicken was replaced by a cool guy named Ron. The year Axl remembered he was white, not black , that tight jeans and leather beat track pants and FUBU shirts when your fronting a rock band and ultimately the year that Guns N' Roses blew us all away.

Now when we go to youtube and type in "Guns N' Roses" what we see is a Rock band that sounds the best they have in years, some say ever. They look good, they play well, they have Izzy and Baz with them. They are a genuine rock band that has aged together, not a freakshow anymore.

Before the recent comeback, if I saw someone post something like this, bashing the 01/02 Guns N' Roses I would Roast them just like Joan of Arc was roasted to the cross. I would bring them to their knees. I would tell them to "get in the ring motherfucker, I’ll kick your bitchy little ass".

Its only because we now have something respectable. Now when I look back at me forcing my friends to watch RIR III vids and insisting they were great...I want to puke.

Now that GN'R are back and REALLY back, I think we can admit they were pretty bad in 01. Anyone else think so?

This is a story I wrote about GNR a while back for another forum.  I don't like the guy who runs it (I won't say who, but his foram was HERE and is going to HELL for all the censorship)

I polished it up a bit for my first post here.  Enjoy

AR

[AshDoro]

nice story

[axTHAL]

nice first post and yea theyve come along way they look less like a joke and more like a band im glad the album wasnt released in 02

[Jerman]

yeah it's a nice story and i had the same problems when i was trying to convince myself they're just as good...
but i think you were a bit to harsh... i still love to watch RIR III, i think it's a cool shoe and i have a few shows from 2002 and there were some great moments... it wasn't all bad!
but nothing compares to what they are now, you got that right!

[ycagwyw]

anyone remembers what Axl said in 2002 VMA? in the end of that show, after Paradise City, he said" Round 1"......

[kimberly]

nice story  

im glad the album wasnt released in 02

yeah I am too, it's definitely taking a long time, but every aspect of GNR seems to have improved since 2002..you really get to see a band now..didn't really saw any of that in 2002

[Dark Angel]

very nice story! Like it:)

By the way. Welcome!  

[misterbrownstone]

haha, agreed 100%.  when i first heard they were touring again, i tried to recruite my friends to go see them in NYC with me...using 2002 footage.  didn't work.  now that we've got some nice 2006 Euro footage, i had to say NO to some people who wanted to go!  the new band fuckin rules!

[the_relic]

Awesome post, and Story.

[halford]

i was just happy to see them at all in 2002,(not in real life), i loved bucket, and all in all i think it was great, even if i didnt like his clothes......now of course its huge and i cant wait to see them live in germany 2007......

[ndcrazy8]

No question, the new lineup is solid.  I love bucket, but he wasn't the right guy....  

ROCK N ROLL

[Y2marmar]

Yep, new gnr kicks ASS! They're perfect, axl sounds and looks better than he has in years.

[arm breaker]

I did the same thing and my friends all though I was in denial. They have made dramatic improvements imo. I hope they contiue to get better and better.

[gnrireland]

When CD doesnt come out and four years down the line, will everyone be saying "im glad CD didnt come out in 2006, they look like a proper band now not like that shit in 2006"