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Re: 12 GN'R shows in Las Vegas
I haven't thrown in the towel. Otherwise I wouldn't be here.
Throwing in the towel was me dropping WAY off after the Rock Hall debacle.
But without new music live, there isn't much reason to listen to GN'R perform live with 2012 suck Axl. Because you can just pop in better shows from 8,569 other performances of AFD that Axl was alot better.
In other words, if GN'R were in my area there would be NO WAY i'd be buying tix right now with his performing level.
Doesn't mean i've given up.
Re: 12 GN'R shows in Las Vegas
It's like when I saw Paul McCartney last year. He wasn't on his A game - he's 70 - but it was pretty darn good. He's still Paul McCartney and I had never seen him before. I would have to think hard about going again - I'd probably do it, but only because he's f'n Paul McCartney.
Axl - as great as he was - was/is no Paul McCartney. I'm excited to go see him since I haven't seen him in 20 years, but I don't think I'd go to another show unless I was convinced he was going to perform at a top level. Since that's never been his forte live, I can't see any chance I'll see him again barring a reunion tour or a new album that I really enjoy. I'll have fun when I see him, but I don't expect it to be something I'm going to be dying to see again when it's over. I guess I'd rather have the memories than relive the present.
Having said that, I do think any GnR fan that hasn't seen the new band (ever) live should check them out if at all possible. Yes, we bag on Axl sometimes, but to most of us he's still one of the greatest frontmen of our generation. I think you owe it to yourself to go once and give it a chance.
Re: 12 GN'R shows in Las Vegas
p cool set imo. (wish we could stop listing the solo's tho).
it is what it is.
hopefully these shows finally get whatever trip this is out of axl's system & he can move on, regarding CD especially. but as a celebration of 25 fucked up but fun yrs it's good stuff. if i was goin to one of these shows that set would satisfy me & more.
Re: 12 GN'R shows in Las Vegas
It's like when I saw Paul McCartney last year. He wasn't on his A game - he's 70 - but it was pretty darn good. He's still Paul McCartney and I had never seen him before. I would have to think hard about going again - I'd probably do it, but only because he's f'n Paul McCartney.
Axl - as great as he was - was/is no Paul McCartney. I'm excited to go see him since I haven't seen him in 20 years, but I don't think I'd go to another show unless I was convinced he was going to perform at a top level. Since that's never been his forte live, I can't see any chance I'll see him again barring a reunion tour or a new album that I really enjoy. I'll have fun when I see him, but I don't expect it to be something I'm going to be dying to see again when it's over. I guess I'd rather have the memories than relive the present.
Having said that, I do think any GnR fan that hasn't seen the new band (ever) live should check them out if at all possible. Yes, we bag on Axl sometimes, but to most of us he's still one of the greatest frontmen of our generation. I think you owe it to yourself to go once and give it a chance.
See ironically I was expecting the worst when I went to Orlando 2011, and got literally one of probably two of THE BEST shows Axl did that entire tour. He sucked on some parts (LALD & YCBM), but he vocally was the best he was during that entire tour. Orlando and Miami. I've judged my shows to YouTube videos and the sounds hold up to what I heard and then what I heard on the 2011 PPV's later on in Vegas & LA, and of course the shows we got in early 2012 where he continued to go downhill.
In some ways my experience play into faldor's point. But at the same time, time is money not only for Axl, but also for myself. I gotta know if i'm there for a reason. Otherwise i'm just fine with PPV's. I'm really hoping they bring those back for these Vegas shows. I enjoyed that, not to mention it promoted all of us guys getting around, getting buzzed and watching shows electronically together which was rad as fuckin' hell.
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: 12 GN'R shows in Las Vegas
But without new music live, there isn't much reason to listen to GN'R perform live with 2012 suck Axl. Because you can just pop in better shows from 8,569 other performances of AFD that Axl was alot better.
That's the reason GNR desperately needs new material IMO - to add that sense of excitement back into the shows.
I'm not saying I never want to see him do PC again or anything - but when the setlist is very similar to a decade earlier, it sets up a situation where there's diminishing returns. Every year the same 8 songs - and every year everyone in the band gets a little older and so on. I guess it's just life but it would be WAY less obvious if they changed things up more often, or if they added in new musical stuff to go with the hits.
Like how AC/DC have done. Ballbreaker, Still Upper Lip and Black Ice all had very similar setlists - except with the addition of 4 songs from the current album. Those new songs stop a straight comparison between say the sound of "Back in Black" in 1990, then 2001, then 2010 and so on.
Same with how Slash's band makes the shows about the newest album.....then pumps out a lot of hits.
Otherwise things become about if the current show is as good as the last version of the same show.
Here's my theory.
In 2001 Axl sounded questionable but played new stuff so got away with it.
In 2006 Axl played the same stuff as 2002 - but looked and sounded better so he got away with it.
In 2009 - the band sounded around the same, but it was interesting (at least the asian tour) because they played the other CD songs a lot - catcher, twat, shackler, scraped....new stuff....
But then from 10-12 it's just been variations on the 06 era themes...but with diminishing voice quality....
So either Axl needs to add rasp back in more (seems he did tonight from the clip I heard) or he needs to demo some new shit...otherwise it risks the thoughts falling into "which of my 1000 jungle boots is better than this?"
Re: 12 GN'R shows in Las Vegas
well, the thing is, except for some dozens of hardcore fans on the boards, everyone is satisfied with the setlists. i personnally think the setlist is great. i hadn`t seen gnr live since 2006 until the concert in germany this year and they played about 8-9 songs they didn`t play the last time.. of course i`m all up for some new songs and deeper tracks from the catalog, but the casual fan doesn`t care about that. people don`t go to a concert to listen to songs they don`t know, they want the stuff they know and love.
btw, which band is doing 2 1/2 -3 hour shows today? of course there are some, but the huge majority of concerts i attend are more in the 90 minutes range.
the thing is, i want new material as much as the next guy here, but i`m not as obsessed with it as some people on this forum obviously are and i think most people here won`t even admit that. all the members here, continually insisting how they don`t care about anything that happens and bitching about anything axl does or doesn`t do are in my opinion more obsessed with this band and bigger fans than they would like to be.
- monkeychow
- Rep: 661
Re: 12 GN'R shows in Las Vegas
I'll admit i'm obsessed.
What can I say? I love the man's music. Always have. So I'm always hopeful for more.
It's not that I dislike the live shows. They're awesome fun.
I guess it's just I view things differently. When there's no new music it seems a waste of Axl's amazing skills as a writer.
I look at it like this. If (god forbid) he died tomorrow...is it better for humanity if he played AFD tonight live for the 2000th time, or if he spent his last moments recording a new song on protools. I guess I just want balance. In the last 15 years we've had hundreds of peformances of the same songs and only a handful of new tacks to enjoy. But then it is what it is. Maybe they need to come that slow.
Then again...there's also the human factor...maybe for him it's better to be doing neither! It's not that he has to do anything really. It's just I look and see a group of guys who could make great stuff together....
Re: 12 GN'R shows in Las Vegas
i try not to look at what could have been or what they could be doing now to be honest... if it was up to me, he would`ve recorded 10 albums with slash and izzy by now. the sad part is, if you`d ask axl he`d probably tell you the same. and i believe that is/was a major part of the problem, ie. the current situation of gnr.
Re: 12 GN'R shows in Las Vegas
Axlin12 wrote:But without new music live, there isn't much reason to listen to GN'R perform live with 2012 suck Axl. Because you can just pop in better shows from 8,569 other performances of AFD that Axl was alot better.
That's the reason GNR desperately needs new material IMO - to add that sense of excitement back into the shows.
I'm not saying I never want to see him do PC again or anything - but when the setlist is very similar to a decade earlier, it sets up a situation where there's diminishing returns. Every year the same 8 songs - and every year everyone in the band gets a little older and so on. I guess it's just life but it would be WAY less obvious if they changed things up more often, or if they added in new musical stuff to go with the hits.
fundamentally i agree w/the bolded part.
however, i don't think now is the time nor the place for the setlist debate, or for the setlist to be overhauled, especially w/new stuff.
now you know me, i'm usually first in line to complain at the start of the new tour leg that the setlist is exactly the same & that CD is actually about 13 yrs old give or take. BUT, these shows are a different context; they're an advertised celebration, particularly the 25yrs of AFD. what was wrong before was in the context of what's expected from a vibrant, valid band.
the setup for these shows is pro-actively pro-nostalgia. r/evolving setlists or new material shouldn't be on peoples list of expectations.
it's weird as doing exactly the same is now the correct thing to do. it's just they were wrong before they're not wrong now - they've got the chance for part of the world to slow down to their speed for 15mins.
& i can excuse them playing the same set when they go to India &/or wherever they're headed to, cause a lot of those people'll be experiencing them for the first time.
there's a lot of setlist complaints i can't excuse, but i can these.
