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Saw "Guns N Roses" on saturday night, and thought some people here may be interested in a review, so here is my attempt at one.
The opening act was Sebastian Bach, who proceded to tear London a new asshole. Bach's backing band sounded like thunder tonight as they blast ed through considerably heavied up versions up Skid Row tunes, "Slave to the Grind", "Monkey Business", "Here I am", "Big Guns", "Youth Gone Wild", "18 and life", and set highlight "The Threat." Bach is on fine form and owns this stage, running around, headbanging and swinging the mike out into the first few rows of the crowd which laps up his energetic and frantic performance. His voice was exceptional, and he screams like no other vocalsit can; the new matrerial he airs from forthcoming album "Angel Down" is a real show case for his vocal talents - particuarly the stand out "Amercian Metalhead" (or as he sings it "Ammeeeerrricaaaaaaaannn Mettallheaddddd). As the show closes, a kid behind me exclaimed "fucking hell, I wish I could sing like that" - nuff said.
Next on are the current darlings of the UK metal scene "Bullet For My Valentine". I had high hopes for their performance but was sorely disapointed. Although I thought that their album was solid and brimming with potential, the problem with their brand of thrash meets emo is that it is musically very busy and consequently sounds like mush as it comes through the PA. They play with real energy, and throw in some impresive guitar work, but this old metal head has seen it all done before and a lot better. I imagine that they would be great in a club, but lack the live experience to rock the whole of Wembley tonight. I am certainly not writing them off - a few years from now we may have a truly great band here.
And then we play the waiting game. The crowd grows restless as the interlude before Axl's arrival grows longer and longer - "come on you cunt" and "Axl is a wanker" chants grow more frequent once 10 pm comes and goes, but eventually at 10.45 the show starts. The opening slavo of "welcome to the Jungle", "It's So Easy", "Mr. Brownstone" and "Live and Let Die" erase all the hostility as the crowd realise that, yes, it really is Axl Rose.
And although being older and tubbier, Axl has still got it; all the moves are still on display, he stills jigs and sways like a psychotic nutter; and, although he struggles at times, his voice is in fine form. Unfortunatley the same cannot be said for the hired hacks who back him - what possesed him to hire such uninspired musicians is beyond me. There are three guitar players on stage tonight, and they all play a solo, all of which are equally forgetable. This was the weak point of the show: the momentum that the band generated in the first four songs is quickly lost as each song is followed by a solo or a jam, which makes the set a little disjointed and leisurely. We may get a lot of classics, but we get a lot of filler too.
The lowest point for me was hearing an out of tune "Sweet Child o mine" made even worse by a butchering of one of the greatest solos ever laid on record - Axl, that hurt.
Of the new material, one new song (I didn't catch the name) deserves particualr mention - AS IT WAS FUCKIN' STELLA. Typical Guns, bluesed based riifs built around Axl's psycho rock, with a big fuck-off chorus. This was the nights most pleasnt surprise: if we ever see that record, I have high hopes.
I really enjoyed this show, far more than I was expecting too, and I would gladly go again. However, it was only a competant and solid performance, and these aren't adjectives worthy of "The most dangerous band on the plantet". Axl is still a rock God - I was expecting an over weight clown, but he really has still got the magic. Sadly his band lets him down, too often robbing those sleaze soaked classics of their groove and bite: I saw Velvet Revolver twice last year, and they would have eaten this band for breakfast without breaking sweat.
The opening act was Sebastian Bach, who proceded to tear London a new asshole. Bach's backing band sounded like thunder tonight as they blast ed through considerably heavied up versions up Skid Row tunes, "Slave to the Grind", "Monkey Business", "Here I am", "Big Guns", "Youth Gone Wild", "18 and life", and set highlight "The Threat." Bach is on fine form and owns this stage, running around, headbanging and swinging the mike out into the first few rows of the crowd which laps up his energetic and frantic performance. His voice was exceptional, and he screams like no other vocalsit can; the new matrerial he airs from forthcoming album "Angel Down" is a real show case for his vocal talents - particuarly the stand out "Amercian Metalhead" (or as he sings it "Ammeeeerrricaaaaaaaannn Mettallheaddddd). As the show closes, a kid behind me exclaimed "fucking hell, I wish I could sing like that" - nuff said.
Next on are the current darlings of the UK metal scene "Bullet For My Valentine". I had high hopes for their performance but was sorely disapointed. Although I thought that their album was solid and brimming with potential, the problem with their brand of thrash meets emo is that it is musically very busy and consequently sounds like mush as it comes through the PA. They play with real energy, and throw in some impresive guitar work, but this old metal head has seen it all done before and a lot better. I imagine that they would be great in a club, but lack the live experience to rock the whole of Wembley tonight. I am certainly not writing them off - a few years from now we may have a truly great band here.
And then we play the waiting game. The crowd grows restless as the interlude before Axl's arrival grows longer and longer - "come on you cunt" and "Axl is a wanker" chants grow more frequent once 10 pm comes and goes, but eventually at 10.45 the show starts. The opening slavo of "welcome to the Jungle", "It's So Easy", "Mr. Brownstone" and "Live and Let Die" erase all the hostility as the crowd realise that, yes, it really is Axl Rose.
And although being older and tubbier, Axl has still got it; all the moves are still on display, he stills jigs and sways like a psychotic nutter; and, although he struggles at times, his voice is in fine form. Unfortunatley the same cannot be said for the hired hacks who back him - what possesed him to hire such uninspired musicians is beyond me. There are three guitar players on stage tonight, and they all play a solo, all of which are equally forgetable. This was the weak point of the show: the momentum that the band generated in the first four songs is quickly lost as each song is followed by a solo or a jam, which makes the set a little disjointed and leisurely. We may get a lot of classics, but we get a lot of filler too.
The lowest point for me was hearing an out of tune "Sweet Child o mine" made even worse by a butchering of one of the greatest solos ever laid on record - Axl, that hurt.
Of the new material, one new song (I didn't catch the name) deserves particualr mention - AS IT WAS FUCKIN' STELLA. Typical Guns, bluesed based riifs built around Axl's psycho rock, with a big fuck-off chorus. This was the nights most pleasnt surprise: if we ever see that record, I have high hopes.
I really enjoyed this show, far more than I was expecting too, and I would gladly go again. However, it was only a competant and solid performance, and these aren't adjectives worthy of "The most dangerous band on the plantet". Axl is still a rock God - I was expecting an over weight clown, but he really has still got the magic. Sadly his band lets him down, too often robbing those sleaze soaked classics of their groove and bite: I saw Velvet Revolver twice last year, and they would have eaten this band for breakfast without breaking sweat.
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