2012.06.04 - Ahoy, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

by **Johan** Tue Jan 31, 2012 2:28 pm

Date:
June 4, 2012.

Venue:
Ahoy.

Location:
Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Setlist:
01. Chinese Democracy
02. Welcome to the Jungle
03. It's so Easy
04. Mr. Brownstone
05. Sorry
06. Rocket Queen
07. Estranged
08. Better
Richard Fortus solo
09. Live And Let Die
10. This I Love
11. Shackler's Revenge
12. Motivation
Dizzy Reed solo
13. Street of Dreams
14. You Could Be Mine
Dj Ashba solo - Ballad Of Death
15. Sweet Child O' Mine
Jam
Axl Rose solo
16. November Rain
17. Glad To Be Here
18. Don't Cry
19. Civil War
20. Knocking On Heaven's Door
21. Nightrain
ENCORE
22. Madagascar
23. Patience
24. Paradise City

Line-up:
Axl Rose (vocals), Richard Fortus (rhythm guitarist), Bumblefoot (lead guitarist), Dj Asbha (lead guitarist), Tommy Stinson (bass) and Frank Ferrer (drums), Dizzy Reed (keybards), Chris Pitman (synth).

2012.06.04 - Ahoy, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Rightarrow

2012.06.04 - Ahoy, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Rightarrow

Next concert: 20120.06.05.
2012.06.04 - Ahoy, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Leftarrow

Previous concert: 2012.06.01.

by **Soulmonster** Tue Jan 31, 2012 4:34 pm

Brilliant! You will attend?

by **Johan** Wed Feb 01, 2012 1:38 pm

Not sure if I will go to Mönchengladbach or this one or both.. The German gig is a lot more closeby.

by **Soulmonster** Tue May 15, 2012 3:35 pm

(EAR) Rival Sons announced that they will be the main support act for Guns N' Roses for two European shows in this summer.

Rival Sons will be joining Guns N' Roses at Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands on June 4th, and then at the Warsteiner Hockey Park in Mönchengladbach, Germany on June 8th.

Rival Sons guitarist Scott Holiday comments: "What a great, great opportunity to get these shows supporting Guns N' Roses! Germany has been great to us, and this will only help us reach out to so many more people over there. As far as Guns goes... I remember the first time those guys were ever on MTV, me and my best mate were watching. A total shock to the system, and to me and my friends' lives. We were really young little dudes, but we already loved our rock 'n' roll, and Guns just reeked of reality and grit... I mean they were literally very dirty. And we LOVED it. They ushered in a lot more 'real' and dirtiness to a scene that had become way too fruity-pants. As a wee guitar-playing lad, I couldn't get enough of Appetite For Destruction and Lies. Ready to see and hear some of those first tunes played live!"

May 18 - St. Catharines, ON - Barracuda Pretty
May 19 - Columbus, OH - Rock on the Range
May 20 - Grand Bend, ON - Motorplex

May 28 - Landgraaf, Netherlands - Pinkpop Festival
May 29 - Lille, France - La Peniche
May 31 - Leffinge, Belgium - Zwerver
Jun. 01 - Nuremberg, Germany - Rock im Park
Jun. 02 - Nürburg, Germany - Rock am Ring
Jun. 03 - Den Bosch, Netherlands - W2
Jun. 04 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Ahoy (w/ GUNS N' ROSES)
Jun. 06 - Aarhus, Denmark - Voxhall
Jun. 07 - Sölvesborg, Sweden - Sweden Rock Festival
Jun. 08 - Mönchengladbach, Germany - Warsteiner Hockey Park (w/ GUNS N' ROSES)
Jun. 10 - Castle Donington, UK - Download Festival
Jun. 12 - Hamburg, Germany - Stadtpark (w/ EVANESCENCE)
Jun. 14 - Dortmund, Germany - Westfalenhalle (w/ EVANESCENCE)
Jun. 16 - Bulle, Switzerland - Ebullition
Jun. 19 - Prague, Czech Republic - MeetFactory (w/ EAGLES OF DEATH METAL)
Jun. 20 - Zagreb, Croatia - Tvornica
Jun. 22 - Milan, Italy - Gods of Metal Festival
Jun. 23 - Roeser, Luxembourg - Rock A Field Festival
Jun. 24 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting
Jun. 30 - Owen Sound, ON - Big Music Fest
Jul. 05 - Sundsvall, Sweden - Sundsvall Festival
Jul. 06 - Turku, Finland - Ruisrock Festival
Jul. 14 - Joensuu, Finland - Ilosaarirock Festival
Jul. 17 - Uppsala, Sweden - Katalin
Jul. 19 - Tonsberg, Norway - Slottsfjell Festival
Jul. 20 - Tromso, Norway - Bukta Festival
Jul. 21 - Njordfordeid, Norway - Malakoff Rockfestival

by **Johan** Tue May 15, 2012 4:18 pm

And that idiot seems to believe that Rotterdam is Germany as well..

by **Johan** Mon Jun 04, 2012 4:05 pm

So, I will be going tonight Very Happy

by **Soulmonster** Mon Jun 04, 2012 6:24 pm

Have a great gig! Salute

by **Johan** Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:43 pm

So, my little review of the gig:

Beforehand I had some difficulties on agreeing with friends to go to one of the GNR shows during this tour. I expected to be at least able to attend Hellfest and/or Graspop festival, where GNR headline this year, but I can't make those festivals because of work obligations. So I'm going with a friend to the Mönchengladbach gig, this friday. While that wasn't sure yet, I decided to go to Ahoy as well. I got a cheap ticket from the internet and just went towards Rotterdam alone.

After some beers and food in the train, I arrived after about 3 hours at Ahoy. There the night started good, since some bouncer preferred to throw out my remaining can of beer. After some arguing I decided that I better move along, since these dickheads seem to believe they are always right. Opener Rival Sons was already playing and because I expected a long wait between them and the start of the concert, I watched them until the end. I came in at 21:00 and they played on until 21:40, quite clearly playing on a bit longer, since GNR was not ready yet anyway. After they stopped, I got out to the lovely smoking area of Ahoy, an open corner of the outside of the arena, basically standing outside next to the parking lot. After a joint, back in to order 2 beers. Facilities were rather shit over there. Inside the arena there were no bars, only outside. It was almost sold out, so going out to get a new drink was not a good option. During Rival Sons there were some sellers with beer on their back, but I never saw even one, since Guns started. To my own surprise Guns started at 22:15, only a little over 30 min after Rival Sons wrapped up. I was still waiting in line to get some beers, while I heard some drums in the background. While I comforted myself; that cannot be, after I walked into the arena, the band was already finishing ChiDem.. . I just went a bit to the front, but was still more or less in the middle, because it was very full and there was not much space to sneak ahead, plus I didn't want to waste my freshly acquired beers. Jungle, Easy & Brownstone came and the crowd loved it. Sorry was also received pretty well. By then I was being harassed by some girl, who seemed either already pissed or just insane. When Dj started his solo, I figured it was a good opportunity to get out for a necessary sanitairy break, 2 new beers and afterwards, a new spot, a bit more to the center of the stage, and on a safe distance from that strange woman which kept on touching me. (No, she was not very attractive). Since I was not boozing too much (cause I could only get 4 beers during the whole show) and I was smoking some joints, I could focus on the concert quite good. I heard that Axl was not in his best vocal shape this evening. But, as many here already mentioned: he seemed to dose the rasp and the fury when it was needed the most, so he was kickass in Jungle and also on quite some other songs, but sang clean on others. All in all, Axl was not as good as at Rock am Ring 2006 and 2010, but better than Graspop 2006. The solo spots, actually annoyed me a bit. They seemed to last way too long. While Richard's and Dizzy's were quite enjoyable, I hated this Motivation song by Tommy. Bumble's song sounded shit as well at first, but after I while I started to appreciate it more, especially after some shredding in the end.

While on the one hand, I was a bit disappointed, because the setlist was pretty standard and there was no Izzy, still I got to hear Estranged and Civil War for the first time live. The band jams in the end were clearly intros to Madagascar and Paradise city, strange to think that some people believed them to be potential new songs. During the last 30 minutes, I got more to the front, to the fence blocking of a front section, which I wonder how you could get there..either showing up hours earlier or some VIP ticket bullshit. I think I also witnessed some 'model like girls on the front, when the video screens showed some images shot from the stage to the hall.

All in all a good night, at 1:15 after some 3 hours Paradise City concluded the show, with all the paper stuff raining down on the crowd. Nothing new, but I still like peoples reaction on it!

Strangely, when walking through the venue I didn't feel like I was at a hardrock concert. 95% of all people where the typical short hair, fancy going out cloths guys with sometimes their girlfriends/wives. Probably many casual fans, which came for Sweet Child, Jungle, Paradise and November rain. Still the general response was good.

After the show, I catched a shuttle bus towards Rotterdam central station and got a trein towards Den Haag there. After 20 mins of train and 45 mins of walking, I arrived at my girlfriends' cousin's place, where I could sleep over. At 4:00 it was time for some well deserved sleep. Friday Guns in Germany!

by **Soulmonster** Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:49 pm

Thanks for that great review Salute

. It's cool to get a review from someone who knows the band and has seen they multiple times before. Less bullshit.

by **Johan** Wed Jun 06, 2012 2:28 pm

Some additional comments I forgot to include:

+ Rival Sons was actually pretty good. Great singer!
+ People were informed about potential tardiness, no booing etc.
+ They actually started only 35 minutes after Rival Sons left
+ The band was in great form
+ Free shuttle buses to central station after the gig
+ Some old bum in the shuttle playing and singing Knockin on heaven's door and Born to be Wild in a funny way

- Ahoy has the acoustics of rock, echoing sounds and shit
- A bit too much clean high vocals by Axl, especially during CD songs
- Not too much on stage conversation from Axl
- No way to get beer without missing at least a full song and having to get your way into a decent spot again

by **Soulmonster** Wed Jun 06, 2012 7:15 pm

Review in LiveReviewer Magazine:

GUNS N’ ROSES LIVE @ AHOY ROTTERDAM HOLLAND
Posted at June 5, 2012

What do you expect when going to a GN’R concert? Well if you got to believe most of the “mainstream media” you are up for a unroyal treatment, waiting for hours, don’t wear a Slash tee and top or that you get an oversized false singing Axl with his hired Guns.

Thank God we know “Better” and with high hopes and loads of fun we went to Ahoy Rotterdam.

Within a decent amount of waiting time we first where in for a great treat. The opening act “Rival Sons” showed us that a good band nowadays still can have a great sound of their own.

They rocked the enthusiastic audience with some nice stoner rockers and some great ballad type songs. If you looking for a fresh sound, don’t look further and go listen to this amazing band!

And then of course the wait has begun! But wait. What’s that 22.10 the lights go down and the intro kicks in accompanied with loud cheering from a decent fulled Ahoy. The first song Chinese Democracy kicks in with a great fountain of fireworks and there starts a 3 hour journey of pure Rock ‘N Roll . First of all compliments to the whole fucking band who showed they are not a bunch of hired hacks, but a team of excellent playing chaps. The 3 guitarist Ron Thal , Richard Fortus and the last man joining the band DJ Ashba run all over the place. They know their pose and know how to get a crowd gone wild. Chris Pitman is together with Dizzy Reed the master of the keys. Frank Ferrer is kicking the drums and Tommy Stinson keeps it all together with his amazing bass work.

And now to the man who’s supposed to be fat and has no voice left. FUCK THAT SHIT.

Rock ‘N Roll legend Axl Rose runs onstage in his vintage Rock ‘N Roll look and owns the whole Ahoy together with the band. The man runs, dance, makes jokes, talks to the audience. The version of This I Love, a hard song to sing, comes out so beautiful that the shivers runs down my spine. All the songs are on a high roll and the audience are going wild for it. At least I know I have to bang like a motherfucker screaming along with all the familiar lyrics.

The band treats the audience on a 3 hour setlist filled with most of the classics and of course the gems of Chinese Democracy.

The band is on fire and I love the band got no shame …. Bumble and DJ pulling kids on stage and let them play guitar. Right how awesome is that ….. and on the other hand being badass Rock ‘N Roll … DJ kicking down the fence towards backstage area and Axl making happy moves with lingerie waving around.

It all comes to a monumental ending with Paradise City, fireworks, pyro’s and confetti, making everybody going wild.

So most of the media …. Who talks about this is Axl on his last breath, being a fat overweight false singing diva, you know who you are….

Why don’t you just FUCK OFF!