2012.05.20 - ECHO Arena, Liverpool, England

Rock legends Guns N’ Roses to play Echo Arena in Liverpool
May 16 2012 Ellesmere Port Pioneer

GUNS N’ Roses, one of the greatest rock bands of all time, are back and bringing their current tour to the Echo Arena, Liverpool, on Sunday.

It coincides with the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and, as with everything related to Axl Rose and his cohorts, is guaranteed to cause a stir.

In a career spanning more than two decades, they have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and are considered one of the world’s most influential rock bands.

After rising to fame in the late 80s and gaining worldwide recognition with their hit single Sweet Child O’ Mine in 1988, the band went on to release five albums, including the double Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, which was the first in history to walk off with both top spots on the Billboard chart.

Concert Review: Guns N'Roses, Echo Arena
By Jade Wright
May 21 2012

WHEN a band keeps a packed arena waiting for two hours with no apology, they can't be too surprised when people show their disapproval.

By 10.30pm, the audience were getting restless. By 11pm, when the band finally arrived on stage, the boos were becoming louder. So it came as little surprise when, during Welcome to the Jungle, someone launched a plastic cup of liquid over Axl Rose. The singer (and only original member of the band) was less than impressed, threatening: "Don't f*** this up for your friends".

He started the song again, before powering through a greatest hits set of songs that drew heavily on the band's early 90s heyday.

Axl was in astonishingly good voice, a facsimile of his 90s self. The new line-up is filled with talented musicians, and to hear Welcome to the Jungle, Live and Let Die, Sweet Child O Mine, Don't Cry and November Rain played live was almost worth the wait. I say almost . . .

The huge numbers who missed last buses and trains after last night's Guns N’ Roses gig will find little comfort in the tired old rock and roll cliché of singers turning up on stage only when they feel like it.

Writing this review, I was tempted to give the show zero out of ten for the lack of respect the band showed their fans. But that wouldn't give the whole picture.

In truth, Guns N’ Roses haven't put out a decent album since the Use Your Illusion double 21 years ago. In that time, the music industry has moved on; bands are now expected to offer their fans more for their money. A generation ago, they were one of the biggest bands in the world. Growing up, I knew the lyrics to every song.

But now Axl and his new band lumber along like dinosaurs, still filling the set with interminable (albeit technically very good) instrumental solos, which worked when it was Slash, Duff and the rest of them in the band.

But now, with a new line-up, it felt more like a tribute act, a pale imitation of the band that so many of us fell in love with all those years ago.

What remained was a technically proficient recreation, a nostalgia show for diehard fans who don't mind being kept waiting night after night.

But really, they deserve better. And there are plenty of bands out there now who could give it to them.

4/10 Shot in the dark

Angeles_ wrote:
oohh my love .. hope you feel OK now!!

Soulmonster wrote:

Concert Review: Guns N'Roses, Echo Arena
By Jade Wright
May 21 2012

WHEN a band keeps a packed arena waiting for two hours with no apology, they can't be too surprised when people show their disapproval.

By 10.30pm, the audience were getting restless. By 11pm, when the band finally arrived on stage, the boos were becoming louder. So it came as little surprise when, during Welcome to the Jungle, someone launched a plastic cup of liquid over Axl Rose. The singer (and only original member of the band) was less than impressed, threatening: "Don't f*** this up for your friends".

He started the song again, before powering through a greatest hits set of songs that drew heavily on the band's early 90s heyday.

Axl was in astonishingly good voice, a facsimile of his 90s self. The new line-up is filled with talented musicians, and to hear Welcome to the Jungle, Live and Let Die, Sweet Child O Mine, Don't Cry and November Rain played live was almost worth the wait. I say almost . . .

The huge numbers who missed last buses and trains after last night's Guns N’ Roses gig will find little comfort in the tired old rock and roll cliché of singers turning up on stage only when they feel like it.

Writing this review, I was tempted to give the show zero out of ten for the lack of respect the band showed their fans. But that wouldn't give the whole picture.

In truth, Guns N’ Roses haven't put out a decent album since the Use Your Illusion double 21 years ago. In that time, the music industry has moved on; bands are now expected to offer their fans more for their money. A generation ago, they were one of the biggest bands in the world. Growing up, I knew the lyrics to every song.

But now Axl and his new band lumber along like dinosaurs, still filling the set with interminable (albeit technically very good) instrumental solos, which worked when it was Slash, Duff and the rest of them in the band.

But now, with a new line-up, it felt more like a tribute act, a pale imitation of the band that so many of us fell in love with all those years ago.

What remained was a technically proficient recreation, a nostalgia show for diehard fans who don't mind being kept waiting night after night.

But really, they deserve better. And there are plenty of bands out there now who could give it to them.

4/10 Shot in the dark

Read More http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-entertainment/echo-entertainment/tm_headline=concert-review-guns-n-roses-echo-arena%26method=full%26objectid=31013296%26siteid=100252-name_page.html#ixzz1vUrxlBSl

The reviewer seems a little pissed about waiting . But did they really have to wait for two hours after Thin Lizzy finished their set? Or could it be that the reviewer just came for the GN'R show and used the stated time at the ticket as the benchmark?

Johan wrote:I read somewhere else that Thin Lizzy stopped at 9:30 and GNR started at 10:50.