GN'R to play 12 shows in Las Vegas

Soulmonster wrote:Bumblefoot told me the song list from earlier in this thread is an "old setlist from years ago".

Commissioner calls ad for Guns N’ Roses concerts ‘inappropriate’

This version of the Guns n’ Roses’ banned album cover is being used to promote its residency at Hard Rock Hotel’s Joint. A more explicit version of the artwork, used on its website, depicts the woman with a breast exposed and her underwear below her knees which, critics say, strongly suggests sexual assault.

By Tom Gorman (contact)

Published Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012 | 1:10 p.m.

A Clark County commissioner said she regrets the commission’s decision to temporarily rename Paradise Road to Paradise City Road to promote Guns N’ Roses concerts because an ad for the iconic group’s concerts depicts what appears to be a sexually assaulted woman beneath the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign.

“Paradise City” is among the band’s best-selling songs. Guns N’ Roses will be resident artists at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel through Nov. 24. Paradise Road runs alongside the Hard Rock.

The ad is a revised version of the group’s banned cover of its first album, “Appetite for Destruction.” The cartoon-like drawing depicts a robotic monster lurking over a skeletal robot, with a disheveled woman sprawled on a sidewalk, her underwear pulled down below her knees and her blouse opened, exposing a breast. The “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign, and another that reads “Welcome to Paradise Sin City” have been added to the drawing for the current concert promotion.

The artwork appears on the group’s website selling tickets to its shows at the Joint, and a somewhat sanitized version — no exposed breast and no underwear — is used in mainstream advertising including newspaper promotions and taxicab placards.

When the Sun posted the story Monday about the street name change, a reader responded, “So with this ad, do you really think violence against women doesn’t resonate? Why would the county commissioners not recognize this demoralization of women and then go ahead and name a street after this band?”

Commissioner Mary Beth Scow, who represented the county at the ceremony commemorating the temporary name change, said she was unaware of the ad promoting the concert that the county was throwing its support behind.

“I hadn’t seen the advertising before the media event,” she said Tuesday. “It’s clearly inappropriate. Maybe it’s the risk of doing business with a rock band, but I guess we’ll have some remorse over this decision. It’s a lesson learned.”

A spokeswoman for Safe Nest, a woman's shelter, said the county should rescind the street name change and that the Joint and the rock band should apologize and stop using the image because it promotes acceptance of violence against women.

"It’s very frustrating to see approval — almost a celebration — of rape and violence against women," said Lisa Lynn Chapman. "Our community has enough issues with domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse and so many other violent issues that to have this being paraded around town on taxicabs and in advertising is very offensive."

Even the toned-down version of the ad reflects violence, because of the torn garments, and allowing that sort of image "makes it easier to perpetuate a culture of violence against women," Chapman said. Guns N' Roses "should not be rewarded (with a street name in its honor) for this kind of insult against our community."

A spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority offered an, “Oh, boy” when told of the promotion's artwork and then deferred to county government officials for comment.

The county prepared a street sign for Paradise City Road for presentation to the group on the assurance that promoters would reimburse the county the $300 cost of making it. There were no plans to actually post the sign on street corners.

Scow said she thought she had done due diligence before attending Monday’s event, saying she even looked to the lyrics of “Paradise City.”

She said she liked the song’s chorus: “Take me down to the paradise city, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty ...”

The Guns N' Roses Residency: 5 Tips If You Are Considering Going
Spencer Patterson
Sat, Nov 3, 2012 (11:54 a.m.)

My full review of Guns N' Roses' show at the Joint last night—the third of 12 scheduled gigs at the Vegas venue—will run in Thursday's print edition of Las Vegas Weekly. But for now, here are five tips for anyone considering attending one of the remaining nights.

1. Rest up beforehand. GNR hit the stage at 11:40 p.m. and played until 2:45 a.m.—three hours and change. In other words, this is not a concert you see before you hit the town. This is your night out, with maybe just enough energy left over for a quick bite at Mr. Lucky's afterward.

2. Don't leave early. At times, you'll be tempted. Stick around. The show's final 60-90 minutes were easily its best stretch, with frontman Axl Rose in far better voice—and seemingly, better spirits—than during the concert's first half. He smiled more, ran faster, interacted with the crowd more often and, most importantly, hit high notes he didn't even attempt early on. "Don't Cry," "Civil War" and "Out ta Get Me" were three late-show highlights, but really, almost every song Rose sang toward the end of the night sounded stronger than anything near the start.

3. Solo songs make for smart bathroom breaks. Five separate times during the show, Rose introduces a member of his band—specifically, in order: Richard Fortus, Tommy Stinson, Dizzy Reed, DJ Ashba and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal—exits the stage and leaves that musician in control for one number. The numbers range from terrible (Bumblefoot's "Glad to Be Here") to acceptable (Stinson's "Motivation"), but are all momentum-sapping indulgences and none qualifies as a must-see.

4. Get on the floor if you can. More than half of the Joint's lower level is seated for this, but though your feet won't like you for it, you should try to get close. I spent part of the night in my seat halfway back, then moved down to the general-admission standing-room section (security stopped checking tickets at some point), and found the sound crisper up there. A floor spot will also afford you a clear view of the band members whenever they ascend two gangways elevated over the crowd and of Rose as he and his grand piano soar up and over the audience during "November Rain."

5. Don't threaten to kill Axl Rose. A woman who apparently did just that—making throat-slashing gestures in his direction from her spot along the second-level balcony—apparently got escorted out, after Bumblefoot noticed her act and grabbed a mic to point her out to security between songs. A Slash loyalist, perhaps ...

Guns N' Roses Show Adverts Removed Following Outcry

Controversial posters advertising Guns N' Roses' upcoming Las Vegas residency have been taken down after campaigners accused them of glamorising rape.

Axl Rose's band is performing a series of shows at the Hard Rock Hotel in Sin City until the end of the month (Nov12) and the concerts have been advertised with an image of a woman who appears to have been sexually assaulted under the city's famous 'Welcome' sign.

The picture appeared on posters, billboards and in newspapers, sparking outrage among anti-sexual abuse campaigners.

Hannah Brook, executive director of The Rape Crisis Center, tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "This type of advertising is simply unacceptable. Not only for just the victims and the message of violence it brings, but also for the community in general. This is not the type of message we want to portray to tourists that are coming to our city. We want them to know it's a safe place to come, and by putting a message out there with Las Vegas above it is concerning."

Bosses at the Hard Rock Hotel have now issued an apology and modified all of the adverts.

A statement from the company reads, "Hard Rock Hotel & Casino regrets that the Guns N' Roses advertising for their current shows has offended any member of the community. The resort has decided to further modify the art and began the process of changing the materials (on Friday)."

The band's shows kicked off at the Hard Rock Hotel on Halloween (31Oct12).

Soulmonster wrote:...and watch out for those night robots.