2012.11.02 - The Joint, Las Vegas, USA

Guns N Roses takeover Las Vegas
Posted on November 4th, 2012

Guns N’ Roses are doing a residency at the Joint (Hard Rock Hotel) in Las Vegas, Nevada. They started Halloween night and plan to do about 12 shows through November 24. Being a long time fan, I had to see one. I thought the intimate setting would make for a cool “club” type show something I had always wanted to see. The current version of Guns N’ Roses are a blast live too. W. Axl Rose continues to front the band that changed rock n roll in the 80s with its release of Appetite for Destruction. The album is hailed as one of the best rock cds ever made something I totally agree with. The album is everything that rock n roll should be. It is raw, powerful and the real deal. The band reached amazing heights with that cd and would release other cds, but would later break up due to different artistic directions. Axl wanted to go in a new direction and Chinese Democracy would be the outcome of that vision. I honestly think it was never given a fair shake and was continuously compared to Appetite, which it wasn’t. I think it is a powerful rock record as well and the music always sounds great live. The current version of the band is filled with top notch players too. With their combined talents, the band blasted through the killer catalog of Guns old and new. They did not disappoint the Joint either. The November 2nd show was serious fun. They played from about 11:30pm to almost three in the morning. They had everything a fun live rock n roll should have – a cool stage setup, a suspend able piano that flew over the crowd, huge fireworks, crazed fans, and an awesome sounding live performance from the band. From the first chords of Chinese Democracy, they seemed to get more and more into it. Axl seemed to be having a great time and you saw many smiles from the whole band that night. They seemed to really find their groove and even played some cool covers for fun. Dizzy Reed for one did a cool piano rendition of Led Zeppelin’s No Quarter. The band jammed Riff Raff by ACDC, which was a total blast. In the end, they gave their fans their monies worth and even at the late hour left their fans wanting more. I personally left the show satisfied of a great night of music and overall felt like going down to Vegas was well worth it. If you can go and see a Guns show at the Joint while they are there and I promise you will not be disappointed.

Guns N’ Roses relentlessly rocks crowd
Written by: Adwoa Fosu on November 5, 2012

Las Vegas got a taste of democracy this weekend as rock and roll legends Guns N’ Roses played the first weekend of their nearly month-long “Appetite for Democracy” show at the Joint at the Hard Rock.

Door time was scheduled for 1 p.m. and soon local heavy metal band 333 kept the crowd alive (barely), going until about 11:20 p.m. as we waited for the headliners to arrive.

There was a dull moment after 333’s performance as the stage crew set things up for GN’R. It wasn’t until 11:40 p.m. when Axl Rose, in all of his fashionably late glory, finally appeared on stage to open with “Chinese Democracy,” the title track off of their 2008 album.

Decked out in a black cowboy hat, black leather jacket, and ripped blue jeans, Axl pranced excitedly around stage much to the delight of the crowd, who had been waiting hours just to see him.

Being the only remaining member from the original GN’R, I was surprised by how well Axl was able to perform classic songs such as “Welcome to the Jungle” after all these years. His band, which consisted of guitarists Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and Richard Fortus, among others, kept the crowd jumping on their feet as they backed Axl’s strong vocals. For such a portly man, he did a great job of singing and dancing at the same time.

For the most part, there was a smooth transition between songs. Axl shimmied his way through tunes such as “It’s So Easy” and “Rocket Queen” before taking little breathers here and there. In one such absence, Richard Fortus performed a guitar rendition of “Blacklight Jesus of Transylvania.” While the performance demonstrated his great range and skill as a guitarist, it wasn’t enough to keep everybody on their feet (many who had seats took Foster’s solo as an opportunity to sit down and rest or to go grab some beers).
Guns N' Roses

Axl returned to perform a cover of Paul McCartney and The Wing’s “Live and Let Die”, along with a couple of other songs, before turning the mic over to bassist Tommy Stinson, who performed “Motivation.” Again, this was another good solo performance, but seeing as the performer wasn’t Axl Rose, many in the crowd took it as an opportunity to relax. The show carried on this way for much of the night, with Axl sharing the spotlight with members of the band.

In terms of special effects, the show was quite dizzying. Literally. Some of the songs were accompanied by bright, flashing lights that sometimes made it difficult to look at the stage for too long. Other songs were spiced up with pyrotechnic effects that left the crowd gasping for air due to the breathtaking display and/ the light cloud of smoke that settled over the showroom afterwards. The special effects did work to make some of the performances more memorable, though. For example, Axl’s performance of “November Rain” probably wouldn’t have stuck in my memory if it hadn’t been accompanied by an image of him floating above the crowd, playing the piano.

Overall, “Appetite for Democracy” was an enjoyable show that included music spanning the nearly three decades of GN’R’s existence. Axl Rose and the band proved that they were worth waiting on. True fans of GN’R won’t be disappointed, especially when Axl launches into classics such as “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “Paradise City.” The show runs through Nov. 24 with tickets starting at $61. Those who choose to attend should be advised to get plenty sleep beforehand; the show runs until almost 3 a.m.