2006.05.15 - Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, USA

Axl and Co. bring 'Democracy' to New York

Guns N' Roses (Mon. (15), Hammerstein Ballroom, New York)

By Frank Scheck

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - An aging former member of an iconic rock band goes out on the road periodically, bringing along with him an ever-changing lineup of musicians. He plays a generous selection of the beloved vintage hits, along with a smattering of new material that the audience responds to only half-heartedly.

No, it's not Ringo and his All-Starr Band. It's the return of Guns N' Roses, or actually Axl Rose and whoever he happens to feel like playing with at the moment. The last time around, for instance, it was Buckethead on guitar; now it's "Bumblefoot" (Ron Thal), among others.

In the third of four immediately sold-out shows at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, Axl and company delivered a solid and vigorous performance that was all the more remarkable for the fact that it went on at all. Of course, some things haven't changed. The band didn't hit the stage until after 11 p.m., 3 1/2 hours after the doors opened. Presumably, because they went on at exactly the same late hour every night, it was less about unavoidable delays than about building audience anticipation. What, 10 years isn't enough?

Still, all was forgiven, thanks to the group's dynamic presentation of a good portion of one of the most powerful, albeit limited, catalogs in rock history. From the classic opener of "Welcome to the Jungle" and "It's So Easy" to stirring covers of "Live and Let Die" and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" to the extended encore of "Paradise City," the lengthy show touched all the appropriate bases, with the ecstatic fans singing along to every song they could.

The show even included more than a few numbers from the long-gestating "Chinese Democracy," probably the best-known unreleased album ever. While such numbers as "I.R.S.," "Madagascar," "Better" and "The Blues" don't compare to Rose's previous compositions, they're not too shabby either, and they were performed with a fierce commitment indicating that someday we may even get to hear the damn record.

Rose was in uncharacteristically genial and chatty form, cracking jokes, thanking "die-hard" fans for their support and garnering cheers with his mention of a good-luck call from former GNR guitarist Izzy Stradlin. Looking fit and in good voice, the singer, sporting braided hair, proved that he's still capable of recreating his trademark high-pitched yowls and serpentine dance moves.

He was well supported by a lineup that included three -- count 'em, three -- guitarists, who were given ample (if a little too much) time to demonstrate their prowess via extended solos. The fan favorite was clearly Robin Finck, who returned the affection by periodically launching stage dives into the crowd. Also on hand was special guest Sebastian Bach, who showed up to duet with Rose on a rousing version of "My Michelle."

Designed as a warm-up for an upcoming European tour, including two opening slots for the Rolling Stones, the show was unusually lavish for a club date, with extensive use of video screens and pyrotechnics.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Guns N’ Roses: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, Monday May 15

Set aside your cynicism and embrace the return of Axl Rose – bad hair and all

By Elizabeth Goodman

By the third night of Guns N’ Roses’ four-night stint at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom the word is out: Axl is actually in the city, does show up at the venue and is physically and mentally capable of getting through two-and-a-half sweaty hours of gloriously overblown Sunset Strip-style American rock ’n’ roll. Anyone who didn’t get tickets, has to brave apocalyptic rivers of rain to beg for touts’ mercy outside the venue as hyped Welsh rockers Bullet For My Valentine play their opening set inside.

Axl and company let the Hammerstein fill way past capacity while warming up the mix of executive-type grown-ups and preppy frat guys in backwards baseball caps, with a collection of classic rock tunes (AC/DC into Led Zeppelin into Rush). Promptly, at 11 o’clock, the lights dim and the excess begins. Axl takes the stage dressed in elegantly worn, loose-fitting jeans, a leather button-down shirt and a giant silver cross that shows off his suspiciously smooth white-boy chest. The bad news is that Axl still thinks cornrows and ginger-coloured facial hair is a good look; the good news is that he seems to have stopped botoxing the shit out of his face, and the best news is that Axl totally puts out, playing ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, ‘Mr Brownstone’, ‘Live And Let Die’ and ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’. Rumour has it that on the first night, the band performed a substantial amount of new material off the ever-imminent ‘Chinese Democracy’ album, but Axl (who seems to acknowledge that he needs to pay dues before he gets to force-feed the new stuff) changed the set list to include songs NME actually want to hear. The remaining newer material (‘The Blues’, ‘There Was A Time’ and ‘Madagascar’ among other inclusions) is coherently worked into the rest of the set.

Axl has assembled a retardedly-talented group of musicians to help sell his comeback, including mesmerizing principle guitarist Robin Finck (formerly of NIN), who is about seven feet tall and dresses like a goth jockey in white jodhpurs and a black and white mariachi vest. Other noteworthy guests include a disturbingly spry Sebastian Bach from Skid Row, who joins the band for ‘My Michelle’. NME has absolutely no idea why he’s here, but he’s wearing a Ramones T-shirt and it’s awesome.

As amazing as it is to hear set-closer ‘Paradise City’ played live amid clouds of yellow and pink confetti, it’s the quieter moments throughout the night that resonate the most. Seeing Axl nervously sit at his piano and pound out the opening notes to ‘November Rain’ behind a wall of floor-to-ceiling sparklers, it’s hard not to marvel at the long-lost power of the rock ballad. This generation of art-school punks may have the Gang Of Four riff down, but the potency of the badass rocker wailing his heart out for a girl is totally unparalleled. In many ways the current version of Guns N’ Roses is a pastiche, a cheap approximation of the original, with every swivel of Axl’s hips and every would-be Slash solo trying valiantly to measure up to the originals we all secretly love, but frankly the songs are so epic and transcendent and undeniable that it doesn’t matter.