26. MAY-DECEMBER 2006 - TOURING; IZZY RETURNS AND AXL FIGHTS

Rarely is a show so good and so disappointing. In the first moments, as the spotlights swarmed the crowd and the opening chords of "Welcome to the Jungle" echoed around the arena, a fighting-weight Rose screamed, "Do you know where you are?" and it looked like he was going to pull it off. The years and hours of waiting (G N'R didn't go on until 11:45) suddenly seemed worth it. But the moment faded fast.

As the band wailed through favorites from "Appetite for Destruction" - "Jungle" was quickly followed by "It's So Easy" and "Mr. Brownstone" - cracks started to show. Rose was unhappy with the sound and complained he couldn't hear his vocals. At this point in G N'R's career, sound problems are inexcusable, but perhaps not surprising.

Rose's thin yet still unique voice barely made the list of problems. When you've got a band with no charisma and no personality, mediocre vocals aren't what hold you back. With only Rose left from the original G N'R lineup, the band is a bloated octet of soulless virtuosos.

Once 11:50 pm rolled around, I'm sure many of us were convinced he wouldn't show. We've all the heard the horror stories. Even recently, it was reported Guns N' Roses cancelled their show in Portland Maine because they weren't allowed to drink alcohol onstage. I must say, I was worried.

But after all the waiting, the jeering, and the cheers of anticipation, once the first few bars of "Welcome To The Jungle" came through the speakers, the place erupted. For the next two hours, Axl Rose would have every one of us in the palm of his hand.

Through most of 'Welcome to the Jungle,' it was difficult to even hear Axl's voice over the noise of the crowd. The explosions popped at just the right moments, the crackling noise blasting everyones eardrums as Axl bounded frenetically across the stage. The onslaught of the guitars was even greater than expected, since the band chose to have three guitarists on-stage all at once. Robin Finck and Tommy Stinson were in top form, infusing each song with flashy, screaming solos that screamed 1983.

The concert did have a certain nostalgic feeling throughout, as I guess that's warranted being a Guns N' Roses show. During the sonic, 'You Could Be Mine,' a video screen above showed retro drag racing clips set against changing neon backgrounds. The video illuminated the stage completely as Axl screamed the lyrics to the crowd.

A personal highlight for me was "Mr. Brownstone," a song so obvious in its statement on the struggles of heroin addiction, its almost odd the song has such a raucous feel. The live version was even better than I could imagine. Axl, with his trademark howl blowing through the chorus "No, no, now-oh-oh, he won't leave me alone."

But I'm sure many people who attended this show will say their fondest moment came during the classic 'November Rain,' the rock ballad everyone knows the second it starts. The lights went down and the lighters went up, and the grand piano became the focus of everyone's attention. The crowd sung along with every word too, their hands swaying back and forth. The scene was exactly how I pictured it would be.

It appears for right now at least, Axl Rose and company are exactly where they need to be.

At first the audience refused to welcome us to the jungle, but by the time we took our final bow, it had become paradise city. Although Axl tried to November rain on our parade, no sweet child o' mine can derail the EODM night train. We say live and let die.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT'S GUNS N' ROSES SHOW IN MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN IS CANCELLED

The Guns N' Roses concert scheduled for Milwaukee's Bradley Center on November 29 has been cancelled due to illness. Guns N' Roses front man Axl Rose is suffering from an ear infection and strep throat.

Rose was first diagnosed with the ear infection on the 20th of November in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was seen again by a doctor last night following the band's show in Chicago and ordered to rest for a few days.

The tour will continue as scheduled Friday night in Ames, Iowa at Hilton Coliseum.

Axl Rose commented, "We had a great show in Chicago tonight and had hoped to do a surprise acoustic show afterwards. I have been fighting this off for a long time but the doctor told me tonight that the only way not to jeopardise the balance of the tour is immediate rest. We will now have 3 days off before continuing Friday. We are sorry to miss the fans in Milwaukee."

Ticket refunds are available at point-of-purchase locations.

When fans buy tickets for a show on Friday, they usually assume that the show will start on Friday.

Apparently not in Guns N' Roses' case.

For reasons that were never fully explained, the legendary band didn't take the stage at Hilton Coliseum until 12:32 a.m. Saturday, more than four-and-a-half hours after the concert's listed start time.

By the time things wrapped up at 2:40 a.m., many in the crowd of more than 5,000 had walked out early.

Guns N' Roses had a great night in Ames, Iowa last night. It was fantastic for everyone to get back on stage with Axl, on the road to recovery from the ear infection and the strep throat that caused their Milwaukee show to be cancelled. It was also really positive to have Helmet join the band alongside Suicide Girls, Modern Day Zero and Sebastian Bach after the disappointment that was The Eagles Of Death Metal.

Axl and the band would also like to thank everyone for staying extra late in Ames. They left Chicago in the morning but what was supposed to be a 1 hour plane flight turned into a 12 hour bus ride due to the severe weather that hit Chicago and most of the country. The bus was diverted several times by the police due to major accidents and for a time there was real concern that the band would not make it. In the end it was all good and once again they would like to thank everyone for their patience and willingness to stay up late as well as apologise to anyone that had to leave! They look forward to seeing you over the next few weeks and wishing you Merry Christmas!

Still, I have to ask: Why did we only hear this after the show?

The crew must have known what was going on. There is no way Guns N' Roses members don't have cell phones. The info should have been passed along to the crowd. Maybe something like, "Their bus just passed Tama, so hang in there, everybody."

Instead, the fans got a wall of silence. And strippers.

People were booing. Fans were walking out. A guy behind me was calling for them to burn the place down.

Still, officials said nothing.

Alas, Axl never made the nearly 2 1/2-hour gig. The guy who did emerge on stage to scream, "Do you know where you [expletive] are?" sounded like Rose. He even looked like him, although, thanks to Axl's reclusiveness, no one really knows his look nowadays besides cornrows and pale skin.

But this fill-in guy - let's call him Rose's Bud - was too congenial and way too professional to be the ne'er-do-well Axl we've all come to know. He seemed happy to be back, and he looked to be in better shape than Rose did in 2002 at Target Center, when his 12-years-in-the-making "Chinese Democracy" album was supposedly almost done (it's still not out).

Rose's Bud even generously shared stage time with his bandmates. We all know that the real Axl - who long ago split with GNR's original players - would never do that.

Live Nation and Guns N' Roses have announced that the Guns N' Roses show at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, CA has been cancelled. Sincere apologies go out to all the fans in Fresno who bought a ticket. We hope you can make it to the band's show in Oakland, CA at the ORACLE Arena (formerly Oakland Arena) on Friday night the 15th of December, which will proceed as scheduled. Refunds for the Fresno show are available at point of purchase.

Guns N’ Roses fans were given a rare treat during Friday night’s show at Oracle Arena when Metallica drummer and Bay Area resident Lars Ulrich joined the band on stage for a raucous performance of the classic rocker "Out Ta Get Me."

Ulrich was greeted with a standing ovation from the packed house and got right to work, bashing the drum kit in trademark Ulrich style.

When the song ended, a smiling Ulrich leapt off the elevated drum riser and hugged his old buddy W. Axl Rose in the middle of the stage before bowing to his frenzied local brethren.

It was a monster rock reunion of sorts for Ulrich and Rose, whose legendary bands toured together in 1992 when GN’R was enjoying the success of their Use Your Illusion albums.

Brawls, leather, and $35 T-shirts: What more could you expect from a Guns N' Roses show at the Oracle Arena? Certainly not that the resurrected group would rock as hard as it did. The band has done nothing but plant itself firmly on the butt of a giant joke through the interminably delayed release of Chinese Democracy. And Axl Rose, the only remaining original member, made headlines recently for the rude move of booting the talented Eagles of Death Metal from the current tour. Even diehard fans must've admitted expectations were modest going into the night.

Six hours and 45 minutes later, when the packed concert finally let out at 2:45 a.m., it was a different story. Axl and his new crew of seven musicians -- including one guy on bongos and three lead guitarists needed to take Slash's place -- worked the Roses catalogue from every angle. Skeptics at 8 p.m. were surely singing "Live and Let Die," "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," and "November Rain" as they emerged into the cold and dark Oakland night after GN'R's two-plus hours onstage. Any lingering tension from a series of fights on the floor during the break between Guns N' Roses and opener Sebastian Bach had long since evolved to joy.

Axl's voice may not be as strong as it was at the band's peak fifteen years ago, but he can still dance, and all his trademark moves came out to play. Wearing jeans and a black leather shirt, his red hair tied back in tight cornrows, he disguised his age well. Let's not mince words: Backed by a stable of able musicians, including bassist Tommy Stinson of the Replacements and drummer Lars Ulrich of Metallica, who made a one-song guest appearance, all Axl had to do was sell Guns N' Roses' many hits. And that he did. Three video screens, pyrotechnics (whose heat blasts could be felt a hundred feet away), and an impressive lights display added to the arena rock spectacle. Instrumental covers of Jimi Hendrix' "Angel" and the Rolling Stones' "Angie" rounded off the set with a touch of old-fashioned integrity.

The surprises keep coming for Guns N’ Roses, and the crowd at the Gibson Amphitheatre in the band’s hometown of Los Angeles was in for a big one Sunday night.

For the first time on the North American portion of the latest tour, original Guns member Izzy Stradlin joined the reformed band on stage for five songs.

Stradlin played guitar and sang harmonies with lead singer W. Axl Rose on classics “Think About You,” “Used to Love Her,” “Patience” and “Nightrain,” and he came back for the last song, “Paradise City.”

Stradlin hasn’t exactly been a stranger to GN’R.

He appeared on stage with the band in May in New York shortly after Rose brought GN’R out of the woodwork with a new eight-piece lineup that features three guitarists –- Robin Finck, Richard Fortus and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal.

Stradlin also played with GN’R on a European swing shortly before they began gigging in the United States.

Sunday’s show at the Gibson was the penultimate performance of the two-month North American tour featuring some of the material from the upcoming album Chinese Democracy, which Rose has slated for a tentative March 6 release.

If there are any questions regarding the return of Guns N' Roses, any cynics who still want to doubt frontman Axl Rose, or any suggestions that the current band is but a shell of the former lineup, they can all be laid to rest after Sunday night's (12/17) performance at the sold-out Gibson Amphitheater, in Universal City, CA.

Lay them to rest alongside grunge, rap-rock and emo, and in the vicinity of every other fad that has come and gone since Guns N' Roses last ruled the planet rock more than a decade ago. From top to bottom, the band's first of three nights in Los Angeles offered a two-hour-and-20-minute primer in rock-and-roll retribution, cementing the return of Axl Rose and showcasing a lineup poised to vault Guns N' Roses back atop the hard rock pantheon.

From the moment Robin Finck's truncated guitar riffs shot through the amphitheater like shards of shrapnel introducing "Welcome to the Jungle," a standing room-only crowd of more than 5,000 hinged on every note. Notes that Rose nailed with increasing--and remarkable--proficiency as the late-night set progressed into early morning.

While the iconic frontman has never been known for his range, his performance Sunday demonstrated a vocal maturity that surpassed even the most optimistic of expectations, running the gamut from the seductive color of "Sweet Child 'O Mine," through the pissed-off vehemence of "Out ta Get Me." While he hasn't transformed into a crystal-esque crooner, there was barely a sour note throughout the 20-song set. Clearly, Rose has markedly increased his command over his voicesince the band's L.A.-area show in September (at the KROQ Inland Invasion, their first So-Cal appearance in more than a decade).

"You Could Be Mine" offered an early highlight, the normally sedate L.A. crowd ripping through every word like it was 1992 and Nirvana never existed. Rose offered ample reason to revel, as he cut through a repertoire of now-classic hits like he'd been rebuilt and recharged in his time out of the spotlight, with his comeback, until now, serving as little more than fine-tuning.

It seemed as if nothing would rival the mid-set, epic build of "November Rain," but the fine showings kept mounting, Rose whistling the intro to "Patience" before putting in one of his more memorable performances of the night, then ripping through set closer "Nightrain" as if he had crossed the Hollywood Hills and returned to the Sunset Strip circa the late-'80s. All but the final three songs on Guns' "Appetite for Destruction" debut were performed.

It can be presumed that the five previously-unreleased songs will be heard on the upcoming and long-awaited "Chinese Democracy," which Rose announced last week will be hitting stores March 6. The encore-opening title track was a turbo-charged adrenaline rush befitting of the heaviest "Use Your Illusion" moments, while the Asian-tinged intro to "Better" and the mid-tempo flow of "Madagascar" demonstrated an understanding that while the punk rock madness of the band's early appetites may have been tempered by time, the residual grit is still resounding.

"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" proved a fitting segue into new ballad "The Blues," while "I.R.S." did the same leading into "My Michelle." Opener Sebastian Bach has become a tour fixture on the latter, but the manic, metallic onslaught of the duo sharing lead vocals was quickly overshadowed by the introduction of original GN'R guitarist Izzy Stradlin, who joined the band for "Think About You," "Patience," "I Used to Love Her" and "Nightrain," then returned for the encore-closing "Paradise City."

Of the current band--which features "Illusion"-era keyboardist Dizzy Reed, ex-Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, guitarists Finck, Richard Fortus and Bumblefoot, drummer Frank Ferrer and keyboardist Chris Pitman--Finck, Fortus and Reed each received time in the solo spotlight.

Reed manned a center stage piano as he bled a solo run through The Rolling Stones' "Angie" into the new ballad, Finck did a commendable job of making people forget about founding member Slash with a blues-hued solo that led into "Sweet Child," and Fortus merged an arena-rock shredfest into a blues duet with Finck, and finally into "Out ta Get Me." As could be said of the entire band, each paid dutiful respect to the GN'R legacy without sacrificing their individual flair and unique personalities.

In an era where nostalgia would be just fine, Guns N' Roses circa 2006 deliver much more. Sebastian Bach, meanwhile, knows the power of nostalgia and played it to his advantage in an hour-long opening set that was heavy on Skid Row hits.

Opener "Slave to the Grind" was delivered in double-time, and followed by "Big Guns" and "Here I Am," proved more than capable in engaging the packed house. A handful of new tracks fit nicely with the more recognizable material; "Stuck Inside" and "American Metalhead" (think Judas Priest crashing head-on with Accept) embraced his band's heavy metal mindset, while new ballad "By Your Side" fit better alongside "I Remember You," which proved his strongest vocal showing.

Has it been mentioned that Guns N' Roses went onstage on time, to the minute? Don't bet on that becoming an everyday occurrence, but take this much to the bank: Judging from Los Angeles' response to "Chinese Democracy," another era of Guns N' Roses domination is imminent.

All hail, the triumphant return of Axl Rose.

Axl and co. achieve the impossible December 20th in Los Angeles

Walking into Wednesday’s tour-closing Guns N’ Roses show in Universal City, I had good cause for the skepticism I felt. With only one original member, no new material released in over a decade and a tornado of negative hype surrounding the mere name, the modern version of Guns N’ Roses should, by all accounts, be a recipe for colossal failure. How do you replace the dirty swagger, the serpentine energy, the explosive chemistry of the band that brought an endgame to hair metal? The vacancies left by the original members seem too vast to be occupied by anyone else, and it’s been the upside of a decade since Axl Rose’s signature wailing dominated the rock landscape. I fully expected the same ugly disappointment and vicarious embarrassment I felt while watching G’N’R’s “big comeback” performance on the 2002 MTV Music Awards, where my attention was split between Axl’s surgically altered wax-museum face and his embarrassingly off-key performance.

The sleaze was on ten in the Gibson Ampitheater as openers Suicide Girls slithered through an attempt to pass themselves off as erotic art. Nineties rockers Helmet followed offered a spot-on performance, providing the night’s more biting, darker shades, but were met with a surprisingly lukewarm reception. Third preshow act Sebastian Bach, every bit the venerial Skeletor frontman he was in Skid Row, dominated the stage as if it were his band headlining the bill, swinging his shampoo-commercial hair like it was 1989. With a set clocking in at just over an hour, Bach bled the eighties nostalgia out of the room, but I’ll admit with surprisingly little shame that I rocked the hell out to set-closer “Youth Gone Wild.”

Minutes after midnight, the revving intro to “Welcome to the Jungle” began as the crowd roared their ecstatic approval. We found ourselves strapped in and screaming down memory lane before any of us knew the engine was even running. A focused, happy-looking Axl ran around the stage like he was on fire, howling the theme song to Los Angeles as fists pumped throughout the crowd. Yes, the man actually shows up to his own concerts these days.

The setlist played out less like the “Best of G’N’R” mixtape you made in middle school and more like a greatest-hits collection, flavored with scattered gems from each album and even a few impressive selections from Chinese Democracy, the near-mythical "comeback" Guns N’ Roses record Rose has labored over since the split of the original lineup. Of the new songs presented, the most impressive by far was the tremendous “Better.” Delivered with jaw-dropping power, it’s a classic waiting to happen; beginning as a muted nursery-rhyme melody, it explodes into a fierce, immensely addictive rocker with the blood of Use Your Illusion.

The heat of the pyrotechnic blasts could be felt to the rafters as the band tore through ferocious renditions of “It’s So Easy,” “Mr. Brownstone” and “You Could Be Mine” with sharper and more layered intensity than the original lineup possessed; the trademarked slutty, throbbing energy soaked in Jack Daniel’s replaced with the slick mile-a-minute riffs and technical prowess of the finest musicians money – and the biggest name rock has seen in twenty-five years – can buy.

Axl’s hired hands, the latest entrants in a revolving door of names facing the impossible mission of honorably reviving the G’N’R sound in the 21st century, respectfully did justice to their roles with faithful, colored renditions of the songs that made me believe in rock n’ roll when I was a kid. In what was perhaps a passing attempt lend legitimacy to the atmosphere, original member Izzy Stradlin made an appearance, joining drummer Frank Ferrer, bassist Tommy Stinson, Illusion-era keyboardist Dizzy Reed and guitarists Richard Fortus and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal on a handful of songs. Despite looking out of place and being out of tune onstage, Izzy was warmly welcomed as he contributed an unnecessary third rhythm guitar to a stage already brimming with six-string virtuosos.

A third guitarist stood apart from the others both visually and sonically, effortlessly tearing through every riff and solo like a man possessed; think Jimmy Page on ecstasy. Even after Rose introduced the bearded, sunglass-wearing phenomenon by name, dressed like a cross between Jim Morrison and Chris Robinson, I still couldn’t believe I was looking at Robin Finck. Having proficiently handled axe duties for several years with Nine Inch Nails, Finck looked back then to be something out of the circus of the apocalypse, but the man played like the devil himself. Exuding a confidence no amount of posturing can imitate, he brought a searing intensity to each Guns song with impassioned intricacy and soul. His beautifully shredding five-minute solo following "Better" was a standout performance in a night full of highlights.

Finck was great before his apparent bohemian awakening, but this was something else entirely. He was essentially running through a gallery of world-renowned portraits and landscapes, the best of their time and sacred to many, casting his own colors and impressions onto each canvas. Somehow, blasphemy be damned, he made improvements.

Bumblefoot’s solo instrumental take on “Don’t Cry” was gorgeous enough to substitute for the real thing. However, the pace of the evening stumbled during his failed, entirely- too-long attempt at turning “Mr. Grinch” into a sing-along during one of Axl’s many departures from the stage. How many verses are in that damn song, forty? Points for the green smoke effects, but it would’ve gone over better as just a ten-second teaser.

Visually, the years may have done strange things to Axl Rose, but his signature wailing has never been better. Polished, commanding and in high gear from the start, his delivery only grew stronger as the band moved through an impressively solid set. The infamous temper tantrums of old weren’t at all present; Rose actually laughed at himself for slipping and falling on his ass early on. This man knows he has something to prove, and for a reputation such as his, it’s remarkable to see him actually behaving himself. The guy actually comes off as likable.

Sebastian Bach returned to the stage to share vocal duties on a blistering rendition of “My Michelle,” a appropriately shiteating grin on his face as he traded lines with Rose; after his set earlier in the evening he was offered a major-label record deal. Watch out world, hair metal returns…or something.

The gritty jive of junkie-anthem “Nightrain” closed the first set, explosive and supercharged. Axl’s vocals were again undeniably perfect as he soared through the highest registers without so much as a strained note. The band exited the stage to thunderous applause, but for a production of this scale, nobody expected the night to end there.

Three of the four encore songs were new, presumably a part of Chinese Democracy (due to hit stores on March 6 – allegedly - you know the drill). The first was the grinding, not-quite-epic title track, while “IRS,” another new overdrive-rocker, was more energetic and fun than the studio version circulating around the net. It gives exactly the impression that Rose likely wants: it’s a logical step forward from Use Your Illusion, Rose’s narrative landscape and dramatic flair pushing the envelope just enough to avoid alienating fans. The magnetic pulse of “Madagascar” was irresistible, building steadily toward an epic climax with a “Civil War” vibe.

Red confetti filled the Gibson Ampitheater as the sticky-sweet “Paradise City” brought the show to a close, a wall of sparks showering down behind Axl while he wailed into the mic as if it were only yesterday that he ruled the rock world, white spandex shorts and all. There’s never been any shortness of theatrics associated with G’N’R, but these days costume changes and pyrotechnics replace concert no-shows and childish fits.

The band took a final bow to ear-splitting cheers, every one of them smiling genuinely. The only true, classic Guns N’ Roses was buried before the turn of the century. Nobody’s denying that. Short of a seemingly-impossible reunion of the original members, this is the very closest Rose can come to bringing justice to the name while keeping these songs, these living legends, alive. It’s close enough for me.

Having canceled what was intended to be the remaining four dates of the tour to put the final touches on Chinese Democracy, Axl’s apparent new urgency is a good sign. It would seem that this is the last stretch before we finally hear what’s been in the works for a decade, but don’t hold your breath – it’s been said before. The new tracks are a very promising taste of things to come, and should he finally deliver on this latest deadline, one thing is certain:

2007 will belong to Axl Rose.

Starlift Logistics alleges they were hired to provide transportation and touring services for the band by Black Frog touring and LL Management -- both companies that arrange touring on behalf of Guns N' Roses. Starlift also supplies sets, stage production items and musical instruments.

According to the court document, founding member Axl Rose, and others owe Starlift over $107,000 in unpaid bills.

As previously reported, Velvet Revolver will release an EP titled Harmony and the Tyranny a month before Libertad.

The EP will contain two tracks from Libertad, as well as the TALKING HEADS cover 'Psycho Killer' and a video documentary about the making of Libertad.