2009.12.13 - Olympic Gymnastics Arena, Seoul, South Korea

Are you ready to rock? Guns N’ Roses to hit Seoul

By Kim Hyung-eun

Music fans in Korea often lament that only over-the-hill singers and old school musical acts perform in the country.

That complaint, however, is becoming less and less convincing with A-list acts such as Mariah Carey, Beyonce, the Pussycat Dolls, Lady Gaga and Maroon 5 rolling into town in recent months.

Next month, legendary rock band Guns N’ Roses will visit Seoul for its first gig in Korea.

While some music fans might categorize the group as yet another ho-hum act way past its prime - the band has been around for 24 years, after all - the concert organizer sees it in a different light.

Access Entertainment, which is behind the show, said in a press release that of all the foreign rock bands it has helped bring to town in the past, none have enjoyed as much attention as Guns N’ Roses. Officials believe that the concert will prove to be a satisfying experience for both the older generation that idolized the group in the 1990s as well as the younger generation that has discovered GNR relatively recently.

“Tickets sales have already broken records set by other successful concerts we organized earlier in the year, like the Lady Gaga show this August,” Yvette Moon, a manager at Access Entertainment, said on Monday.

The American hard rock band was formed in California in 1985. The group has six studio releases under its belt and album sales of 100 million. Their albums “Appetite for Destruction,” “Use Your Illusion I” and “Use Your Illusion II” topped major U.S. charts.

Last year, the band released its long-awaited sixth album, “Chinese Democracy,” after working on it for 17 years. In a recent interview, Axl Rose, the leader of the group, said that he is aware that the media and fans had “high hopes” for the album and acknowledged that there were naysayers who doubted the band’s ability to produce. But he said band members were “just trying to do [their] best for the fans and [themselves]” with the newest release.

The concert organizer promises that audiences will hear more than just tracks from the latest album. The band, Access Entertainment said, will play other hit songs in what is the group’s first - and possibly last - concert in Korea.

Guns N’ Roses will perform at 7 p.m. on Dec. 13 at the Olympic Park Gymnasium in southern Seoul. Tickets start at 110,000 won ($95.30). For reservations or more information, call 1544-1555 or check out http://ticket.interpark.com.

Koreatimes wrote:
Guns N’ Roses Keeps Seoul Fans Waiting

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia, Staff Reporter

Guns N' Roses, one of the most popular rock bands of the '80s, finally made it to Seoul for the first time in their 24-year career. But it seemed the American rockers wanted to keep their fans on edge a little longer, hitting the stage Sunday evening two-and-a-half hours after the original 7 p.m. start time.

Around 6,000 fans, according to estimates by concert organizer Access Entertainment, flocked to the Olympic Gymnasium, Olympic Park, southern Seoul.

Most expected the show to start on time at 7 p.m., but organizers informed the crowd at the venue that Guns N' Roses had requested to start the show later. No specific time or explanation was given. Korean band GUMX valiantly tried to pump up the crowd's energy as they performed three songs.

At 9:30 p.m., the lights dimmed and a Leonard Cohen song played on the speakers. Finally, Guns N' Roses appeared on stage, with fireworks and vibrant visuals, to perform ``Chinese Democracy.''

Axl Rose, the lead singer and only remaining original member, came out to show that he still had vocal chops. ``It's very good to be here tonight. Thank you for having us,'' Rose told the crowd.

They performed old hits like ``Welcome to the Jungle,'' ``It's so Easy'' and ``Mr. Brownstone,'' but the set list was dominated by songs from their latest album ``Chinese Democracy,'' including ``Shackler's Revenge,'' ``Street of Dreams,'' ``Scraped'' and ``This I Love.''

To accompany songs like ``There was a Time'' and ``Rocket Queen,'' some videos played on the screen, showing scantily clad women, and violent and sexually graphic scenes.

Rose looked tired and out of breath performing some of the songs. He apologized for ``over-singing'' the song ``Sorry.'' While he can still hit the notes, it was quite obvious that years of a rocker's life have taken its toll on the 47-year-old, who kept changing into shirts that did little to hide his paunch.

The rest of the band ― guitarists Richard Fortus and Bumblefoot, bassist Tommy Stinson and keyboardist Dizzy Reed ― were given their chance to do solo numbers. However, it was new guitarist DJ Ashba that stole the spotlight with his solo number that transitioned effortlessly into ``Sweet Child O' Mine.''

While the fans in front of the stage were obviously enthusiastic and jumping up and down, it seemed the rest of the hall was unimpressed by Guns N' Roses after having to wait for two-and-a-half hours.

Rose made no apologies, but did make a vague reference to being late. ``Come on, tell me the truth, you didn't think I was coming, did you,'' he teased the crowd.

However, the crowd perked up considerably when Guns N'Roses played their biggest hits, including ``Knockin' on Heaven's Door,'' ``Live and Let Die'' and ``November Rain.'' Guns N'Roses closed the show with ``Paradise City,'' after a nearly two hour set.

The band heads to Japan for more concerts as part of their ``Chinese Democracy'' world tour.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr