New Guns almost as good
- Sarah Rodman, Boston Herald

Guns N' Roses, at the FleetCenter, last night.

It was better than most people probably expected it would be, but not quite as amazing as it could've been.

You didn't have to be a fanatical Guns N' Roses purist to look at the disparate collection of musicians who arrived onstage 90 minutes late at the FleetCenter last night and think that, as good as the new guys are as players - and some of them are amazing - the blood, sweat and tears connection to the music just wasn't there.

But even though the eight men onstage looked like they all belonged to different bands - which most of them used to - they still managed to hit some ferocious hard rock heights that had the surprisingly packed arena screaming themselves hoarse, perhaps getting out all the howls they've stored up over the last 10 years waiting for the return of the L.A. rockers.

Given his dismal performance at the MTV Music Video Awards it was a thrill to hear Axl Rose - in a genial, goofy mood - hitting those familiar high notes as he asked the audience, ``Do you know where you are?'' in the full throttle opener ``Welcome to the Jungle.'' He also snagged every shredded whoa-oh-oh during ``Sweet Child O' Mine'' and ably whined his way through the grandiose ballad ``November Rain.''

The 40-year-old Rose - who sported Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins jerseys throughout the night - proved he's in fighting shape as well, careening around the stage, jumping off platforms and generally flailing about as he worked out the gruff growls of the galloping ``It's So Easy'' and the fiery boogie of ``Mr. Brownstone.''

A few new tunes, from the long-in-coming Chinese Democracy album, made it into the set including the lilting ``Madagascar'' and the anthemic title track.

Each of the guys in the band held their own, bringing precision to the proceedings with special kudos going to the three guitarists - Robin Finck, KFC-bucket adorned axeman Buckethead and Richard Fortus - who took turns playing Slash's familiar, searing licks and monster drummer Brian Brain Mantia.

At midnight, as this was still being written, Buckethead had just finished up his bizarre midshow guitar solo/nunchucka display/robot dance/Star Wars Theme recital and the band had kicked into ``Chinese Democracy,'' the 13th song of what was reportedly a 16-song set.

Although to some fans, the GNR onstage last night at the Fleet was only an incredible simulation, it was a convincing re-enactment for the nostalgic and appreciative crowd.

Guns N' Roses take Boston By Storm... Sort Of...
- "Harry Ragsdale," Bentley College Vanguard

Thank you God! For more than eight years, I have waited for Guns N' Roses to return to the music scene. The last time America heard from Axl Rose was 1992 when Guns N' Roses and Metallica toured together. After eight years, one has to wonder... what has Axl been doing with his time?

One thing is for sure: Axl has been consuming a hell of a lot of calories. Prancing around on stage in baggy Boston sports team jerseys, Axl looked to have added two bills to his frame. While not eating everything in sight, Rose has taken the time to work on a new album and even replace his entire band. Out are the classic days where a much thinner Axl, Slash, Matt, Dizzy, and Duff ruled stages across America. These days, Rose roams the stage with bassist Tommy Stinson, guitarist Paul Huge, keyboardists Chris Pittman and Dizzy Reed (the only other original member), drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia, guitarist Robin Finck, and guitarist Buckethead.

That's right. Simply "Buckethead." For those who have never seen this man, picture someone wearing a Jason Voorheese mask with a KFC bucket on their head. Add the fact that this creature is almost seven feet tall (without the bucket) and has some of the longest fingers ever- you have Buckethead.

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I went to the show. Would they be as good as they once were? Would Buckethead and Robin Fink be able to pick up where Slash left off? The answer is yes and no. Rose sounded pretty good on stage as he belted out such hits as "Welcome to the Jungle," "Mr. Brownstone," "Sweet Child O' Mine," and "November Rain." However, where they fall short is the fact that Slash is no longer with the band.

Currently, Buckethead and Robin Finck (ex- Nine Inch Nails) share lead guitar duties throughout the set. In his defense, I will say that Buckethead did an exceptional job, nailing all of his parts precisely. Fink on the other hand left a lot to be desired. The best course of action would be for Axl to fire Robin Fink and let Buckethead control the lead guitar duties. Almost every song in the set was flawed because of Fink's inability to properly nail a guitar solo like it was originally intended. Realizing that this was a concert and bands usually sway away from their original recordings, I cut the guy some slack, but when you are dealing with Guns N' Roses classics, nothing but the best will do, and in the case of Robin Fink, he falls way short of the best.

Overall, Guns N' Roses put on a killer show. Between the classic songs, the pyrotechnics, and Rose's signature vocals, Guns N' Roses delivered what fans have been wanting for years. If you didn't see the show, you might be out of luck. Considering that Rose is a general recluse and the fact that their upcoming album, Chinese Democracy might never find store shelves, you might be out of luck for a while. However, if the band decides to roll through Boston in the future, you should stop what you are doing and make time to attend the spectacle that is Guns N' Roses.

AF Grant's Review

Axl's Tribute To GNR

I went to see Guns N' Roses (aka Guns and Poses) expecting to see a train wreck and hoping for the excitement of a riot but what I got was a great concert. I saw them back in their peak when they toured with Metallica in the early 90's and I swore I wouldn't see them again because of all of Axl's prima donna crap. But I am a sucker for hype so I did buy tickets. This shouldn't really be called GNR anymore since it has just one founding member - Axl Rose, backed up by a new band of seven - including the infamous Bucket Head. A guitarist who plays with a KFC bucket on his head, a mask covering his face and even sports a cape. It is more accurate to consider this band a fantastic Guns N' Roses tribute band.

Axl has a long history of starting shows late so we didn't bother rushing in. Caught the last couple songs of opener CKY (Camp Kill Yourself) which left no impression on me. Then came Mix Master Mike - the DJ for The Beastie Boys. It was pretty cool at the start when he was messing with some White Zombie, Rush, Disturbed and Zeppelin - but then it dissolved into some lame sort of Herbie Hancock show. He rescued his set by the end with some Metallica - and was promptly booed when he mixed out of the Metallica.

After an hour plus of girls showing their breasts - and everything else for that matter - for the cameras, the lights finally went down and the opening tease of "Welcome To The Jungle" was heard at 10:45pm and the place went absolutely nuts.

They played a solid two hour blistering set consisting of almost the entire Appetite for Destruction album. Axl caught a lot of flack for his recent appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards where he was often out of breath and singing poorly. But he rocked last night. He never stopped moving, running from side to side of the stage and doing all the patented Axl slithering dance moves. He never had any sort of tantrum and sounded surprisingly strong. He was smiling and laughing often and poked jokes at himself referring to his reputation of being quite an ass hole and even spoofed his own moves by breaking into the Curly Shuffle at one point. But I must say his face looks pretty bizarre - it looks to me like his hole head is just plastic. Maybe he is trying to turn himself into Michael Jackson. He started the night in a Red Sox shirt and changed into Celtics and Bruins attire before the night was through. But "Hello Axl"! The Patriots are world champs - show them a little love next time.

The stage was a very cool three tiered set with multiple video screens, mega pyro and a very cool "bullet-time" photo setup like in the Matrix. The front center of the stage had a semi-circle of track that housed a moving camera that allowed moments to be frozen in time and shown from multiple angles. Have never seen this used outside of a movie before -- very cool.

FloydDoorz's Review

OK, so here goes... Here is the setlist, the order is probably not 100% correct, I was gonna bring a pen so I could write it down but I forget. An * will depict songs I'm not sure if the order is right.

1. Welcome to the Jungle
2. It's So Easy
3. Mr. Brownstone
4. Live and Let Die
5. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
6. Think About You*
7. Out Ta Get Me*
8. Robin Finck Solo/Sweet Child Of Mine*
9. You Could Be Mine*
10. Madagascar*
11. November Rain*
12. My Michelle *
13. The Blues *
14. Chinese Democracy *
15. Buckethead Solo/Rocket Queen
16. Patience
17. Night Train
Encore - Robin Finck Solo/Paradise City

I had 4 tickets but 2 people bailed on me about week or two before the show. I wasn't able to sell them off since everyone I know is broke, so I ended up trading them to a scalper for 2 tickets in a better section... it still wasn't floor but it was a huge step up. I ended up with Loge 1 seats, which are in the area immediately surrounding the floor and dead center. They would have been ultra kickass seats for a basketball or hockey game, but they were definitely good for the concert too. The Boston Globe said 12,700 people showed up. The place definitely looked full, there were lots of people in the cheap seats. Capacity for a hockey game at Fleetcenter is about 17,600. I'm not sure what rock concert capacity is, probably less because of the stage. I would say the place was about 90% full when GN'T finally went on, but it's hard to tell. There were no big empty sections, just the odd empty seat every so often. I'm pretty sure the show sold out, so I guess scalpers had all those empty seats. The tickets said showtime 7:30 PM. CKY went on at 7:55 and played til about 8:20. Then Mixmaster Mike came on at 9 and played til about 9:50. Axl came out at 10:40 and they played til 12:50.

CKY - Had some good riffs, but overall they were just ok. They didn't really suck, but they weren't spectacular. You couldn't understand the singer most of the time. They had one song about sorrow. That was the only one I could understand.

Mixmaster Mike - Weird. He started off mixing White Zombie's Thunderkiss 65... He did some Rush, Jane's Addiction, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, and Beastie Boys too. He also mixed a lot of rap too, and that's not really my thing. Some of the people on the floor seemed to be digging it, the people in my section weren't.

GN'R - The important part. The band sounded great and so did Axl. Other people have said this, but it can't be said enough, don't judge Axl's voice by the VMA performance. He sounded strong and he didn't hit any of those horribly sour notes that he did at the VMAs. The band had a panel of screens behind them that showed images during the show, it was pretty cool. There was lots of lights and occassional pyro. Axl was definitely in a good mood. After they played Madagascar, he said something about playing hits and they brought out a piano for Axl. So of course, everyone is expecting November Rain. Instead Axl, starts fucking around on the piano playing some weird upbeat thing and then he starts to sing."You are an asshole and everyone knows its, and when you're an asshole..........Oops, wrong song." And then they launch into November Rain, it was pretty damn funny. Sound was still an issue, not as much as other people seem to say it was at other shows. Axl would occassionally get buried by the music.I think part of it was just Axl running around. If you've seen the Tokyo tapes, it was kinda like that only his voice wasn't all raspy and icky on the ballads. Axl was very hard to understand when he was talking. This was a sound system issue, not Ozzy syndrome. At one point he discussed some article that apparently was in a local paper (I didn't see it and he didn't mention the paper by name) that I guess talked about the old days of Guns N' Roses and Izzy needing roadies to stand behind because he coulnd't hear himself. Axl said that wasn't why they had roadies stand behind Izzy. He said basically that Izzy was usually too fucked up to play and he'd either play the wrong song or the wrong key and he'd try to turn his amp really loud. So, the only way the other guys could do a show was if they had roadies stand behind Izzy and turn his amp down. He also joked about British Columbia. Nice weather, good people. The tour got off to a smashing start. The band was very energetic and really into the music. They may be hired guns, but they were playing like they were having fun, not like they were waiting for their next paycheck. Buckethead was barely noticable. He spent alot of the show standing off to the side or on the second level while Tommy, Richard, and Robin roamed the stage and rocked out. If Buckethead didn't have his weird but kinda cool solo thing, I probably would have forget he was there. Overall it was a great show and I'm glad I went.

Random things:

Axl started off in Red Sox shirt and later switched to a Paul Pierce Celtics shirt and then a Bruins Jersey. When he came out for the encore, he had the Sox shirt on again. I was expecting him to come out in a Patriots jersey since he had already done the other 3 major teams. I guess either he couldn't obtain a Brady jersey at the Fleetcenter Pro Shop or he forgot he wore the Sox shirt already. That, or he's bitter about the Raiders' loss to the Patriots in that snow game last year.

The lights went off after every song, I've heard all the stories and every time I was afraid Axl was going to leave. But he didn't. :)

Axl left the stage during almost all the solos, it was very striking. He must have been getting water or drugs or something.

The Fleetcenter stopped serving beer at 9:45, about an hour before Axl went on. Usually the stop at midnight. Rumor has it they were afraid of a riot. I like to be sober for concerts anyway, so I can remember them, so I didn't really.

The show ended at 12:50, 20 minutes after the trains stop running in Boston. The transit authority was smart enough to realize they could make money by holding some trains, so there wasn't a problem. Otherwise thousands of people would have been stranded in Boston. North Station deserves a good smashing, but I guess it's for the best we didn't have a reason to riot after the show.

We definitely got the good Axl in Boston, not the evil one who storms off stage, punches security guards, and causes riots. I am so glad I went.

gnfnr2k's Review

ok im really tired but im going to write a quick review and i hope this makes sense

The fleet center was packed, it was a near sell out, very few empty seats, and i would think they were sold but the scalpers couldnt sell them.

First off, cky they sucked. Nuff said. Mix master mike, i was very impressed. I didnt think i was going to like him but he was really good. It takes a lot of talent to do what he does, and i liked it.

I rant into killing vector in his BH custom, it was great, he got a lot of comements and he has a funny story to tell you all, but i wont ruin it for him, ill let him tell it. My brother and I talked to him for 1/2 the nite and he was very cool.

I ran into ang and bonnie, let me just say WOW!! you two are very pretty and your hair was cool.

Tomass, i saw you for a few and im sorry we didnt get to chat, i hope u are glad you went to the show.

My michelle, it was nice meeting you and talkin to u for a few, and did i see you flash? OR was that someone else?

I think that is everyone i ran into, if not, sorry im just tired.

Now on to the show. all i have to say is, this is thebest concert i have ever gone to. Before tonite i thought tool was (2 mons ago) but this band has come along way since rio.

Axl was wearing a red sox jersery then he changed into celtics jesery, then finally into a bruins jersery. Axl sound better than ever, and the bootlegs dont do him justice. HE sounds better than he did back in late 92/ early 93.

HE was running around like a mad man, people around me where like DAMN axl sounds great and i cant belive he is running around like that.

Axl's mic was turned up very loud and you could hear him perfect, there was NO audio problems at all.

Axl had a few rants, the one about Vancover, the reviews about the songs sounding dated, and one im sorry to say about Izzy. HE said, izzy was always pissed he couldnt hear himself, but that is because the tech would always turn is amp down bc he was always so far gone he would be playing the wrong song in the wrong key.

Axl seemed in a great mood and he was very playful. HE did that piano thing where he looks at teh crowd and people loved it. HE also kept doing this little dance (of joy) and people got a kick out of it.

I was very impressed with axl everyone else was also. I have never heard a crowd THAT loud before for a show, i have been to over 50 shows and this the crowd was really into it.

BH was wearing all black. His solo was awesome, and everyone seemed to love it, esp when he played starwars, and someother song, whihc i forget the name, He then started handing out toys. His robot dance was great too and the crowd ate it up.

He was dead on tonite and sounded great, i think everyone was amazed how great this guy was, and he got the loudest ovation when axl was going thru band intros.

For the people that think BH doesnt do much, he was running round the stage like a mad man, even amost tripped a few times too.

Robin was wearing a white suit, he played pretty good, but he fucked up his nov rain solo and one other. HIs first solo i thought was ok but his 2nd the one before PC was awesome. Finck is getting better at playing the old songs, he didnt fuck up LALD, he playedthat perfect which i was inpressed with. Another thing which stuck out. Im not sure if it has always been this way, but BH took the first two SCOM solos and robin had the last. I could have swore before it was reversed. BTW robin played the into perfect, i know on a few of the boots he fucked them up but tonite he played it great.

Fortus, i forget what he was wearing, but he reminds me of izzy. He played pretty damn good but he to fucked up his Nov rain solo. I dont know what it was with that song on this nite but robin and richard messed up. My bro even told me, that didnt sound right. ABout the YCMB into, i dont know if they fucked up or changed it, but it didnt different, but after the into it was played flawelessly.

Tommy was wearing all plaid, and he seemed to have he most fun. He looks like he really enjoys being up there and he played the songs very well and i didnt hear him fuck up once.

Brain, ihave no clue what he was wearing but he didnt fuck up once, he sounded great.

Dizzy and Chris, i also forget what they were wearing but t hey did a good job.

All i have to say is, people really need to go see this tour. They new band is IMO better than the old band. They played the songs pretty much prefect with just a few ruff spots but that is the beaty of playing live. If this show doesnt get a great review then who ever gives it should be fired. The whole band has now gelled and they sound great together. The new band played PC better than the old band. DAmn this song with 3 guitarist sound very powerful.

About the new songs, the crowd was realy into them and they were well recieved. I did see a few people singing along to them.

After the show, going outside, everyone was screaming and cheering, Axl is fucking back and axl sounded great etc etc.

That is my review for now the set list was the same but there were in a diff order than most shows IE KOHD was one of the first songs played.

If i had to rate this show id give a 9.5/10 I would have given it a 10/10 if they had nailed Nov rain.

I loved this show, and i only wish i was going to see them in ct or ny.

killingvector's Review

Ok, just got back. What a great time I had at this show. Met alot of people from the GnR message boards and had a great time.

As Dave mentioned I dressed as Buckethead for the show, had my KFC medium bucket, mask, yellow slicker, wig and all. As i am walking into the arena, people are yelling, "HEY Buckethead!!!" Some guys asked me what time i was going on sarcasticly...i motioned with my hands 10:30. I was pretty close. Security was tight, they searched me, i had to ditch my backpack because of it. As i am walking thru the arena People begin high fiving me, yelling and laughing. It was such a rush, walking around a crowded arena masked. Very liberating.

As i settled into my seat, random people start coming up to me asking me questions. I brought my Catcher in the Rye novel and some guy wanted a book report of why i have it at a GNR show. He didn't even know about Buckethead...."why are you in a KFC bucket?" he asks. Several people asked me also...i just said hold on and wait. Some guys followed me into the bathroom at one point as i walked around, yelling "Bucket-head where are you going? Why are you out of the coup?" silly people.

Fleetcenter was close to sell out, probably 95% full, if not full.

I met Dave and his bro. Such awesome guys. Exchanged funny stories, enjoyed the snickering behind us about my costume. it was awesome.

CKY: the crowd barely responded to them. The singer is pretty good but the sound is so distorted you couldn't really pick out a melody or hook. Too bland and undistinctive. The lead guitarist was an ass, wearing a G.G. Allen shirt and asks if the crowd knew who they were. He did all this cliche shit, guitar spins, windmill, points to the ceiling, jumping....he just sucks. I was happy when they left the stage. Crowd cheered when the CKY banner was torn down.

Mix Master Mike: Came on in a #34 Paul Pierce Jersey. He got the crowd moving by playing a bunch of noteworthy tunes, Beastie Boys, Metallica, Led Zeppellin, Jane's Addiction. He is very talented guy. The stage set up here sucked, two robot balloons on either side of his lighted dj booth. kinda silly. It got tiring but he was entertaining to watch.

T& A show: Next came the boobs. The camera focused in on girls with tiny tops and asked them to show their boobs. Many girls did this. One girl shows her tits and this guy grabs them twice with his hands. Axl voice comes on a few minutes later and says we can look at the titties but don't touch. One chick even shows her pierced vagina....ugh.......

Next, the concert was awesome. Probably on par with Vegas, but the lack of intimate setting hurt it a little. Axl's voice was awesome, strong and vibrant. Sound was good with a few gaps...

Stage Set up

two elevated wide screens for audience. 3 huge stage screens. Stage had three levels: main level, drum level, and beyond drums. Two side stairways on either side. chinese writing on banners in back.

set list

WTTJ with Buckethead doing solo
It's so Easy
Mr. Brownstone with Finck doing solo
Live and Let Die with finck army hat and solo
Knockin' on Heavens Door
Think about You with Fortus solo
You Could be Mine with Buckethead doing solo
Finck solo and Sweet Child O Mine with Buckethead/Finck solos
Out ta Get Me with finck and bucket doing solos
Madagascar with buckethead solo
Axl piano
November Rain with fortus, finck, and buckethead solos
Band Intro
Buckethead Dance and Solo and Gift Giving
Rocket Queen with fortus solo and buckethead bridge
The Blues with finck solo
Chinese Democracy with finck and bucket solos
Patience
Axl rant about Izzy
My Michelle with bucket solo
Nightrain with great great bucket solo

Encore
Robin Finck solo
Paradise City all hell breaks lose. finck and bucket duelling solos.

The Players

Axl- Great voice, tireless energy. He runs more than any front man. Started with Red Sox home white jersey, no name or number and black pants. For SCOM, switched to Pierce #34 Celtics jersey with white under shirt. for Rocket Queen, he wears numberless Boston Bruins hockey jersey, home white. Ends with Red Sox jersey again.

Note: no Patriots jersey probably due to the controversial NE Patriots win over Oakland Raiders in playoffs last year

also no bandana, exposing a possibly thinning hairline, i don't know.

Tommy Stinson: blue and red plaid suit. Later takes off jacket showing suspenders and white tee shirt.

Robin finck: cool outfit. silver shiny suit. He has a blue cravate, silver vest and white long sleeve shirt underneath. Hair up under black hat, switches to army helmet, then later let's hair down.

Brain: fishing style hat, has goatee now. Wore green and white plaid shirt.

Richard Fortus:grey suit with a black shirt. Later a University of Zimbabwe shirt

Buckethead: Looks like overalls, but it is blue jacket and matching pants. cape is really apron tied backwards around his neck. Can see the strap on his bucket. Cool.

Dizzy Reed: had MIA/POW shirt.

chris Pittman: white shirt, "flock of seagulls" hair cut. quoting a friend of mine.

1. My impression is that the band is clicking. The solos are being shared nicely between finck, bucket, and fortus (who is becoming a great guitarist in this band). Axl's voice was strong and he ran around so much no one can question his vigor.

2. The audience didn't respond much to the new songs, me and a guy from the gnrx.com board were the only ones singing them alot. Many people just sat down during Blues, Madagascar, and CD not paying much attention. bastards.

3. During knockin' on heavens door, axl comes to my side of stage, points in my direction and pats his head. I quickly begin taking off and putting on my bucket rapidly. He starts mimicing the motion!!! Axl saw and acknowledged me !!! it was so awesome that he really demonstrates that he cares about the people in audience. Cool.

4. Rant about izzy: Axl begin by talking about an article that said that Izzy Stradlin couldn't hear himself when he was in GnR. Axl quickly denounced the Izzy is a victim statement, by saying that roadies would stand behind izzy at concerts. Izzy was "wacked out of his mind", would begin playing the wrong songs, and the roadies would turn down his amp so his bad playing wouldn't be heard.

Bonnie Marko's Review

So I just got back from the Boston show at the Fleet Center. In a word, it was great. I forgot to bring a pen so I don't have the setlist, but I'm sure that will be posted a lot anyway. Instead I'll just post my observations:

Dress:
Axl wore Red Sox (booo!!!), Bruins, and Celtics jerseys (that's enough of that - if hes not wearing tight spandex or little to no clothing, I have no interest in his dress =p)
Tommy wore his checked outfit.
Buckethead wore all black with a gray cape.
Robin wore a tight white suit which I enjoyed (maybe its just the Jimmy Page fan in me)
Dizzy wore a POW MIA shirt I believe. With those cool dreds, who cares what shirt he has on?
Chris & Brain I couldn't see well enough.
Fortus wore some suitlike outfit I believe.

Audience:
The Fleet Center seemed pretty packed - not so much that I wasn't able to *upgrade* my seats a little, but the crowd was quite an impressive sight. And most people were standing during the entire show. There were those who sat down during The Blues, but I noticed some of them then stood up for Chinese Democracy. I also saw a few KFC buckets in the crowd (one guy was in full Buckethead dress - quite impressive, and I believe he had some people fooled for a little). Then of course there were some Slashes. I'm surprised that I didn't see any Axls, though my friend and I both did our hair in braids in honor of him. :)

Lemme tell you, Bostonians know how to have a good time. Prior to GN'Rs set the cameraman kept the crowd busy by scanning for flashing girls, which is always fun for the whole family. People were pretty respectful of the opening acts - there were some who booed during CKY's set and cheered when their stage setup was taken down, but people seemed to really enjoy Mix Master Mike. And of course, the crowd seemed really into GN'Rs set, and I think Axl liked us as a result. After all, he did a fair amount of talking...

Axl's speeches
At first Axl's speeches were short - a thank you here and there, always cutting it short with a "without further ado..", but he did make some comments. At one point he said how critics had remarked that the material sounded dated, to which he replied "No shit. That's the point". He did the band intros & gave a long one for Buckethead before his solo (very cute, about his "upbringing"). A few times he did some impressions (either that, or just talking in that voice he gets when he imitates people), but I couldn't understand what he said. Once he stopped and said hey to us all...in a joking, caring voice he asked us how we've been, remarked that it's been a long time since weve seen each other and we look good. Very cute. Another time he also started by saying that he'd like to talk about some of his old friends, at which point you could actually hear people in the crowd go "oh no...", although of course we wanted to hear what he'd say. He said how Izzy had said he couldn't hear himself when he played on stage. Axl explained that that was because Izzy was usually so messed up on drugs that he'd be playing completely different songs on stage, so he'd go to his amp and turn it up, then when he turned his back to it these roadies who were waiting by his amps would turn them back down. Axl seemed in a good mood when telling this story - at least, he was laughing as he was telling it.

Songs/Band:
I really enjoyed the new songs live. I still would love to hear OMG and Rhyad (Rhiad? Rhyiad?) live though. There were points in songs where the CD or former live versions would have that patented Axl screech, which is missing now. But besides that, his voice still sounds great. I really enjoyed Buckethead's solo - cool guitar playing, and the dancing, etc only won me over more to his quirkiness. I also liked Robin's solos, I enjoy his style of playing. Fortus is just all over the place! Does Chris really need a keyboard that bends over like that? I thought I read that they now play Rocket Queen with a funky interlude, but they didn't do anything like that tonight. Axl is the one I was focused on the most. After years of watching videos of him perform live, I guess I had a certain expectation of the kind of charisma he'd exude when I actually saw him in person. The old Axl had more of a recklessness about him in that exciting yet dangerous sense that you didn't know if he'd make it out alive. Well, he has, and he's matured, and now we seem to see less anger and more of that offbeat sense of humor of his, which is probably a good thing for his well-being. Essentially, he's obviously not the man he was years ago, but hes still one hell of a frontman!

Overall, I think this was a great show for all in attendance. The best part about it, is that I get to relive it in a few days at MSG!!! :)

Maneatingcow's Review

First of: Both of the opening acts suck. I didn't care for CKF or whoever the hell they were, and "Mix Master Mike" gave me a headache.

GNR didn't come on the state til about 10:45, and it seems that this has been the case at most shows. I'd suggest skipping the show til about 10, check in and see when mike comes on and what not.

As far a the actual GNR show goes - BLOODY GREAT!

This shit with Axl's voice being shot is about as exxagerated as could be. He sounded far better than he did on the VMA's, and to be honest, I thought he sounded as good as he did at times as he did on UYI II tour. His low register is fine, not changed at all. He did bow out of a few high notes. Knocking on Heavens Door was altered to show this - he didn't even go for the part where he sings one, the crowd sings one, and do it 4 times. I don't know if he's not done this at other shows, but he skipped it here. You can tell it's not the exact same, it's lost some power, but it's really not a big difference or a big deal. It's not so bad that the show is subtracted from, you have to delibrately try to hear the difference, and peopl should just shut the fuck up about his voice until they see it for themselves. He was running all over the place, had a lot of energy, made some amusing comments throughout the night.

Setlist was pretty normal, nothing new. They didn't play 3 straight from Chinese Democracy though, spaced em out a bit. Buckethead can play a guitar - as well as wield a pair of nunchucks. He started his "solo" by wielding dual nunchucks, and actually isn't bad with em. Then he drops them to do some type of robot dance, I think you know what I mean by that. Then he started playing. He just doesn't move around much when playing. Then he pulled out a bag and was giving away stuff like rubber hands and something else. Weird.

I don't remember the order and everything of the setlist, but it was something like..

The first 9 tracks off Appetite were played at various points, as well as Rocket Queen (Think about You was my personal favorite) Live and Let Die, November Rain from I Knockin on Heavens Door, you could be Mine from II Patience 3 from Chinese Democracy - Madagascar (good song) The blues (my buddy thought it was the 2nd best track all night) and something else.

Biggest pops were for Live and Let Die, Sweet Child of Mine and Welcome to the Jungle, which opened. Closed with Paradise City. No Civil War still, which kinda blows. Was secretly hoping to hear Don't Damn me, but no dice.

Still, great show. I'd advise all people here who are like "it's not GNR, not going" to go scalp some fucking tickets and see Axl. Just because Slash isn't with him, which is why 90% of the people are bent on not going, is a stupid reason to not go.

Deep Purple lost Blackmore, picked up Steve Morse. They sound BETTER due to it. GNR could argue the same. Go see them.

illusionone's Review

I've been a member of this list for a few years now (i've changed my address a few times), never really said all that much, but I feel I have to put my 2 cents in here....

I'm 25 years old, been a fan forever and a day, I thought the NEW band was great, it was my 1st gnr show ever and it was unfuckin real. I was the guy wearing the New England Patriots Jersey #11 with GNR on the back (incase anyone saw me walking bye).

enough about me.....After leaving the show i could not imagine how anyone could give it a bad review, but when I woke up, Boston's biggest rock station WAAF were all over the group like sleeves on a vest, they hated it. Fans were calling up and agreeing with them....I thought hey, I must be dreaming, so I picked up a copy of the Boston Globe, and a really piss poor review...WHAT THE FUCK, where were these people, they were not at the show I was at. I honestly think that the globe guy wrote that review at the same time his freind wrote the preview in Monday's addition.

Do you think that people could not get over the fact they were 90 min. late?

I knew they would be, and I was getting antsy, but once I heard the opening riff to WTTG, I forgot about the wait.

Thank you all for reading this boring post and for all the GNR info and great conversation over the years, god willing there will be many more to come.

-Bryan

PS: Why does Axl leave the stage every solo? It doesn't bother me, I was just wondering.....

Ang43's Review

All I can say is oh my fuckin' god!!!! I had the time of my life last night. I wasn't a big fan of CKY but I still cheered them on, I hate when people are disrespectful of a band. MMM was ok, too. But now on to the important stuff. It was really cool to be able to meet Bonnie, Dave, and CCHANN. And Bonnie and CChann sat right behind me. It was really cool to be able to see the show with them!!! And Yes, me and Bonnie had our hair all braided, in Welcome Back Axl style! Axl came out in his Red Sox jersey (no # on back)- which ROCKS cuz I'm a huge Red Sox fan! When Axl came out on the stage I was screaming my head off, and squeezing my boyfriends arm soooo hard. The venue was just about sold out. The crowd was totally into the show. Axl was 100% mesmerizing. He seemed to be in a wonderful mood, lots of smiling. It was great to see him so happy. the songs were amazing. I thought Axl nailed all the songs and he does sound much better than on the bootlegs. He was holding his notes for what seemed like forever. The new songs played were Madagascar, The Blues, and Chinese Democracy. The crowd seemed pretty receptive.Axl did a little bit of talking. Some stuff I couldn't understand. He did say that he hadn't seen us in a while, and we looked good. He talked about how Izzy used to get pissed he couldn't hear himself play, but it was because the roadies would stand behind him and turn down his amp. He said it was because Izzy was so messed up he would be playing the wrong song in the wrong key. Axl looked great, very in shape, running around like a madman. It was definitely the very BEST concert I've ever been to. Everyone was saying how Axl is back and he was awesome on the way out of the venue. Of course it was snowing out when we got out and I didnt' get home til 3:00 in the morning. I want to see them again in concert, real soon. The good news is, Axl said he hoped to see us back again soon. When the confetti dropped I grabbed some as a souvenir, lol.

Andiblue's Review

A VERY Tired Gunner's review of Boston...

OK-what can I say?! I loved the whole performance. The pyro, the set-ups, the outfits (love the Red Sox jersey especially)., the music-Axl's voice was great and the boys played well.

But first, here's my night. My father and I left to go to dinner, and then we went to Boston. When we got there, I talked to a police officer who told me about the last time GNR performed, and how he was on duty, and the crowd was obnoxious, and it was his most difficult assignment ever. Dad and I were one of the first people one the floor, and I overheard one of the security people say, "There's a rumor going around that Axl's not coming onstage until the Raiders/Jets game is over. The Center might shut off the game to get him out if he doesn't come out in a reasonable time." (The Raiders game was at 9 PM. I thought, "Uh, oh..." Fortunately nothing happened.

Anyway, CKY and MMM were awful. My Dad summed up CKY succinctly when he said, "They fucking sucked." MMM was pretty bad, too. So, after MMM, there was the flashing game, which wasn't too bad. I was onscreen for about 1/2 second, sitting in my seat, looking bored. There were some things that I really didn't want to see (i.e. rings in the lower areas), but it wasn't TOO bad.

I was kinda bummed because, as usual, there's a guy who was (this time) at LEAST 6'5 right smack in front of me. Fortunately, he had the WRONG seat!! YES!!! I had the most AMAZING view of the stage! It was a clear path from me to the band.

So, GNR is ready to come on, and I saw Axl backstage, and was like, "WOW! It's really happening!" So, he comes on, and the performance was FANTASTIC. I won't bore you with details, but here are my highlights:

Paradise City finale w/ the confetti

Axl's story about Izzy messing up the songs by playing the wrong song in the wrong key, and the sound ppl having to turn down the volume, and turn away the amps.

Axl saying that Vancouver was a "smashing" start to the tour, and that the people were so welcoming.

Axl standing on the piano during "The Blues".

Buckethead's solo

And there's more, but I can't think of all of it now...

After the show, everyone went outside and it was snowing, and people started clapping and yelling-not sure if it was because of the snow or GNR, but whatever. People were cheering, "Buckethead! Buckethead!" I'm not really sure if it was for someone else who was dressed like him (killingvector ??) or for the actual Buckethead. I did get the feeling that the crowd enjoyed the show!

My Dad, of all people, who was getting annoyed with the opening acts and said sarcastically, "Great show, Andrea. I wonder whose brilliant idea coming to this was.." said that GNR was the BEST show he has ever seen. He was in his glory during "Patience".

So, due to the snow, I got home at 2 AM, and then had to wake up at 4 AM to catch a flight to Philly, and then another flight to Montreal. I was randoming searched, and the lady ended up accidentally hitting me in the crotch with the metal detector wand. YOW! But other than that, nothing bad happened on my way back to Canada.

BUT it was so worth it! I need to see them again! That was amazing...

mymichelle's Review

Boston, GN'R & Me...

Okay. This is probably going to be a lame review. Forgive me. I'm tired, 2 1/2 hours sleep. I feel like I've been beaten and swallowed glass. But I wouldn't change a thing...

I laughed when I read Ang's review starting off with OH MY FUCKING GOD! because that's exactly what I was thinking all the way home. Without a doubt, this IS THE BEST concert I've ever been to, EVER.

We were a bit late, due to the pre-concert celebration hosted by WBCN at McGann's (sp) Bar (more on that later...) so we missed CKY. They were playing when we got into the Fleet center but I couldn't really make anything out by the time we got into our seats they were already setting up for Mix Master Mike...I don't know maybe it was because I was in such a good mood, but I really enjoyed his set. Much more than I thought I would actually. He was fun.

What to say about the activities between MMM and GN'R?

NO. I DID NOT FLASH But since I was so close to the stage and there were girls all around me that were flashing, I did get on screen a couple of times. That was me with the ROSE 99 HOCKEY JERSEY, an awesome surprise gift from my best friend!

I think GN'R hit the stage around 10:35. I see everyone's already given the set list/wardrobe details, so I will thankfully skip it.

THE SHOW: I really like the stage set up, lighting etc., just a great compliment to the band. I didn't get to catch much of what was on the screens, being that my seats were so close I was basically under the big screen on Buckets side of the stage, I caught some of the camera effects that they used, which looked cool. Can't wait to see this show on video.

THE BAND: most of you know that I have what acraane calls a "soft spot" for the old band. When you've been a fan for as long as I have, it's hard not to. But I was very excited about seeing this new band, and have to admit that they've won me over in a big way. I am DIGGIN' Mr. Richard Fortus.

AXL: I think he sounds better now than he ever did. A truly amazing performance. He was in a goofy mood. Very funny. I didn't catch all of his "rant" on Izzy because the crowd noise was a bit overpowering I do remember him ending it by saying "there's a little tidbit for your trivial pursuit" or something like that.

HIGHLIGHTS: The whole show was amazing but if I had to pick songs that stood out (for me, anyways) I'd say Nightrain, Live and Let Die, and all the new songs, especially The Blues. Which I just love.

And then there's Paradise City...which has always been one of my favorites. This was the ultimate high of the show for me because though I had a great seat but did not sit in it for the whole I actually stood in the aisle, just to the side of my seat and I was occassionally going down to the front barricade to get even closer. This kinda became a game between me and the security guard at the entrance to the floor from my section. Sometimes they'd ignore me and let me stand down there and sometimes they'd send me back. I went down for Bucket's solo and asked if they'd let me on the floor just so I could get a prize when he handed them out. No luck. Do not pass go, do not collect a severed hand from Buckethead.

ANYWAYS by the time Nightrain ended and I knew the show was coming to a close I was getting my nerve up to go down and bug the security guard once again when I noticed they were actually signalling for me to come down. So I go down and they point to seats in the front section on the opposite side of the aisle from where I was and say "These people just left, you can sit here" to which I replied, "I don't want to sit there, I want to sit THERE" (pointing to floor in front of stage) Robin was now playing his solo so we had a quick debate on "can you do this/why should I" which I thought I had lost but at the last second the security guard says "Show me your ticket" which I did and then they stepped aside and let me on the floor, just in time for Paradise City. I was able to watch an amazing end to an amazing show from the front row. Like I said....

"OH MY FUCKING GOD!"