Jolt Country

Last night, I saw Guns N' Roses perform live for the fifth (and probably final) time. I have now seen GN'R more times live than any other band.

The first time I saw the band live was in January, 1992. I was 18 years old; Axl was 29. We were both a lot angrier back then. Six months prior, Axl Rose had jumped off stage into a crowd to attack a fan who was taking still pictures of the show, which led to a three-hour riot and the band being banned from St. Louis for 25 years. I was a freshman in college who wanted to change the world, but didn't change socks frequently enough.

We've both changed a lot over the years. For last night's show, my biggest concern wasn't where our seats would be located, but how comfortable they would be. In the 90s, it was rumored Axl Rose did speedballs during concerts. Last night, he probably spent at least 20 minutes of the night in an oxygen tent, ducking in during solos and between songs to sit down, rest, and catch his breath. Not only were we both angrier in the 90s, but we were in better shape, too.

I've seen Guns N' Roses live -- that is to say, in 1992, I saw Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy, Duff, and Steven Adler. Twice I saw the "Guns N' Poseurs" lineup of Axl with four new musicians -- although is it fair to call Richard Fortus a poseur when he's been an official member of the band for 17 years, two longer than Slash? For that matter, current drummer Frank Ferrer has been with the band longer than either Steven Adler or his replacement, Matt Sorum. Jesus, Bumblefoot was in Guns N' Roses longer than either of those guys. Point is, it's tough to say who Guns N' Roses is at this point. The current lineup with original members Axl, Slash, and Duff (with Dizzy Reed on keyboards) is the closest you're going to get.

I'm guessing both Axl and Slash have negotiated that they are the loudest two things in the mix, as other than the droning bass, that was all you could hear. The keyboards were low in the mix, and poor Richard Fortus might as well have been playing air guitar. The mix was so muddy and bad that at times the show sounded more like "five guys playing instruments at the same time" more than a cohesive song.

In 1992 I saw Guns N' Roses. Last night, I saw something that reminded me of them. And it was fun, and they went through all the motions, but I don't need to be reminded of the past anymore.

How were they live in 1992? I have always hated them, Axl looks and sounds and acts like every redneck splorg of filth to crawl out of Hilton, NY, but I am deeply curious if the 1992 lineup killed it. (It is extremely important to me that I am not judging anyone on anything, and though I am not into them I am curious about them and your experiences.)

I didn't have my facts correct. By the time I saw the band in 1992, Steven Adler had already been kicked out and Izzy had already gone MIA, being (temporarily) replaced by Gilby Clarke. This was how volatile Guns N' Roses was in the beginning. Their debut album went #1 in 1998; three years later, 40% of the band had been replaced.

The year before Appetite for Destruction was released, the best selling rock album was Van Halen's 5150. The top selling album of 1987 was Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet. The week before Appetite for Destruction hit number one, the spot was held by Def Leppard's Hysteria. Def Leppard's biggest hit from that album was "Pour Some Sugar on Me." The original artwork for Appetite For Destruction (which was relocated to the inside cover) had a bloody woman who had just been raped by a robot.

So yeah, there was that time (*cough* decade *cough*) when Axl Rose locked himself in his mansion and spent millions of dollars on drugs, therapists, and Chinese food, but there was also a time when he would say "fuck it" in the middle of Paradise City and would stage dive into a pit, returning to the stage with less clothing and jewelry than he had originally.



Not to be outdone, Slash and Duff accepted an AMA award on the band's behalf for the best heavy metal album in 1990 by walking up to the podium drunk off their asses carrying a bottle of whiskey and cussing on live television.

That was around the same time that Motley Crue's Vince Neil punched Izzy backstage at the MTV Music Awards, and Axl Rose started challenging Vince Neil to a fight. I don't mean a public boxing match -- that was also discussed -- I mean, Axl Rose did research on remote islands where he and Vince could fight to the death.

So yeah; it wasn't just the fights, or the award shows, or the St. Louis riot, or the artwork, or the awards, or any of that. It was about seeing a whirlwind of attitude and sweat and drugs and booze and gunpowder at its peak. It wasn't like any tour could be their last; it was like every SHOW could be the one where the band started a fight with each other, or security, or 50,000 people in the crowd. They were gigantic dysfunctional assholes that were also becoming millionaires, which was exciting and a little terrifying to watch.

Man I recall all this history yet never went to a show. While I never went to a Gunin Rozez live, I really wanted to as a 11 or 12 year old kid. Had the shirt and all. Then came punk rock introductions and Metallica and I never cared about them again.

I’d been debating seeing them on this new show Flack so you’ve confirmed my apprehension. We talked before about you seeing GWAR for the first time soon. While Dave Brockie (Odorus) is dead I think they could still put on a good show. Beefcake is still keeping the spirit alive as Blothar!

Another story I’ve told before:

Kiss. 2001 or something. I’m waiting in line to pee. Some dude that looks my age says to me “Duuude. I haven’t seen a line to the pisser this long since Guns N Roses around 1987.”

.. I wish I could have been there.

Before I delve into Chinese Democracy I wanted to ping the forum: what kind of context should I be going into the album with as someone who primarily heard November Rain once or twice on MTV? I'm practically brand new to Guns N' Roses as a thing and so want to know if there is anything to keep in mind while I delve into enjoying their work.

(ᵕ˵ ૩ᵕ)━☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ wrote: Sat Dec 02, 2023 5:07 am Before I delve into Chinese Democracy I wanted to ping the forum: what kind of context should I be going into the album with as someone who primarily heard November Rain once or twice on MTV? I'm practically brand new to Guns N' Roses as a thing and so want to know if there is anything to keep in mind while I delve into enjoying their work.

Appetite for Destruction is easily the best album. Some of the rougher stuff on the next album "Lies" was ok. Didn't even buy either of the Use Your Illusion albums because I hated the videos.