June 5th, 2013 - Buffalo, NY

[The Linguini Occurrence]

Guns n Roses delivers the goods in Outer Harbor show Jeff Miers Updated 2013-06-06 05:32:47 1 of 1

Monster Truck a Canadian rock band from Hamilton, Ontario, opened at the Outer Harbor for Guns N Roses Wednesday night .Members include lead singer and bassist Jon Harvey, guitarist Jeremy Widerman, keyboardist Brandon Bliss and drummer Steve Kiely. (Photo by Harry Scull Jr. / Buffalo News)

Did he still have the banshee howl?

Its been a long time since Axl Rose was the undisputed king of the underground Los Angeles rock scene. Back then, his band, Guns n Roses, was the it band, the group that had been able to navigate the terrain between punk, metal and glam rock.

It has been 20 years since Guns n Roses played Buffalo, the last time being a headlining slot at what was then known as Rich Stadium. The slightly metal-inflected version of the GnR take on Aerosmiths early work has not exactly been in vogue over the past two decades. Were the GnR faithful still out there?

On Wednesday, as Guns n Roses kicked off the the Outer Harbor Concert Series season, it certainly seemed that the the folks who worshipped Appetite for Destruction had not forgotten their band. And judging by appearances, a whole new generation of Guns lovers was eager for their first experience of the band as well.

The concert site at the Outer Harbor was stuffed with rockers, folks who, one surmises, like their rock jarred and their choruses memorable. It was cold, unseasonably so, and very windy too. But when Guns n Roses took the stage - at 10:15, perhaps surpisingingly, given singer Axl Roses tendency to start shows as late as midnight - it felt as if Appetite for Destruction had just come out, and Paradise City was still in sight.

The Outer Harbor series has made some serious improvements since last year, its maiden voyage. In addition to much more accommodating parking, the investment in sound, production and staging was immediately apparent on Wednesday. The sound was incredible - loud, well-mixed, and abundantly powerful.

The band? Yes, this is the version of Guns n Roses that lacks founding member and guitarist Slash. And yes, so much has been said about singer Axl Rose over the years since Slash left to suggest that the GnR singer is pretty much a nut job. But Wednesdays show suggested something different. This version of GnR came to kick butt and take names. And, flying in the face of Roses tendency to take the stage hours after the published time, the band arrived by 10:15 p.m., and tore into a set that could not have left diehard Gn R fans disappointed.

Opener Chinese Democracy gave way to Welcome to the Jungle, and the place went nuts, cell phones held aloft bobbing in real time to the groove. Rose, a heftier and significantly more Southern rock-looking form of the man all of these people had fallen in love with in 1989, accorded himself well. Its So Easy boasted much of the strut of the original, as did the decidedly swanky Mr. Brownstone. Rose was energetic, on point, and if he couldnt quite deliver the goods with the power he displayed in the old days, well, who could blame him? He was certainly going for it.

Rose, from the beginning of his career, sang in a hyper-powerful head-voice falsetto of the variety that does not age well. That he could sing as well as he did during older tunes like Rocket Queen and the highlight of the evening, a take on Paul McCartneys Live and Let Die, was rather incredible.

Without founding member, and acknowledged guitar god Slash, the 2013 version of GnR fell back on the talents of three sublimely gifted guitarists. Led by Ron Bumblefoot Thall, and including DJ Ashba and Richard Fortus, the guitarist lineup delivered an inspired mix of blues-based hard rock, virtuoso shred playing, and post-Keith Richards slop. It all added up to some killer playing, though at times it did seem that there was simply too much guitar in the mix.

Rose did highlight each player - pianist Dizzy Reed vamped on Led Zeppelins No Quarter, while a jam on Pink Floyds Another Brick in the Wall Part II gave way to the power ballad November Rain - with Rose seated behind the piano in all his Elton John-esque glory ,and finally, guitarist Bumblefoots Objectify. These were some of the sets high points, and seemed to get former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson in the mood to rock.

But in the end, this is Roses show, and he lorded over it - for better and for worse - throughout. GnR in 2013 still kicks butt. Even if Roses voice is not what it once was. But then again, what was it once? A scream that perhaps could not endure then test of time.

That said, Wednesdays show was a riot. Fantastic sound, plenty of room, and the sort of sightlines that would make Bonaroo proud.

http://mobile.buffalonews.com/?articleRedirect=1

Good review but sloppy, the misspellings and punctuation are a bit of a turnoff. Is there a trend developing with earlier start times?

Edited June 6, 2013 by The Linguini Occurrence

[HisRoyalSweetness]

What was the attendance like ?

[Coma16]

He called Ashba a sublimely gifted guitarist. Stopped reading.

But by then you had already read this part:

"Rose, from the beginning of his career, sang in a hyper-powerful head-voice falsetto of the variety that does not age well. That he could sing as well as he did during older tunes like Rocket Queen and the highlight of the evening, a take on Paul McCartneys Live and Let Die, was rather incredible."

This is entirely in tune with what I have been saying, although his voice has deteriorated Axl is still great on vocals (for most shows, not counting some spectacular botches like Bridge School and parts of the last RIR).

What interests me about that is how much non-mygnr members love LALD live in concert but some here are begging for it to be removed from the set.

[The Linguini Occurrence]

What interests me about that is how much non-mygnr members love LALD live in concert but some here are begging for it to be removed from the set.

I hope it always stays, it's one of the highlights for me.

And I hope Ron brings back Pink Panther too.

[Coma16]

What interests me about that is how much non-mygnr members love LALD live in concert but some here are begging for it to be removed from the set.

I hope it always stays, it's one of the highlights for me.

And I hope Ron brings back Pink Panther too.

I don't mind the "solos" but would prefer if not all members had to do theirs each night. I like the jams more.

[James Bond]

Damn it was cold last night. Axl at one point said him and Frank had it the easiest because he has no idea how the other guys could play.

Axl also had a huge boner for Richard last night. Kept introducing him over and over. It was funny.

Actually, that was the best mood I've seen Axl in the four times I've seen the band. Talked to the crowd more than usual, kept making jokes about the wind/cold, and was smiling away. I feared another Rio when he hit the wrong chord on the piano at the beginning of the November Rain outro but he laughed it off and kept going.

I was worried early on after a weak Chinese Democracy and full Mickey for the first line or two of Jungle but Axl made up for it big time. Like Powerage said, it took him a few songs to get going but after that he was definitely on the right track. Only truly weak song vocally after that was You Could Be Mine as usual, but he managed to hit some serious rasp on the outro. Vocals aside, I can honestly say he was not going through the motions. I truly believed he was trying his best. The weird thing is, when he delivered the rasp (like the middle section of Better, It's So Easy outro, Nightrain, and so on), it was as powerful as ever. Like many have speculated, I honestly believe he just "saves" the rasp because it hurts his voice.

Amazing set list though, especially for someone who's seen the band a few times already. Used To Love Her was a nice surprise, and it was the first time seeing Civil War, Catcher, Objectify (I'm a huge Bumblefoot fan so that was great), Blacklight Jesus, and The Seeker. The Seeker is a good song for Axl at this point - he sounded really good on it.

Overall, I had a great time. Sure, Axl's voice was best in 2010, but the atmosphere and show was great. Definitely the one I enjoyed the most and for the $43 ticket, I really can't complain.

I'm at the venue. Tons of free parking along the street. Amazing day for my first show.

I'll probably miss out on the free parking since I won't be there until 6 or shortly after, but even at that the $10 they charge for parking is pretty reasonable compared to most places.

Looking forward to the show! I'm mainly excited for Catcher but I'll pray for Civil War.

hahahah

It worked.

[Guest bellastar2355]

Damn it was cold last night. Axl at one point said him and Frank had it the easiest because he has no idea how the other guys could play.

Axl also had a huge boner for Richard last night. Kept introducing him over and over. It was funny.

Actually, that was the best mood I've seen Axl in the four times I've seen the band. Talked to the crowd more than usual, kept making jokes about the wind/cold, and was smiling away. I feared another Rio when he hit the wrong chord on the piano at the beginning of the November Rain outro but he laughed it off and kept going.

I was worried early on after a weak Chinese Democracy and full Mickey for the first line or two of Jungle but Axl made up for it big time. Like Powerage said, it took him a few songs to get going but after that he was definitely on the right track. Only truly weak song vocally after that was You Could Be Mine as usual, but he managed to hit some serious rasp on the outro. Vocals aside, I can honestly say he was not going through the motions. I truly believed he was trying his best. The weird thing is, when he delivered the rasp (like the middle section of Better, It's So Easy outro, Nightrain, and so on), it was as powerful as ever. Like many have speculated, I honestly believe he just "saves" the rasp because it hurts his voice.

Amazing set list though, especially for someone who's seen the band a few times already. Used To Love Her was a nice surprise, and it was the first time seeing Civil War, Catcher, Objectify (I'm a huge Bumblefoot fan so that was great), Blacklight Jesus, and The Seeker. The Seeker is a good song for Axl at this point - he sounded really good on it.

Overall, I had a great time. Sure, Axl's voice was best in 2010, but the atmosphere and show was great. Definitely the one I enjoyed the most and for the $43 ticket, I really can't complain.

Great Review, and glad you had fun!!

[Guest cbgnr666]

Another positive review, this is becoming a very common.I remember the days when it seemed to be about 10 bad or fair reviews to 1 good,now its the opposite.Its like a gentel stream of positivity flowing softly over a tiny waterfall.

[Birk]

oh my god they played MI AMOR

yawnn

[James Bond]

oh my god they played MI AMOR

yawnn

Come on now, it was Mi Amor 2.0!

[Apollo]

The "must worship everything Axl does and defend his every move at all costs" gang is hilarious.

If a bad review comes in, they go off on the "who cares what this guy thinks, all the media is biased and has a vendetta against Axl"...........but if a good review comes in then it's "YET another great review from an unbiased source."

So apparently if you give a bad review, you are biased. If you give a good review, you are unbiased.

I looked up some other reviews from this guy, just out of curiosity. I saw five reviews and they were all positive. And his favorite concert last year was My Morning Jacket.

Sounds like it was a pretty good show though, and the members from the forum who were in attendance had a great time. So Axl's voice was shaky at first but he finished strong - that's good news for future concerts. Hope this trend continues!

Edited June 6, 2013 by Groghan

[Un42nutzly]

The bad reviews are just jealous people. The good reviews are truth.

[Apollo]

The bad reviews are just jealous people. The good reviews are truth.

LOL.

Jealous of what?

You gotta admit that it is funny to watch the cult members in here change their opinion on the media and music critics depending on what kind of review a show gets. One day, the entire world's media - since 1985 - is against Axl Rose. But the next day it's "this tour has been getting great reviews from the media."

A bad review...........the guy's opinion doesn't matter, f*ck him, he is just a bitter ex-fan.

A good review..........now there is a real honest and unbiased review.

I don't mind Nutters at all. I'm pretty much one myself. But it is annoying when people have to lie and distort everything to try and make Axl look better, instead of just chatting about the truth!!!!!!

[Un42nutzly]

The bad reviews are just jealous people. The good reviews are truth.

LOL.

Jealous of what?

You gotta admit that it is funny to watch the cult members in here change their opinion on the media and music critics depending on what kind of review a show gets. One day, the entire world's media - since 1985 - is against Axl Rose. But the next day it's "this tour has been getting great reviews from the media."

A bad review...........the guy's opinion doesn't matter, f*ck him, he is just a bitter ex-fan.

A good review..........now there is a real honest and unbiased review.

I don't mind Nutters at all. I'm pretty much one myself. But it is annoying when people have to lie and distort everything to try and make Axl look better, instead of just chatting about the truth!!!!!!

yeah i understand your point. I guess it's because usually with bad reviews, it comes with misinformation and little detail and with good reviews, they are very detailed and know exactly what happened when it happened. Not all the time, sure, if it's a bad review and they are very detailed and criticize with reason, then it's more accepting.Atleast in my perspective. Idk about others.

[Tyson]

How many people were there?

[maynard]

The bad reviews are just jealous people. The good reviews are truth.

LOL.

Jealous of what?

You gotta admit that it is funny to watch the cult members in here change their opinion on the media and music critics depending on what kind of review a show gets. One day, the entire world's media - since 1985 - is against Axl Rose. But the next day it's "this tour has been getting great reviews from the media."

A bad review...........the guy's opinion doesn't matter, f*ck him, he is just a bitter ex-fan.

A good review..........now there is a real honest and unbiased review.

I don't mind Nutters at all. I'm pretty much one myself. But it is annoying when people have to lie and distort everything to try and make Axl look better, instead of just chatting about the truth!!!!!!

yeah i understand your point. I guess it's because usually with bad reviews, it comes with misinformation and little detail and with good reviews, they are very detailed and know exactly what happened when it happened. Not all the time, sure, if it's a bad review and they are very detailed and criticize with reason, then it's more accepting.Atleast in my perspective. Idk about others.

LOL, you are hilarious.

[Coma16]

Most bad reviews are written prior to the show even starting, with some details added in later...

FACT!

Edited June 6, 2013 by Coma16

[Apollo]

Most bad reviews are written prior to the show even starting, with some details added in later...

FACT!

Oh jeez. Here we go.

Dude, you are better than that!!!!!

I respect you as a poster, but statements like are why the term Nutter was created.

[Coma16]

Most bad reviews are written prior to the show even starting, with some details added in later...

FACT!

Oh jeez. Here we go.

Dude, you are better than that!!!!!

I respect you as a poster, but statements like are why the term Nutter was created.

I updated my initial post. It is in fact, not a fact.

[volcano62]

The "must worship everything Axl does and defend his every move at all costs" gang is hilarious.

If a bad review comes in, they go off on the "who cares what this guy thinks, all the media is biased and has a vendetta against Axl"...........but if a good review comes in then it's "YET another great review from an unbiased source."

So apparently if you give a bad review, you are biased. If you give a good review, you are unbiased.

I looked up some other reviews from this guy, just out of curiosity. I saw five reviews and they were all positive. And his favorite concert last year was My Morning Jacket.

Sounds like it was a pretty good show though, and the members from the forum who were in attendance had a great time. So Axl's voice was shaky at first but he finished strong - that's good news for future concerts. Hope this trend continues!

Dude stop posting the same stupid shit day after day after day

[Gordon Comstock]

I don't mind Nutters at all. I'm pretty much one myself. But it is annoying when people have to lie and distort everything to try and make Axl look better, instead of just chatting about the truth!!!!!!

This x10000000. I'm an Axl fan, supporter, whatever you wanna call it, I liked the '12 shows I saw and I'd see them again without a second thought, no matter the ticket price. I'm sure some of my comments make me look like an Axl nutter or whatever but be real, he's fallen pretty far from where he was even during the NA 2011 tour.

Defending every single show and review, legitimately using youtube as an excuse (I'm still 90% sure that 'excuse' is trolling, or maybe I just don't understand the argument) and confusing negative reviews with "bias" is ridiculous.

[Ali]

I saw the band in LA during the 2011 NA tour and I saw the last two shows of the Vegas residency nearly a year later. I didn't see any decline in his performance between those times. So, respectfully, I have to disagree with the statement about him falling far from the 2011 tour.

Ali

[Un42nutzly]

The bad reviews are just jealous people. The good reviews are truth.

LOL.

Jealous of what?

You gotta admit that it is funny to watch the cult members in here change their opinion on the media and music critics depending on what kind of review a show gets. One day, the entire world's media - since 1985 - is against Axl Rose. But the next day it's "this tour has been getting great reviews from the media."

A bad review...........the guy's opinion doesn't matter, f*ck him, he is just a bitter ex-fan.

A good review..........now there is a real honest and unbiased review.

I don't mind Nutters at all. I'm pretty much one myself. But it is annoying when people have to lie and distort everything to try and make Axl look better, instead of just chatting about the truth!!!!!!

yeah i understand your point. I guess it's because usually with bad reviews, it comes with misinformation and little detail and with good reviews, they are very detailed and know exactly what happened when it happened. Not all the time, sure, if it's a bad review and they are very detailed and criticize with reason, then it's more accepting.Atleast in my perspective. Idk about others.

LOL, you are hilarious.

That's sweet of you. <3

[SoulMonster]

You gotta admit that it is funny to watch the cult members in here change their opinion on the media and music critics depending on what kind of review a show gets.

Could you make an example of anyone actually changing their opinion on the media? Who are you talking about? Or is this yet another groghanism?

[volcano62]

You gotta admit that it is funny to watch the cult members in here change their opinion on the media and music critics depending on what kind of review a show gets.

Could you make an example of anyone actually changing their opinion on the media? Who are you talking about? Or is this yet another groghanism?

Groghanism