Axl Rose at Billy Joel concert

[Underhardy]

LALD and Highway To Hell soundboard. Listen, it’s cool seeing Axl in good spirits, and also looking great himself. But god damn, the fucking voice is what’s most important and it’s worse than ever. God damn I wish he’d retire and stop embarrassing himself. Anyone who enjoys listening to this is just in a different reality. 

[Alejandro GNR]

24 minutes ago, Underhardy said:

LALD and Highway To Hell soundboard. Listen, it’s cool seeing Axl in good spirits, and also looking great himself. But god damn, the fucking voice is what’s most important and it’s worse than ever. God damn I wish he’d retire and stop embarrassing himself. Anyone who enjoys listening to this is just in a different reality. 

Man, that was atroucious 

[Rindmelon]

On 7/30/2024 at 1:27 AM, Nightrain7 said:

Did Axl lip sync the Led Zep part in 'You May Be Right'?- his lips dont match the audio. 

He comes in slightly later than everyone else in a few places I know the bit you mean. He's not miming though.

[F*ck Fear]

On 8/2/2024 at 1:21 PM, Alejandro GNR said:

Man, that was atroucious 

It's absolutely terrible. The state of Axl's voice is never going to get better, either.

[ChristianGNR]

Just listened to the soundboard video above.

It wasn't 2016 level, but let's be honest here: it's nowhere near "atrocious" or "Axl should retire" level as some guys stated.

 

[gunsnchalupas]

6 hours ago, ChristianGNR said:

Just listened to the soundboard video above.

It wasn't 2016 level, but let's be honest here: it's nowhere near "atrocious" or "Axl should retire" level as some guys stated.

 

 

It's pretty bad. If you didn't know Axl's live performances were him and I told you it was me doing my best Axl voice, you would say I sounded awful and laugh at me for even trying.

With that said, that's not really the point of Axl or Guns N' Roses live in 2024. Don't mistake this as me defending the quality of the product they deliver, but it isn't really about his voice anymore, otherwise touring wouldn't have been viable at all for the last decade. It's the showmanship and it being an "event". A night out for a 60 year old to relive their salad days of the 1980s, or for a 20 year old to take a video for their Tik Tok and say they saw "guns and roses with axel and slush". 

I'm just surprised that people talk about his voice like there is any chance he is going to sound great live in his 70s. I get holding out hope back in 2016, because there was the AC/DC thing, and he sounded good only a few years before then - but he has mostly sounded like this for a decade now with no end in sight. 

Just clap along to Paradise City and buy a lithograph or a commemorative toy truck. That's what this is. Get on board.

Edited August 4 by gunsnchalupas

[©GnrPersia]

48 minutes ago, gunsnchalupas said:

I'm just surprised that people talk about his voice like there is any chance he is going to sound great live in his 70s. I get holding out hope back in 2016, because there was the AC/DC thing, and he sounded good only a few years before then - but he has mostly sounded like this for a decade now with no end in sight. 

This. He hasn't even tried to take care of his vocal performance since 2011-2012. 

I'm aware that people age differently and age can affect various aspects of ones mental and physical capabilities. Maybe Axl really lost it back in 2013 but then there's Axl/DC and you think what was that then...

Anyway here's Dio at 66:

 

Regardless, Although Axl is nowhere near an Icon whom his artwork has had a massive influence on my life (all the way through 2012); motivated me many times and cheered me up in my down moments, It's been quite a few years I don't expect anything from him. I made my peace with the situation. 

At this stage I just wish Axl a happy life, I really do.

Edited August 4 by ©GnrPersia

[bmus1]

Listening back to that soundboard… I’d never listen to that again. But that mix is about as complimentary a mix could be to his current voice. But I still don’t think it’s retire level either. My mom and I went to see them last year and were reminiscing about the show this weekend as one of the best shows either of us saw. It was a high energy night for the band and the music was fantastic the whole show. I listened back to a few songs on YouTube and it was an okay vocal performance. But videos don’t capture the energy of a show.

[Draguns]

On 8/2/2024 at 12:57 PM, Underhardy said:

LALD and Highway To Hell soundboard. Listen, it’s cool seeing Axl in good spirits, and also looking great himself. But god damn, the fucking voice is what’s most important and it’s worse than ever. God damn I wish he’d retire and stop embarrassing himself. Anyone who enjoys listening to this is just in a different reality. 

I said this in one of the other threads. I wish GNR fans can be like Halestorm fans. They defend their band. Sometimes a bit too far. I criticized Halestorm for a very short show that I attended at PNC Art Center on the Facebook fan page. I got so much hatred even though I said it was a good performance. Some fans need to learn how to appreciate the music and when to criticize. 

Additionally, the sound board isn't as bad as you made it out to be. He can still sing. Maybe not like in the 80s and early 90s, but that to be expected. 

It's fans like you who need to stop embarrassing the fanbase. Like Steven Tyler, one of these days Axl will not be performing. Appreciate for what it is!  

Edited August 4 by Draguns

[Rindmelon]

 

28 minutes ago, Draguns said:

I said this in one of the other threads. I wish GNR fans can be like Halestorm fans. They defend their band. Sometimes a bit too far. I criticized Halestorm for a very short show that I attended at PNC Art Center on the Facebook fan page. I got so much hatred even though I said it was a good performance. Some fans need to learn how to appreciate the music and when to criticize. 

Additionally, the sound board isn't as bad as you made it out to be. He can still sing. Maybe not like in the 80s and early 90s, but that to be expected. 

It's fans like you who need to stop embarrassing the fanbase. Like Steven Tyler, one of these days Axl will not be performing. Appreciate for what it is!  

So you want fans of gnr to be like fans of a band that in your words, gave you hatred for saying a performance was good? You then follow this up by accusing somebody of'embarrassing the fanbase'

I thought he sounded pretty good on You May Be Right and awful on the other two, that's my honest opinion, I understand there are reasons for it, for example age, & I'm sure it was a cool experience for those who were there. 

Now how does this Halestorm fan theory of yours work exactly? Walk me through it.. If I think something is less than good/steller am i supposed to pretend I like it because one day they won't play live anymore?

29 minutes ago, Draguns said:

Some fans need to learn how to appreciate the music and when to criticize. 

& maybe it would be healthier if some did not see it as there role to conduct a fanbase.... Music and performances are subjective. Clearly just because somebody enjoys listening to this does not mean they are in a different reality but it also doesn't mean they have to fall in line with your view point if they don't share it.

[JimiRose]

1 hour ago, ©GnrPersia said:

This. He hasn't even tried to take care of his vocal performance since 2011-2012. 

I'm aware that people age differently and age can affect various aspects of ones mental and physical capabilities. Maybe Axl really lost it back in 2013 but then there's Axl/DC and you think what was that then...

Anyway here's Dio at 66:

 

Regardless, Although Axl is nowhere near an Icon whom his artwork has had a massive influence on my life (all the way through 2012); motivated me many times and cheered me up in my down moments, It's been quite a few years I don't expect anything from him. I made my peace with the situation. 

At this stage I just wish Axl a happy life, I really do.

Dio is just different level. Steven Tyler still sounded great at 70. dio at 66. Axl has been shot since age 56. Dio and Tyler never lost it. Axl had problems in 01/02 but was still young enough to recover. it's too late now. Considering the next time he plays he'll be another year older, the best we'll probably ever him in sound is that billy joel gig. just be a studio singer. forget live now. it's been toured to death. who hasn't seen GnR in the past 39 years? if you haven't and you like the band, then you cant like them that much, they've played 1000s of shows! put the touring to bed. 

[Draguns]

20 minutes ago, Rindmelon said:

 

So you want fans of gnr to be like fans of a band that in your words, gave you hatred for saying a performance was good? You then follow this up by accusing somebody of'embarrassing the fanbase'

I thought he sounded pretty good on You May Be Right and awful on the other two, that's my honest opinion, I understand there are reasons for it, for example age, & I'm sure it was a cool experience for those who were there. 

Now how does this Halestorm fan theory of yours work exactly? Walk me through it.. If I think something is less than good/steller am i supposed to pretend I like it because one day they won't play live anymore?

& maybe it would be healthier if some did not see it as there role to conduct a fanbase.... Music and performances are subjective. Clearly just because somebody enjoys listening to this does not mean they are in a different reality but it also doesn't mean they have to fall in line with your view point if they don't share it.

What would be healthier as a fan is to not exaggerate a performance. Good or bad. That's the point.  The person exaggerated how badly the performance was when it's not that bad.  I know music subjective. His review of the soundboard was  an exaggeration with the retirement comment.   Additionally, it's fine to criticize when need be. Sitting at home and criticizing every little time shows how miserable a person is. 

Additionally, you missed my point about Halestorm. I didn't say that they were bad when I criticized them. They gave a good performance. What I did say was that they shouldn't be performing for an hour considering they were a co-headlining.   Even though I said they gave a good performance so many of the hardcore fans gave me crap just because I said that they shouldn't short change fans. You come to this website and some fans are just miserable. The "hardcore" GNR fans  don't know  HOW  to be fans. They just sit behind a keyboard and act tough, ESPECIALLY  on this website. 

[Gordon Comstock]

12 minutes ago, Draguns said:

The "hardcore" GNR fans  don't know  HOW  to be fans. They just sit behind a keyboard and act tough, ESPECIALLY  on this website. 

 

This is such a weird mentality to have... there is no 'one way' to be a fan of something.

I also follow some RHCP pages... I think they're one of the best examples of what a legacy band should be, but of course there's people who complain about the setlists, don't like the new albums, etc. Most agree they should play longer for the prices they charge, others point out they've never been a band that plays for more than 1.5-2 hours. There's plenty of ways to look at something, dislike part of it, but still be a fan overall.

Honestly your comments about Halestorm fans remind me of the "Axl Rose Defense Force" from like 15 years ago lol. Defend at all costs, everyone who disagrees is a hater.

You said Halestorm were good, made a valid criticism about the length of the show, and got hate for it... but you want people here to act like that? I really don't get it.

Edited August 4 by Gordon Comstock

[Powderfinger]

1 hour ago, Draguns said:

I said this in one of the other threads. I wish GNR fans can be like Halestorm fans. They defend their band. Sometimes a bit too far. I criticized Halestorm for a very short show that I attended at PNC Art Center on the Facebook fan page. I got so much hatred even though I said it was a good performance. Some fans need to learn how to appreciate the music and when to criticize. 

Additionally, the sound board isn't as bad as you made it out to be. He can still sing. Maybe not like in the 80s and early 90s, but that to be expected. 

It's fans like you who need to stop embarrassing the fanbase. Like Steven Tyler, one of these days Axl will not be performing. Appreciate for what it is!  

 

I can’t think of anything I like that I don’t also dislike in some way. Most bands I like have some crap in their discography, most sports teams I follow win fuck all, most of the food I like is not good, some of the vices I enjoy are not good for me. Whatever it is I enjoy also comes with another side. For me GnR are great and shit all at once. The world is more grey than black and white….. 

[Draguns]

2 hours ago, Gordon Comstock said:

 

This is such a weird mentality to have... there is no 'one way' to be a fan of something.

I also follow some RHCP pages... I think they're one of the best examples of what a legacy band should be, but of course there's people who complain about the setlists, don't like the new albums, etc. Most agree they should play longer for the prices they charge, others point out they've never been a band that plays for more than 1.5-2 hours. There's plenty of ways to look at something, dislike part of it, but still be a fan overall.

Honestly your comments about Halestorm fans remind me of the "Axl Rose Defense Force" from like 15 years ago lol. Defend at all costs, everyone who disagrees is a hater.

You said Halestorm were good, made a valid criticism about the length of the show, and got hate for it... but you want people here to act like that? I really don't get it.

It's not weird. What's weird to me is someone exaggerating a performance just to say that they didn't like it.  Also what's weird is telling others who enjoyed the performance that they are living in a different reality.  These people are complaining about Axl's every single move, yet, they also complain about new music.  That's also weird. 

It's funny that you jumped on my comment, but didn't jump on his. Go figure. 

I disagreed with the "Axl Rose Defense Force" just like I disagreed with the Halestorm fans.  With that being said, they don't criticize every single move that Lzzy Hale makes.  They actually like it when she is a guest of another band. There are things  that GNR should be criticized about such as a music box, some merchandise and performances like Berlin in 2017. The  duet with Billy Joel was a one time thing. Appreciate the moment and don't criticize every single move. 

Take the performance for what it's worth is what I'm saying. It was good to see Axl perform with Billy Joel. 

Edited August 5 by Draguns

[Gordon Comstock]

1 minute ago, Draguns said:

It's not weird. What's weird to me is someone exaggerating a performance just to say that they didn't like it.  Also what's weird is telling others who enjoyed the performance that they are living in a different reality.  These people are complaining about Axl's every single move, yet, they also complain about new music.  That's also weird. 

It's funny that you jumped on my comment, but didn't jump on his. Go figure. 

I disagreed with the "Axl Rose Defense Force" just like I disagreed with the Halestorm fans.  With that being said, they don't criticize every single move that Lzzy Hale makes.  They actually like it when she is a guest of another band. There are things  that GNR should be criticized about such as a music box, some merchandise and performances like Berlin in 2017. The  duet with Billy Joel was a one time thing. Appreciate the moment and don't criticize every single move. 

Take the performance for what it's worth is what I'm saying. It was good to see Axl perform 

 

We agree about most things tbh. I never said he should retire over it, and I've been consistently positive when the band does good things. This wasn't a great performance but it was a cool guest spot. He shouldn't retire, but he should probably re-structure GNR sets around his current strengths. Perhaps video, Monsters, Glastonbury... they were praised here when they pulled something off.

It's probably the only live Axl appearance we'll see this year so it will get lots of attention... just brace yourself for the song with Michael Schenker

[Rindmelon]

8 hours ago, Draguns said:

What would be healthier as a fan is to not exaggerate a performance. Good or bad. That's the point.  The person exaggerated how badly the performance was when it's not that bad.  I know music subjective. His review of the soundboard was  an exaggeration with the retirement comment.   Additionally, it's fine to criticize when need be. Sitting at home and criticizing every little time shows how miserable a person is. 

Additionally, you missed my point about Halestorm. I didn't say that they were bad when I criticized them. They gave a good performance. What I did say was that they shouldn't be performing for an hour considering they were a co-headlining.   Even though I said they gave a good performance so many of the hardcore fans gave me crap just because I said that they shouldn't short change fans. You come to this website and some fans are just miserable. The "hardcore" GNR fans  don't know  HOW  to be fans. They just sit behind a keyboard and act tough, ESPECIALLY  on this website. 

There's certainly a few who seem miserable I agree with you there, but where on earth is this part coming from?

8 hours ago, Draguns said:

The "hardcore" GNR fans  don't know  HOW  to be fans. They just sit behind a keyboard and act tough, ESPECIALLY  on this website. 

 

[Draguns]

1 hour ago, Rindmelon said:

There's certainly a few who seem miserable I agree with you there, but where on earth is this part coming from?

 

It's being on this website for awhile.  Back in the day, I thought that  HTGTH was always too  positive about Axl. If you had any criticism about the band or Slash not being in the band, he would squash it. 

This is exactly the opposite where there is always negativity involved. I've always had a problem with that on this website and have voiced my opinion on it previously.. Enjoy the moment with guest appearances because this will not last.  Eventually Axl and the rest of GNR will not perform much like Aerosmith now. 

[jamillos]

56 minutes ago, Draguns said:

It's being on this website for awhile.  Back in the day, I thought that  HTGTH was always too  positive about Axl. If you had any criticism about the band or Slash not being in the band, he would squash it. 

This is exactly the opposite where there is always negativity involved. I've always had a problem with that on this website and have voiced my opinion on it previously.. Enjoy the moment with guest appearances because this will not last.  Eventually Axl and the rest of GNR will not perform much like Aerosmith now. 

No, it's just not the exact opposite. There was or is a forum like that, forgot the name, basically about fat Axl etc. But MyGNR is healthily ballanced. However, one advice: if you perceive the world as predominantly hostile, then hostility is what you'll see everywhere.

[Tom2112]

On 8/2/2024 at 2:56 AM, Cosmo said:

Brian Johnson is much older than Axl, though. Brian’s almost 15 years older than Axl. You might compare Axl today to Brian on the Black Ice tour, maybe. But Bruce Dickinson is only 3 years older than him and Rob Halford,  is 13 years older. Both sing a lot better than Axl nowadays. My guess is Axl never learned how to properly sing and thia cost him a lot.

Brian on the black ice tour was far superior to current day Axl. The comparison for black ice is 2016 Axl. Listen to the pro shots of Brian around that time he was still giving good/great performances. In my opinion Brian today is still a better singer than Axl at least he still sounds like Brian, Axl sounds like someone making fun of Axl. If Brian has songs like ISE and brownstone to cost on he'd be even better again.

Dickinson sounds incredible. But he's not an aggressive singer. Halford is decent, but he sings in his comfortable lower ranges for a lot of the gig now and saves his banchee wails. 

Hagar, Tyler, Rod Stewart (on a good day), Ann Wilson, Paul Rodgers, Pat benatar, more similar age Sebastian Bach is still belting away, Hetfield seems to always get overlooked but his vocals are quite high, and his voice has got stronger in recent years and is sounding incredible. Singing with aggression is the same whether you're hitting dog whistle notes or low growls, if you do it wrong it will have a cost. 

[JimiRose]

8 hours ago, Gordon Comstock said:

 

We agree about most things tbh. I never said he should retire over it, and I've been consistently positive when the band does good things. This wasn't a great performance but it was a cool guest spot. He shouldn't retire, but he should probably re-structure GNR sets around his current strengths. Perhaps video, Monsters, Glastonbury... they were praised here when they pulled something off.

It's probably the only live Axl appearance we'll see this year so it will get lots of attention... just brace yourself for the song with Michael Schenker

The irony being here that Monsters hasn't actually been released and the glastonbury performance was panned in the mainstream. We have to add context. I / We enjoyed glastonbury because we've had so many horror shows in major events. To the mass audience who hears SCOM, NR, PC etc on tv and radio to then hearing Axl, it would sound dreadful. 

Monsters is a fantastic song. But we only have a version of it due to a leak. we're nearing 2025 and it still hasn't been released and no one had heard it. Gnr post 93 are just a frustrating entity. And that will lead lots of people to exaggerate, because they care and we can all see it's being totally mismanaged. 

[Gnrcane]

Does Billy normally use teleprompters for lyrics or did they bring them in just for Axl?

[Tom2112]

5 hours ago, Gnrcane said:

Does Billy normally use teleprompters for lyrics or did they bring them in just for Axl?

Most bands use them now

[Gnrcane]

21 minutes ago, Tom2112 said:

Most bands use them now

Axl was a pioneer on the UYI tour!  I know most bands do but I was curious if Billy Joel normally does.  I guess he has a much bigger catalog to remember the lyrics of!

[D..]

I thought Axl's performance was fine, love his belt with the three skeleton heads, would someone have a high res pic? Just out of curiosity, I bought a very similar

belt in London last year, was wondering if it was the same one. Love the boots too, I enjoy seeing him taking care of what he wears depending of the occasion.

Always nice to see Axl make surprise appearances and being in great shape. Sure the voice is what it is, but in person it's much better. I don't trust videos no more, last year in Paris was amazing.