Fans fed up with Axl Rose

[ForeverAutumn]

And rightly so. Axl needs to get in the game. It used to be the thing to do to start a show late and make the fans wait for you. It's nothing more than egotistical posturing and, more and more, I see bands treating concerts like the business that they are. The time on the ticket is a curtain time, and just like any other theatrical event, it needs to start on time or relatively close to it if you're going to get in your full set. Starting an hour late is unprofessional and shows a lack of respect for your fans, IMO. Then again, Axl is known for this type of behaviour. Maybe the promotors just need to start the show an hour earlier.

Axl Rose tries Dublin's patience

DUBLIN - Axl Rose, it seems, needs a little more patience — and a much louder alarm clock.

The 48-year-old singer of U.S. hard-rock band Guns N' Roses irritated thousands of his Dublin fans at the 02 Arena on Wednesday night by showing up nearly an hour late — a recurring problem on his band's European tour — and then walking off after an unruly minority in the crowd hurled water bottles on the stage.

Most of the fans left, but Irish concert promoters MCD wouldn't let Rose leave until he finished the gig. The band went back on stage an hour later to a mostly empty venue and didn't stop playing until nearly 1 a.m.

MCD and the 02 issued a joint statement criticizing Rose for having "a long history for being late on stage," but emphasized that "no artist should be subjected to missiles and unknown substances being thrown at them."

Rose's patience snapped after he warned the crowd to stop throwing things on stage.

"Here is the deal. One more bottle up here and we go. We don't want to go. Your choice," he told the crowd during an abrupt break to the band's second song, "Welcome to the Jungle."

But when introducing his other band members before a following number, up came another bottle — and off Rose went to a chorus of boos. "OK, that's it. Good night. Have a nice evening," he said.

Politicians called on the promoters to refund tickets that cost an average of US$92. MCD declined to say whether anyone would get their money back.

"Reports say that the lights came on and the security people told concertgoers to go home. Confusion reigned and thousands of fans had left by the time the band came back again on stage to complete their set," Irish senator Michael McCarthy said.

Rose is the only remaining original member of Guns N' Roses, which was founded in Los Angeles in 1985 and achieved chart-topping successes with its first two albums, "Appetite for Destruction" in 1987 and the double-album "Use Your Illusion" in 1991.

The band effectively collapsed in the mid-1990s and Rose became a Malibu semi-recluse. He re-emerged in recent years with a completely new band that, after missing a decade of production deadlines, unveiled the album "Chinese Democracy" in 2008. It has received generally positive reviews but sold poorly compared to the band's heyday.

The European tour has been marred by late starts.

At the first stop Aug. 27, an open-air festival in Reading, west of London, Guns N' Roses arrived an hour late and had their microphones and amplifiers cut off by organizers during their encore.

Two nights later in the northern English city of Leeds, Guns N' Roses again was ordered to cut its performance concert a half-hour short because of an hour-late start. The tour has 22 cities in 13 more countries to go.

Such tardiness is nothing new for Rose. Guns N' Roses kept Irish fans waiting two extra hours during its 1992 European tour.

[MasterCylinder]

The first mistake you make is buying a ticket to go see an a$$hole like him.

[ForeverAutumn]

LMAO! Very true.

[TheHills44060]

I love heavy metal and hard rock but never liked Guns and Roses. Don't like their sound at all. I still think Axl is one of the most overrated front men ever and I'll never understand why people think Slash is so great.

I will say that Rocket Queen is an awesome song but other than that I cannot stomach any of their other stuff.

[Finch Platte]

LMAO! Very true.

x2

Hey, Axl!

[3LB]

I happen to have jumped on the GnR bandwagon early on, several months before radio was playing them. I thought Appetite For Destruction was one of the decade's top rock albums. And yes, Axl Rose could have gone down as the decade's best front men, IMO of course. But my god, what an incredible brat. His behavior goes way beyond any 'rock star ego trip'. Dude has serious emotional issues. He's self-destructive as hell, and hellbent on taking down anyone crazy enough to befriend him. After hearing what he did during the tour with Metallica, he deserved a clinical beating.

[Geoffcin]

I Really don't know how you could call it G&R without Slash and the rest of the guys. They should really call it "Wilted Roses"

[Finch Platte]

I Really don't know how you could call it G&R without Slash and the rest of the guys. They should really call it "Wilted Roses"

Deflowered Guns?

[Troy]

If the fans are fed up, imagine how I feel about him.

[Finch Platte]

If the fans are fed up, imagine how I feel about him.

What irritates me is that he doesn't give out tracklistings at his concerts.

[Troy]

What irritates me is that he doesn't give out tracklistings at his concerts.

Well, that's a whole other subject. Some of those discs you sent me have recording glitches to go along with missing tracklists. Crackly and skippy. For the most part it's ok because the music sucks anyway. Thanks again!

[Swish]

...but then hired them back on the same day. He was late (overslept) but had told them not to wake him up under and circumstances, so they didn't. He a friggin' idiot.

[audiobill]

Well I recall a concert where the featured artist was over 2 hours late. We wanted to see him so badly, as did the rest of the crowd, that we waited and waited some more. It turns out that he eventually showed and abruptly took to the stage without any apology and without any explanation. His name is Stevie Wonder and I remember vividly going to the used lp store the next day and selling all of my SW albums for a song.

Never forgave him for it.

As for William Bruce Rose, imo he has one of the best rock and roll voices - ego, Axl and ahole aside - of the eighties - actually of the history of rock and roll.

Welcome to the Jungle ,
audiobill

[audiobill]

Well I recall a concert where the featured artist was over 2 hours late. We wanted to see him so badly, as did the rest of the crowd, that we waited and waited some more. It turns out that he eventually showed and abruptly took to the stage without any apology and without any explanation. His name is Stevie Wonder and I remember vividly going to the used lp store the next day and selling all of my SW albums for a song.

Never forgave him for it.

As for William Bruce Rose, imo he has one of the best rock and roll voices - ego, Axl and ahole aside - of the eighties - actually of the history of rock and roll.

Welcome to the Jungle ,
audiobill

[Smokey]

As for William Bruce Rose, imo he has one of the best rock and roll voices - ego, Axl and ahole aside - of the eighties - actually of the history of rock and roll.

May be he should trade in some of that voice for personality

[ForeverAutumn]

Welcome to the Jungle ,
audiobill

Bill? Is that really you?

Nice to see you!

Should I bother asking how your summer was? Or should I just assume it was awesome!

[3LB]

how the hell are ya Bill?!

Well I recall a concert where the featured artist was over 2 hours late. We wanted to see him so badly, as did the rest of the crowd, that we waited and waited some more. It turns out that he eventually showed and abruptly took to the stage without any apology and without any explanation. His name is Stevie Wonder

Hey, its dark back-stage...mebbe he just got turned around

As for William Bruce Rose, imo he has one of the best rock and roll voices - ego, Axl and ahole aside - of the eighties - actually of the history of rock and roll.

definitely put the 'rawk' back into rock-n-roll after all the forgettable hairy metal up until then.

Welcome back to the Jungle,
audiobill

[audiobill]

Hi ForeverAutumn. Yes, indeed - it really is me. Ha!! Nice to read all of the musical banter. It's been awhile and it feels good to be back.

As for the summer - it was awwwwesome. In fact, it was difficult to come back.

It was a gift from the Swishman that got me stoked to drop in to RR.

Zeus Say Us was such a great listen. As a matter of fact, it is spinning loudly right now.

Looking forward to some great threads this Fall.


audiobill

Bill? Is that really you?

Nice to see you!

Should I bother asking how your summer was? Or should I just assume it was awesome!

[audiobill]

Hi there, 3LockBox. I am doing just fine. How the hell are you??

It's good to be back to the RR board and thanks-a-ton for the warm welcome.

As I told FA, it was Swisheroo's Zeus Say Us that got me all excited. They remind a lot of the Kinks which is a fantastic sound in my books.

Yeah, those hairy metal bands of the eighties were very fleeting - Axl, if I recall rawked them off the map for several years running.

Good to be back in the RR Jungle.

Cheers,
audiobill

how the hell are ya Bill?!
Hey, its dark back-stage...mebbe he just got turned around
definitely put the 'rawk' back into rock-n-roll after all the forgettable hairy metal up until then.

Welcome back to the Jungle,
audiobill

[dean_martin]

After hearing what he did during the tour with Metallica, he deserved a clinical beating.

I was at the New Orleans show on that tour. Faith No More played for about 45 min. Metallica came out pretty quickly and tore the place down. I was exhausted after their intense set. GNR kept us waiting forever then put on a snoozer of a show. My middle-school concert band played a better version of A Day in the Life of a Fool (The Godfather theme).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNR-Metallica_Stadium_Tour