Here you can find my most recent reviews, from this 2006 North American tour. I've been to the Ottawa show on November 17th and to the Québec city show on November 18th. Enjoy!

*See bottom of the page for reviews from other shows*

Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, November 17th 2006

What a night! And what so much fun we had once again at this GNR concert! Just as in 2002, I was going with a friend of mine, Angel, and we met there with another good friend that we had met for the first time at the Toronto show of 2002. We arrived at the venue at around 10 o’clock, just after the Suicide Girls… which was a good thing for us two girls because obviously, we didn’t really care to see strippers. But luckily for us, Sebastian Bach had not come on yet! We had floor general admission tickets and so there we went, ready to party!

Angel and I were fans of Skid Row so it was really nice to see Bach performing! What a show did he put on! I never had the chance of seeing Skid Row in concert at the time so it was so cool to be able to hear Sebastian Bach signing these old Skid Row songs. He came onstage shortly after 10 o'clock. The guy is amazing onstage and his voice is really powerful and beautiful. He played for about an hour and on the floor, the crowd was really into it. He played new material too and I can’t wait to hear the new album, because the songs he played were really good. We really had a good time during his performance and by the time it was finish, the crowd was on fire and ready to cheer for Guns N’ Roses!

And that is exactly what happened! The band came onstage around midnight and by the third song, we had manage to be right in front of the stage, near the center. The show was awesome! It rocked so much, it was crazy and we had so much fun! Axl’s voice sounds even better then in 2002 and already then, it sounded way better than in the 1990s. It was amazing to hear him. The music was awesome too and to all of you who are criticizing this new band with the new members I say “Get over it”! This band rocks, this band kicks ass and you should really see them live before judging them! Then you wouldn’t be able to say anything else then “This is Guns N’ Fucking Roses”!

Speaking of the music, I have to say I prefer Bumblefoot than Buckethead. Buckethead’s guitar playing is amazing, but he didn’t connect to well with the crowd. Maybe because of the mask he’s wearing. This new guy is really into it and he’s really having fun onstage, which puts the crowd even more into it.

At some point in the show there was the Trailer park guys something from an English Canadian show that I don’t know. They came onstage for a bit and left after.

In the Encore, we were lucky enough to have the band play Madagascar, which is a song they don’t play everywhere. My friends and I went wild. What a great song that is! My fav of the new songs was really “Better”. I couldn’t wait to hear it live and it was worth the wait. The show ended at around 2h10 a.m. After that, Angel and I said goodbye to our other friend (we’ll miss you!!) and drove back to Montréal directly. We were ready to keep on rockin’ at the Québec city concert the following night!

Here is the set list for the Ottawa concert:

Welcome to the Jungle, It's so Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Robin solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, You Could Be Mine, Knocking On Heaven's Door, Better, Dizzy solo, The Blues, Axl asks us to sing Happy Birthday to Richard, Richard solo/ Beautiful with Robin, Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, Ron solo – Oh Canada/Don't Cry, My Michelle (with Sebastian Bach), Used To Love Her, Patience, Nightrain.

Encore: Madagascar, I.R.S., Paradise City.

Colisée Pepsi, Québec, November 18th 2006

After a little three hours sleep, Angel and I were back in the car and ready to drive the 2h30 hours separating us from Québec city and another great GNR concert!

After meeting up with a couple of GNR fans from the Here Today Gone to Hell web site (Hi Jarmo!), we went to the venue and arrived at about 9 o’clock. When we went on the floor, it was already almost packed from one end to another, with at least twice the number of people there was the night before on the floor in Ottawa. So even tho the Suicide Girls had not finished doing their things, we decided to stay there. Just before Sebastian Bach, we managed to go back to the front of the floor, not right in front this time but not too far away and right in front of the middle part of the stage. We had a really good view again.

Being a Canadian, Bach knows a bit of French and he spoke French to the crowd most of the time he was talking to us. That was really nice and his French speaking is really good for an English Canadian born outside Québec. It was so un to hear him speak French and say the word “Poutine”! For the Québecers reading this, you’ll know what I mean! I never thought that someday in my life I would hear Sebastian Bach say the word “Poutine”! That was hilarious! Bach had fun with the crowd which was even louder and wilder than in Ottawa. Plus, the crowd seem to know more Skid Row songs than in Ottawa so they were even more into it. It was wild! The show started around the same time as the evening before and lasted about the same length also. And again, after his performance, we were ready to rock with GNR!

Once again, when GNR came onstage, it was wild! And even wilder than the night before! If in Ottawa people knew more of the new songs, they were signing less of the old songs. In Québec, it was the contrary. People were really more into it and the band was on fire! At the beginning of the show, Axl talked a little about Montreal and what happened in 1992. He said something like “You guys didn’t think we were going to show up, did you? Ah yeah, that was in Montreal…” and then the crowd booed him but he was laughing with us. He added something like “We were having a great time in Montreal but you guys had to fuck it up” and hw was even more booed but still laughed with us. It was great to see and hear that, really funny and that gives me hope to see this band in Montreal someday! At one point, there was a guy holding up a sign that said “Axl, come back to Montreal”. Axl saw it and laughed and asked the guy to bring him the sign. He then showed it to the crowd, laughing. What a cool moment.

Axl’s voice was just as great as the night before, even tho it was his second show in a row. Wow. A friend of mine who had seating seats told me the sound was not so good but that’s how it is in the very old Colisée Pepsi. For us on the floor, I think it sounded good and the crowd was so wild they didn’t seem to have any problem with that!

The band put on a different show than the evening before, with some little changes in the setlist. So that was great for us who were also at the Ottawa show.

Another great show, another cool night, so much fun, it rocked, it was awesome, it was GNR!

Here is the set list for the Québec city show:

Welcome to the Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Browstone, Live And Let Die, Knockin' On Heavens Door, You Could Be Mine, Robin Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Better, Dizzy Reed Piano Solo, The Blues, Robin/ Richard Solo, Out Ta Get Me, November Rain, Down On The Farm, Ron Solo/Don't Cry, My Michelle (with Sebastian Bach), Used To Love Her, IRS, Patience, Nightrain.

Encore: Chinese Democracy, Paradise City.

Well, I’m now back from my trip to Toronto and London. And is there even a word strong enough to describe the how much fun I had and how good this band is? I don’t think so. So I guess I’ll use a few to try and explain why I think this band rocks and why I had the time of my life!

Air Canada Centre, Toronto, November 29th 2002

I was staying at a friend’s house in Toronto who is also a big GNR fans. We went to both concerts together. We arrived at the Air Canada Centre around 8h30. Mix Master Mike was just starting his set. I’m not really into DJs and all that and I don’t know much about it either. I expected to be bored to death but I wasn’t. It was entertaining, and although I’m not about to change my taste in music, it was cool to see him perform anyway.

For this concert, I was on the floor in the 14th row, in the right section. GNR came onstage at around 10h35. Now before I go on talking about the show, I have to tell you about the security people there. I’ve been to a lot of shows in Montreal in venues just as big as the ACC. And I’ve NEVER seen anything like that. When the show started, my friend and I rushed to the front of the stage. But the security guys wouldn’t let us stay there and we had to go back to our place. After that, I was standing one foot in the alley right beside me cause I couldn’t see anything: I had a six feet tall guy in front of me. Another security guy came to me and asked me to go right back in front of my seat. I told him about the guy that was tall and he told me I only had to look at the screen if I wanted to see. I was like “Huh, I don’t think so…I didn’t wait 10 years, drove 5 hours and paid good money to look at a screen all night!”. And I stayed right there. He didn’t bother me after that…but I just don’t get it! I’ve never been to any rock concert before where we can’t rush to the front row if we have the chance or stand on our chairs or even have a foot in the alley! Anyway, now that’s it’s off my chest, let’s go back to the show itself.

Like a lot of other GNR fans, when I first heard about this new band, I was sceptical, to say the least. Then I heard MP3s of their performances, but it’s so hard to judge anything from a live MP3. But after seeing two shows of this band, I’m now totally sure they’ll be around for a long time! For this concert, I have to admit I had my eyes on Axl almost all the time. I had seen GNR live in 1992 but I was so far away in the stadium. Seeing Axl this close I couldn’t believe what an amazing frontman he is. He’s running around all the time and his voice is really good. In fact I think it’s even better than before. It’s certainly stronger in the sense that it’s clearer. It sounds just as good live as it does on the records, which is something not every singer can do.

Axl was in a good mood all evening. He made his little joke song on the piano before November Rain, he talked about a lot of different things like sports, reporters and he mentioned Montreal when he asked the crowd “How many of you were at that infamous Montreal show in 92?”. He asked us what was wrong with us in Canada, rioting all the time…he said something about that Vancouver riot and the fact that the people there were rioting even before he even arrived there. He also said something about a riot in Columbus after a sport event (GNR played Columbus on November 25th) and that when he saw that he thought he was late or something. He ended that speech by saying “Anyway, we’ll have to talk more later about that Montreal show and my good friend Lars”, speaking of Lars Ulrich of course. But he didn’t said anything else about that subject after that.

Another funny thing is when Axl introduced the band. Brain got up and blew his nose in a tissue. He seems to do something different every show!

The show was about 2h15 long. Here is the set list:

Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone, Live And Let Die, Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Think About You, You Could Be Mine, Robin’s Solo, Sweet Child O' Mine, Out Ta Get Me, Axl’s Piano Solo, November Rain, Band Members Introduction, Buckethead’s Solo, Rocket Queen, Madagascar, The Blues, My Michelle, Chinese Democracy, Patience, Nightrain.

Encore : Robin’s Solo, Paradise City

John Labatt Centre, London (Ontario), November 30th 2002

The next day we drove the two hours separating Toronto from London and about 10 kilometres away from London, we got caught in a snow storm. But we finally arrived there. We thought London would be the nowhere land, but it’s a very nice little city. GNR were playing at the brand new John Labatt Centre. We decided to arrive at the show around 8h45. This time, we had floor tickets, 7th row. We were right beside the alley separating the first and second section of the floor. Great seats really and the view was promising to be awesome!!!

Mix Master Mike had not even begin yet and he played like an hour and fifteen minutes. I guess GNR were probably late because of the storm. They started the show at 11h. But this time, everybody rushed in front, close to the stage. My friend and I did the same thing and believe it or not, we were able to go in the front row, right in the middle, and stay there for the whole show!! At first security was trying to push people back. But they eventually stopped trying to send people back to their seats and they concentrated on not letting more people come. But we were there and we stayed there! And what an amazing night! That’s a dream come true, seeing GNR in the middle of the front row!! The show was just as good as the day before, and even better for us! I had more occasions to look at the other members that night.

All of them are really good players. They are all really into it and they have a good interaction with each other and the crowd. They play with emotions and it shows that they are happy to be there. The one who impressed me the most is Buckethead. Maybe that’s because he was the one I was less looking forward to see…You know, a guy with a KFC Bucket on his head is not the most inspiring thing to me. But that was BEFORE I saw him play live. I kept hearing good things about him, but I didn’t have an opinion myself. But I can honestly say the guy is an amazing player. He’s talented and his solos are captivating. And although he is discreet, he has charisma.

When Axl introduced the band, this time Brain had some sort of small plastic balls in his mouth or something like that and he threw them out. It was pretty funny!

Axl was still in a good mood. He talked a bit less but he made a speech about China and what is going on there. Seeing him that close was totally cool. He sings these songs with so much emotions, the old ones and the new ones. You can see the emotions on his face as he sings. He seems in such a good shape. You have to see this man in a live show, to see his energy. It’s contagious! I mean, you have not seen anything if you have not seen Axl Rose live. It’s totally worth the money, the wait, the drive or everything else. Right upon that first show in Toronto, GNR was not my favourite live performance. But that changed now. They totally rock!

If I’m not mistaking, the set list was the same as in Toronto.

To conclude, if you are hesitating to see this band live, don’t. You shouldn’t be because they are a good band and you’ll have a great time for sure. I personally had the time of my life. It’s an experience I will not forget! And I recommend it to every GNR fan, whether you liked this band for a long time or you’re just starting to get into it now. Long live GNR!

Fleet Centre, Boston, December 2nd 2002

From Josianne, Québec.

I arrived at the Fleet Centre at around 2 pm., I met with a guy that was selling tickets at the doors so I was able to get tickets on the 30th row on the floor. Later, I went where the tour bus were and I saw a technician who was working for GNR. I talked with him for quite a while and he took me into the tour bus where he gave me backstage passes. CKY started at around 7h30 pm, a good show. Then MixMaster Mike played for about an hour, he was very good. Then, from 10 pm to 10h30, the camera crew were filming girls flashing. Some of them I saw backstage. At 10h34, the lights went out and immediately we heard the first notes of Welcome To The Jungle. I immediatly looked for Axl and he was behind the drum. The show was super, from A to Z, Axl was in pretty good shape, making jokes, laughing with us and what a voice!! His voice was amazing during Live And Let Die. The new members are very good, they make different solos during the songs, the setlist was just like the other ones from the rest of the tour. We had the "Assholes" intro too. The Fleet Centre was full and everyone appreciated it as much as me, everyone was singing and making the same moves as Axl. Of course some people were asking where Slash was. And before the begining of The Blues, since I knew the new songs, I saw Dizzy on the piano so I knew immediately it was going to the The Blues, I threw my arms in the air and I screamed and Axl looked at me!!!! The show ended around 12h30 am.

When it was over, I went where the backstage was. On the 20 000 persons that were at the show, we were 50 with backstage passes, half girls, half guys. Then they took us to the basement where there was a room that looked like a living room, we had free drinks. Tommy arrived first, he talked with everyone than Richard arrived, I went to see him and I talked with him a little bit. He gave me an autograph, he is very nice but look like he is very shy. Then I saw Dizzy, I'm very happy I had to chance of talking to him, he lost alot of weight, he has incredible blue eyes. We talked about the show, and when he heard that I was coming from Québec to see the show, he made a big smile and said he was happy about that. The atmosphere backstage was very good, the music that was playing there was rap, believe it or not. I didn't get the chance to see Axl cause he had already left for the show scheduled the day after.

.....................

From Tyler.

My name is Tyler and I have been to the Fleet Center concert. A very good concert, wonderful. Well if Axl didn't cancel his concert maybe I could go to one more again. I loved that concert the best. The new Guns N' Roses, they were great, wonderful, I enjoyed it very very much. The first song they played was Welcome To The Jungle, great song. It was a great concert and it was the best concert I have ever ever seen.

Madison Square Garden, New York, December 5th 2002

From Diana, New York.

It was truly amazing. The waiting of 10 years was worth it. I didn't have great seats but couldn't have had a better time. The whole place was rocking. The new band was incredible and Axl was hotter than ever... I so much didn't want it to end. I was very disappointed to see the rest of their tour dates canceled, heard numerous rumors, not sure which is true. The last thing Axl said on stage was they'd be back in the summertime..I am hoping that is true.

Pepsi Arena, Albany, New York, November 27th 2002

From Brian

I attened Guns N Roses in Albany ,NY in november 2002. The show was amazing. CKY opened up and they weren't bad at all. Then came Mix Master Mike, I wasn't impressed. But at about 10;30 the arena went dark, the curtain opened and all you heard was the beginning of "Welcome To The Jungle", it was amazing. Axl was wearing black jogging pants and sported several different sports jerseys of NY teams. His voice sounded amazing, the band sounded awesome! He sang 2 or 3 new songs off the Chinese Democracy album as well.

I was right up front , first row, got there very early for I have never seen GNR before. Axl went off on Slash and Duff a little bit, saying how those guys never even wanted to release November Rain and Estranged and how the old band really didn't like to tour where the new guys love it. He sang almost all of Appetite For Destruction and he did a new version of Knockin' On Heaven's Door, it was really cool. He closed with Paradise City.

Axl was in a great mood , they played for 2 and a half hours, well worth the wait. I hope they tour this summer.

The Mark, Moline, Illinois, November 17th 2002

From Jayson Trucks.

I saw the new Guns N' Roses at The Mark in the quad cities, Illinios on Nov. 17th 2002. It was the best concert I've ever been to. That's including when I saw them back in '92 with Metallica. Axl put more effort into that show then any other show I've seen. Then when Buckethead did his solo, and broke out the knomb chucks, I was in shock, then he started doing the robot dance I know this was a one of a kind concert.

Eastern Creek Raceway, Sydney, Australia, 1993

From Scott, Australia.

My name is Scott and I just wanna tell you my experience of GNR in Australia in 1993...it was the Use Your Illusions tour.

Firstly I want to say that for three years prior I was mesmorised by the song writing capabilities of Slash and Axl... I was aspiring to be a guitarist and had learnt every song lead that Slash had played up till then... you could say my obsession with GNR was on par with that of Danny Sugerman's love of The Doors. I went to Eastern Creek Raceway in Sydney on my own to witness the event, almost in a dream state that this was actually happening. First Rose Tattoo lead by Angry Anderson played and that was alright but I was too eager to hear the music I came for. Skid Row played next and in an article I read later it proposed the ludicrus idea that Skid Row upstaged GNR... not for this young lad it didn't. The one critical point I will raise though is that GNR didn't come on for about an hour after the schedueled launch and I was getting restless as were the rest of the 100 000 strong crowd. But then it happened... and the announcer screamed "Ladies and Gentlemen.. from Los Angeles in America GUNS N'ROSES" and with this I slipped into a somewhat altered state of reality. The spot light came on and there he was... Slash with top hat and a flourecent blue flannelet shirt strumming the chords to the beggining of Its So Easy. He looked like a cartoon... I was a cartoon.. Everything was animated as though I was looking through the eyes of the animator, the creator , our God. But as GNR showed me.. God, our animator has left us... we are all alone and all we can hope to achieve is to glorify our own decadence in this swirling void we call reality... Right next door to hell. And yes all of our eyes were on Axl. The concert stood for eternity but at the same time was a fleeting moment as close to bliss as I could manage. I went to the concert alone... left the concert alone, but I didn't need anyone else's company for I had the music I was destined to hear running through my mind like the dawn of a new era. All I can say is that the pure energy and emotion that engrained itself in my ears was the closest thing I will get to finding myself. Sugerman's biography about GNR titled "Appetite For Destruction" says it all about a band who in time will be remembered for putting a mirror up to society and showing it what it is truly made of... decadence and immoral drugery... we live in a time where true poets stand alone guiding us sheep through pastures of urban waste... Thank you Axl for having the courage to lead us where most are fearful to tread.

The Super Top, New Zealand, 1988

From Andrew "Axl" Cook, New Zealand.

I saw GNR in concert here in New Zealand back in 1988 I am one lucky SOB. At this time GNR had just broke, Sweet Child O' Mine was all over the radio and TV, Axl was this God/devil come to life. The show itself was held in a big tent, known as the super top. I would say at this show there were maybe 7,000 people as GNR were still new, and the concert was short notice etc. Anyway, so I'm this really lucky 16 year old in the front row with my friends. Even before they came on I knew I was going to witness something pretty special. Axl was MEAN, boy was he surly, he really walked the walk, looking like he had just come off the farm with a switch blade in his pocket! The band were AWESOME, it was so unpolished the music was raw and pulsing, the energy was amazing. Slash was getting drunk as hell on a bottle of jack, I think Duff was too. Steve was just all smiles and throwing out drum sticks. Izzy looked like this really sleazy pimp that hid in the background with that big white body Gibson guitar, Duff just kinda played his bass and spat on everyone. About half way through the show some fucker started throwing bottles at the band, the band walked off, except for Slash who just kept playing his guitar solo, he had drunk most of the bottle of jack, and Axl was arguing with him, but he just kept shaking his head. Axl then went off his head...HEY MOTHER FUCKER, GET UP HERE AND I'LL KICK YOUR MOTHER FUCKING ASS. In this real high pitch schrill American voice, up till that time I had only ever heard Americans on the TV, the accent is strange. Anyway in the end the band came out again and the show went on undisturbed. They also played most of the "Patience" LP. I also remember them playing Civil War and thinking how much more mature musically it was, alot heavier then the other rock n roll they were playing (I later learned this was the first time it had ever been played in public)...I can remember thinking that when they played the stuff from Patience that....."oh my God, they are turning into country band!!!...Used to love her but I had to kill her??, at the time it was strange because we had never heard it before and it wasn't released yet. In all this was an outstanding concert, even more so because I got to see the band from the front row in a 7,000 strong crowd, of a band that had just musically broke and were nothing but pure raw power. It was without a doubt the best show I have ever been to, or will ever see I think. I hope in 20 years my kid is into GNR then I can tell him I WAS THERE.

European Tour, June 2006, The Download Festival at Donington in England

From Philippa, England.

On Sunday, 11th of June, I saw Guns N'Roses live in concert. Axl was in all honesty in top form, his voice sounded just like it used to and he put on a good show. The songs were anwsome, they only played about four of the new ones, the rest were the classic songs.

I was suprised to find he actually started a few minutes early! And they finished about 25 minutes late. There was only one hiccup, and that was when there was a problem with the mic, Axl just said "We're having some technical difficulties, we'll be right back", and at that point many people left because they thought he wouldn't come back, their loss! He came back and the rest of the show was even better!

Izzy Stradlin Guest stared! And was absolutely anwsome! As was Dizzy Reed! The rest of that band was actually pretty good, way better then I expected all in all, an anwsome show and the best 2 hours (well the show was ment to be 2 hours) of my life.

Wembley Stadium, London, UK, August 31st, 1991

From Jo, United-Kingdom.

Hi there,

My first GNR concert was August 31st 1991 at Wembley Stadium in London, I was 17 years old and my mates had waited in line all night a few months before hand to get the tickets and I'd scrimped and saved to pay for it! Me and my mate went up on the train, we got there early and sat outside in the sunshine drinking vodka, Nine Inch Nails were crap but Skid Row were fantastic, the ultimate moment was when Sebastian Bach read out a letter Brent Council sent him and GNR telling them what they couldn't sing and urging them not to swear as much. It was great and he threw in lots of sarky comments before saying "get the fuck out" (the song he was banned from playing) ripping up the letter and singing the banned song!

Axl Rose gave us the best concert I have been to, we were caught up in it all and he played for hours, all the classic Lies and Appetite stuff as well as some from his then new album Use your Illusions. Actually, the Use Your Illusions albums didn't get released until a month after the concert but we fans didn't care, we just loved it all.

I recently went to Wembley Arena, July 30th 2006 and they are still banging, Axl sounds as good as ever and I am ready and willing to attend any other concerts they do in the UK!

Jo

Miscellaneous

From Tammy, Nashville,Tennessee.

I saw Guns N' Roses when they opened for Aerosmith and I drove 6 1/2 hours to Alabama to see them before Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 were released. They were fukin' amazing both times, only hate I didn't see them more before they split. To me there will only be one true GNR: The original members. Because they had such an awesome chemistry together... They are truly missed and they were by far the best concerts I went to and I've seen over 100.. AC/DC, Motley Crue, etc... they all were great but GNR was the best....