Hello everyone.
Right, here we are, I’ve now seen the new Guns’n’Roses show. I’m not going to express an opinion just yet. I’m going to try and convey some of the atmosphere instead.
There are 10,000 people in the Docklands Arena. Some have dug up old G’n’R gear from their cupboards, where it has been lying for ten years, but a surprisingly large proportion are very young. Weezer had opened the show, and put in a lot of effort, but fundamentally, people were there to see the return of the Guns. Weezer had left the stage almost an hour ago. There had been a few Mexican waves, some foot stamping, and chants of “Guns!.. And!.. Roses! Guns!.. And!.. Roses!”. But essentially, people were becoming a bit restless, and were beginning to suspect that Axl Rose hadn’t changed his diva ways while he’d been away.
Suddenly, all the lights go out. Screaming, followed by silence. In the darkness, a lone guitar is heard, not that loud.
Diggiding…
Diggiding…
Diggidi Diggidi Diggidi Deng! Deng!
Diggidi Diggidi Diggidi Deng! Deng!
There is an explosion, six columns of flames rise up, a shower of sparks from the roof, all the lights come on, and a bloke with long blonde dreadlocks held back by a bandanna, and American football shirt and leather trousers leaps onto a podium in the middle of the stage…
“WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE, WE’VE GOT FUN AND GAMES!..”
Just try and picture it. It was amazing. I’ve never seen a show like that before.
He did at one point announce that it was too hot, dropped his trousers and performed a whole song with his trousers around his ankles. And while we’re on the topic of their sartorial choices, that Buckethead guy is quite interesting. There were quite a few members of the audience there with KFC buckets on their heads, and Axl Rose took one from a spectator and wore it for a bit.
My friend has a theory that Buckethead is actually Slash in disguise.
Just a little note about Buckethead: He is not Slash in disguise. He’s been around roughly as long as GnR as a solo artist, and he freakin’ RULZ! I can’t imagine what he’s doing in the new GnR line up.
Then again, I never could figure out what Slash was doing in the original lineup, but that’s just me.
–Dan
“Buckethead is fifty feet tall and weighs thirty thousand tons.”
—Day of the Robot
Having seen Slash do Mr. Brownstone in concert with Snakepit (btw, It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere is a must own for any GnR fan), I can only say that I am completely green with envy. That must have been an amazing, amazing show, even without Slash.
Look at that picture of Axl Rose LolaCocaCola: he’s not bald. You can’t scream like a banshee at a stadium rock event if you’re bald. Large amounts of hair are essential for a successful career in rock. That said, it could be a wig, and the bandanna a holding device.
Next month, Motörhead is on. I may well go and see that. Rock on.
I hear from a friend who saw them the night before at the Leeds festival that some guy in the crowd shouted “Where’s Slash?”, to which the ever-helpful Mr Rose replied “Where’s Slash? He’s up my ass!”. You can always count on him to deliver a pithy retort.