Guns N' Roses

 Here’s case where I did NOT previously write about the matter in question, most likely because the only time (prior to last Sunday’s show in Baltimore) we had seen them was in 1992, a time at which I was not blogging, and Chinese Democracy, their most recent album of new material, wasn’t released until 2008, and although I purchased it and listened to it soon after it was released, it made no favorable impression upon me.

And as for the Sunday release? Well, I’m writing this watching “Radical Action”, a video of a latemodel (three drummer) King Crimson show.  Don’t count on GNR covering any Crimson….   In between confirming I don’t have COVID on Friday afternoon and finishing off Vincent Bugliosi’s critique of the “fiction posing as fact” which was Oliver Stoned’s “JFK” crapfest, I was distracted.  But now you get my 2 centavos on Weapons & Flowers.

Back in fall 1987, I was a sophomore at University of Maryland, College Park.  We had a suitemate named Woody, whose musical preference, while including Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, also featured a heavy dose of hair metal; his favorite band was Twisted Sister.  Then Appetite For Destruction came out, and he went nuts.  He was obsessed.  I thought it was OK, nothing special.  The strongest element isn't Axl - though he seems to fit the bill of oversexed, egocentric lead singer - it's Slash, pumping his blues-scale solos through Jubilee-spec Marshall amps, often playing on the neck pickup, oddly enough. We also saw Axl filling in for Brian Johnson on AC/DC's most recent visit to the Verizon Center (now Capitol One Arena) in DC.  Not bad, plus a set list of deep cuts Johnson usually doesn't sing.  

In 1992 we saw the joint Metallica/Guns N’Roses tour at RFK Stadium in DC.  Faith No More went on first, followed by Metallica, and then GNR.  We left before the encore.  The show was OK, but we preferred Metallica.

Guns N’ Roses Concert Setlist at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington on July 17, 1992 | setlist.fm

Last Sunday we saw them again, in Baltimore.  Our seats were actually up close on the floor, but the damn yahoos in the seats in front of us blocked the view waving their cell phones en masse – because a show didn’t happen unless 300++ people record it on their cell phones.  Of the original lineup, Waxl Rose (vocals), / (guitar) and Duff O’Kagan (bass).  They had some other guy playing rhythm guitar, Weedy Dizz on keys, some drummer, and some chick on keyboards – hired elves, so to speak.  Oh, and lots of stage movies, with a focus on medieval plague doctors with vaccine syringes.  Unclear message there: the plague was caused by bacteria, not viruses.  Maybe meant to imply that the vaccines were medieval technology and therefore practically useless, possibly harmful.  GNR are anti-vax?  Oddly, in addition to a few covers, the current band played "Slither", from Velvet Revolver (Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots originally singing).  

Guns N’ Roses Concert Setlist at Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore on September 26, 2021 | setlist.fm

Discography:  Appetite For Destruction, GNR Lies (half live, half acoustic), Use Your Illusion #1, Use You Illusion 2, The Spaghetti Incident (collection of covers, mostly punk), and Chinese Democracy.  The last album came out several years later with a revolving array of musicians (e.g. Buckethead) and lacked any standout songs, though the band saw fit to include several numbers from it on at Sunday night’s concert.

Of these albums, you could cull 10-12 quality songs and write off Chinese Democracy altogether.  I enjoyed watching Slash on guitar; Duff was still spry and energetic.  Axl did a heroic effort of belting out vocals written when his voice was much younger.  Stalwarts like “November Rain” and “Estranged” were the stellar, epic numbers which make the whole endeavor worthwhile.  Sadly, the band is hit-or-mess, with a fair amount of forgettable material, but their good stuff is good enough.  Thank you, Matt, for bringing me to another show.  AMEN.  

Brian vs Axl

Recently I had the immense good fortune to experience what will possibly be the second to last AC/DC concert, and the last in my area, at the Verizon Center in DC.  Many thanks to my brother Matt, who took me to the show.  Amen!

The concert was originally scheduled for March 17, but had to be postponed when singer Brian Johnson was advised by his doctor to quit touring or lose his hearing.  After much confusion, the band agreed to have the infamous, erratic, and heretofore unreliable Guns N’Roses singer W. Axl Rose take over.  This was even more remarkable as he had also reconciled with his former GNR bandmates Slash and Duff McKagan, and was touring with the revamped GNR at about the same time.  So there was ample speculation as to whether this would work.  Now we know.

The band went on around 9 p.m. and played for a solid two hours, not counting the encore.  Now that the tour is over I can disclose the setlist without ruining it for anyone:  Rock Or Bust, Shoot To Thrill, Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be, Back in Black, Got Some Rock’n’Roll Thunder, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Rock’n’Roll Damnation, Thunderstruck, High Voltage, Rock’n’Roll Train, Hell’s Bells, Given The Dog A Bone, If You Want Blood (You Got It), Live Wire, Sin City, You Shook Me All Night Long, Shot Down in Flames, Have a Drink On Me, T.N.T., Whole Lotta Rosie, Let There Be Rock, and (encore) Highway to Hell, Riff Raff, and For Those About To Rock (We Salute You).  The last show in Philadelphia added “Problem Child” to the encore.

As the setlist indicates, the band dipped deep into its Bon Scott repertoire to our immense surprise and satisfaction; as Matt noted, in Johnson’s absence the band was free to play more of Bon Scott’s material.   I found Axl’s inter-song banter somewhat unintelligible and obtuse – similar to Ian Gillan – but his vocals and delivery were spot on, both for the Johnson material, but also for the Scott material, though with regard to the latter he appeared to be doing his own impression of Johnson singing Scott’s material.  Well, I can’t and won’t complain.

Brian vs. Axl.  Let me start by saying that I have always been somewhat ambivalent about Axl Rose.  With regard to his singing ability, Rose has a refreshing variety of singing styles, not just one.  Appetite For Destruction, Use Your Illusion (I & II), and GNR Lies, (and, for that matter, Chinese Democracy) show his impressive range – leave aside his myriad attitude problems and other eccentricities, as a singer he is VERY good.  

Contrast this with Brian Johnson, who from Back In Black to Rock Or Bust has a grand total of ONE singing style, a raspy shriek which has not improved over the years.  He could not sing “Ride On”, much less “Patience”, “Used to Love Her”, “Sweet Child O’Mine”, or “Estranged”, and his delivery of Bon’s songs is barely adequate and NO improvement.  So as singers, Axl is clearly superior to Johnson.

As musicians?  By that I mean, showing up on time, getting along with your bandmates, cooperating in the studio and on tour, and overall doing what you have to so the band puts out albums and tours effectively.  By that standard Johnson was clearly superior.   Axl, for all his talent, seemed to degenerate into a spoiled child for many years.  Chinese Democracy took far too long to come out and was at best mediocre when it did, although Use Your Illusion should really be condensed down to one superlative, classic album instead of two albums with some excellent songs and lots of inane filler.  It took Axl all this time to surgically remove his head from his ass and get back with Slash and Duff, each of whom were capable of putting out material and touring with other bands while Axl was …doing what?  

Meanwhile, Brian Johnson sang on Back in Black, For Those About To Rock, Flick of the Switch, Fly on the Wall, Blow Up Your Video, The Razor’s Edge, Ballbreaker, Stiff Upper Lip, Black Ice, and Rock Or Bust, and until his doctor pulled the plug on him, reliably toured all those albums without any fuss or bother.  I suppose his blue collar upbringing in Newcastle instilled a strong work ethic which I have to admire.  As a musician, Johnson clearly beat Axl.

As persons?  I read Johnson’s book, Rockers and Rollers.  This was written BY him (with some assistance), not an expose by someone else intended to make him look bad.  Yet it makes him look bad.  He prattles about Geordie (like we care), his rare mentions of AC/DC are put-downs of Angus and Malcolm, and he brags about racing cars as a hobby – without mentioning Nick Mason.  Overall somewhat of a jerk, but even so, not nearly as petulant and spoiled as Axl.  In that regard I’d call him a bit better than Axl. 

When the AXL decision was announced, a substantial outcry went up.  Axl? In AC/DC?  I suspect 90% of that opposition was because it appeared that Johnson - who up to this point was 100% reliable, as noted above, for 36 years - was being summarily dismissed due to factors beyond his control and the heretofore ne'er-do-well, spoiled child Axl was given the job in his place.  Certainly, viewed in that context it looks unfair to Johnson and an equally inequitable windfall to Axl.  "The show must go on" sounds awfully harsh, but recall that Johnson replaced Bon in mere months, so he was also the beneficiary of his predecessor's bad luck.  But I believe that, notwithstanding his prior track record, Axl delivered the goods and got the job done.

Brian vs. Bon.  Maybe a bit unfair, but I’ll do it anyway.  Bon’s voice was much better than Brian’s, by far.  No contest.  In terms of material, look at the Bon albums.  High Voltage (US/Europe and Australian), TNT (Australian), Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (US/Europe and Australian) Let There Be Rock, Powerage, and Highway to Hell.  All decent albums, with the last three being superb classics.   Six albums from 1975 to 1979 – just four years. 

Brian Johnson’s era has 10 albums from 1980 to 2014, 34 years.  Of these, one classic, two are very good, and the rest are highly mediocre, including two stinkers, Fly on the Wall and Blow Up Your Video.  Fortunately for us fans, the band mostly tended to ignore the crap in concert, giving up sets which were 40% Back In Black, 40% Bon Scott, and only 20% new stuff no one wanted to hear.  

Fortunately, this time around, Axl & Angus – supported by Stevie Young, Cliff Williams, and Chris Slade – played plenty of stuff we wanted to hear.  With the cannons roaring, this band literally went out with a bang.