Guns N Roses / Mix Master Mike

Guns N Roses/Mix Master Mike: live in Tacomalive in Tacoma (2002)
Universal Music Group

Reviewer Rating: 2.5

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Contributed by: owenowen
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Published on November 19th 2002It's been nine years since Axl Rose elected to go into his self-created retirement/exile. Nine years since he has toured the United States, and eleven years since he has released an album of new material. It would be hard to deny that within the past decade Axl has had a less than perfect relation.

It's been nine years since Axl Rose elected to go into his self-created retirement/exile. Nine years since he has toured the United States, and eleven years since he has released an album of new material. It would be hard to deny that within the past decade Axl has had a less than perfect relationship with the other original members of G n R. Co-founders Slash and Duff left the group years ago; leading many fans to think the band would be no more. This would not be case, however, within the mind of frontman Rose. Instead of letting laying the band's name to rest in the annals of rock legendary a la Led Zeppelin, Axl opted to buy out the name from the other original members and head out with a backing band of completely new hired guns.

While he could have easily booked a tour on his solo name power alone, he instead chose to gleam off the time honored G n R trademark, a move many consider one of the music industry's biggest taboos. After several line up changes, the band now consists mainly of unheard-of musicians plucked by Axl from other bands such as Nine Inch Nails and Primus. The most notable addition to G n R is avant-garde solo guitarist Buckethead, whose underground credibility undoubtedly is something Axl recognized and hoped to cash in on.

Axl has created a name for himself as being one of rock's most unpredictable and pretentious characters. It's no secret that he has the hair trigger temperament to walk off stage at any given time or to fail showing up all-together. It was this very behavior that spurred a riot in Montreal during the "Use Your Illusion" tour when he left after only a few songs due to what he has since claimed "vocal difficulties". It was no surprise to read in the paper that he was a no show for his opening gig in Vancouver BC Apparently he was tied up at the airport from a late flight from Los Angeles. The truth behind this reasoning is anyone's guess, but it certainly created a lot of pissed-off fans who had been literally left in the cold waiting for Axl to show up. Being the day after the Vancouver fiasco, and now officially becoming the tour's opening night, all eyes were going to be placed on Tacoma, Washington to see what Axl would do next.

I arrived at the venue at about 8:00 PM, half an hour after the show's listed start time to a less than full audience. Many of the seats were empty and the floor area seemed at about 3/4 capacity. I unfortunately missed the opening band CKY, who had just been announced as the tour's openers only two days before. The second opening act, Beastie Boys' DJ Mix Master Mike, was spinning a mix of rock and hip-hop beats when I arrived and continued for close to 45 minutes. I really enjoyed his set, but couldn't help but think how much things have changed since the days when I saw Skid Row open for the band in the very same place a decade ago to a nearly maximum capacity audience. Mix Master Mike got a warm response from the crowd, which came somewhat as a surprise to me since I had expected everyone there to be from a much different scene. Instead of the mullets and faded T-shirts which I had assumed would fill the place, I saw sea of people in their early 30's, many with closely cropped hair and polo shirts on. My how things have changed.

After another thirty minutes for Mix Master Mike to leave the stage and to set up for the main act, the lights finally were shut off to the sound of thousands of anxious cheers. I positioned myself on the floor about 15 feet from the stage, which seemed rather unusual for me to be able to get that close so easily. I had prepared myself for a surge of people to push into me, which to my surprise never happened. I guess G n R fans aren't as rabid as they used to be. The cheering crecendoed as soon as the opening guitar line to "Welcome to the Jungle" shot from the PA system. In a flash of light and pyrotechnics the band took the stage, with Axl shooting to center stage in his famous side step swagger.

The stage consisted of video screens in the background alternating close-up footage of the band with pre-recorded video imagery. Drummer Brain was positioned on a riser above the rest of the band with ramps leading to him on both sides of his kit. Both sides of the stage featured wings jutting into the audience for the band to run out on and give the folks in the seats better view. The lighting rig could raise and lower itself giving a different look for each song played. After seeing so many shows in small clubs lately, I will admit it was pretty exciting to be a part of the grandiose area rock experience once again.

The set consisted of a majority of material coming from the band's zillion selling debut "Appetite for Destruction". Of the albums twelve tracks, ten were performed live at the show. This was another surprise for me, since I've heard Axl mention that he didn't want to become some "rock karaoke" act of has beens. While I am not saying that I wasn't happy to hear so many of the classics from that album, it seemed like using so much material from that one album was somewhat of a desperate attempt to rekindle the fire from his glory days.

It's ironic that he mentioned the word "karaoke" in describing what he did not want to be, because it became completely apparent that the show was just that. It was no longer Guns n' Fuckin' Roses, it was Axl Rose and his Fuckin' cover band. While they are certainly a great bunch of musicians, the new members seemed to lack any of the chemistry that made the original line up so great. Long gone are the days of Slash leaning onto Duff's back as he busts out the opening riff to "Sweet Child O Mine". The urgency and drive of the old Sunset Strip glam-punk "Appetite" G n R was nowhere to be seen. Each member just looked like he belonged somewhere else other than under the moniker of Guns N Roses. If you would have told me 10 years ago that Slash would be replaced by a numchuck wielding guitarist with a KFC bucket on his head, I would have said you were out of your mind. Sure, Axl did the spastic jaunts across stage and his obligatory swagger dance, but it that he alone could not make the show compare to what it used to be.

Axl is no longer the svelte heroin-chic front man he used to be. Many of his years of isolation must have been spent eating, since his face is much more rotund now and he no longer is able to perform without a shirt on. Now he relies on wearing baggy football jerseys with braided hair under his trademark bandana. Rumors were flying around the audience that his hair is now braided to hold hair extensions covering his thinning scalp. His voice is far from the raspy banshee wail he produced on his albums. Now he lets out more of a breathless whine that relied heavily on the audience's help in singing the choruses to his songs, alternating lyrics with heavy gasps for air. His difficulty was even more apparent when he introduced three new songs in the set list. Since they were unfamiliar with the material, the lack of the audience's vocal support left him sounding extremely tired.

After running through such "Appetite" classics as "Out ta Get Me", "Nighttrain", and "Rocket Queen" as well as "Use Your Illusion" hits like "You Could Be Mine" and "November Rain", Axl left the stage only to return with an encore of "Paradise City". The song ended in a barrage of pyrotechnics and confetti with the house lights turning on to reveal a significant portion of the audience had actually left before the show was even over. While it was somewhat exciting to hear all my favorite songs performed in a live arena rock experience, I left the venue feeling like I just didn't get my money's worth. I confess I entered the show fully aware that Axl would be the only original member performing but I guess I had fabricated some illusion in my mind that it would be better than it really was. If taken for what it really is -just a cover band performing the hits of a band that used to be really great - I'll admit it's not that bad of a show. I just wish Axl would stop using the name Guns N Roses and go with something a little more accurate. Perhaps "Axl Rose's Traveling Hit Sing-Along" would be a bit more fitting.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Foaming_97 (December 15, 2005)

Whee! Just dropped in to say Guns n Roses is the most overrated and shitty band ever sitting right next to metallica. Thank you

Anonymous (August 16, 2004)

You kow what you stupid dip shits mother fuckers fuck you all it was all about the buns 'n' roses. You could talk has much shit about them but itsall fickin fake because thats the only good shit your good at if you saisd that axl is a joke, or is ridiculious well fuck you because your the joke ok jackass. For all you ignorant fuckerslike you , you dont spell axel w/ the e dick head its axl dumdass. And if you were the one who wrote that tommy stison is better than axl wellyou know what i think it is , its all bullshit fucker and if you were the one that said that cky was better than the guns 'n' roses well fuck you ok. For all those shit sukers that wrote that nirvana is better fuck you. If nirvana is better than guns 'n' roses than why the fuck did the guns 'n' roses sold 5 more million copies on appetite for destruction fucker uh? Why? Thats right the only fuicking reason is that because the guns 'n' roses are way better than nirvana stupid bitch your the fuckin buckethaed ok you stupid son of a bitch. And one thing listen to their music and if you still think that the guns 'n' roses still suck its because you don't know the meaning of rock and by the damm way axl is not 80 years old stupid crack head. For the people like me that love, like or is a fan of the guns 'n' roses, you know the true meaning of rock. Guns 'n' roses aren't together any more but people still buy thei fuckin cds which is really beatilful. For te guns 'n' roses i would waste a lot of money because they change the history of rock. I recently bought a sweater of the guns 'n' roses and it only costed me around 50 bucks but you know what the guns 'n' roses are totally worth it because the truelly rockthe beatie boys totally suck! what the fuck is up w/ that from rock they change to rap? Hahahahahaaha like i sid earlier its all abot the guns 'n' rose. For the fans you know what songs are so cool like welcome to the jungle,paradice city, move to the city,you could be mine , and sweetchild o' mine. So for all you haters of the guns 'n' roses -go suck on big fuckin dick. Its all about the guns 'n' roses guns 'n' roses ruled before and sill do fuckers!

Anonymous (November 25, 2002)

I hate my town, it's full of rednecks, some one please kill their fat celluolite asses.

Anonymous (November 25, 2002)

Actually, read the lyrics of "JEff Wears Birkenstocks?" by NOFX and you will see a story very similar to mine and how my punk friends feel about me.

don't wanna chill, don't wanna sit don't wanna hear no hippie shit don't tell me i've closed my mind don't wanna groove, don't wanna dig don't wanna spend the day naked don't like my music country fried he's got a tie dyed rancid shirt he wears his birkenstocks to work is he a jerk? no! just confused jeff don't wear regular shoes he's got a tie dyed rancid shirt he wears his birkenstocks to work is he a jerk? no! just confused jeff don't wear regular shoes fat mike i gotta let you know it's not the tunes, it's their live show and all the people you get to meet plenty of good vibes and decent drugs stinky people give you hugs walk around in your bare feet he's got a tie dyed rancid shirt he wears his birkenstocks to work is he a jerk? no! just confused jeff don't wear regular shoes he's got a tie dyed rancid shirt he wears his birkenstocks to work is he a jerk? no! just confused jeff don't wear regular shoes

Anonymous (November 25, 2002)

Well I am not really leaving punk rock. I still love the music, I guess I am just getting sick of where the scene is going. It seems that for a lot of people it has become a fashion and that if you don't wear bondage pants and NOFX shirts ,you can't possibly like the music. I always seem to get shit at shows from people for not being punk when I show up in jeans and a ratty tshirt.

Shows never come around here, but I have made two 4 hour trips to Atlanta in the past year or so to see Bad Religion/Less Than JAke/Hot Water Music and Bouncing Souls/Flogging Molly. I still love the music, but I love lots of music. I just seem to have more fun, meet cooler people (and people actually my age), and appreciate the scene at "hippy" shows.

Anonymous (November 25, 2002)

guns may have been an important band 10-12 years ago but I don't think there's any way the "new guns" are going to become anything more than a nostalgia act nowaways

waste_elite (November 25, 2002)

"I have taken my discussions to www.phantasyphish.com where I can talk about Phish"

!

never trust a fuckin hippie...

Anonymous (November 25, 2002)

For the record, GnR is still the shit and Apetite For Destruction can still kick the ass of a lot of today's records out there today.

Axl is the man.

Anonymous (November 25, 2002)

NO ONE is complaining about this "not being punk rock" to the guy 2 dwon. Everyone is just talking about how much this new "band" sucks and their opinions of the older band as well. On another note.......why leave punk rock because of what other people do.....punk rock (atleast to me) is something personal, not a group activity.

Anonymous (November 25, 2002)

YOU'RE ALL INSANE..........................

Anonymous (November 25, 2002)

This is here because Guns N ROses are a band that might possibly be enjoyed by some people on this website (myself included). One of the reasons that I am quickly moving away from my punk rock youth is the constant bickering between people about what is punk and what isn't...who gives a fuck? If this guy wants to write about Guns N Roses let him. Just because this site is called punknews.org does not mean that all discussion on here has to be about punk rock. There are many people into punk rock who would be interersted in how the new GnR sounds. I used to post around here quite a bit and get into discussions on here, but now it has just gotten stupid (like most of what is called the punk {or apparently now radio} scene these days). I have taken my discussions to www.phantasyphish.com where I can talk about Phish (yes they I like them too...I like lots of music) and a band like Less Than Jake on the same board and have people actually respect my opinions.

Anonymous (November 25, 2002)

what the fuck. axl fucking rose? fuck! FUCK! lets all collectively take a minute to laugh histerically at this dumb fucker for actually spending money on that ticket. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahah

Jon_the_Skafather (November 24, 2002)

buckethead should just stick to being solo, he does much better and more creative stuff.

axl rose sounds pitiful trying to imitate his old voice.

just out of curiosity....why is this here?

i guess you could say about the beastie boys and how they used to be a punk act before they went rap....but i hardly see that as a strong enough thread to fully explain why this is here...

Anonymous (November 23, 2002)

this reminds me of....cough...american psycho...cough. only with a worse band. Yeah, GnR suck....you heard me, axel is a shitty singer.

Anonymous (November 23, 2002)

WHO CARES ?????????????????????

Anonymous (November 23, 2002)

AFD sucks...it's too controlled, if you're gonna do it do it all the way. Back then, on this album and only on this album was Axel even trying to be a little crazy....but the problem was that when he did he would stop just before really getting it going, this band is just weak and uninspiring.

Anonymous (November 23, 2002)

Fuck you dipshit....this isn't music, it's corny, candy ass garbage. It's about as musically valid as Britney Spears. A lot of music is great. I know of excellent punk, rap, hardcore, metal, jazz, blues, etc. etc. bands, but this shit is just pathetic, it makes me sick. Music is art and an expression of emotion, not a tool for cash- people who wanna make music for money should just get real jobs, cause only idiots wanna hear the garbage they play. Unfotuanately, there are too many idiots (like yourself) in the world."

Apparently, you've never listend to "Appetite For Destruction".

Anonymous (November 22, 2002)

Who cares???????????????????

clevelandhardcore (November 22, 2002)

i would rather pay $45 to hear an 80 year old axl rose singing through a voice box then hear some lame ass emo band for free in my back yard. the same goes for the MTV punk bands. they should all be rounded up and killed.

Anonymous (November 21, 2002)

you're right anonymous poster, soad is more punk rock, not nu metal at all.

waste_elite (November 21, 2002)

"From what I've heard, Axl is going to take GnR to industrial rock/metal."

apparently Axl has a NIN fetish, and is trying to head that way. that would also explain his use of Robin Finck on guitar.

Anonymous (November 21, 2002)

id say SOAD is punk rock.

Anonymous (November 21, 2002)

i am pretty open minded about music. i like mostly punk/ska/hardcore, but i also listen to rap (j5, roots), rock (foo fighters, stp) and nu metal(system of a down, deftones), but i don't like stuck up, obnoxious pop hair metal like gnr. gnr never did it for me for some reason, and axl rose doesn't do it for me now.

Anonymous (November 21, 2002)

"Once again, Axl's had enough time! The guy didn't do jack-shit for almost a decade!! I'm looking forward to the REAL G-n-R (Izzy, Duff & Slash) and I hope they're putting something out real soon. At least they didn't go "nu-metal"."

What do you mean he did "jack-shit"? If you knew ANYTHING about them, you would know he's gone through a ton of line-up changes and has been working on Chinese Democracy for years now.

And to whoever said, "if it's a new band then they shouldn't be called Guns And Roses"...

why the fuck not? Axl obviously owns the rights to the name. Just give it some fucking time, geez.

From what I've heard, Axl is going to take GnR to industrial rock/metal. You can get an idea of this with "Oh My God", their first song released in like 7-8 years, it was on The End Of Days Soundtrack. It's not the best, but it's something.

Slash wanted to stick with what GnR was doing best, Axl wanted to go the industrial route, Slash didn't like it so he left. (obviously there are more reasons, but thats one of the bigger ones).

You can see this in Slash's Snakepit, which is just a stupid "old" GnR rip-off basically.

God, I wish some of you people would be more openminded about music. There is an entire world of music out there and it seems most of these people here are stuck in their little "punk", ska and hardcore scenes.

evildeadalive (November 21, 2002)

The old Guns n Roses guys are reforming with Sebastian Bach as their possible singer. Pretty damn sad if you ask me. Mabe they'll call themselves Guns n' Skid Rows.

Anonymous (November 21, 2002)

I was never a fan of Guns N' Roses to begin with.....but this shit makes me sick. What a fucking peice of sellout garbage Axel is. He was bad then and he is ten times worse now. Hell, he's worse than Jerry Only.

Anonymous (November 21, 2002)

"A) They haven't been on tour in 9 years so OF FUCKING COURSE they aren't going to sound good. "

Then they should've practiced more instead of going on tour right now and asking way too much $$$$$ just to cash in.

"B) They group was JUST formed. Give it some time."

They've had this line-up for at least a year, and the songs have been around for more than 10 years. I think they've had enough time.

"C) What else do you expect? You people have such high expectations about this band, but look at the facts. "

I don't think people have high expectations to begin with, seeing as this is just one original band member. Even with low expectations it fucking sucked.

"Give them some time, this is literally a new band and all new bands need time to adjust and create chemistry."

Once again, Axl's had enough time! The guy didn't do jack-shit for almost a decade!! I'm looking forward to the REAL G-n-R (Izzy, Duff & Slash) and I hope they're putting something out real soon. At least they didn't go "nu-metal".

Anonymous (November 21, 2002)

stinson may be of good songcrafting stock, but he sure as fuck likes money.

Anonymous (November 20, 2002)

"I think I very well may be the only human being alive who never really liked Guns 'N' Roses."

Nope, youre not the only one who never liked those pussies.

Anonymous (November 20, 2002)

Guns & Roses are just as pathetic and boring as these so called punk bands of today.
How sad it is that the state of music is so boring,bloated,and unoriginal.
Next please!

Anonymous (November 20, 2002)

I bet Axl is hoping he had died of a OD years ago cuz then he would be a hero now. Now he's just old and boring. If ya ask me Gun n' Roses always sucked ass.

Anonymous (November 20, 2002)

If the band just formed, then it should not fuckign be called guns n roses

Anonymous (November 20, 2002)

Ok, let's judge him now when:

A) They haven't been on tour in 9 years so OF FUCKING COURSE they aren't going to sound good.

B) They group was JUST formed. Give it some time.

C) What else do you expect? You people have such high expectations about this band, but look at the facts.

Give them some time, this is literally a new band and all new bands need time to adjust and create chemistry.

Anonymous (November 20, 2002)

You dumbass....the live show is FARRRRRRRR more imporatant than the record. If anything you should be judging him now....if you can't play it live you are nothing but a poser.

Anonymous (November 20, 2002)

Lets hold judgements on the band until Chinese Democracy gets out. THEN we can judge the band on the sound.

Only problem is if it will be released soon (they are saying Feb.)

ah well, GnR Live Era is the shit. Buy that if you're dissapointed with their concerts now.

I'll always be a fan of the band, no matter who is in it because frankly, songs like "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Don't Cry" are too damn good of songs.

The music is way more important than the guys personal life.

Anonymous (November 20, 2002)

Bunch of posers....rerusing to come onstage like little girls. Makes me mad...people paid for this stuff, the least he could do is go out and do it. It's not like they're getting attacked or anything. Fuck....I know of bands that have played sick, hurt, while being attacked, etc. etc.....these guys were pussies then and axel and his cover band are even worse than the pathetic older band. I saw these guys accidently in a club once in the early '90's, I went to see Rollins Band with the Hard Ons I think, or I might be wrong...it's been a while, but Guns N' Roses were the headliners and they sucked ass....talk about an out of shape and bitchy singer. I never understood why people liked this band, they seemed just like that garbage Poisen or Motley Crue. Shitty, untalented music....why do the shitty bands always get more light than the great bands? Oh yeah, because the majority of people are fucking stupid. Adios Amigos.