2002.12.02 - FleetCenter, Boston, USA

GN’R rise?

With his additional girth and advancing forehead, Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose (left) has nearly perfected his Sam Kinison impersonation, but it’s uncharitable of us to dwell on shallow physical changes. In fact, Go! encourages all manner of transformations, so we’d like to think that Axl hasn’t gone to pot; he’s actively going for an entirely new performing ethos. Goodbye old Axl, wan side-shuffle-dancing caricature of Steven Tyler; hello new Axl, porcine caricature of Elvis circa the King’s post-comeback, predirt nap-on-the-loo phase. We love this evolution, if for nothing more than our own voyeuristic glee in watching a midlevel pop icon struggle to answer the same questions his audience has: Is this career riding on fumes? Is this tour the phoenix, or the final flameout? Resolving these issues might even be worth the bother of dealing with the FleetCenter, where GN’R play tonight, although you may need to forgo a few lattes to swing the tickets: $35 to $65. Doors at 7:30 p.m.

Guns N’ Roses wilts in once-bright lights

By Steve Morse
GLOBE STAFF

Guns N' Roses, you say? No way. This was not the Guns N' Roses of yore. This was just singer Axl Rose with a backup band. Call it Axl Rose and Guns for Hire.

These guys were more like a show band, still going through the songs, but denuded of the power that made the real Guns one of the most menacing, most edgy groups on the road back in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

Last night’s show for 12,700 fans was competent in a way that tribute bands are competent, but in this case, the stench of manufactured, plastic hard-rock was distressing and often shameful. And that’s without my even seeing the whole set, because Axl’s prima donna ways caused him to delay going on until 10:45 p.m.

That’s right: He and his band of hires started at a time when most bands are finishing up.

The delays were inexcusable. Axl reportedly arrived late to the venue. And he didn’t deign to go on, apparently, until he felt like it. That has often happened with Guns N’ Roses in the past (they once went on at the Worcester Centrum at 11 p.m.), but that was back when Guns were worth waiting for, back when the group had a swagger from members like Slash, Izzy Stradlin, and Duff McKagan, all of whom are now gone. But the most essential was Slash, who is in the Axl Rose doghouse so much that he was reportedly barred from even attending a faux-Guns show last year. Sorry, but GNR without Slash is like the Rolling Stones without Keith Richards.

Disgusted fans streamed to the exits last night. “This is insane. I liked Guns N’ Roses in the ’80s, but I’m a thirty-something mother with children now and I have a baby sitter who’s waiting up late,” said Milton resident Sheryl Antoniewicz.

Guns opened with an early high point, ‘Welcome to the Jungle,” but Rose blew the moment by wearing a Red Sox jersey (the Celtics call the FleetCenter “the Jungle,” but it was left to opener Mix Master Mike to wear a Celtics shirt). And then came unexceptional versions of “It’s So Easy” and “Mr. Brownstone,” is a song about heroin, but completely devoid of the chills of old. Rose might as well have been singing about Mr. Milquetoast.

Rose is a great singer when he wants to be, but he has no cool. After just three Guns tunes, he started pulling out cover songs, including Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let Die” and Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” which the real Guns used to save for later in their sets. And Rose was even seen standing by a teleprompter for the Dylan song. And while there were moments when the band came to life (guitarist Buckethead, especially), this was a paint-by-numbers GNR.

Opening act CKY played lumbering, faceless hard-rock, but DJ Mix Master Mike was a blast. He was a bright spot in an otherwise needlessly drawn-out evening.

New Guns almost as good

By Sarah Rodman

Guns N' Roses, at the FleetCenter, last night.

It was better than most people probably expected it would be, but not quite as amazing as it could've been.

You didn't have to be a fanatical Guns N' Roses purist to look at the disparate collection of musicians who arrived onstage 90 minutes late at the FleetCenter last night and think that, as good as the new guys are as players - and some of them are amazing - the blood, sweat and tears connection to the music just wasn't there.

But even though the eight men onstage looked like they all belonged to different bands - which most of them used to - they still managed to hit some ferocious hard rock heights that had the surprisingly packed arena screaming themselves hoarse, perhaps getting out all the howls they've stored up over the last 10 years waiting for the return of the L.A. rockers.

Given his dismal performance at the MTV Music Video Awards it was a thrill to hear Axl Rose - in a genial, goofy mood - hitting those familiar high notes as he asked the audience, "Do you know where you are?" in the full throttle opener "Welcome to the Jungle." He also snagged every shredded whoa-oh-oh during "Sweet Child O' Mine" and ably whined his way through the grandiose ballad "November Rain."

The 40-year-old Rose - who sported Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins jerseys throughout the night - proved he's in fighting shape as well, careening around the stage, jumping off platforms and generally flailing about as he worked out the gruff growls of the galloping "It's So Easy" and the fiery boogie of "Mr. Brownstone."

A few new tunes, from the long-in-coming Chinese Democracy album, made it into the set including the lilting "Madagascar" and the anthemic title track.

Each of the guys in the band held their own, bringing precision to the proceedings with special kudos going to the three guitarists - Robin Finck, KFC-bucket adorned axeman Buckethead and Richard Fortus - who took turns playing Slash's familiar, searing licks and monster drummer Brian Brain Mantia.

At midnight, as this was still being written, Buckethead had just finished up his bizarre midshow guitar solo/nunchucka display/robot dance/Star Wars Theme recital and the band had kicked into "Chinese Democracy," the 13th song of what was reportedly a 16-song set.

Although to some fans, the GNR onstage last night at the Fleet was only an incredible simulation, it was a convincing re-enactment for the nostalgic and appreciative crowd.

Rose's new crew hasn't gelled

By Scott McLennan

BOSTON -- First there was the nine-year wait. Then fans had to wait even a little more before Guns N' Roses took the stage at the FleetCenter last night, as the band was almost two hours late to the stage.
Whether all that waiting around was worth it depends on what the listener was looking for.

If it was Guns N' Roses of yore -- the swaggering, thuggish saviors of hard rock -- then no, the wait was not nearly worth it.

The version of Guns N' Roses currently on tour bears little resemblance to the original article. Singer Axl Rose is all that remains of the original unit. Rose surrounded himself with a large crew of competent players, none of whom, however, has the remotest connection to the classic GN'R canon (well, perhaps keyboard player Dizzy Reed can get a pass on that charge, considering he did become an auxiliary Gunner in '91).

Since GN'R last toured in 1993, Rose has reconfigured the band around three guitars, two keyboards, a bass player and drummer. All of them played really well; none of them brought an original idea to the table (and it's still a mystery how bass player Tommy Stinson took his pedigree earned as a member of the Replacements and swapped it for this sort of paycheck gig).

So rather than call this Guns N' Roses, it would have been more accurately advertised as “Axl Rose sings Guns N' Roses.''

For his part, the reclusive Rose emerged in rather fine form. With a little more girth and little less vocal range, Rose still managed to sell his old band's classic fare. He moves much like he did a decade ago, displaying the hard-rock choreography that now looks a little cheesy.

The long-delayed show opened with “Welcome to the Jungle'' and stuck to a program of familiar tunes before anything new was aired.

The rush of “Jungle'' provided all the sneer that lured hard rock fans back when the song heralded the band in 1987. The crowd of 14,000 had every reason to be hopeful.

But after that jolt, it was hard for the band to disguise the fact that much of what it was doing was merely mechanical.

“Mr. Brownstone,'' “It's So Easy'' and “Out Ta Get Me'' were fangless renditions of once vicious concert pieces.

The band did rise above routine a few times, such as when all cylinders fired on “You Could Be Mine,'' and when guitarist Robin Finck ripped up the guitar part on “Sweet Child O' Mine.''

Rose's other two guitarists likewise filled in the void left by the departure of original GN'R ax man, Slash. Richard Fortus and aggro-art shredder Buckethead -- the tall masked man who wears a fried-chicken bucket like a top hat -- had the sort of chops that maybe someday will be put to good use, should this band really gel.

Rose did present some new material set to be released next year on the album “Chinese Democracy.'' At first blush, what was offered in concert will not dethrone “Appetite for Destruction'' as the all-time great GN'R album.