2023.07.22 - Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece

Soulmonster wrote:Great pictures!

Guns N' Roses, The Last Internationale @ Olympic Stadium, 22/07/23

The night the lion defeated the elephant

As much as we love the bands we have seen in our country in the last few years, from Iron Maiden to Arctic Monkeys, it is true that Greece hasn't seen a really big concert for a long time. Guns N' Roses' super-successful and huge all-around tour, with its impressive stage setup and the millions of people who have attended, is an international extravaganza. The fact that such a mega production has finally found its way back here again will hopefully mark our return to the concert map of this level.

Ever since Guns N' Roses decided to bury all of their hatchets in their old age and the core members (Axl and Slash, that is) patched things up again, their train has been on the rails and rolling. Certainly more professionally and probably better than ever, offering each and every night an enjoyable, at least three-hour setlist that tests the audience's stamina. You would think the cliché "well-oiled machine" was made for the particular group of musicians that now make up Guns N' Roses. The only factor that varies each night is the vocal shape Axl is in, but bear with me on that!

The half hour further shift in the schedule due to the extreme heat only troubled those of us who were already there early to slot in as close to the stage as possible. Refreshed with water provided by the security guards in front of the railings to anyone who asked for it, we saw The Last Internationale confidently step onto the huge stage of the Olympic Stadium at 7:30pm sharp. When you get promoted to the Olympic Stadium from the "Anaireseis" festival, the primary fear is that you might get swallowed up by the enormity of it all.

That wasn't even remotely the case. Starring the core of the band, namely vocalist and amazing performer Delila Paz and guitarist Edgey Pires, The Last Internationale spread their bluesy, '70s-influenced rock with ease and impressed us. Their sound was too clean and good and seemed to move a good portion of the crowd that had gathered at that time - mostly in the arena, as the stands were waiting for the heat to subside a bit so they could be occupied by their respective ticket holders.

In the soulful "Soul On Fire" Delila mentioned that The Last Internationale is an independent band that has neither a manager nor a record label. They do, however, have the admiration of various stars such as Tom Morello and Robert Plant, with whom they have worked with in the past. On "Hard Times" the versatile Delila picked up the bass, while Edgey picked up a guitar that had the words "Free Peltier" written on it. An obvious reference to Leonard Peltier, the man for whom Rage Against The Machine's "Freedom" is written.

Nearing the end, Delila took the band's photographer by the hand, got off the stage with her, climbed over the stage rail and came into the crowd to sing. After getting us all to sit down, she made us bounce like springs and jump around. Soon after, she jumped the railing again and crowd surfed, which I guess a large portion of the audience was not very familiar with, because we ended up being the few people who traveled with her in the first few rows. The Last Internationale's performance ended somewhere around three quarters of an hour in, revealing a band that didn't go unnoticed and made their mark. [PC].

A lot has been written about Guns N' Roses' concert in our country since its announcement, maybe too much. Again, this was to be expected, because there may have been several big concerts in our country this summer, but this one was the only ( if I may use the expression) "larger than life" show in terms of production, name, impact etc. Even the amount of "noise" (whining, doom and gloom) was to be expected. After all, was there ever a time when Guns were uninteresting, unexciting and tension-inducing?

Before we go on to talk about what happened in the 3 hours between 9 pm and 12 am on July 22, I'd like to make it clear that for some years now, personally, concerts held in large stadiums have not been my top choice. They may have an element of spectacle that comes from the size of the stage and the whole production, but they also have some given drawbacks. For example, not having the luxury of time and/or the physical stamina to arrive very early, one will logically be forced to watch the concert from a mid to long distance, occasionally seeing a small part of the stage and actually watching much of it from the screens.

At the same time, it is extremely difficult - almost impossible usually - for the attendees to share exactly the same experience, especially when it comes to the sound aspect of the concert. You will often hear different opinions from people who were in front of the stage compared to those who were back in the arena, or from people who were sitting too far to the side, or from those in the stands. Inevitably there will be more than one truth and they are all legitimate.

But let's start with some facts that are not open to multiple interpretations.

First and foremost, Guns N' Roses honor the large audiences that flock to their concerts with a satisfying, 3-hour show during which they give it their all on stage. There are no excuses like the age of the members or special circumstances, and in no way could what they do be described as a money grab. The show they put on in general, and the one we saw in particular, can only be described as utterly satisfying.

Secondly, as the wise Antonis Moustakas has been saying for many years, "In the beginning was the catalogue". Okay, he doesn't say it exactly like that, but you get the point. How many artists can afford to leave out songs like "Don't Cry" in a 3 hour show without anyone being bothered? How many bands out there can have songs like "Welcome To The Jungle", "Sweet Child O' Mine", "Civil War", "November Rain", "You Could Be Mine", "Patience" and "Paradise City" in their catalogue? Or their - now own - covers of "Live And Let Die" and "Knocking On Heaven's Door"? A few. And how many can dive into their lesser known songs and pull out a "Locomotive", a "Pretty Tied Up", an "Anything Goes" or a "Bad Obsession"? Even fewer.

Third, Duff may be indispensable and huge with his coolness, but at last night's show even the last non-believer probably bowed to Slash, and how great a guitarist he is. A guitar hero for all generations, a six-string god who seemed to embody that greatness that once made many of us, as kids, fans of Guns and rock music in general. At many times, and with all due respect to the rest of the band, the show seemed to be "Slash and the others" in terms of performance and substance.

Fourth, inevitably as we were in the jungle, there was an elephant to talk about. And that is Axl's voice. And if Axl's performances on "Appetite For Destruction", "G N' R Lies" and "Use Your Illusion" put him in the book of the best rock voices all at once, well, this was not the Axl we saw live, vocally speaking, of course. Sure, he couldn't sing like there's no tomorrow like he did 30 and 35 years ago, but it's now sadly true that he almost ruins some songs with his voice. The majority of the "Appetite For Destruction" era songs, in particular, where you struggle to understand how he performs them, while a song like the (much loved) "Locomotive", with its endless lyrics and need for breath, is like an exposure of what he can no longer support...

But is this the whole truth about Axl? No! Because there were quite a few moments when he was from decent to pretty good. On "Bad Obsession", "Chinese Democracy", "Live And Let Die", "Civil War", "Knocking On Heaven's Door", "Patience" and even "Paradise City", but especially on his -own- "November Rain", I was fairly to highly satisfied with his performance. And the above is no short list!

Also, I give him credit for giving it his all. Whether he's physically able or not, he runs the stage up and down as far as his legs will carry him, he performs each song more with his soul than with his voice, and he sweats every t-shirt (or shirt) from the many he changed during the show. And I side with those who would rather see Axl himself perform his songs than someone else with a voice in better shape...

... but at the same time it might be good to do something to improve that factor. Because, I have a suspicion that if a very large percentage of those in attendance would have second thoughts about seeing Guns N' Roses live again in the future, it would be because of Axl's performances of many favorite songs. And I don't know if his ego allows him to have more support on a vocal level (Melissa Reese does a good job but that's not enough on its own) or if he can change something else, but as much as the drive he puts out as a frontman keeps the energy level high, his vocal shortcomings are a hindrance. And it's a shame.

Because, other than that, the show Guns N' Roses put on was amazing to the point of being thoroughly enjoyable. In terms of length of time, number of songs... even the sound on most songs was super. Only on "Estranged" for some inexplicable reason they dimmed Slash's wonderful guitar and I was a bit put off, as it's my favorite Guns song. But it was enough for me to hear it live, with a decent performance from Axl.

The opening with "It's So Easy" was meek, but "Bad Obsession" was super. "Chinese Democracy" - which oddly enough was the only song played from the album of the same name - showed that that's where Axl's voice is now, while "Pretty Tied Up" was just OK. "Mr. Brownstone" had the groove we needed to sway and I enjoyed it despite the asterisks, while "Welcome To The Jungle" was the only song the crowd greeted with 2-3 flares. I think Bruce could have taken that much, too.

"Double Talkin' Jive" was fine and came wrapped up with a Slash solo before the show made its only dent song-wise with the two super-moderate new/old songs, "Hard Skool" and "Absurd". Apologies to those who disagree, but these are not Guns level songs and the latter seems to have a sneeze for a chorus.

"Estranged" was dope, despite the fact that some idiot lowered Slash's guitar while we wanted to suck in every melody. Nice Dizzy Reed on piano though.

As for "Live And Let Die", it was fantastically delivered and undoubtedly one of the highlights of the night in terms of performance, with "Rocket Queen" also being better delivered than I feared, always with the usual footnote.

"Down On The Farm," which represented "The Spaghetti Incident?", was brilliantly performed, whereas "You Could Be Mine" clearly gave Axl a hard time with the bridge part ("while you're breakin' down my back...") being so poorly delivered that I thought it might have been better left to the audience. However, Slash was a boss and didn't allow us to not enjoy this great song...

Duffman, who has always been the most punky and rockabilly of all, took over vocal duties on the cover of The Stooges' "T.V. Eye" and did a great job, giving Axl a couple of breathers to more comfortably perform "Anything Goes", one of the beloved, but often overlooked, songs from "Appetite For Destruction", which I personally enjoyed.

Then I think came the best part of the concert, first with "Civil War" being performed brilliantly by both Slash with his double guitar and Axl, with the audience getting more involved and being one of the best moments of the night, totally dedicated to Ukraine, even if no one had to say anything.

Then Slash - who one really couldn't get enough of - took his time and space for his solo, which led to "Sweet Child O' Mine" and the expected biggest sing along of the night, just before the grand classical piano was placed in the centre of the stage, and Axl and Slash gave us a gorgeous rendition of the legendary "November Rain", perhaps the highlight of the show.

After this magnificent trifecta, the blast from the past with "Reckless Life" - when they were still writing love songs, as Axl joked - was welcome, but again... the further back in time we go, the more the vocals become strained. As for the cover of "Wichita Lineman", it was unnecessary in my opinion, but some things will always be mysterious with this band.

I enjoyed "Locomotive" (which, if I'm not mistaken, was chosen over "Coma") only to a degree, singing its superb lyrics as much as I could, as, truth be told, it wasn't the most fitting choice for Axl's vocal state. He struggled much less on "Knocking On Heaven's Door", on several guitar parts of which Richard Fortus, who was generally very good, was given space to demonstrate his skills. He may not be Izzy (no one could be), but he fills the shoes of the role he's in just fine.

Heading towards the end, "Nightrain" was more than enjoyable and the performance was quite satisfactory, while "Patience" was one of the most beautiful moments of the night, being one of the most beautiful Guns N' Roses compositions, and it was supported as it deserved by everyone's performance and sung heartily by the audience.

Probably few people caught Axl's reference to the rest of the band as family, but everyone recognized how much things have changed when he asked the audience to sing "Happy Birthday" to Slash eight minutes before the date changed and that great guy with the afro hair, top hat and sunglasses turned 58. And he, in turn, after thanking the crowd somewhat humbly and awkwardly, led us to the closing of the night with "Paradise City", to which, to be honest, I expected a stronger reaction from the crowd, but possibly the energy after three full hours and so much heat had been largely exhausted. Always though, this is the perfect way to end a Guns N' Roses concert.

To sum up, we had the chance to see a great show. And I'm not (only) referring to its length. We saw Axl on the same stage with Slash and Duff, backed by very good musicians, performing songs that changed the history of rock music and possibly many of the lives of those in attendance. Notwithstanding any legitimate objections (we won't repeat them) partially diminishing the experience, they still provided an enjoyable show rather than a box-ticking performance with no need to gloss over any of their weak spots. Keeping in mind that a few years ago it seemed like a midsummer night's dream, we had the opportunity to experience a summer evening (in a heat wave) in Athens, enjoying these guys playing these songs together.

At one time Guns N' Roses were the greatest hard rock band on the planet. Today they are the greatest exponent of this music, and those of us who were at OAKA definitely saw a historic rock concert, which we will continue to talk about for a long time. Even if everyone will have a different truth to defend. [H.K.]

Some thoughts and 10+1 photos from the epic Guns N Roses concert at OAKA

The setlist, the highlights and the "Happy Birthday" to Slash. The legendary Guns N Roses at the concert of the year.

Those who came to OAKA on Saturday to see the legendary Guns N' Roses, even despite the heatwave, will definitely have a lot to remember for a long time. Those who were not bold enough to go because of the high temperatures, are certainly still regretting it. And those who "trolled" by flying the banner of Axl Rose's worn down voice have now wisely gone quiet.

On Saturday 22 July we experienced one of the most epic concerts that have ever taken place in our country and that under difficult conditions. Guns N' Roses at 60 - Axl at 61, Slash at 58 - taught professionalism, respect and what rock n' roll is all about. For three hours, tirelessly, they killed it and - literally - made the jerseys sweat.

For three hours and 27 songs, Axl Rose worked the stage, running, swirling and swaying. He changed shirts at the same pace as Slash changed his guitars, many times he was reminiscent of his youth - vocally -, other times he was average in meeting the demands of the song and he often caught his breath, passing on the musicians' solos, only to come back stronger. I have to admit that Axl was much better than most of us expected him to be vocally. Let's not forget, Athens was the last stop on their European tour, in a Europe that has been ravaged by the heatwave. And yet! The 61-year-old rock star, full of energy, gave it his all for a full three hours. After all, you go to a live show mainly for the performance, not to hear if the frontman sounds the same as on the CD. It's also worth noting that Axl several times thanked the -approximately- 40,000 fans gathered in front of the stage, melting from the heat, and didn't forget to make a deep bow after the end of each song.

As for Slash, words are superfluous. We're talking about the top guitarist on the planet right now who is in a league of his own, stealing countless times the "glory" from Axl.

Among the highlights of the night, the "Happy Birthday" we all sang to Slash -who would have told us! - after Axl asked us to do so a few minutes before midnight, the rendition of November Rain with Axl Rose sitting in front of the piano, and Slash's handstand as he left the stage, with his famous hat still in place!

Regarding the set, the band started with "It's So Easy", followed by "Welcome To The Jungle" and "Sweet Child O' Mine" that got the stadium on its feet. Guns N' Roses bid us farewell with the legendary "Paradise City", sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Finally, a big thumbs up to the excellent organization which set the bar pretty high.

The Guns N' Roses concert was opened by The Last Internationale.

Guns N' Roses, The Last Internationale @ ΟΑΚΑ

We were rejoiced, moved, but also got tired during a night with our childhood hard rock heroes. A soulful Axl despite vocal problems, a decent Duff and Co. and one of the last guitar gods, the insurmountable Slash.

The night in OAKA was expected to be hot in many ways: The unbearable heat, lots of talk about the relevance of Guns N' Roses in 2023, the big questions about Axl Rose's voice.

Given the circumstances, we would probably describe the outcome of the long-awaited show as positive. A band of immense stature in a fulfilling, three-hour set and with plenty of heart, despite the flaws we'll elaborate on below.

Before we unravel the thread of Guns N' Roses' performance, however, we have to make a special reference to The Last Internationale, who went out in bright sunshine, in challenging conditions, but managed to impress. A great performance and an amazing frontwoman got the crowd pumped up with their bluesy/rock sound. They didn't "balk" because of the huge stage, gave it their all and proved that their selection as support act for such a big show was far and away a success. They also ended the show with a lovely moment where Delila jumped into the audience, sang along and did some crowd surfing.

Somewhere in there the time started counting down and at 9pm (with a half hour delay probably due to the heat) the moment had arrived for an absolute arena hard rock show. And that means: impressive visuals, snakes, guns, skeletons, skulls and all the excesses that seem strange but are an essential part of such a show.

During the next three hours the OAKA belonged completely to Guns N' Roses, who were professional, animated and at times touching. All eyes (and ears) were on Axl Rose, but the concert was a grand celebration of Slash, a great guitarist, one of the last guitar gods of the past generations with incredible solos, riffs and a presence that we all certainly enjoyed. Although at this point I must mention that, at least where I was standing, there were quite a few issues with the sound, mostly with volume fluctuations and in most cases it was the guitars that paid the price. I don't know whether it was a sound mix issue or if it was simply OAKA's fault. The topic of the day, of course, the one that has been talked about throughout the tour and will continue to be is Axl Rose's voice. Anyone expecting to hear the 1987 frenzy from the 61 year old and worn down rock star is living on another planet. The standards were lower even than the 2006 performance and this is how things went. Axl's voice certainly wasn't at desirable levels, with a setlist tailor-made to give him the necessary breathing room, which admittedly wasn't enough. On some songs (especially at the beginning of the show) he could deliver, on some he almost... messed up, on most he was noticeably strained. There were, of course, others like Civil War, November Rain, Live and Let Die, Knockin' on Heaven's Door that he almost nailed, while wherever he had the breathing room to pull off his legendary screams decently, he certainly moved us.

Ultimately, the voice seems to be a problem and if Guns N' Roses decide to continue, Axl should be helped more, but we have to underscore that we saw a frontman with a lot of heart, giving maybe more than he could, tearing up the stage and having a lot of fun.

The most tiring thing was the long setlist. Three hours, combined with the unbearable heat, and the issues we listed above, proved to be exhausting for an audience that, in any case, seemed slightly hypnotized for most of the show. On the other hand, though, I wonder how many bands have such a hit-filled catalogue and, indeed, have the luxury of leaving out a song like "Don't Cry"?

A look at the setlist is quite revealing, I think.

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