tbh after reading it i'm a little disillusioned w/GW

it's enough w/the history lessons & re-used quotes (& niven, jesus christ he's been talking non-stop these past 12/18 months, maybe his gag-order had expired or something but he's defo milking the GnR thing)

i was hoping for an article that examined & extracted the genius of the set. instead that was dismissed in a couple of paragraphs to make room for people slinging dirt @ each other some more.

there are so many great moments in the UYI's they could have filled that entire article & more discussing them. & so many bad moments to, which only adds to the fascination really.

as a chance to admire a landmark hard rock release the article is more than a missed opportunity. it's typical wasteful spiteful fare.
which is obv a truer reflection of the band i guess. & exactly how the RRHoF thing is gonna play out.

Naltav wrote:

That some fans gets embarrassed, well, I can understand that not being a top priority in the GNR-camp...

That actually raises a good point. I think the choices for arenas after knowing the data (ie previous sales in American markets) showcases Axl's ego more than anything. That being said, I'm sure he does care when they place isn't packed. The worst I saw was in Jax Florida. They came on late and it was Halloween. People were leaving in droves after only the first 3-4 songs. By the end of the night it was more than half empty, there was hardly anybody left. They only did one song for the encore too, and I can guarantee you that was because of crowd size (or lack there of. ) We were able to go right up the front (side) near the end of the concert. Even those seats had left...think about that.

If it's simply ticket sales than perhaps 8000 tix (half empty arena) sold vs 4000 tix (sold out smaller venue) may be better for raw dollars. The thing that always comes back to me is operating expenses. Yes 8000 tickets is obviously more money, but when you factor in the overheard to put on such a big production, plus the operations costs of a full sized arena, it could very well yield a loss. I don't know don't what kind of money it takes to pull of an arena sized show, but I can't imagine it's cheap.

Again though, just like anything else, if they do poorly or break even in American markets it may not mean shit since they were a gain overall for the year. I'd imagine whoever finances the tour is looking for a return on their money and that is the risk involved. If the profits are Europe 10, Asia 15, S. America 15, USA -2, it's still a net gain of 38. Board members always think America is the end all and be all, and don't look at the big picture.

Away from the numbers and simply as a fan it drives me  crazy because GnR have the capability to be huge again in America. That's why I like smaller venues. It creates buzz...another sold out show where they WENT ON STAGE ON TIME and fucking killed it for 3 hours. Make a killer video and put it on youtube. Be a surprise guest on Letterman (stay still and don't run out of breath) or somewhere else...whatever. It's not that hard to do. They already (still) have an uphill battle for not being Old GNR, then add into the mix the unprofessional behavior (I don't want to hear that's how Axl is, everybody else shows up on time and plays), half empty venues and the press just slams them for it. If they tweaked a few things they would actually get good press for a change and whip something up. I dunno....they whole thing is a let down.

I'll see them in Miami and Tampa and that will be fun. The days of paying top dollar for seats and traveling all over to see this band are long gone though.

there are so many 'could-be' & 'should do' great idea's floating around GnR, not just in relation to them touring the US.. but in the end, it's the same old trip.. the spontaneity & spark has long been replaced by a half-assed attempt at professionalism & compromising on everything & achieving next to nothing except a paycheck.

people were excited to hear new songs last time 'cause the myth still existed & people wanted to believe in Axl & a Bucketheaded Guns. now the new songs (asif) will be played by robots who haven't written a note for the band.

there is no hope.