Yeah the way the reunion happened has solidified that to me too.

It's not like they threw out the second keyboardist, binned the CD songs and recorded a fresh album. Every night Slash is busting out TIL, CD, Prostitute, Sorry etc. It makes you realise they could have just done this a couple of decades ago. I would have loved to hear Axl's melodies on 5'Oclock too. The guitar parts are very much old GNR style to me. I think with Axl it would be more like an AFD type album than anything else they did after.

Chinese Democracy is one of my favourite albums.

If you take it for what it is rather than expecting it to be the AFD line up etc then it's a really great record of really interesting songs and great parts.
That said, I bet there's an interesting parallel universe where the old band did this record and records like 5'O Clock Somewhere all together lol.

Personally I would have liked some of the tracks to have a different final mix, but that's just a personal thing, like how I'd like to hear AFD mastered with modern toys too.

Great songs, love the album.

Personally i'm finding the 10 years after harder than the 10 years before in terms of waiting for new Axl songs too.

If talent came first the band would actually release a new song, or hell, if the label is against it, perform one live.

The backup singers and horn section were never really considered part of the group to the media the way Melissa is.

What we are dong is simply playing the best of the bands catalogue, and 99% of that does not require anyone in the roll of pitman or melissa just like it didn't ever need a third guitarist. If we're creatively bankrupt and going to have a classic GNR tribute show it's not too much to ask that they don't make it look bizzare by adding in J pop, circus clowns, sports team rappers and yes KFC bucket wearing robots.

Bucket is talented in terms of his guitar ability no doubt, but his tenure amounted to almost nothing as he spent most of his time playing covers and while doing that playing open chords while watching Robin play the lead parts.

The situation reminds me of the DJ Ashba conundrum.

Musically, he had the credentials to be a suitable replacement for Robin, and perhaps add an extra dimension in the studio should that ever be needed. However, his stage persona and style were awkward, ill fitted to the band and capable of inspiring derision from people even though he is talented and a cool guy.

Melissa is the same.

Musically she seems to be an accomplished musician, she can easily handle all pitmans effects triggering, her backing vocals add an extra dimension and in the event GNR ever decided to record something her production skills might be useful.

However, just like DJ, her onstage persona and personal style are at odds with the band's image and brand, and perhaps a bit like in Robin's 2001 alien look, it just comes across as out of place and awkward.

Musically she's fine, but her style and stage presence is from some other genre and watching it one tends to feel awkwardly embarrassed for the band. It's not so much that you even dislike her it's that you feel embarrassed for them that they went ahead like this. Much like when DJ mimicks Slash so blatantly. 

I hope like how Robin came back in 2006 looking like he maybe could be in the band afterall, maybe in 2022 during the retirement tour by then Melissa will look and act less like she's running a jpop rave and more like she's in a rock band.

This is GNR folks, there's always hope