Guns N' Roses in Chicago, Great Songs

Hello,

This is Thomas Connor's review in the Chicago Sun Times:

"Axl Rose and his hired guns — still parading around under the name Guns N’ Roses, even though the creative core of that band dissolved two decades ago — are now more famous for their delays than their music. Not only did it take 17 years to produce their so-so latest disc, “Chinese Democracy” (2008), Rose and his crew are notoriously late arriving onstage for concerts. The start time Tuesday at the Allstate Arena was 9 p.m., but the Guns didn’t fire until 11:10 p.m. By 2 a.m., the final confetti was just starting to fall.

“You want 8 o’clock shows, go find F-R-I-E-N-D-S or hit a cinema somewhere,” read a recent Axl-ish post from Guns N’ Roses on the band’s Facebook page. “This is Rock N’ Roll! . . . This is Guns N’ Roses and when the time is right the stage will ignite.”

Given the unnerving professionalism and tightly regimented scheduling that now rules most pop concerts, at least give Rose credit for thumbing his nose at our day jobs and shaking us nearly all night long. I’d almost forgotten the anticipation, anger and at least some momentary sense of long-forgotten mystery (each a vital ingredient for rock ’n’ roll) generated by a simple late start.

The trick is, when you finally show up, to give the crowd something worth waiting for. This reconstituted GNR, touring for the first time since the release of “Chinese Democracy,” hit the stage and largely acquitted themselves as perhaps something just barely more than a wicked GNR cover band. Last month, Billy Corgan and the latest roster of Smashing Pumpkins blew through town and pounded the Riviera Theatre; likewise, Axl & Friends were happy to have a mostly full arena of fans who came for his klaxon wail and kicking shimmy rather than to grouse about absent top hats and buckets.

This GNR doesn’t just cover GNR, either — they covered everybody. Each of the three, count ’em three, guitarists enjoyed a showcase solo, with the nimble Richard Fortus torturing the James Bond theme (as an entry point for the pyro-filled “Live and Let Die,” of course), newest member D.J. Ashba knitting “Mi Amor” and top-knotted Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal tiptoeing through “The Pink Panther” theme. After former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson sang the Who’s “My Generation,” pianist Dizzy Reed followed with a Yanni-worthy instrumental of “Baba O’Riley.”

The band was most alive during the two, count ’em two, AC/DC covers — first “Riff Raff,” with Fortus beating the holy hell out of his guitar, and “Whole Lotta Rosie,” a blast of musical pyro that Rose sang with a perfectly blissful, slightly evil grin. Through most of the concert, we saw a happy, boyish Rose, now 49 and paunchy, joshing with bandmates and tossing mike stands around the stage with joyful abandon. By 1 a.m., this infectious energy did more to keep the crowd awake and engaged than the occasional cannon blasts.

The set was heavy on new songs — yet another defiant Rose gesture — though the hits were sprinkled throughout the night, from “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” to encores of “Patience” and “Paradise City,” as well as some fiery album cuts, including slashing takes on “Better” and “Rocket Queen.” Axl sat at the piano for “November Rain,” after noodling a bit with Elton John’s “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”; there were several such ballad-like moments, but they served more as breathers than padding. Guns N’ Roses is best when they kick hard and keep moving, and amazingly that’s what they did for three long hours Tuesday night. And Wednesday morning."

I was disappointed by this review as he only lists a few songs that were played at the concert. Also there is no set list, but he does tell us the songs the 3 guitarists play?

Here are some great songs: Guns N' Roses "Paradise City" (with a Pink Floyd tag). Wow they kicked ass back in the day, hoping for the same in 2011.

1. Chinese Democracy
2. Welcome To The Jungle
3. It's So Easy
4. Mr. Brownstone
5. Sorry
6. Riff Raff
   (AC/DC cover)
7. Estranged
8. Better
9. Richard Fortus Guitar Solo
   (James Bond Theme)
10. Live and Let Die
    (Paul McCartney & Wings cover)
11. This I Love
12. Rocket Queen
13. My Generation
    (The Who cover) (Tommy Stinson on Lead Vocals, with Band Introductions)
14. Dizzy Reed Piano Solo
    (Baba O' Riley)
15. Street Of Dreams
16. You Could Be Mine
17. DJ Ashba Guitar Solo
    (The Ballad Of Death)
18. Sweet Child O' Mine
19. Instrumental Jam
    (Another Brick In The Wall Pt. 2)
20. Axl Rose Piano Solo
    (Someone Saved My Life Tonight/… more)
21. November Rain
22. Bumblefoot Guitar Solo
    (Pink Panther Theme)
23. Don't Cry
24. Whole Lotta Rosie
    (AC/DC cover)
25. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
    (Bob Dylan cover)
26. Nightrain
27. Encore:
27. Instrumental Jam
28. Madagascar
29. Shackler's Revenge
30. Patience
31. Instrumental Jam
    (Happy Birthday to Chris Pitman)
32. Paradise City
    
    
    "Shackler's Revenge" live. The sound is terrible in this video and Axl's vocals are drowned out quite a bit.
    
    
    
    
    This is "Madagascar" and the music sounds terrible here as well, hopefully this is because of the recording device, not the actual performance.
    
    
    
    
    Here are some other great songs, "Hurricane" by needtobreathe"
    
    
    
    
    Yesterday I suggested that "Old Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town" may be Pearl Jam's best song. If that isn't then it has to "Crazy Mary". (Yes, I know that it's Victoria William's song originally but Pearl Jam has made it their own.)
    
    
    
    
    All that needs to be said is the great Muddy Waters:
    
    
    
    
    The great Lea Michele, the voice of an angel:
    
    
    
    
    Only 2,705 views for this slab of rock? This is Throw Me The Statues "Ancestors":
    
    
    
    
    themusicaddict