I'm gonna skip the opening bands and go straight to Baz.  Sebastian Bach put on one hell of a show, I was pleasantly surprised.  He played all the old Skid Row favourites, with 'I Remember You' being a real standout, as well as some solo cuts from his new album.  His new stuff does sound a bit dated, but at least he stays true to form.  The crowd was really into Baz' set, and most of the arena was full by the time he left the stage.  Then the wait began.

Luckily for my friends and myself, we snuck in a bottle of Jagermeister and some tequila, so the wait wasn't so bad.  Like I said, the security was lax, so drinking wasn't a problem, even after they stopped serving booze at around 2230.  And the ever constant flow of weed and other party favours from various members of the crowd didn't worsen the situation.  It was pretty cool, also, to see the stage setup for Guns.  It's definately changed from the 2002 tour (I saw them in Toronto), but still very similiar.  Lots of chinese symbols and imagery, definately suits the show. 

Shortly before midnight, the magic began.  The lights dropped, and this sort of horro movie theme music began... makes me wonder if it's any of the compositions that Marco Beltrami contributed to the album, maybe?  Who knows.  Anyway, the familiar "DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE FUCK  YOU ARE????" and the party begins.  It was literally a fuckin' rock n' roll rollercoaster for the next 2 hours plus.  First Jungle, than Easy, than Brownstone... the familiar set.  It is worth noting, though, that Ottawa's performance of 'Better' was by far the best I've heard so far.  His voice was flawless, which is impressive especially considering the difficulty of singing that song live.  But that goes for the whole show.  Axl was crisp, clear, and loud as hell all night, hitting all the right notes.  He sounded much better than on their last outing in 2002.

As for the band, simply AMAZING.  I've been listening to GN'R for almost 20 years, and I don't miss the old lineup one bit.  The new band has earned the right to play these songs, and they prove it live.  Frank Ferrer is a fuckin' freight train... he beats the hell out of the skins, and him and Tommy Stinson prove to be a force to reckon with for a rhythm section  Robin Finck is a godsend, and his solo with Richard Fortus of Aguilera's 'Beautiful' was mesmerizing.  Pure fuckin' blues magic.  Bumblefoot even played 'O Canada' during his solo, followed by an instrumental (guitar only) version of 'Don't Cry'.  The whole crowd was on their feet for both.  He really is a virtuoso.  Dizzy's 'Hurricane' piano solo was well recieved, if not a little bit nostalgic.

But the what it all comes down to is W. Axl Rose.  Although he didn't say much (he did announce that it was Richard's b-day, and then led the crowd in a singalong for him), he didn't have to.  He spoke through the music, which his energetic performance and shrieking pipes.  He looks just like the Axl of old. 

As far as the set goes, it was mostly Appetite, Baz on 'My Michelle', with 'Patience' and 'Used to Love Her' from Lies, and the familiar stuff from Illusions ('You Could Be Mine' was mind blowing, and I almost had tears in my eyes for 'November Rain').  From Chinese Democracy, there was 'Better' and 'The Blues', and then 'IRS' and 'Madagascar' for the encore, followed, of course, by 'Paradise City'.  I was hoping to hear either 'Down on the Farm' or 'Prostitute', but beggars can't be choosers.  It was cool to see the Trailer Park Boys come out before the encore, after which Axl thanked Canada for 'quite an export you have there'.

All in all, the best show I've seen in years.  I will be the first in line the next time GN'R comes this way, and I suggest you all do the same.  ROCK N' ROLL WILL NEVER DIE!!!



Begz