EVERYone was really upside down by the performance of axl and the band. This was one of THE best shows ever. Two graspop technicians were climbing up the stage to fix things related to the lightning spots (as far as I can judge). Basically the show got delayed for an hour and a half (didn't check my watch after I did the first few times) but it was worth the waiting. The crown went crazy and so did Guns n' Roses. The lyrics of all songs, both old and new, were heard all over the field, where thousands of people were smiling. Maybe some smiled of disbelief, because some Belgian people still thought "I loved GNR in the past, but somehow I don't think they'll be any good with this new line-up".
I heard tens of reactions, of young and old, and I saw a smile on people's faces time after time. Axl showed us his old voice combined with the new touch on a few songs.
The crown heard classics like Paradise City, November rain, My Michelle, Mr. Brownstone, Don't cry, You could be mine, Out to get me, Nightrain and so on. Combined with I.R.S, Better, The Blues and other new songs, people got 'surprised' by the quality of those songs. Of course many of us already heard them through the Internet or other shows in Europe. But the one thing that I kept hearing after the show when thousands of people were heading to their camping spot (a few kilometers away from the main stage), almost in total darkness as it was already 03:00am:
"Man they were soooo good"
"Axl still sounds like he used to be"
"I'm glad I bought my ticket"
"No other band showed this type of performance during the weekand and during the past years"
"GNR really is a BAND, with great frontman, guitar players, keyboard player and drums"
Important to mention: both 'young' and 'old' fans of Guns n' Roses were present at Graspop. The bands that played earlier on main-stage were Soulfly and some others. Even when those bands performed you could say many GNR fans (easily recognizable ...) already moving forward like a army to conquer a good spot in the front rows. After Soulfly played their set thousands of people were already waiting at the main-stage, while GNR was only programmed almost one hour later. Then there was a big delay, which made some (non)fans make some noise, but once we heard "the welcome to the jungle opening sound", people forgot about the waiting time and the rain. Actually, when the welcome to the jungle sound was heard, the rain was gone, forever.
We heard a high quality show, with both old and new songs. A big festival like GMM doesn't only attract pure GNR fans, as quite alot of bands are programmed. BUT I have to say that, when I looked backwards from the front rows, I saw almost everyone with their hands in the air, shouting the known and less known lyrics from the Gunners.
I had the pleasure to be there with my twin brother Sammy and some friends and for the FIRST time of my life I didn't think about the "Old" GNR anymore. THIS was Guns n' Roses, performing like in the "old days".
IMPORTANT: Axl and the band members smiled alot. He even said he was stunned when (from the very beginning) the crown was showing their knowledge of the GNR lyrics and gave the band an energy boost. It was like the band enjoyed every second of the show, making a LOT of contact with the crowd, making jokes, smiling, talking and so on.
A show to to forget, that's all I can say. Guns n' Roses showed what it's all about. Belgium know is fully aware that the band is back, as strong or even stronger than ever before. Thanks to Guns n' Roses for the great night!
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