So, my little review of the gig:
Beforehand I had some difficulties on agreeing with friends to go to one of the GNR shows during this tour. I expected to be at least able to attend Hellfest and/or Graspop festival, where GNR headline this year, but I can't make those festivals because of work obligations. So I'm going with a friend to the Mönchengladbach gig, this friday. While that wasn't sure yet, I decided to go to Ahoy as well. I got a cheap ticket from the internet and just went towards Rotterdam alone.
After some beers and food in the train, I arrived after about 3 hours at Ahoy. There the night started good, since some bouncer preferred to throw out my remaining can of beer. After some arguing I decided that I better move along, since these dickheads seem to believe they are always right. Opener Rival Sons was already playing and because I expected a long wait between them and the start of the concert, I watched them until the end. I came in at 21:00 and they played on until 21:40, quite clearly playing on a bit longer, since GNR was not ready yet anyway. After they stopped, I got out to the lovely smoking area of Ahoy, an open corner of the outside of the arena, basically standing outside next to the parking lot. After a joint, back in to order 2 beers. Facilities were rather shit over there. Inside the arena there were no bars, only outside. It was almost sold out, so going out to get a new drink was not a good option. During Rival Sons there were some sellers with beer on their back, but I never saw even one, since Guns started. To my own surprise Guns started at 22:15, only a little over 30 min after Rival Sons wrapped up. I was still waiting in line to get some beers, while I heard some drums in the background. While I comforted myself; that cannot be, after I walked into the arena, the band was already finishing ChiDem..
. I just went a bit to the front, but was still more or less in the middle, because it was very full and there was not much space to sneak ahead, plus I didn't want to waste my freshly acquired beers. Jungle, Easy & Brownstone came and the crowd loved it. Sorry was also received pretty well. By then I was being harassed by some girl, who seemed either already pissed or just insane. When Dj started his solo, I figured it was a good opportunity to get out for a necessary sanitairy break, 2 new beers and afterwards, a new spot, a bit more to the center of the stage, and on a safe distance from that strange woman which kept on touching me. (No, she was not very attractive). Since I was not boozing too much (cause I could only get 4 beers during the whole show) and I was smoking some joints, I could focus on the concert quite good. I heard that Axl was not in his best vocal shape this evening. But, as many here already mentioned: he seemed to dose the rasp and the fury when it was needed the most, so he was kickass in Jungle and also on quite some other songs, but sang clean on others. All in all, Axl was not as good as at Rock am Ring 2006 and 2010, but better than Graspop 2006. The solo spots, actually annoyed me a bit. They seemed to last way too long. While Richard's and Dizzy's were quite enjoyable, I hated this Motivation song by Tommy. Bumble's song sounded shit as well at first, but after I while I started to appreciate it more, especially after some shredding in the end.
While on the one hand, I was a bit disappointed, because the setlist was pretty standard and there was no Izzy, still I got to hear Estranged and Civil War for the first time live. The band jams in the end were clearly intros to Madagascar and Paradise city, strange to think that some people believed them to be potential new songs. During the last 30 minutes, I got more to the front, to the fence blocking of a front section, which I wonder how you could get there..either showing up hours earlier or some VIP ticket bullshit. I think I also witnessed some 'model like girls on the front, when the video screens showed some images shot from the stage to the hall.
All in all a good night, at 1:15 after some 3 hours Paradise City concluded the show, with all the paper stuff raining down on the crowd. Nothing new, but I still like peoples reaction on it!
Strangely, when walking through the venue I didn't feel like I was at a hardrock concert. 95% of all people where the typical short hair, fancy going out cloths guys with sometimes their girlfriends/wives. Probably many casual fans, which came for Sweet Child, Jungle, Paradise and November rain. Still the general response was good.
After the show, I catched a shuttle bus towards Rotterdam central station and got a trein towards Den Haag there. After 20 mins of train and 45 mins of walking, I arrived at my girlfriends' cousin's place, where I could sleep over. At 4:00 it was time for some well deserved sleep. Friday Guns in Germany!
