Year 2010 takes off like a shot in Montreal with a quite big event: Guns N’Roses’ comeback in the city. Almost 18 years after the Big 0 riot at the Olympic Stadium, we needed the Chinese Democracy tour to see Axl Rose put a foot again in the Montreal area, allowing fans and curious people who filled up the Bell Center in order to try to understand what happened in 1992, to obtain the singer excuses or simply to verify if the most popular band of the 80’s-90’s was always as high as his own name.

August 8th 1992, the Olympic Stadium opens his gates to 55.000 people for an amazing concert gathering Faith No More, Metallica and Guns N’Roses. It’s a mythical evening which is about to begin, but not in the expected way. Indeed, it’s the much talked-about day where James Hetfield is third-degree burned on his right arm because of the pyrotechnics. So the band has to interrupt their set. Then, after two hours of waiting, Guns N’Roses finally comes on stage… to cut it short after only 40 minutes, Axl Rose deciding to leave the stadium without any real explanation. After some minutes of stupefaction, the crowd realises the show is really over and a unprecedented riot explodes, writing in this way the Montreal music history forever.

So what about today?

January 27th 2010, 12.000 people hasten to go in the Bell Center to acclaim Guns N’Roses but with a little apprehension. Besides, they have to wait until 10.20 p.m. for the star and his musicians to deign coming up on stage, with “Chinese Democracy”. But as soon as the “Welcome To The Jungle” first notes begin, every resentment seems to be forgotten, giving way to an enthusiasm infecting all the venue. As on goes along the set list, songs of the last album and covers are mixed to the classic ones, in particular the essentials “November Rain” and “Knockin’On Heaven’s Door” or “Sweet Child O’Mine”, “Live And Let Die” and “Paradise City”. Just to give the crowd a minimum of satisfaction.

As for Axl Rose, he’s really not as young as he used to be and, personally makes me think of a fifty-year-old Texan (re-modelled?) redeployed in the administration of a ranch transformed as a peep-show. In short: a joke. I have some troubles understanding why when a name such as Axl Rose belongs to you, you can’t just sit and look as the dividend of your past albums instead of absolutely wanting to come back on stage at the risk of killing the mythic image of a band like GN’R.

Because yes, maybe Axl is still able to move and run all around during a two hours and a half show, but his voice already has lost a lot of his greatness, regardless of the Teleprompters he needs all over the stage not to forget the lyrics… So what to think about him running backstage between two songs… to change his outfits and hairstyle???

The Rock’n’roll Spirit our generation heard about for years, making us regret not to be born way before, seems to be gone far away! And this is certainly not with this kind of concerts we have the possibility to get it back!

About 1992, some references are thrown away « you know where you are? I think you do. You’re on Montreal! You’re gonna die ! », « I think I recognize some of you…. That’s right ». But for real explanations/excuses, we are still waiting! However, we almost believe it when Axl starts to apologize… but for a certain performance at the 2002 MTV video music awards nobody cared about…

« Guns N’Roses »

Another question raised by the event was to check how a legendary band such as Guns N’Roses could be sensed on stage, regarding the fact that all the former members have either left, or either been fired. Axl Rose has always been the only one to possess the rights on all the band’s songs.
The result is not necessarily bad or nasty, the songs are really well played, the musicians seem like a united band on stage, and each one of them has a little time for a solo………. but come on… who cares !? They’re not Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler…and, more than everything, they’re not Slash!!! (even if DJ Ashba seems to take the likeness to extremes.) So, even if the crowd seems to be indifferent to the changes, and to be here just to adulate the famous rock-star, one can say there’s kind of a bitter-tasting which remains inlaid at the palate.

But there’s nothing to complain about, regarding the events of the past. The show lasted two hours and forty minutes (out from the Centre Bell at 1.10a.m, it appears that it has never been seen before!), the sound was pretty good, the pyros were interesting enough to catch the attention, and the lights were amazing (special tribute to the iron framework at the center of the roof, and to a ring surrounded by four circles where automatic searchlights capable of making interesting circumvolutions while being pull down were arranged).

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It’s already enough some of us would say, we didn’t reach the worst like some others expected, but the concert wasn’t outstanding neither, as we are entitled to expect in regards of a name like Guns N’Roses… « You deserve the truth… but tonight’s not the time » will be the last sarcasm thrown away by Axl before leaving the room… A new proof that highlights the fact that we obviously don’t sail on the same spatiotemporal continuum…

Set List :
Chinese Democracy
Welcome To The Jungle
It’s So Easy
Mr. Brownstone
Sorry
Richard Fortus Guitar Solo
Live And Let Die (reprise de Paul McCartney)
If the World
Better
Dizzy Reed Piano Solo
Street Of Dreams
Instrumental Jam
You Could Be Mine
DJ Ashba Guitar Solo
Sweet Child O’ Mine
I.R.S.
Instrumental Jam : Immigrant Song de Led Zeppelin
Axl Rose Piano Solo : Someone Saved My Life Tonight d’Elton John
November Rain
Bumblefoot Guitar Solo
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door (reprise de Bob Dylan)
Out Ta Get Me
Patience
Shackler’s Revenge
Nightrain

Rappel:

Madagascar
Scraped
This I Love
Paradise City

Durée : 2h40

TEXT + PHOTOS // FLEA

♥ FLYLEAF, be surprised you’re still alive

♥ MARILYN MANSON, Antichrist not so superstar

♥ METALLICA, To Live or To Die