DEC 6th '06 - Calgary, AB @ The Saddledome SOLD OUT [Discuss Reviews PICTURES]

[kollemann]

THX for the updates

[BurningHills]

Thanks as always Vanessa! 

[Tynia]

Great to have you here with the updates, Vanessa
Thanx a lot.?

[babydolls]

thank you vanessa, much appreciated!  looking forward to reading some reviews!

[axlrosehunny]

Just got back to the blackfoot.   3am!!

Ok here is first review for you mother fuckers...

Short and sweet.

S girls put on a great show.    There was a family right behind me, with a mom and dad and I think a 12 year old boy.  I asked them what they thought of the act.   The mom said, "I am glad they are over."  The dad said, "they opened my eyes."   lol I laughed..  So did the boy

Helmet is just that.   A wall of noise.   Good time to go for a beer.   Which let me tell you...  You could only have one drink at a time..    Totally retarded.

After the wall of sound Baz came on.   Great is all I can say.  He knows how to pump up the crowd and his voice is top notch.

Here we go, GNR!!!!!!!   

Well  you Know the rest.  I wont bore you with any stupid details, because I think it has all been said before.

Here is what I will say....    Axl's voice is fucking great!

They played rocket queen, what more can you say.

New songs....    Ok.   The crowd, around me loved Better and the Blues.  IRS???   I liked it, but most people sat back down and couldnt care less.

Maddy..   I am so glad I heard it live.  I crowd and myself ate it up.   Great tune.   Thank you Axl.

All in All a great show.      From the average fan it was good.   And from me it was great.   

Next stop Edmonton....  Cya there Axl

[dizzy68]

 It's great that the crowd had a good response to "Better" and "The Blues".  I know my music. Those will be hits if we ever see this CD released.

[madagas]

I agree. Better and The Blues could easily be singles. The Blues could be a crossover hit. Personally, I still hope he has better songs in his back pocket.

[TrixAreForKids]

Just got back to the blackfoot.? ?3am!!

Ok here is first review for you mother fuckers...

Short and sweet.

S girls put on a great show.? ? There was a family right behind me, with a mom and dad and I think a 12 year old boy.? I asked them what they thought of the act.? ?The mom said, "I am glad they are over."? The dad said, "they opened my eyes."? ?lol I laughed..? So did the boy

Helmet is just that.? ?A wall of noise.? ?Good time to go for a beer.? ?Which let me tell you...? You could only have one drink at a time..? ? Totally retarded.

After the wall of sound Baz came on.? ?Great is all I can say.? He knows how to pump up the crowd and his voice is top notch.

Here we go, GNR!!!!!!!? ?

Well? you Know the rest.? I wont bore you with any stupid details, because I think it has all been said before.

Here is what I will say....? ? Axl's voice is fucking great!

They played rocket queen, what more can you say.

New songs....? ? Ok.? ?The crowd, around me loved Better and the Blues.? IRS? ?I liked it, but most people sat back down and couldnt care less.

Maddy..? ?I am so glad I heard it live.? I crowd and myself ate it up.? ?Great tune.? ?Thank you Axl.

All in All a great show.? ? ? From the average fan it was good.? ?And from me it was great.? ?

Next stop Edmonton....? Cya there Axl

what time did GnR' take the stage at?

[bangit]

sounds awesome!!!!

Lucky gits, wish i could afford a trip over the pond for some more gnr shows.

I agree, the blues is such a good song, its a certain classic. Better woudl be an awesome first single.

the blues has to be one of the big guns!!!!

[asmoboba]

Rose blooms at 'Dome
Tara Merrin
Calgary Sun
 December 6, 2006   

Axl Rose, living up to his diva reputation, waited until midnight to take the stage at the ?Dome, testing the patience of concert goers who?d been there since 8 p.m.

Completely unaware, or indifferent, to the fact many of his fans are no longer unemployed, drunk 16-year-olds (although the group was well represented), Rose created a slight up hill climb for his band with the late start.

When the lights finally dimmed and the familiar sounds of Welcome to the Jungle filled the room, the sold-out
room went crazy, but as the hours past, the vibe changed. And by the time GNR called it night, the arena was far from full.

Not exactly the best way to make your triumphant return, but at least Rose showed up. And ultimately the revamped eight-member Guns gave fans what they?ve been longing for ? a concert that made them say, 'Slash who?'

The Gunners pumped out a two-and-a-half hour, 18-song set filled with samplings from Appetite for Destruction, Lies, Use Your Illusion I and II and a few new ones from the never-gonna-happen and aptly named Chinese Democracy CD.

Throughout, Rose, sporting ripped jeans, a chest-baring black button-up and his famous braids pulled back
in a pony tail, proved he was not only still in the game, but a key player.

The show was noticeably professional with every aspect, from the perfectly timed pyrotechnics to the three massive screens hanging over the stage, obviously well thought out.

And by the time Rose kicked into Sweet Child O' Mine, an early highlight, a second wind blew across the stadium and his tardiness was all but forgiven.

The anthems from Appetite, including Paradise City, Mr. Brownstone, It?s So Easy, Nightrain and My Michelle (which Rose sung with opener Sebastian
Bach) got the loudest response, but his powerful performance of November Rain was the most memorable.

As the band went soft, Rose slid behind a grand piano and groaned the song?s lyrics, allowing his voice, which gave him trouble throughout the show, a chance to finally shine.

While Rose?s serpentine stage moves and unmistakable voice are a tad shakier than when he last graced the stage at the 'Dome in '88, his charisma has remained in tact. The singer was forthcoming and light-hearted, rolling through the long set without a hint of irritation.

Instead of throwing a fit when fans in the front row were being squished by the mosh pit, he simply asked the lights be brought up so security could deal with the problem and asked everyone to take a few steps back.

One of the most humorous moments came when Trailer Park Boys? Bubbles
joined Rose to sing a song in character called Liquor and Whores.

GNR?s recent material, A.K.A the Chinese Democracy songs, did not go over as well. Nor did the numerous solos by Rose?s revolving door of skilled bandmates, including bassist Tommy Stinson and guitarists Robin Finck, Richard Fortus and Ron Thal.

As for the parade of openers, the Suicide Girls, who slathered each other's chests in chocolate syrup, and hardcore rockers Helmet, were merely something for people to glance at as they piled into their seats.

Former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach got a bit more attention, mainly because he demanded it with his constant swearing and reminders that he too is Canadian.

And, of course, he had something the other backups did not ? songs people actually knew. The crowd sang along loudly to 18 and Life, I Remember You and Youth Gone Wild as the eager-to-please 80s icon ran back and forth on stage in his full leather outfit.

It was like living 1988 all over again.

[a.]

I thought the Blues and Better went over really well last night. I sure enjoyed them! All the new songs sounded amazing and really show GN'R's growth and diversity. I really enjoyed the jams while moving the piano around as well (kind of sounded like The Beastie Boys funk CD).

Last night was extremely memorable for me (I remember at one point standing with Robin watching the Suicide Girls - who could ask for anything more?). hehe.

Good job GN'R! It was all around a fantastic night.

a.

[axlrosehunny]

Just waking up after that show last night.   Ugh....   My head.   I drank way to much and was sick all morning!   HAHAHA.   just thought I would share that.

Tonight is Edmonton..   I am not drinking, so lets see how this works out!

[freedom78]

Glad it was a great show! 

Just waking up after that show last night.   Ugh....   My head.   I drank way to much and was sick all morning!   HAHAHA.   just thought I would share that.

Tonight is Edmonton..   I am not drinking, so lets see how this works out!

I find that there's a line and, if crossed, the drinking lowers my enjoyment of the show...up to that line is fine, but afterwards you can't remember it as well, etc. 

[creepingvines]

what was "hendrix bonanza?"  sounds interesting.

[jarmo]

what was "hendrix bonanza?"  sounds interesting.

Might be Richard and Robin doing Jimi's "Angel"...




/jarmo

[AxlFink]

Just waking up after that show last night.? ?Ugh....? ?My head.? ?I drank way to much and was sick all morning!? ?HAHAHA.? ?just thought I would share that.

Tonight is Edmonton..? ?I am not drinking, so lets see how this works out!

I bet u drink more tonight than last night!!!!     

[leatherebel]

Can anyone give an approximate figure of the attendance numbers?
It seems Canada has been nicer to GN'R than the US this year. But then again, US west coast is coming up. 

[kyrie]

Can anyone give an approximate figure of the attendance numbers?
It seems Canada has been nicer to GN'R than the US this year. But then again, US west coast is coming up. 

Not sure but it's probably around 19,000 (unless they sold seats behind the stage).

And Toronto at 18,500, making Calgary and Toronto two of the biggest shows on the tour. About 12,000 or so in Ottawa I guess, 10,000 in Halifax, 11,000 in Winnipeg, Quebec I think was over 10,000, the smaller show in St. John NB maybe 6-7000, and finally Edmonton could be a big show tonight (not sold out but still probably gonna be in the 14,000 range?).

GNR are doing great up here Which makes me hopefull for London, Hamilton, Montreal, St. John NL, Regina, and Victoria (I think they played Regina once before back in the day).

[riotact_vancity]

i've been critical of Axl here, but damn did he put on a show....i don't know what the Sun reviewer meant about his shaky voice, but the people i was with, my sister and my friend, neither of whom are as big a fans as i am, couldn't believe he could sing like THAT for so long long. Neither could I; he was snarling through Nightrain two hours into the show like he was in Jungle. My buddy said, about 4 songs in "well, Axl still has IT". Quite frankly, i was expecting the solo's to completely drain the energy from the crowd, but aside from realizing the energy wont be as high anyway compared to a song, i thought they were very well received. Finck got a loud ovation, when Fortus and Finck did Little Wing (i think it was little wing) it got a loud ovation, and people were singing along to Oh Canada and Dont Cry by Bumblefoot. And if Axl needs these breaks to be able to do what he did last night, i say let em do it. Quite frankly, I needed the break. My voice was gone throughout trying to hear myself scream and sing above the crowd.

highlights were Jungle, Live and Let Die, Better (my friend who'd never heard any new GnR said "i like it already..."), November Rain outro, Nightrain and Sweet Child.

lowlights were IRS, one beer per person and Sebastien Bach...the guy's a tool. For someone with his vocal range, he has ZERO stage presence and zero charisma. Axl makes him look like the biggest wannabe.

criticisms....it's been said, but the show ended waaaay too late. It's cool they play so long, but do they need three openers? My other buddy that came is a stone cold biker/ rocker and he fell asleep at about 1:30. My first friend left at about 1am. people were piling out from about 1am onwards and by the time Paradise City was on, probably a third the audience was gone. I simply don't understand why they would want to have these conditions for a show. Forget concern for the fans, why do they want to play to people leaving a stadium? makes no sense whatsoever.

also, the Bubbles thing and having Bach duet My Michelle seem gimmicky. Plus, Bubbles got the loudest ovation of the night...

but overall, this band smokes. They're tight, and can play the fuck out of their instruments. Bumblefoot does stuff with a guitar that is just otherworldly. And Axl definitely has it back. He is the template for all frontmen. I don't see how it can be done better that what i saw him do last night. For what his voice is, it was mind boggling to me that he kept it there for so long (tho the mics were sometimes too low) and his energy and stage presence/ charisma blow away the concerts i've been to recently, involving some pretty serious bands....Metallica, Velvet Revolver and the Chilli Peppers....he blows them all away. It's a ridiculous standard to have to live up to for anyone, and it's a shame he was gone from the scene for so long that we forgot, but now i know, after never having seen him, what the legend is all about. The guy flat out brings it like no one i've ever witnessed.

BUT...

he has a major problem....he's a victim of his own success. Unless Chinese Democracy is the best rock album ever made, no one is going to care about it. While Better, the Blues (which i forgot to add in the highlights...was quite cool), and Madagascar were very well received (IRS and CD not so much) nobody wants to hear them. GnR have such iconic songs that that's what people will always want to hear. The problem was his time away. The old songs are such an isolated memory of what we remember Axl/ GnR from back in the day, and then there was nothing. So they became like these museum pieces of art that stood the test of time. Like if Michelangelo started scultping again, poeple would be like "oh, cool..." but would still flock to see David. If Axl/ GnR had been putting out albums over the last 15 years, there wouldn't be this problem because it would have been a continuing process and the old songs would have been slowly replaced by new material. That can't happen now. I went to the Chilli's and they didn't even play Under the Bridge, but no one seemed to care because they'd released three killer albums in the last 5 years. But GnR can NEVER not play about 10 core songs for as long as they decide to go on doing this. as cool as some of the new stuff is, it just doesn't have that quality that made the old stuff so great, or at least it doesn't have the ability to make us forget the old stuff. maybe it's because of time rather than the quality of the new songs, i don't know. But unless he has some stuff backed up on this album which is just insanely good, better than what we've heard, the album will be a failure. Not necessarily in terms of sales, but in terms of solidifying the new band as a creative entity...because they will always HAVE to play Slash's stuff and will never be able to get out from under that shadow.

[kyrie]

I pretty much agree with that last statement (not SterileEyes, the one before him). There is definitely a core of songs that GNR will ALWAYS have to play. But, I do think that when they get the album out, people will want to hear the new tracks... I mean, you would think GNR would HAVE to play Don't Cry, yet they don't unless you count the solo... same with Estranged (to a lesser extent).

Jungle, Sweet Child, November Rain, and Paradise City will always have to be there however. Patience, You Could Be Mine to a lesser extent. Like they moved Used to Love Her and Down on the Farm into the set, I think we'll see a couple more tunes come in from that list Del James posted, and perhaps a couple others come out. Why not duet with Bach on Nice Boys instead of My Michelle.