GNR Shambles at O2??

finhex

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

... Somebody told the support band to keep playing therefore somebody should have told the crowd....

Don't believe everything you read from internet. Danko Jones played as long as previous night at Odyssey.

Catari Jaguar

finhex wrote: »

Don't believe everything you read from internet. Danko Jones played as long as previous night at Odyssey.

Wonder why...

finhex

cherub rock wrote: »

Wonder why...

Just one of the Axl's evil plans to #+&& @$$ people of Ireland...

Motley Crue

cherub rock wrote: »

Wonder why...

Just some quotes from a GNR fan forum on this topic. Del James is GNR's road manager.

There was a collective groan from the audience as Del James pokes his head from behind some amps to tell the bassist from Danko Jones to extend their set

On Saskatoon someone threw a thing at him and he said "Thanks ****head", laughed and continued the concert as if nothing had happened. Then in Madagascar he changed a part of the lyrics to "When people try to **** with my show".

DJ and Bumble could still be seen at the side of stage, both tapping their imaginary watches to the members of the crowd that noticed them.

- This was during Danko's set

Motley Crue

This from a guy called Dead Horse, he's from Northern Ireland, and a moderator over at GunsNFRoses.com Forum

There was a collective groan from the audience as Del James pokes his head from behind some amps to tell the bassist from Danko Jones to keep playing. Now, Danko Jones weren't awful (they weren't anything special either), but the clock had just struck 9pm. This was the time Guns had arranged the starting time for Guns N' Roses, that was promised by the venue. And it's not lke the band wasn't around. Ashba had greeted the fans a mere two and half hours before, and could be seen waiting backstage to go on.

Following the Jones set, which started at 8pm (roughly), and lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes, DJ and Bumble could still be seen at the side of stage, both tapping their imaginary watches to the members of the crowd that noticed them. We then waited for well over another hour. And don't give me this **** about "that's how long the turn around takes", because that's a lie. They had everything ready in Belfast in close to 30 minutes. The sound of booing echoed through the arena, broken by the occasional Mexican wave. As the waiting went on, so did the booing, but it was suddenly drowned out as the lights went down. Axl was ready, apparently.

As Ashba played the opening riff of Chinese Democracy, and the band finally exploded on stage, much of the crowd was jumping and singing along, or at least head banging to the music. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. No more than two minutes into the song, Axl has some issue with his microphone pack, and was grounded in one place whilst a roadie desperately tried to fix it. I got the feeling he was rushed on stage. Perhaps his solid stance was an omen for the rest of the night. He ripped out his earpiece in anger, and stormed off.

There are still some boos by the end of the title track, but I got the impression it was still a notification that we weren't happy with the lateness. As Ashba tore into the legendary Welcome To The Jungle, the cheers were deafening. The wait may have been long, but it looked like we were about to see a hell of a show. Of course, before Axl even sings a word, he stops the song because a plastic cup or bottle was thrown on stage. Sure, whoever threw someone was a bit of a dick, but that's perfectly reasonable after making an audience that has paid pretty hefty prices to see your show, wait that length of time. This isn't South America, Axl's on his last legs here, he's already been slaughtered in the press for Reading/Leeds, he can't get away with this. It's just pure arrogance. He gives us the now catchphrase like warning, and jumps back into the song.

I can't quite remember exactly when this part happened, but there was a pretty long time in one of the opening tracks (I think it was Jungle, I haven't watched the video) were Axl was completely out of time with the band, throwing them and the crowd totally off. Axl gets pissed again, and storms off stage.

Predictably, It's So Easy, Mr. Brownstone and Sorry without fault, showcasing the bands talent and showing signs of a show as good as the one in Belfast the night before. But oh no... Axl introduces Richard Fortus, then suddenly says "Have a good evening", holds up an empty plastic bottle and storms off yet again, this time what looked like for good. Funny that the bottle was thrown at Fortus (I don't think it hit him, I'm not sure), who seemed happy enough to keeping on rocking into the James Bond theme, but Axl decided enough was enough. I got a very strong sense that he'd been looking for an excuse to stop the show and leave. Some woman comes out, talks about technical difficulties, I couldn't really hear her from where I was. It was pretty much inaudible.

The boos and "what the ****"s are taking over the arena, broken by loud chants of "We want Slash!" I should note, this was certainly not a dig at Ashba, who impressed a load of people so far, even at this early stage. Everyone I talked to found it hard to take their eye off him, he was great. The lights are still down, but there's a collective feeling in the atmosphere "They're not coming back." After another ten minutes, the promoter comes out on stage and apologises, promising us a good show and telling us not to throw things. Soon after this, the lights come up, and a load of people simply leave the show, and go to collect their refund. Even more left when a surge to the barrier in an attempt to storm the stage resulted in a mini-riot/fight between security and angry fans broke out, leaving many pretty bloody. I noticed a security guard knocking the **** into some random fan, and the security guard was actually held back and thrown out by other security guards.

About thirty/forty minutes after the leaving the stage, the lights go down again. I've no idea what was said backstage, but from what followed, I got the impression the band had heavy words with Axl, and he was told that he would not be paid if he didn't finish the show. I'm not sure the band and Axl have made eye contact since, and we respected the Guns for it. One man who had lost the entire audience, was W. Axl Rose. The guys came back out, it's about 11.30pm now (roughly), and they kick into Live & Let Die. The band looks pumped, ready to give the show the crowd deserves. Why should the show be ruined for everyone else because of some drunk prick? He should've been kicked out, and that's that. That's what gives me even more backing in my theory that Axl was looking for an excuse. If it was a glass bottle, I could understand, but anyway... on with the show. Axl picks his spot in the middle of the stand, leaning against the frame for most of the show from then on (Better at Download 2006). From this point on, they increased the volume of the guitars, and it felt like a unity was established of crowd and music once again. Tommy came and said something, I don't remember it much. He just mentioned the show in 2006 and said not to let them down or something... Throughout the show, some of the biggest cheers I heard from where I was was the various solo spots. They rocked, and the fans from where I was were really into them. Again, it seems a unity was established of "**** Axl", and the crowd and the band went on.

Two men stole this show. Ashba and Bumblefoot. To be fair, the entire band was fantastic, and what started as The Axl Show turned into the Better Off Without Axl Show. It really made Axl appear the weak link, and that he is holding the rest of them back from writing some killer music themselves. The "Hired Guns" looked and sounded like a tight and kick-ass rock and roll band, putting on a hell of a show. To anyone who says "This isn't a band", yes, you're right, but that's down to one, Axl Rose. These other guys ****ing rocked the crowd.

Despite everything from intros/solos/singalongs being cut short (Axl whistling to the band like dogs when he decided to play November Rain as they were doing Another Brick In The Wall Intro/Axl cutting the Paradise City and possibly Nightrain solos short/Cancelling the Knockin' On Heaven's Door singalong) to Axl's cardboard cut-out stance, it was a fantastic night. I got the Guns N' Roses experience. That said, had I not seen the Belfast show the night before, I might not feel that way. I was extremely impressed by the band, and it's interesting to wonder what could come of them with a different frontman. It's funny, I said to my friend "I'll be happy if there's at least one difference between this show and the Belfast one". They couldn't have been more different. The contrast from Axl winning over a crowd of 14,000 with his world-class performance in Belfast, to leaning on the stage for two hours only 24 hours later. And speaking of that, 24 hours earlier at the Belfast show, Axl was hit with a backpack which he put on, smiled and laughed with the crowd during Knockin' On Heaven's Door. It was an experience I wouldn't change at all. It was memorable to say the least.

Guns rocked Dublin last night, but we could've done without the Rose.

So, I think this explains a lot...Axl just obviously 'wasn't in the mood to play, and MCD and the rest of the band weren't having any of it, and the fans suffered immensely'

He still hasn't made a single Twitter since, you know that?

grames_bond

what gig was he at!? there was no fighting at all at that gig, no mini riot and no one "left pretty bloody" at the front of the barrier! The gig was a f*cking shambles alright but if any of the above had happened there would be a police enquiry!

Motley Crue

grames_bond wrote: »

there was no fighting at all at that gig, no mini riot and no one "left pretty bloody" at the front of the barrier!

I saw a guy physically carried by six security men from the arena as he screamed something about a shambles, and I did see a security officer attack a patron, by way of defence. I also saw a girl, in tears, attempt to lash out at a security guard after he had said something to her. On stage left at the entrance to the backstage area there was a lot of commotion and a lot of problems and more then one person was "escorted" from the building.

At one point I heard someone shout that someone upstairs was trying to rip up a seat, and three security officers ran past me and headed for the stairs. I looked up to seating but couldn't see anything except angry chanting and people spitting...which, to be honest, wasn't pleasant

We should have followed Axl's example

Motley Crue

Guns N’ Roses promoter MCD may well have thought Irish politicians and consumer advice bodies were taking the “unknown substance” when they suggested the company refund fans who were at the band’s Sept. 1 Dublin show.

Having declared “war” on the organisers of England’s Reading and Leeds festivals, where the act was late on stage and claimed it had a special dispensation to break the curfew, the U.S. rockers’ late appearance at O2 Arena was greeted with an aerial bombardment of plastic bottles containing an “unknown substance.” The unknown substance was widely reported to be urine.

“Here’s the deal: One more bottle and we go home,” frontman Axl Rose warned the audience when the aerial battery became too much. Soon another bottle landed and the group left the stage.

Having taken an hour to get the act on stage, MCD chief Denis Desmond and the O2 staff were forced to take another hour to persuade it to return. Desmond himself went on stage to appeal for calm after a member of the venue staff announced the show would go on when some “technical difficulties” had been sorted.

The band was eventually forced back on stage to a depleted crowd and didn’t stop playing until nearly 1 a.m. MCD said the artist was “prevented from leaving the venue by the promoter” until it completed its set.

Irish senator Michael McCarthy complained of reports saying the lights came back on and fans were told to go home, which meant they missed seeing the whole show. Desmond has since told Pollstar that at least three-fourths of the crowd stayed and any that left were probably reliant on public transport to get home.

Michael Kilcoyne of the Consumers Association of Ireland also claimed that some form of compensation was required. He said consumers bought a ticket to the concert on the basis that the lead singer would be on time and would not walk off in the middle of the show.

“Consumers were inconvenienced by what happened and they are entitled to some sort of credit from MCD or a half refund of their ticket,” he said.

MCD has since issued a statement saying the band played its full set of songs and the “issue of refunds does not arise.” It also said, “While the artist has a long history for being late on stage, no artist should be subjected to missiles and unknown substances being thrown at them.”

The National Consumer Agency, the statutory body that defends consumer interests in the Republic of Ireland, has been called to pressure MCD into paying some form of compensation. But the NCA isn’t having anything to with it. It says the only route open to disgruntled fans seeking redress is to fight the issue with MCD in small claims courts.

The number of claimants will likely be determined by whether Guns N’ Roses fans think the band or the promoter was responsible for the Dublin fiasco.

Melvin Benn from Festival Republic, the Leeds and Reading festival promoter that’s co-owned by Desmond and Live Nation, played down the U.S. rock acts’ declaration of “war” against his firm after it headlined the twinned events at the end of August.

At Reading, Rose had delivered an expletive-ridden tirade against police and organisers as he left the stage.

“I’d definitely book them again but I don’t know if they’d come and play,” Benn told New Musical Express, acknowledging that he also doubted if he’d “be getting a Christmas card from them.” Reading organisers turned off the power because the act’s late appearance caused it to overrun the curfew.

“There are rules we have to abide by here in the UK; they’re very clear rules. It’s not personal. I think the band is great. Why would I make it personal?,” he explained.

As of Sept. 6, Guns N’ Roses’ European tour was to visit a further 20 cities across 12 countries.

http://www.pollstar.com/blogs/news/archive/2010/09/07/739009.aspx

and the story is still making headlines worldwide

The rockers were forced offstage at Britain's Reading Festival last month (Aug10) after overrunning their allotted time, and they angered fans at a show in Dublin, Ireland earlier this month (Sep10) by keeping them waiting for an hour and then playing for just 20 minutes before storming off after concertgoers pelted them with water bottles.

Many members of the audience immediately left the venue, convinced the gig was over before Rose and his bandmates returned to complete the concert an hour later - but organisers have refused to offer refunds to disgruntled fans.

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/guns-n-roses-stage-surprise-show_1165685

MCD I hope you rot in hell because of this

Contact Michael McCarthy

http://www.labour.ie/michaelmccarthy/

grames_bond

f*ckin hell.....motley i really really hope you get a kick ass show in manchester, my opinion of the band has gone down hugely, i cant even listen to the m at the moment! hopefully they will blow the roof off the place at the next gig!

Motley Crue

grames_bond wrote: »

f*ckin hell.....motley i really really hope you get a kick ass show in manchester

Thank You, I hope I will too....the band are so unpredictable, I suppose people should be glad that Dublin wasn't another Philadelphia 2002....rest of the tour cancelled, mini riot, and everyone goes home pissed

For those of you who don't remember, GNR's US Tour in 2002 began with a riot and a cancellation in Canada (it would take them until 2010 to make it up to the Canadian people, although they did play in Toronto in November 2002) and would end 16 dates later with another one in Philadelphia

Motley Crue

MCD have informed me personally this morning that letters written to them about this incident will be answered within an acceptable time frame. They are being sorted and organised as we speak.

JimsAlterEgo

Motley Crue wrote: »

MCD have informed me personally this morning that letters written to them about this incident will be answered within an acceptable time frame. They are being sorted and organised as we speak.

whats acceptable thought? I woudl have thought 2 weeks is?

Motley Crue

JimsAlterEgo wrote: »

whats acceptable thought? I woudl have thought 2 weeks is?

I would have thought so, but they claim that they are intending on answering everyone who writes a correspondence to them and they will address the situation....it remains to be seen what that means

Catari Jaguar

Motley Crue wrote: »

I would have thought so, but they claim that they are intending on answering everyone who writes a correspondence to them and they will address the situation....it remains to be seen what that means

Oooh I can't wait for a reply! I had a 2 page letter outlining five bones of contention. I'll be fobbed off of course, ah well.

ionapaul

cherub rock wrote: »

Oooh I can't wait for a reply! I had a 2 page letter outlining five bones of contention. I'll be fobbed off of course, ah well.

I don't think you'll be disappointed; check out the post I just added to the thread in the Gigs forum.

Motley Crue

ionapaul wrote: »

I don't think you'll be disappointed; check out the post I just added to the thread in the Gigs forum.

Yes, I know, I think this may be good news - lets keep our fingers crossed that you're friend wasn't just an exception

IrishHomer

I sent a letter of complaint today to the Office of tobacco control.

complained about GNR band members chainsmoking and flicking the buts onto the crowd and also dozens of punters around me smoking all night at the gig.

I complained at the venue to security staff and they just shruggged their shoulders and did nothing.

I think if you look through all the recent gigs throughout europe the dublin one is the only one where the band smoked on stage.

scudzilla

IrishHomer wrote: »

I sent a letter of complaint today to the Office of tobacco control.

complained about GNR band members chainsmoking and flicking the buts onto the crowd and also dozens of punters around me smoking all night at the gig.

I complained at the venue to security staff and they just shruggged their shoulders and did nothing.

I think if you look through all the recent gigs throughout europe the dublin one is the only one where the band smoked on stage.

Maybe they'll give you a refund then?

ticketsthere

IrishHomer wrote: »

I sent a letter of complaint today to the Office of tobacco control.

complained about GNR band members chainsmoking and flicking the buts onto the crowd and also dozens of punters around me smoking all night at the gig.

I complained at the venue to security staff and they just shruggged their shoulders and did nothing.

Seriously? Words are lost!

Ash.J.Williams

IrishHomer wrote: »

I sent a letter of complaint today to the Office of tobacco control.

complained about GNR band members chainsmoking and flicking the buts onto the crowd and also dozens of punters around me smoking all night at the gig.

I complained at the venue to security staff and they just shruggged their shoulders and did nothing.

I think if you look through all the recent gigs throughout europe the dublin one is the only one where the band smoked on stage.

you are joking yeah?

WeleaseWoderick

IrishHomer wrote: »

I sent a letter of complaint today to the Office of tobacco control.

complained about GNR band members chainsmoking and flicking the buts onto the crowd and also dozens of punters around me smoking all night at the gig.

I complained at the venue to security staff and they just shruggged their shoulders and did nothing.

I think if you look through all the recent gigs throughout europe the dublin one is the only one where the band smoked on stage.

I really hope this is a joke! :rolleyes:

tororosso

WeleaseWoderick wrote: »

I really hope this is a joke! :rolleyes:

Why would it be a joke? Is smoking within the O2 venue ok?

WeleaseWoderick

tororosso wrote: »

Why would it be a joke? Is smoking within the O2 venue ok?

In particular I was referencing his complaint about the band smoking. A rock band doing something they shouldn't? :eek:

SerialComplaint

ticketsthere wrote: »

Seriously? Words are lost!

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

you are joking yeah?

WeleaseWoderick wrote: »

I really hope this is a joke! :rolleyes:

Are GNR above the law in some way?

Motley Crue

SerialComplaint wrote: »

Are GNR above the law in some way?

Yes, I believe we have established that Guns N' Roses are above the law

MCD seems to think so, which is why this multi million euro company hid behind these rock stars for protection of a backlash from angry fans - GNR are above the law, they are infallible

Slash was fined when he was in Velvet Revolver in Cardiff some years ago, the Welsh Government prosecuted...the Irish Government did not...I believe each fine came to $98 and if he hadn't of paid it within 28 days he would have been taken to court

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/cardiff-news/tm_headline=rock-guitarist-slash-flouts-the-smoking-ban&method=full&objectid=19265768&siteid=50082-name_page.html

SerialComplaint

Motley Crue wrote: »

, the Welsh Government prosecuted...the Irish Government did not yet...

Fixed your post...

Ash.J.Williams

SerialComplaint wrote: »

Are GNR above the law in some way?

no, but if we report every band that does something as mundane as smoke onstage, we'l be stuck with f**ing jedward....

jack presley

I heard Axl Rose's car on the way to the gig was traveling at 31kmph in one of those 30kmph zones along the quays!

kona

Irish homer, Im actually embarrassed for you, if your so lame why the hell are you at a GnR gig?

Sometimes the terms Fail and facepalm cannot describe how utterly lost some people are.

BTW I despise smoking, but TBH I couldnt give a bollix, you complaining bout DJ ashba smoking when there was pyrotechnics etc at that gig, along with the extraction fans to deal with them, is
Like calling the police because a banger went off while 2m away somebody is being shot in the face.

Riddle101

IrishHomer wrote: »

I sent a letter of complaint today to the Office of tobacco control.

complained about GNR band members chainsmoking and flicking the buts onto the crowd and also dozens of punters around me smoking all night at the gig.

I complained at the venue to security staff and they just shruggged their shoulders and did nothing.

I think if you look through all the recent gigs throughout europe the dublin one is the only one where the band smoked on stage.

Did you really do that? did you actually walk up to security staff and complain about the band smoking? What do you think they were going to do about it, go up to the band themselves and tell them to stop. I'm sure they had worse things to worry about