Guns N Roses - Hammersmith Apollo

In a typically chaotic fashion – Guns N Roses finally hit the stage 90 minutes after their shitty metal support band had finished. During what seemed like the longest hours and a half on earth rumours starting circulating through the crowd that the band was a no-show, that the venue curfew was midnight so the band would only have an hour to play. The crowd was getting pretty hostile and booing every new song that started on the backing tape.

Around 10:45pm the band hit the stage and all was forgiven as the opening riff to ‘Weclome to The Jungle’ is blasted out.

Despite rumours to the contrary (one UK paper describing him as a cross between Mick Hucknell from Simply Red and Chucky from Child Play) Axl is looking surprisingly fit and certainly in good form – doing the old shuffle dance of old, and a new twirling move I dubbed “swinging the lasso”. He’s certainly in fine voice – giving note perfect renditions of classic hits like ‘Sweet Child O Mine’, ‘You Could Be Mine’ and ‘Mr Brownstone’.

The latest version of Guns N Roses that Axl has assemble around himself played great – but the looked more like a group of cartoon superheroes than a hard rock act!

Guitarist Robin Finck (who joined the band in 1997 from Nine Inch Nails) is probably the worst offender – dressing like some kind of magical wizard in a black tunic and tights, with knee high red shoes. He even drew attention to himself with continual strange high-kicking action during each solo.

Newest guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal was wearing what looked like a purple Fez. He did redeem himself during his guitar solo however, revealing the roots of his nickname by playing a guitar shaped like a giant foot, that flapped bumblebee wings as he solo’d.

Richard Fortus on rhythm guitar was also a bit of a shocker. Dressed like a cartoon punk rocker – all leather jacket and converse high-tops – although I give him some leeway due to cred developed from his time in The Psychadelic Furs and Love Spit Love.

On a similar note Tommy Stinson was great on bass. He didn’t seem to overplay and, unlike the other members of this cartoon army, he an Axl seem to have a genuine rapport– engaging in some synchronised jumping at one point, and he seemed to get the most heartfelt of the band introductions (and most formal “Thomas Eugene Stinson”). Of course as a life-long Replacements fan the dude could have played in a nappy and I’d still forgive him.

The crowd was pretty cool – I spotted Brian May and Roger Taylor from Queen sitting a few rows ahead of us (in fact they conspicuously took their seats a few mere moments before the band came on, suggesting they were somehow complicit in the 90 minute delay – backstage jam or dinner with Queen I suspect?). Kimbo also spotted Elle McPherson walking in – well truthfully she spotted a supermodel walking in, and we later read it was Elle.

The special effects we’re fantastic – not only big big bursts of smoke and flame – but bloody loud as well. They also had some pretty cool video footage projected on giant screens behind the stage.

Apart from a slew of classics – the band did play a few news songs from the decade in the making “Chinese Democracy” – ‘Madagascar’ I was familiar with from the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards performance (highlight being the after gig interview with Axl where he claims the new album will be out “in a few months”) and I’d heard the MP3s of ‘The Blues’ and ‘IRS’.

Surprisingly the band also embraced their covers with great versions of Bob Dylan’s ‘Knocking On Heaven’s Door’ (including a great Axl impression from a crowd member when Axl held the mic out to the audience) and Wing’s ‘Live and Let Die’.

Because of the massive delay in starting we had to leave during the lengthy ‘November Rain’ in order to catch the last tube home. But apparently Sebastian Bach from Skid Row (who I’ve been enjoying emmensly in the VH1 realty show “Supergroup”) came on to duet on ‘My Michelle’ and we missed the traditional show-closer ‘Paradise City’.

Full setlist:
'Welcome To The Jungle'
'It's So Easy'
'Mr Brownstone'
'Live And Let Die'
'Sweet Child O' Mine'
'Madagascar'
'Better'
'You Could Be Mine'
'Knockin' On Heaven's Door'
'The Blues'
'IRS'
'Outta Get Me'
'November Rain'
'My Michelle' (with Sebastian Bach)
'Patience'
'Night Train'
'Paradise City'