Meet The New Boss
30 years in the making….
Going to rock shows has been a Krüde staple since
1983. Yes, I’m that fucking old. Many of the bands I have seen in
concert, I have seen on multiple occasions. For example: I’ve seen Rush 22
times. Ween 74 times. Iron Maiden 12 times. Etc… So when a recent
opportunity arises for Krüde to see the mighty Guns N’ Roses at a
stadium 5 minutes from my home, I hop on that Nightrain and get right on down
to the Fun. Naturally
My back story of seeing GNR in concert dates back to the
late 1980s. I went to 3 shows on the Appetite For Destruction tour.
Then a few years later (and various changes to the band line up), I saw a show
in 1991. And that was that. Didn’t have any desire to see the band anymore after
witnessing that fucked up gig at Nassau Coliseum in '91. The band was over in
my book. It turned into everything I hated about Big Time rock music. The magic
was gone. No matter how much they tried to recapture it. Kinda like heroin.
Fast forward to the Now. It’s 2021. And an awful pandemic
halted live music for over a year. GNR reschedules a 2020 gig for this summer.
And your handsome and humble bloggist made his move to witness the Rock Show of
the season.
GNR hit the stage at 8:20pm that evening. Opening with It’s
So Easy followed by Mr.Brownstone brought me back to 1988 at the original
Giants Stadium when they opened with the same two tracks. Then came Chinese
Democracy. Yawn. Almost time to grab another drink. I had 20th
row on the stadium floor. So getting
through the crowd just to piss or get a brew was a bitch. By the time they
played the awful new song Absurd, I was hanging out near the booze and pretzel
vendors. Yeah. This gig is kinda dragging. Axl Rose was singing his ass
off. Slash played his heart out. But the vibe of the band was
pedestrian. This tour is a cash grab. Like duh
I just can’t get over the fact that GNR has turned into this.
The band I saw back in the 80s was dangerous and rocking. This is
stadium rock. Make no mistake. Nothing dangerous about it at all. Entertainment
is key. The show itself wasn’t bad. Or even mediocre. It was good. Almost worth
the ticket price. But not quite. Next time I see GNR will be when its only the
original 5 members. No keyboards or dopey cover songs. Just rock n’ roll with
an edge. Doubt it will ever happen though.
Mammoth WVH opened the show. Very tight and
professional. I’m not into the debut album from Wolfgang Van Halen. It’s
very ordinary modern rock. He does all the singing in this band. That has to
change. He is a musician, not a front man. Decent show from what I saw (I was on
a huge line just to get a hot dog and a beer during most of the set). Not many
people were in the stadium by this point.
Meet the new boss Same as the old boss. The Rolling Stones are winding down their nearly 60 year career. Guns N’ Roses are taking their place on the stadium rock circuit. Believe it
$13 cups of light beer don’t get me drunk. Just pissed
KK
@kapn_krude