tallcoolone
Well-known member
It was with me. I’m glad every time we play isn’t posted on YT. Guys who don’t go see shows would tell me how I wasn’t worth paying to go see.
GreatRedDragon
Well-known member
She replaced Chris Pitman, who was in the band for the entire Chinese Democracy era. She handles synths, programming and backing vocals.
On the UYI tour they had six session players backing up the six-piece band: Two singers, a brass trio and Teddy Zig-Zag on harmonica. That was Axl's idea, to help realize the more ambitious productions from the Illusions album. It was Slash's idea to hire hot chicks for the singers and horn players.
Melissa, and Chris before her, is basically there to reproduce all of that, plus cover the much more extensive electronic elements from Chinese Democracy. Chris seemed pretty against the reunion, he called it a boring nostalgia act that disregarded the prior twenty years, so he was either pushed out or quit in protest. Who knows.
Why Melissa specifically? Melissa was a collaborator of GNR's old drummer so that's how she got the gig at the last minute. But she's some sort of crazy prodigy. Her vocals are a boon, since she can cover Axl's wheezy ass and recreate some of the self-harmonizing he did on Illusions and Chinese Democracy. Pretty Tied Up in particular sounds great with her, I noticed.
She's definitely there to boost the band's image though. She's the Zoomer bait that keeps the band from being a bunch of dinosaurs nobody under 30 can relate to.
Eazy-ESP
Well-known member
They are like a Metallica, Rolling Stones, U2 now. A concert commodity. People who were never really into them and only know a few radio staples go. They can then mention they went to the concert at the water cooler, while they look for the next event to keep them entertained so they don’t have to face the nothingness that is their life and personality.
Monkey Man
Super Moderator
... and he doesn't even have to try; he's a natural.
J
Jack Luminous
Well-known member
Nope, not true. Saw Metallica about 10 years ago, it was sad. Saw Guns 6 months ago, it was great. Pretty big difference. And I saw both bands several times more than 30 ago in their prime so I got a good reference to start with.
V
VonBonfire
Well-known member
Shoot. I couldn't even afford to attend a show by a regional act let alone a headliner like GNR. I can only afford to play shows, not attend them.
homespun
Well-known member
Bro, I was joking. I do hate gunsnroses though.
RaceU4her
Well-known member
might be the most accurate post of 2023 right here
i would have guessed my high school reunion was going on at the Metallica show at giants stadium a couple months ago based on my social media feeds, i guess that huge tv show that was playing metallica made every 40yr old soccer mom a huge fan who they now gotta bring their kids to go see
tallcoolone
Well-known member
I don’t get it, but after reading this thread it looks like yours isn’t the only head they have space in
RaceU4her
Well-known member
November rain has 2.1 billion views on YouTube. That’s insane. Enter sandman has 625 million for comparison
homespun
Well-known member
I really didn’t mean to offend you.
tallcoolone
Well-known member
I’m not offended, I’m pointing out that getting emotional over a group of dudes that you’ve never met and have no idea you exist is pretty lame.
homespun
Well-known member
Eazy-ESP
Well-known member
It’s just so weird, I actually still can’t believe the paradigm shift. My friends as teenagers, wearing Metallica t-shirts, were considered losers. Now they still are, but the normies now go see Metallica and think they are doing some mandatory cultural event.might be the most accurate post of 2023 right here
I can imagine them enjoying enter sandman and nothing else matters and things like that. But I still just wonder what they are thinking and feeling during stuff like battery, etc. Do they just blank out or do they pretend to enjoy it because they have to keep up appearances? Because there is no way regular people have become so much more metal.
romanianreaper
Well-known member
It is hard to go to shows sometimes. I'm there with my vest with my patches, rings, and crap on and getting into the songs eith my best friend. Around me are people asleep, texting, talking about some b.s. in their life, and passing me holding nachos and popcorn, etc, wearing an Affliction shirt....might be the most accurate post of 2023 right here
Every show we'll find true metalheads but is rare
GreatRedDragon
Well-known member
I was recently asked why Nickelback gets so much hate, and why I in particular hate them with a passion. It's simple: rock is for kids to love and parents to hate. When Nickelback hit, they were safe enough for moms to listen to. I was a kid and my Mom was saying "Nickelback is so cool!." Fuck off Mom, and fuck off Nickelback. When Chad Kroeger bites the head off a bat and fucks a groupie with a mud shark, come talk to me.
It's why I also hate Greta Van Fleet. Jonas Brothers for Boomers. Fuck off.
Now you've got these people who grew up hating people for listening to Metallica, Guns N' Roses, etc, and now they're in their 40s leading sad, boring, pathetic, normal fucking lives and they think they're cool and exciting and interesting if they go to a Metallica concert, because history has shown that Metallica was, indeed, (emphasis: was) cool.
I cringe every time I go to one of these shows and I see people walking around in leather jackets that have never been broken in because they only wear it when they go to their two concerts a year. It's like a costume, trying to co-opt an image and a lifestyle. No wonder the Indians get pissed on Hallowen. That shit sticks out like sore thumb when you're surrounded by middle-aged fat dudes wearing the worn out, stretched T-shirt they bought on the Appetite For Destruction tour in 1988. That dude is legit, you're a fucking poser.
When I saw Guns I splurged for the pit ticket. I wanted to be on the rail, and I was. Who was on either side of me? Middle aged white women who love Sweet Child O' Mine. They're standing next to be taking selfies and I'm just thinking, there are shows where you'd either be killed or evacuated. Keep the slit out of the pit. Jokes on them, while they're doing their thing I'm fuckin' givin' 'er, pissing em both off throwing my hair in their face, and Duff walks up to the edge of the stage, looks me in the eye, smiles and gives me a nod. Like, "thanks for caring."
romanianreaper
Well-known member
I spent my life from about 84' until now, qs a metalhead. I was in the military, became a Dad, wear suits sometimes, bought a house, etc and still remained a metalhead. I spent my teenage years reading liner notes of albums for hours. Would draw band logos and just get into to all of it. I've never got sick of hard rock and metal and in my veins.
To see these people at shows that just don't get it, kind of sucks. You can spot them a mile away. The girls dress up super hot but you can tell they don't know a thing about rock and roll and the guys are wearing something weak and uninspiring.
My best friend, years ago, said "we should get some of those vests and get patches and hit the shows, etc." It has been a blast. I even got these rock goblets and painted them gold, lol. We are having more fun at shows in our mid-50s than when we were younger. I have more patches now than what is in the photo. Just keep throwing patches and pins on there, lol.
J
jtees4
Member
I always liked GNR BUT always hated Mr. Rose. I never thought he sounded good, but I'm an older guy to be fair. I enjoyed a lot of Slash's stuff since he left the band though.
GreatRedDragon
Well-known member
Slash's energy with his own project is so much better than Guns. Maybe it's the smaller stages, but I've seen Slash with Myles four times and it is just a totally different vibe, it's more the Slash I see in all those old Guns videos than what Guns is now.
And some dickheads like that say Slash only wrote one good album, but I would put Anastasia up against any GNR song.