Wed Nov 6 at the Tacoma Dome.
Guns N' Roses
Fri Nov 8 at the Tacoma Dome.
Sometimes you've gotta work it a little to get what you want. I really wanted to see the Rolling Stones and Guns N' Roses last week, but since I'm flat-assed broke, I could only get in if I reviewed the shows. So this week's column is a review of one band that looked weathered but sounded amazing, and another band--or I should say singer--who sounded like shit.
The Stones played Tacoma on Wednesday, and while the show was a little too manicured, they smartly stuck with the past. Highlights included "Tumbling Dice," "Gimme Shelter" (backed by R&B vocalist Lisa Fisher), "Wild Horses," and "Midnight Rambler." Of course, it would've been better to see them in a smaller, dirtier venue Back in the Day, but I won't complain about hearing those old songs played so well. Mick Jagger strutted, pouted, and flaunted his stuff with more energy than garage punks half his age.
If only I could say the same about Guns N' Roses.
The mood for GN'R was so right. Crazy hesher dudes were on the prowl and the parking lot was littered with Pabst cans. When the fireworks shot off and the band hit the stage with "Welcome to the Jungle," I was excited. When that segued into "It's So Easy," I was still on Axl's side. But by the time they got around to "Mr. Brownstone," something was wrong. Not with the band, who played just fine, but with Axl. His voice sounded like squealing tires plowing down vermin. And I don't know if it was the sound guy's fault or if someone took pity on the singer, but a lot of the time it sounded like the mic went out. Between "Live and Let Die" and "November Rain," people just turned sad. Halfway through the show, a big chunk of the dead crowd was sitting down. It's heartbreaking to see your rock heroes go down in such flames (although the pyrotechnics were cool), but after that performance, I think I'm better off playing Appetite for Destruction at top volume in my car than hearing Axl cremate his past one more time.
