The Fans Have Their Say #4 Guns N' Roses

From the first moment that I heard 'It's So Easy' and 'Mr. Brownstone' I was hooked. I had the 12" single which I bought as soon as I heard that it had been released, I'd read about them in the music press and loving Hanoi Rocks at the time, made me see them as another band that would fit nicely into the 'rock 'n' roll niche' that I was carving out for myself. I have always felt so annoyed with myself that I never went to see them at the Marquee club in Wardour Street. I was a regular at the Marquee club during the 1980's and through to the mid '90s. I went to so many gigs there - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, FM, Dumpy's Rusty Nuts, Quireboys, the Babysitters and the first UK show of Georgia Satellites - amongst many. Guns N' Roses played a three night residency at the Marquee on 19th, 22nd and 28th June 1987 and for some reason I didn't go and buy tickets to any of the dates! Living in Plymouth didn't help, but that didn't seem to make any difference at other times, spending many gigs in London, mostly at the Hammersmith Odeon - as it was then - watching Anthrax, Metallica, Bon Jovi, Dio, Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Cheap Trick, Living Colour, The Wonderstuff and Kajagoogoo, but why, oh why, didn't I get tickets for those legendary gigs at the Marquee club? Too late to contemplate now, but it would have been an amazing experience, especially saying that you had been there, just like the people who saw the Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester eleven years before. Bizarrely one of the songs that they played on the 28th June was 'Whole Lotta Rosie' by AC/DC who Axl of course would go on the front -as the Brian Johnson replacement - for the second half of the 'Rock or Bust' tour in 2017, 30 years later! Not having seen them play at the Marquee didn't deter my efforts to see them and I would actually get my first chance to see the full original line-up at Monsters of Rock at Donington the following year on 20th August. When the band were booked they were lower down the bill - second band on after Helloween - but by the time August hit, they were 'mega-stars', 'Appetite for Destruction' was a worldwide 'mega-hit' and they were the new superstars on the block. The following time I saw them at Download Festival in 2006, they were a shadow of their former selves and even the guest spots from Sebastian Bach (ex- Skid Row Lead Singer) and a few songs featuring Izzy Stradlin didn't help that much, even bottling took place several times. But the following two times that saw them at Nottingham and Reading Festival, they had improved - especially at Nottingham, which was a very long and excellent show. Now we have come full circle. 60% of Guns N' Roses are back and performing together like they hadn't been apart. If only Izzy and Steven came back it would be perfect, but at least for now, we are getting shows like we and they have deserved to play for years and hopefully they will carry on for a long time to come. Next stop Download Festival headline slot in 2018. So, on with the greatest sleazy rock 'n' roll show from LA, California...