12/31/01 LIST OF NEW GN'R MERCHANDISE FROM THE SHOWS

Thanks to schnoogans 37 @ GN'R BAR for this list of merchandise on sale at the shows.

t-shirt: American Flag and GNR logo on front with band member names on the back.

t-shirt: GNR logo and dates on the front, with the dates and 'sold out' written on the back.

t-shirt: A sparkling girly tee with the GNR logo on it, One of those one size fits all.

Knit hat: A black winter beanie hat with the new GNR logo on the front.

A poster: The green poster they used to advertise the show was sold and limited to 400 copies. Each one is numbered on the bottom right corner (i.e. XXX/400). Same basic design as the shirt with the show dates.

12/31/01 GN'R PLAY THE JOINT LAS VEGAS AGAIN

Thanks to Jonathan Lee & C2YA who again managed to get this review out within a short time of the show ending

THIS SHOW BLEW AWAY NOT ONLY THE 29TH SHOW, BUT ALSO RIO AND HOUSE OF BLUES!!!

I wasn’t at the House of Blues but I’ve listened to the bootlegs many times and I’ve talked to 3 people at show that were at last year’s House Of Blues show and they agree that it blew it away. Not only the fans, but one of the same security guards from last year’s show said the same. The energy was incredible, right now they are ready to take on the @#%$ world. But like I said earlier, they didn’t play new songs

The show kicked off unbelievably and the whole show was free of any technical problems. The band was extremely tight and the energy throughout the whole show was incredible, every second throughout the show was amazing. No fuckups at all. Robin and Tommy were going crazy.

Now onto their attire – Axl wore the same shoes as the night before, he had cream pants (couldn’t tell if it was leather though) and a #44 Florida State Seminole Jersey. He had a lot more dreads in his hair tonight, and in the back, he had dreads but the tips were straight and long. He was wearing a watch with what appeared to have diamonds around it. Later on in the show Axl put on a dark-bluish corduroy jacket and then he wore it for a couple of the songs and then wore the same Prince Valiant-type purplish coat from the previous show. For Paradise City, Axl came out in a shiny sparklish-blue shirt, it was something that Liberacci would envied.

Robin wore a one piece suit. Around the legs it was black and dark-reddish around his waist. He had one long sleeve on one side, and sleeveless on the other with a stocking on his arm. He had on some type of bowtie.

Buckethead wore Lakers jumpsuit pants, and a plaid long-sleeve shirt with a red and white striped apron. He had the same bucket as the other night but with the “Funeral” sticker on it. During November Rain, I had expected him to come out with the lights in his eyes, but tonight instead, he came out with a new logo KFC bucket and when we started his solo, the bucket rotated back and forth around his head. After the song, Axl asked for bucket change, and at that point, he was wearing a Hard Rock Casino bucket and wore it for the rest of the show. (I think)

Paul wore black leather pants and a shiny shirt.

Tommy came out in a checker 3-piece suit. He took the jacket off after a couple of songs and wore a white tank top the rest of the show.

Brain wore a regular t-shirt.

Dizzy wore a tank top and pants with a chain hanging from his belt.

Chris was wearing a gas mask and then put on some kind of a mask that looked like a Hawk, something with a long beak.

Axl thanked people who participated in the Welcome Back Ad that was published in the LA Weekly earlier this week. Someone in the audience handed him a copy of it and got misty-eyed reading it. Axl also referred to former manager Alan Niven again, but didn’t say his name (he didn’t think he was worthy of mentioning). He then said something like “We’re gonna tour, not for the industry, not for something or someone, but for ourselves.” And “we’re not gonna tour for some musician that’s on heroin” (He then made a goofy face and said in funny voice) “because he might die anyday!” Axl again said, “These are the first two shows I’ve wanted to do in 10 years.” Axl said that Robin said “Let’s do a rehearsal and fix this @#%$ and put on a hell of a show!” and then Axl said he agreed with him. During the first part of the show, someone threw a pink rose at Axl and he put in his mouth for a little bit. Someone (possibly Mark Roulley?) threw him a small white towel and on it in marker it said “CELEBRITY DEATHMATCH WAS FIXED!” Axl showed it to the audience and laughed. Axl also asked if there was any people that attended the 29th show and there wasn’t too many people. He then asked them if tonight was a much better show and they all went crazy and @#%$ in agreement.

Buckethead did the “Wish Upon A Star” and then something else and then “Star Wars Theme” as his first solo. Afterwards, Axl said “I got a chill because I thought Darth Vader was in the room.” Buckethead did have a Darth Vader mask with his toys as well. Buckethead did a sick ass @#%$ nunchukai performance and threw them in the audience. His second solo was acoustic. His third solo was “Big Sur Moon” and “Eruption” – my jaw was dropped – it was @#%$ amazing. There was a waiter at the side of the stage (who was also there the 29th but didn’t do anything) and he had a silver platter. Buckethead walked over to him and he lifted the lid to the platter and it had a severed rubber hand. Buckethead picked it up and proceeded to do the tapping to “Eruption” with it and then threw it in the crowd. I had been dying to see this (I had a heard about it before). He did the solo with the rubber hand better than Eddie Van Halen has ever done in his life.

Tommy, unlike the 29th, was active and ran all over the place. Take what Tommy did at Rio and multiply it 50x, he was like a @#%$ 10,000 shot Black Cat firecracker! At some point he said “Hi” to girl named Michelle in the balcony and later waved at her again.

Robin was amazing as well. At the end of Paradise City, he jumped into the audience and crowd surfed almost to the back of the venue and all the way back to the stage.

Oh yeah, both Tommy and Robin were drinking beer the whole show.

Some other little things during the show… During You Could Be Mine, Axl was looking up at Brain and started to do high kicks.

During Silkworms, Axl rolled around on the floor at the end of the song and right before that Robin Finck acted as if he was reeling in a kite as he walked offstage.

“Viva Las Vegas” was played while the band was offstage before the encore.

During Paradise City, Robin came over near Buckethead and put his head to his chest and @#%$ jammed out.

The whole band seemed very happy and everyone was full of energy and having a great @#%$ time. If you missed this show, I feel bad for you and I’m sorry. Anyone that you will talk to that went to this show will tell you how @#%$ awesome it was.

12/29/01 GN'R PLAY THE JOINT LAS VEGAS

Thanks to C2YA and Jonathan Lee who working between them managed to get this review of the show out within an hour of the show ending.

THANKS TO C2YA FOR INFORMING US ALL!

He sat in the front row in between Axl and Buckethead. He could see the lyric monitor. Lots of monitors.

They didn't even check people so the show is probably bootleged!

Professional filming crew at the show.

Setlist (in no particular order but almost accurate)
Welcome To The Jungle
It's So Easy
Mr. Brownstone
Live And Let Die
Oh My God
Think About You
You Could Be Mine
Sweet Child O' Mine
Knockin' On Heaven's Door
Madagascar
November Rain (real cool long piano intro)
Out Ta Get Me
Rocket Queen
Chinese Democracy
The Blues
Patience
My Michelle
Silk Worms
Paradise City

Madagascar sounded awesome...

Video clips in the background were different than Rio...during November Rain a whale was shown...psychedelic looking...during Buckethead's solo there was a lot of weird symbols (like hieroglyphics).

During one song, Axl was pissed off talking to someone at the soundboard....he wore the ear monitor device....

At the beginning of the show....

They showed a video clip of new GN'R logo (orange/blue with the US flag in the background), then they show the space shuttle and satellite from space camera zooms in through to Earth and gets to land then they show a movie - a soldier is running through weeds and s.hit during this, kick ass music clips from what is most likely a new GN'R song is played (pounding drums, awesome evil guitar from hell). Then they show tanks and all hell breaks loose. It could be something from a new movie (from what he noticed, he's not sure) and then they went on to another video with a narrator that sounded like George C. Scott and he said "The Arabs have taken our money - it's time to put the money back" and it talked about the economy and it starts talking about who's the real evil in the world (money and weird s.hit) then they show a cartoon of chinese soldiers then it ends.

Stage Setup Brain, Dizzy, and Chris's equipment was 5' high (kind like the UYI tour setup) Axl's piano came out from under the drum kit There was a catwalk; Axl ran back and forth a lot Brain had a glittery red drumset

Members Axl was thinner. Looked the same, was wearing a white Oakland Raiders Rich Gannon #12 jersey and had black leather pants and Lugz boots that were brown with black bottoms. Nike watch on right hand, Bracelet on left. 2nd half of the show he wore dark-purplish Prince Valiant coat shirtless. Voice was great...screams were f.ucking on-spot. Robin wore an all black jumpsuit Buckethead had a yellow jacket. He was wearing Lakers pants. He wore a green backpack halfway through the show. His KFC bucket had blood stains on it. Played the white Gibson and the Flying V. Had his toys...had a head of a bald headed guy - bobbing head Devil doll...Axl played with his toys Dizzy looked like Dizzy 90% of the show Chris wore pantyhose over his head - he was crazy as hell...he was headbanging and s.hit...he played acoustic during Patience. (Not sure if it was Patience though, could have been Knockin' On Heaven's Door) Paul had a beard Tommy wore black pants and a black t-shirt that said "bomb" He also dyed his hair red. Brain had a mohawk.

The sound was screwed up early in the show and during Oh My God Axl's mic went very low and he got really really pissed. He threw the microphone and walked to the side of the stage and stared in the sound technician's face...looked evil as hell;more evil than what he looked like at Rio. So Tommy sang almost the rest. During the end of the song, Robin got pissed and threw his guitar at the speaker and it broke and then threw (like launched it) the mic stand across the stage.

Axl said "this is the first show in 10 years that he wanted to do" and goes on to talk about how Alan Niven forced them to tour in 91 and he fired him for it. And then he talks about the European tour. He had no idea there was a European tour. He said, "One day I was sitting at home on the internet and I found out that the GN'R tour was cancelled and I had no idea that I had a tour." He said don't blame him for the cancellation. He also said has to deal with the "Internet Whores" and "Gossip Whores" (probably talking about Carrie Vrenna) He also said "We're in the studio doing this album and I can promise you that we're gonna deliver and it's gonna be out of the ballpark" And "we've been working on this album and I can tell you we're doing our best and that's all I can promise." He said someone in the elevator thanked him for doing a show and he was really moved about it. Later on he repeated again about this was the first time he wanted to do a show and it was all f.ucking up, but he smiled about it.

Buckethead did three solos. The first solo was after the 4th or 5th song and it consisted of Pirates of the Caribbean/Big Sur Moon/Star Wars. The 2nd solo was acoustic and it went slow to fast. The 3rd was electric.

Some bimbo threw some candy and roses at Axl...he took it and put it in front of the drum kit. Someone threw a KFC bucket at Axl and he wore it. He looked at Buckethead and smiled at him and Buckethead looked back. Someone threw a black cowboy hat at Axl and he wore it - Tommy wore it at end. Axl started doing the "two-step" while having a huge smile on his face during Paradise City.

They had confetti...might be planning to drop it for New Year's Eve...just a little dropped here and there during the show...

Rick Rubin, Pauly Shore, and Owen Wilson were at the show

Robin Finck's guitar tech said 68 songs done - working on 14 more.

Some dude in line claimed to have clips from the Vegas DVD that some girl hooked him up with.

12/6/01 INTERSCOPE AUTHORISES PRESALE TICKETS

12/4/01 VARIOUS ARTICLES REPORTING THE 2001 NY SHOW'S

THANKS TO CHINDEM