Guns N' Roses Discussion Thread

LollipopJimmy

Driving to Slane is madness. I got the bus from Dublin, no issues and was at home with a Dominos at 1am.

frag420

garrettod wrote: »

I will never go to Slane again !

• Over 4 hours from the M50 to Slane. Everyone accepts delays, but this was down to poor traffic management (only one route in, seriously ?) and lack of decent logistical planning to get cars and buses off the road when they got to the event.
• Paid for VIP and didn't get preferential parking and some other perks. VIP seating was quite far away from the stage, so hardly a great view. Majority of staff at the gig didn't even know where an MCD rep could be found etc. Obviously, the conversation will be had with MCD on Monday (only small positive was one guy from MCD when I finally did find him, was willing to try and help on the night, agree follow up call on Monday etc.).
• Was held in a field along with several hundred other motorists after the show for approx. 3 hours. While (sadly) there seems to have been an incident on the road, they Gardai and Security only opened the alternative route 3 hours later (inexcusable, given it was a decent road linking to the N2, then M1). We even got to see the porto-loo's being transported down the road while we were being kept in the field, so very clear where the priorities were for the Gardai and event organisers !
• Finally got home to Dublin at 3am (and was driving, not stumbling along dark roads with too much beer on board etc)

The band certainly played their part in terms of putting on a very good show, but the grief either side of the gig ruined part of the experience for me.

Slane - absolutely never again and I would urge a boycott until there's some joined up thinking on how to work the logistics. Rocket science it is not, but the use of a bit of common sense is a basic and essential requirement !


.

Oh come on, a boycott? Really? Stop being a princess!!

Its a small one street village that had an influx of 85k people for a rock concert!!
What would you suggest to make it a better experience?

I had to listen to all my mates talk about the torture of previous years and you know what, I had no issues yesterday as I knew there was a long walk to and from the gigThe VIP seats have always been at the same spot, you hardly thought you were going to be seated in front of the stage?

Grahamer666

I don't understand how people thought it was going to be anything but disorganised. Outdoor events in this country are all the same apart from maybe Electric Picnic but the majority of people who go to that have no interest in music and go just to be 'seen'. Wasn't at the gig myself but all the comments from people I know who did go were all positive about the band so at least that's something.

Lithium93_

How does one boycott a small one street village? Especially a once a year event like a gig at Slane Castle, with 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 being the exceptions as there were no gigs.

Seriously, some people :rolleyes:

LollipopJimmy

I thought it was well organised in the main. Considering the rain had the place wrecked. Got the bus from Dublin at 12 then went into the boozer on the bridge, headed in for Royalblood. Great sound from Guns and getting out was slow enough but nothing bad.
The only people that should be driving to the venue are those with physical disabilities otherwise you should be on the bus.

darrenw5O94

We got Coma and Out Ta Get Me and a lot of classics.

Lithium93_

I was freaking delighted when they started There Was A Time.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Had an absolute blast yesterday. The rain put a literal dampener on the first couple of hours but it was easily forgotten and we all dried off from about 4 or 5.

The walk to and from the venue was long, getting out was slow but it's not designed to be a quick in and out venue for 85k people.

GnR were absolutely fantastic, and any worries I had about a poor performance or an Axl strop were immediately forgotten. Royal Blood also deserve a shout as a great support band, they sounded brilliant.

All in all, Slane 2017 will be a great memory for me that I'll always look back on fondly.

Lithium93_

Couldn't have asked for a better set.

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/guns-n-roses/2017/slane-castle-slane-ireland-5be73f44.html

Lithium93_

"This is the red exit"

Crowd going out said exit, had fun with that one after a few times

thegreengoblin

Great show from GNR. They're a tight and professional. Slash in particular is really on top of his game right now.

Highlights for me were It's So Easy, You Could Be Mine, Coma and a great version of Knocking On Heavens Door. Black Hole Sun was genuinely emotional. It's fantastic to hear a song played live for the first time and they really nailed it.

I think the band flagged towards the end, which in a three-hour show is understandable. Things just got messy. Patience seemed like it was cut in half. I reckon they were told to hurry it up as curfew was looming. But they were as good as I expected and maybe more.

The venue? Well, I had been to Slane a few times and knew what to expect. I still think they need more exits though. There was a massive bottleneck going through the red exit and it felt uncomfortable. If you were in any way claustrophobic I can only imagine what it was like. It seemed like we moved around 20 feet in half an hour, dismal stuff.

Toilet queues were fine, same with beer queues. I tried not to be bothered by the rain but it was miserable at times, especially considering the good weather in the previous few days. Next time play Croker lads!

shabbyalonso

Was at the gig - GNR were great but getting there and back was a sham. 83,000 at that venue, given the small village and few exit points it's crazy really. I won't be going back to Slane.

One (cheeky) question, from an old time Guns fan - what's the point of the blue haired chick? Dizzy on keys - what's her role??

Lithium93_

shabbyalonso wrote: »

Was at the gig - GNR were great but getting there and back was a sham. 83,000 at that venue, given the small village and few exit points if crazy really. I won't be going back to Slane.

One (cheeky) question, from an old time Guns fan - what's the point of the blue haired chick? Dizzy on keys - what's her role??

Keyboards/backing vocals, and she does the effects on the Chinese Democracy stuff live. Dizzy does piano and congas & the odd tambourine when required.

LillySV

what u on about? they were 100% the whole way through....

Lithium93_

Someone caught Axl like this during Estranged when he sang the line "old at heart, but i'm only 28"

Ol' Donie

Lithium93_ wrote: »

Someone caught Axl like this during Estranged when he sang the line "old at heart, but i'm only 28"

Ha, yeah there was a chuckle around me at that bit.

Estranged live with Axl & Slash. I'd do the entire journey again just for that. I'd do it right now.

Lithium93_

Ol' Donie wrote: »

Ha, yeah there was a chuckle around me at that bit.

Estranged live with Axl & Slash. I'd do the entire journey again just for that. I'd do it right now.

Yeah there was around me too..

Definitely a gig to be remembered forever.

garrettod

frag420 wrote: »

....What would you suggest to make it a better experience?

....The VIP seats have always been at the same spot, you hardly thought you were going to be seated in front of the stage?

Seriously, you need me to spell out the simple stuff for you, okay then I'll help you out a little frag....

• Make proper arrangements to get 85,000 people in and out of the place efficiently and safely:
  
• Don't have pedestrians and vehicles on the same one narrow road up to the venue. Either vehicles only, or pedestrians only - safer for everyone.
  
• If you go the pedestrian only route, then provide suitable parking and drop off locations at reasonable distance from the event where you can keep traffic moving quickly (sure, everyone can walk 1km, but don't leave them walking 6km or whatever it was for some people). They could have decided to ban all private cars and run fleets of buses up and down, shuttle everyone back and forth - wouldn't have cost the earth, could have easily been covered within an initial ticket price to save trying to charge on the day etc.
  
• More importantly, get people out of there safely. It was 2am and the amount of drunk people walking, trying to hitch a lift and avoid falling over on the road was insane - that was on the road which ultimately links to Drogheda (sorry, don't know the name of it). There were no street lights on large parts of that road and in case you didn't notice, a large number of people were wearing black at the gig. Seriously dangerous !
  
• Bringing all traffic in via one road route (N51) was complete stupidity - caused unnecessary traffic congestion and massive time delays. The time delays meant there were thousands needed to go to the toilet too - just about every part of the road up to the castle got pi$$ed on, which I'm sure the local residents were very grateful for (particularly those who saw people pi$$ing on their private property (and no, not everyone had fencing to block off their front gates, that was only the last 1km or so).
  
• Having hundreds of cars park in fields with only one single way out - completely dumb and a security risk, if you really want to consider it.
  
• As for the location of the VIP seats, no I wasn't aware of where they were. The only indication given was a small animated map of the place which was not to scale. I'd not been there before (and won't be going again), so how else was I supposed to know and lets call it for what it is - if someone pays a high price, they are entitled to expect a good view quite close to the stage.

I could go on .... it's hardly rocket science, but if they can't get all of he basics right then they shouldn't be permitted to have events in Slane - that simple !

As for the suggestion of a boycott, like many other things in this little country of ours... the only time anyone pays any attention and actually does whats needed, is when you cut off the cash so that's why I say boycott !

Lithium93_ wrote: »

How does one boycott a small one street village? Especially a once a year event like a gig at Slane Castle, with 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 being the exceptions as there were no gigs.

Seriously, some people :rolleyes:

Eh, has it ever occured to you that they might try and run another gig up there sometime (like next year) ?

Let me quote you once again here, as it's appropriate in light of the question you've raised (and it's the venue for gigs I say we boycott, not the town).... Seriously, some people :rolleyes:

Lithium93_

cournioni

garrettod wrote: »

I will never go to Slane again !

• Over 4 hours from the M50 to Slane. Everyone accepts delays, but this was down to poor traffic management (only one route in, seriously ?) and lack of decent logistical planning to get cars and buses off the road when they got to the event.
• Paid for VIP and didn't get preferential parking and some other perks. VIP seating was quite far away from the stage, so hardly a great view. Majority of staff at the gig didn't even know where an MCD rep could be found etc. Obviously, the conversation will be had with MCD on Monday (only small positive was one guy from MCD when I finally did find him, was willing to try and help on the night, agree follow up call on Monday etc.).
• Was held in a field along with several hundred other motorists after the show for approx. 3 hours. While (sadly) there seems to have been an incident on the road, they Gardai and Security only opened the alternative route 3 hours later (inexcusable, given it was a decent road linking to the N2, then M1). We even got to see the porto-loo's being transported down the road while we were being kept in the field, so very clear where the priorities were for the Gardai and event organisers !
• Finally got home to Dublin at 3am (and was driving, not stumbling along dark roads with too much beer on board etc)

The band certainly played their part in terms of putting on a very good show, but the grief either side of the gig ruined part of the experience for me.

Slane - absolutely never again and I would urge a boycott until there's some joined up thinking on how to work the logistics. Rocket science it is not, but the use of a bit of common sense is a basic and essential requirement !


.

Maybe you should have saved on the VIP passes and invested in a helicopter.

I left the gig when it finished, stopped to get a bottle of water on the way to the bus (at the far side of Slane - Grassland). Sat and waited for the bus to fill up. Got back home to Dundalk via Drogheda for in or around 12.

I've used the Drumconrath Road entrance in previous years too and never had an issue.

GavMan

Isn't the solution to this to ban any cars without disabled passes and include a Bus ticket/voucher in the price of the ticket. Make the voucher redeemable at your local affiliated transport partner. MCD then handles the payment to the Bus Company

Paddy GT

Yes the whole infastructure of the concert at Slane is terrible, But instead of wasting my time writing detailed accounts of how they could improve things, lets put it in perspective, there were delays, the bar situation was frustrating, people had to walk more than they should have done but so what, moving about 80,000 odd people in soggy wet fields isn't an easy task - its a small inconvenience to pay for the amazing, special gig we got to witness which just over a year ago seemed about as likely as Lord Lucan riding into town on Shergar.

In 10 years time will you sit back and say you know what I was there and it was brilliant, or will you say I wish I didn't waste my time going the facilities were rubbish.

Bonzo Delaney

GavMan wrote: »

Isn't the solution to this to ban any cars without disabled passes and include a Bus ticket/voucher in the price of the ticket. Make the voucher redeemable at your local affiliated transport partner. MCD then handles the payment to the Bus Company

Perfect solution... but I see a flaw the problem is you expect mcd to handle it, that's just not going to work

munchkin_utd

Bonzo Delaney wrote: »

Perfect solution... but I see a flaw the problem is you expect mcd to handle it, that's just not going to work

also, a "bus voucher" to where ? Dublin, Dundalk or also for Kerry or Derry, or would there be a limit on distance, and maybe tickets with no bus cost, which in all honesty then would defeat the purpose of the thing ? I could pick the whole concept apart, but no need as it just isnt going to happen.

Anyhow... we got the Dublin bus from Parnell square and I found the whole thing amazingly well ran. Heaps of busses ready there to be filled to head to the gig.
There was a traffic jam about 10km out on the N2 and a motorbike guard basically hauled all the busses out of the traffic and whisked us to the drop off point.
At Slane "bus depot", 5 double deckers at a time landed in to the 5 bus stops with just short of 500 people, let everyone out into the first of many zig zag queues, and a minute later another 5 busses do the same, and so on and so forth. Tons and tons of security staff, almost overkill, but to accuse it of being a disorganised shambles like some claim isn't how I experienced it.

After the concert we literally didnt break stride from the last bar of paradise city, down the road across the bridge and up the hill until we were sitting on the bus, and 10 seconds later the doors close and we are off. It took a while to get to Dublin as the busses went back roads to Drogheda and then the M1 in, but feck it , we were moving

Lithium93_

I know he's not Izzy Stradlin, but Richard Fortus really compliments Slash's playing the same way Izzy did.

And the times he did step up for some of the solos, he played them well.

davyboy1975

Lithium93_ wrote: »

I know he's not Izzy Stradlin, but Richard Fortus really compliments Slash's playing the same way Izzy did.

Seems to do a few solos as well which I don't remember Izzy doing and as you said compliments slash a lot

Lithium93_

davyboy1975 wrote: »

Seems to do a few solos as well which I don't remember Izzy doing and as you said compliments slash a lot

I know he does the tappy solo on Chinese Democracy, does one on Nightrain, he's let loose during Knockin' On Heaven's Door playing some funky riffs, plus some of the leads during Wish You Were Here, think he took lead on Black Hole Sun as well.

Be interesting to see how he'd work in a studio setting with Slash. Seriously a great guitar player.

Izzy was more comfortable with sitting back anchoring Slash's playing.

Lithium93_

https://twitter.com/DuffMcKagan/status/868587058343931906

https://twitter.com/Slash/status/868607905431531520

Banjo

munchkin_utd wrote: »

Anyhow... we got the Dublin bus from Parnell square and I found the whole thing amazingly well ran. Heaps of busses ready there to be filled to head to the gig.

Did you go early?
I gather that the weather put a lot of people off going in early so it wasn't so bad initially, but as the day wore on it got a little out of control both at the pickup and coming in to Slane itself.
I caught the bus around 1ish I think, and they were queuing up waiting for us rather than the other way around. Leaving, I was right down the bottom of the field for the bow, but getting to the Green pickup to go home wasn't *that* bad aside from the length of the walk which was to be expected. The sound was great where I was standing too. Getting out of the city centre, now that was a pain, but it's hardly Slane's fault.

The only issue I had was with the bar - I came early and Bar access was ridiculously easy. The staff were bubbly and excited, we were in and out in no time. And the second time was fine too. So when Royal Blood were on, and they played Little Monster early I thought "I'll just nip to the bar, I'll only miss 1 song" and that was the last I heard of them.

Just before Guns, the toilets were.... well let me put it this way, I could understand (if not condone) the line of guys pissing under the sinks you were supposed to wash your hands in. It was the line of guys behind them queuing to do the same that was freaking me out.

AMAZING set though. Can't believe we got Coma, Estranged, Better.... I mean you could sit down and make a full set list out of the songs they didn't play but sure there's only so many hours in the day. I could be wrong but I thought they were due on at 8pm... so....Axl was on stage early? Are we sure it was really him? Did something go horribly wrong during There Was A Time or is it supposed to sound that way? Anyway...

Very disappointed but not surprised by Lanegan's refusal to really engage with the audience. Otherkin were charming as ****, it must take balls of steel in a barbwire sack to walk out on that stage in the rain, watching people staggering out of the woods who're only interested in the food trucks and merch stands, and start demanding their attention, but they came out and acted like they were headlining. They just went for it. Great fun. Music wasn't bad either. Shame MCD kept showing the ads during their set instead of giving them the full rock star big screen experience.

seachto7

Banjo wrote: »

Did you go early?

They just went for it. Great fun. Music wasn't bad either. Shame MCD kept showing the ads during their set instead of giving them the full rock star big screen experience.

yeah. Poor form alright.