Axl Rose Exploits GNR “Reunion” to Promote Axl/DC
The singer knows no limits when it comes to doing things his way
The “Guns n’ Roses Reunion Is Pure Illusion” ECHOpinion we posted last week generated a shit ton of reaction, mostly negative. That’s fine, although I found not a single naysayer (at least none who posted on BlastEcho) actually refuted a single accusation or insight into the dubiety of GNR’s quasi-reunion. Regardless, I thank everyone for having their own opinion (and I posted every one). Hell, doubting the veracity of the pseudo reformation doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to go see it (if the tickets were comped).
That said, Guns n’ Roses’ debut performance at Coachella validated every word I wrote in the previous ECHOpinion. The smoking gun (no pun intended) came right around the time Angus Young appeared on stage to perform two AC/DC songs with Guns n’ Roses, an epochal moment that, go figure, coincided with press releases from Guns n’ Roses’s and AC/DC’s camps confirming what we already knew, that Axl would replace Brian Johnson as singer in AC/DC. In that instant everything about the Guns n’ Roses reunion was publicly sucked into the vortex of Axl’s megalomania. If you didn’t believe Slash and Duff McKagan were anything but hired guns (pun intended) earlier then you weren’t paying attention.
In that instant everything about the Guns n’ Roses reunion was publicly sucked into the vortex of Axl’s megalomania.
This concert—the first announced when GNR confirmed Slash and Duff were back—was now only a promotion vehicle for Axl/DC. Nevermind how cold blooded AC/DC seemed in its still shocking separation with Johnson, the guy who fronted AC/DC for the past 36 years (“Thanks Brian. Good times.”). How Slash and Duff could stand by and allow Axl to use this forum to promote his own fantasy-camp agenda only reinforces the imbalance of power in the band.
It’s not about whether or not their set was entertaining; it sure looked it. This is solely about Axl owning the narrative for not only Guns n’ Roses, but now AC/DC, too. This new band featuring Axl on vocals may, too, be entertaining as hell, but it sure as hell won’t be AC/DC, just as his other one isn’t Guns n’ Roses. You’ve been…. thunderstruck.
Victor
April 17, 2016 at 5:51 pm
AC/DC had one of the biggest tours last year, they honestly need no PR to promote the remaining dates of their tour. They are one of the last few stadium acts that do not need to have multiple bands open for them to sell that majority of their tickets.
Let’s not kid ourselves, the brand Guns N Roses sells more than any of the individual parts. For people that have issues with Axl, just take a look at the fact that Velvet Revolver was nothing more than a support act at festival, they never headlined an arena tour and only played large theaters are the main act. None of the other offshoots of the band were playing anything larger than a few thousand seat theaters in the states, while you can knock Axl all you want, but they were still selling a huge amount of tickets around the world.
For anyone that does not like his methods, well that’s their choice to not buy tickets and support what is going on. To say that Slash and Duff are just employees at this point, yeah, duh, no kidding. Anyone that thought otherwise is pretty blind to the fact of how a business works, and what happens 99% of the time when members return to a band (Maiden being one of the exceptions).
I’m not defending Axl for any of his actions, but given his track record it is interesting that he hasn’t cancelled any shows due to his foot. I realize that there has been so much negativity in the past, and so many people are butt hurt because it isn’t the band that they were listening to when they lost their virginity, or some other important point in their life. But the fact of the matter is that popular music fans of the last 40 to 50 years are the only ones to complain about the perfect formation not being available of a band. Classical music has existed centuries, I’ve never heard anyone say “this version of The Planets sucks because Holts is dead and buried” or “screw this philharmonic, their first chair trumpet decided he’s retiring, without him they suck”. People need to get over it, and not go if it isn’t what they want, or just be happy with what they get. After a string of deaths these last few months, people should realize that this might be as good as it gets, so enjoy it, and let others do so, even if they don’t share the same opinion.