Guns'n'Roses Wrap-Up - Part 2

After Sebastian Bach wailed his way though such hits as "18 & Life" and "Youth Gone Wild", Axl wandered onto the stage at a quarter to midnight. 5 hours of opening acts, in my mind, qualifies as a rock festival, not just a concert. I had to drink a cup of coffee to stay awake through those bikini girls. Axl used a ton of pyrotechnics to wake up all of the middle-aged fans which were snoozing in the stands. I can't believe he started the show after the 10 o'clock news. What does he expect? Most people I know who are in their 40's, especially if they have little ones and work full time, go to bed after the news.
Axl looked reasonably normal. He still had his hair in lots of tiny braids, which is not a great look for a redhead. At least the braids were pulled back into a ponytail, so you couldn't tell he had braids unless you looked really close. He was wearing a pretty normal shirt, instead of his usual oversize hockey jersey. I think he lost some weight, so he doesn't have to wear such a large shirt anymore. His singing was pretty much as on-key as it ever was, although the Target Center is such a poor venue acoustically that none of the bands I've seen there sound quite right.
Despite the late hour, I enjoyed hearing all of my G'N'R favorites, especially "Night Train". Until a couple of years ago, I thought that song was all about transportation. You know the lyrics, "Loaded like a freight train/Flying like an airplane", gave me the impression that Axl was fascinated with trains and planes. Who isn't? I love to watch the freight trains roll through downtown Farmington, past the Art Park and Burger King. And much to Joey's chagrin, I love spending time at the airport. He's afraid of flying, but I love hopping on a plane. From the little snack boxes full of preserved foods, to the "Sky Mall" catalog, the whole experience is a thrill. My stomach jumps when the landing gear touches down with a gentle bump.
My pal Rocky had to set me straight about the song "Night Train". He gently explained that Night Train is a brand of fortified wine, and then he emailed me a link to www.bumwine.com. I don't think they sell fortified wine at the Farmington Liquor Store, and since I've lived there since I was 21, I've never come across Night Train. If you see a bottle, pick it up for me. I'd like to put it in the display cabinet with my rock memorabilia, right next to my commemorative bottle of Kiss wine.
Axl's performance was pretty exciting and I loved hearing him whistle the beginning of the song "Patience" in person. Axl does such a great job of whistling. The only thing that was a little sad was the off-key guitair solo at the beginning of "Sweet Child o'Mine". I guess no one but Slash can really play that guitar solo right, and he said he doesn't want to play with Axl ever again during the VH1 "Behind the Music" special on Guns’n’Roses.
All in all, the concert was lots of fun, and I guess that's all you can expect from a great metal show. After 14 years of waiting for Guns'n'Roses, even the most transcendent experience would not have lived up to my lofty expectations. As Axl sang in the aptly named "14 Years", you "don't get back 14 years in just one day".