Guns n Roses – Live In Caracas, Venezuela. Between Heaven & Hell.
Sex, lingerie and Rock & Roll.
My journey to Guns n Roses started when i arrived to El Poliedro de Caracas that Saturday March 27th at 6 in the morning. Couldnt sleep on Friday night, i was too excited and anxious, actually since i heard the rumours of a possible visit of GNR to Venezuela on december of last year i started having sleeping problems. But anyways i didnt mind the no sleeping, i knew i had a long day ahead but i was already there, one step closer to Axl and the boys my dream was becoming a reality!! It was too good to be true!
12 hours later since my arriving to the venue i was still there in line, outside el Poliedro feeling more and more anxious every hour, the countdown was coming to an end.. I was a worldwind of emotions, crying for moments, having flashbacks of my teenage years when i used to listen to GNR everyday in my room, translating November Rain into spanish with my diccionary because i wanted to know what the hell Axl was saying there…To be exaclty 18 years of beautiful memories were coming to my head. Some not that remarcable like when i couldnt see Guns in Caracas back in 92 and the frustration that i felt, all tears i cried after that , the years of silence, when Axl made his first public appereance on Rio 2001, and then disappeared again, the long waiting for Chinese Democracy, so many things.. Then i thought that everything was worth it and it happened for a reason, because now after all these years of love to GNR i was finally getting my reward.
The day passed really slow, there was good and bad times but me and the team that i was had a great time, it was awesome to be with such a nice group of big Gunners,, we had a blast together! By 8 pm we were still in line in front of the gate about to freak out… The heat was unbereable, i was feeling sick all the time, we couldnt move because we were so tight, it was crazy!! One security guy kept telling, we will open the doors in 10 minutes the stage is not done yet, and then again 10 more minutes,over and over again.. Those minutes passed soooo slow they were eternal!!!
Then finally, around 9pm “the doors opened”, we started screaming like maniacs, my blood preasure started rasing,my hands were shaking, i felt like damn!! the wait is over its time to run to get my place in front of the stage!!! Its now or never!! and bang i ran like Forrest Gump,with so much energy like there was no tomorrow! I didnt look back, i remembered the famous MJ concerts and the people running like crazy inside the stadium to get in front row, i felt like i was in a music video, everything was so surreal, the press was taking us pictures, cameras recording, i remember i said to one Fuck the press Axl is the best hahaha. The whole vibe was incredible, everybody looked so enthusiastic and excited, some were crying, it was beautiful, you could predict that this night was going to be memorable, this wasnt a simple concert, it was a celebration of our love and passion for GNR.
GNR Territory,
Once inside the venue i ran fast to the stage, my heart was coming out from my mouth, i saw my friends and all of the sudden i reached the fence!! There i was……. in the freaking front row, absolutely speechless!!! The stage was impressive, everyone was silent looking around and every single detail of it, i felt like in another reality, i got in shock for the first time. After realizing what was going on, i sat on the floor and decided to “relax” and wait for the big moment, it was like 9.30…. What i didnt know was that this waiting was going to be the most stressy, depressing, long, distressing and painfull waiting of my entire life.
10pm. Tons of messages exploted on Twitter saying that Axl wasnt in Venezuela yet, claming that his flight got delayed by some problem and the was going to hit El Poliedro after arriving to the airport……. Everyone was like what??!! What the hell its going on?!!How come Axl is not here?! I got scared, i said to myself what if the concert gets cancelled?? What if i cant take this waiting and i pass out?? I was starting to feel really weak, and nervous, i was sweating so much, i thought i wasnt going to make it! I even hated Axl for a moment!! And not because of him, it was because i had like 48 hours without sleeping and my body was starting to feel it… I thought damn, ive been waiting all this time to see Axl now im going to screw it??! No way!! I tried to meditate and take deep breaths to get in control of my emotions which helped me so much. Also the texts of support that i got from mom and some friends really made me feel better, one said: Trust me, when the music starts you will have too much energy... And yes that was correct!!
So while i was there lying on the floor, getting more and more compressed to the fence, the opening acts started playing…First Electrocircus and then Píxel, personally i didnt enjoy any of them. The time they were up on the stage it was painfull for me, i felt like they played for hours!!! I know it must had been hard for them to play for an audience that was there just to see GNR, plus the fact that the show started late didnt help them at all. Anyways some people liked them and tried to cheer them up, althought they got tons of flying bottles to the stage, at one point lol..
12.30am Twitter message: @gunsnroses Tick Tock, Tick Tock, It's gettin close time to ROCK! CARACAS - Can U ROCK US !? Damn, that tweet gave goosebumps, plus at the same time someone got up to the stage and said that Axl Rose was at El Poliedro already, that at 1am the show was going to start!! Ahhhhh on that moment i started to feel different, my mood changed, i felt relieved when i heard the news that Axl was in Venezuelan territory, finally i could breath!! It was time to stand up put my flag over the fence and grab my camera, the time was coming, we were ready to ROCK GNR!!
So, after some preparations the stage was set! Something that surprised me was the spread of incense minutes before the concert started, it was very aromatic, pretty sexy hehe, they were certainly creating the mood for the show..I liked it a lot, it was perfect to eliminte any type of negative energy in the air. All of the sudden Ron showed up on the left side of the stage were i was,waving at people looking worried and asking appologies because they were late, how nice of him!! Minutes later the lights went off……and the instrumental intro of chinese started to play...It was 1.07am. The countdown to Democracy was oficially over!!! Finally the moment i was waiting for 18 years was about to happen….
Oh God, my breathing got faster,my hands were soooo cold, the only thing i could say was damn, damn!!!oh shit!! i cant believe this!! oh my God!! i couldnt stop screaming, the adrenaline was running through my vains like crazy! In an epic way a guy that was behind me yelled: “Thank you God, thank you for this moment!!!” Those words represented what all of us we were feeling, El Poliedro was on fire!! We were no longer tired or sleepy, any pain that we were feeling disappeared in the blink of an eye! I was ready, ready to let myself go and have the time of life!!
Welcome to The Venezuelan Jungle!!
1- Chinese Democracy. The show started with the guitar riff of DJ Ashba, looking cool as ever in front of the battery, with a cigarette on his mouth, the people went nuts, screaming Djjjjjjj, Djjjjjj!!! Ron was already on the left side, Dizzy on the keyboards, then i saw Richard, Frank, Tommy and Chris, Axl was about to pop up on the stage, i was shacking and holding my tears… The pyro was next, i felt the heat in my face from the flames, it was amazing, then the fireworks exploted and suddenly there he was!!! Axl Rose was on the stage!!!!! I completely lost it!! The moment i saw Axl i screamed like i never did in my whole life, the scream came out from my soul, it wasnt a scream of pain, or fear, it was a scream of euphoria, i cant explain it with words..Axl came out from the poster in my bedroom wall, and God what an amazing way to do it!! I was in shock with my mouth open, he was so close to me that it was scary! The crowd was hypnotized screaming like crazy, Axl!! Axl!! Axl!!! I must say that i couldnt sing at all during Chinese, i was speechless, looking at Axl moving around the stage, i couldnt understand what was happening. There was some sound issues that by the end of the song were fixed, but damn Chinese was great, the whole band sounded so powerfull. El Poliedro was already under the spell of Guns n Roses, with this opening we knew that we were about to experience something out of this world, something that we werent prepared, they were about to blow our minds.
2- Welcome to the Jungle. Once again DJ started the classic riff that we all had been waiting for, and then Axl made the famous question that we all were dying to hear..You know where you are??? Youre in the jungle baby, youre gonna dieeeee!!! Ohh the crowd was a complete madness, Axl looked fierce at the top of his game, so confident staring at the audience, and that scream unleashed the histeria!! During the half of the song, a friend threw to the stage the huge Venezuelan flag that a group of friends bought for the band, Axl grabbed it and as a nice gesture put it over his shoulders, damn that was beautiful!! I love Frank drums on Jungle, the song gets a new sexy vibe that didnt have before, must be because of his latin roots, it was incredible!
3- It's So Easy. Stinson’s bass kicked off Easy, his bass sounded awesome,the energy and the feedback between the band and the audience was great!! I was starting to sink in, damn im in a GNR concert holy fuck!!! Fortus was right there in front of me teasing the audience, Axl was running around the stage looking badass doing what he knows best, people got really into this song, you could see how comfortable the band was they were having so much fun the feeling was contagious.
4- Mr. Brownstone. Another cool intro by Frank on the drums, the beat of Brownstone its so damn hot, it was awesome to see that everyone in the audience were doing the snake dance and moving their arms just like Axl haha.. I was practicaly drooling looking at Axl’s tats, his rings all his jewerly, how the sweat was running through his body, the way he was moving and singing, it was so surreal…I couldnt keep my eyes off of him!! Althought the vibe i was getting from Fortus was starting to get really, really intense..
5- Sorry. The second song from Chinese of the night,the darkest one from the album very floydish.. The response from the audience was great, everyone got into it with so much passion as the old songs.. Sorry sounds much better live than in the Studio, i stared at Axl the whole time, he opened his soul on those lyrics, it was very impressive to see his all face expressions. The background vocals were amazing.
6- Better. This song exploted like a time bomb!! Again the response from the audience was awesome, people knew the lyrics and you could see how amazed the band with us. Fortus was unbelievable, shreading his guitar with every chord, Axl started jumping just like in the old days, he was on fire!! DJ came down from the stage for a moment, he was right there in front of me, ohh i was in heaven!! I took him so many great shots, he was so cool, possing for the pictures and smiling, i loved the vibe i got from him.
8- Live And Let Die. Axl kicked everyones asses with his performance, his voice was on top, he reachead the high notes so easily, once again he left me with my mouth open,his screams gave me chills, the whole audience was in extasis! Now i understand why they keep performing this song live, it gets a new completely vibe than the studio version, its so strong!!. The pyro blew me away.
9- If The World. Love the spanish flavour of the acustic guitar on this song, people started clapping on the intro it was great...Now it was Axl’s turn to get possesed by the devil!! I was shocked along another friend looking at him, its incredible how versalitle he is, one minute he looked sweet and the other you could see a darkness growing inside of him...Wow, again we were speechless!! Special metion to Ron for the killer guitar!
10- Rocket Queen. When the song started a friend told me hey Rocket Queen theres your song!! And i was like, what?? What song?? I couldnt comprehend what was going on, when i heard the drums and the bass line and was in shock, i couldnt believe that i was there and the band was playing my song, it was too much for me..I hit reality on the second half which was very emotional,everyone was singing and claping Axl was all smiles, his voice was impecable. Again, Fortus got my attention on the solo, his pelvic moves did wonderful things for me, i coulnd help it ha!
11- Dizzy Reed Solo. Dizzy got a huge ovation from the audience on his solo, people chanted Dizzy Dizzy Dizzy, at the end he came down from the piano and thanked us, he looked so happy. It was very moving.
12- Street Of Dreams. Again, another beautiful performance. Axl was wearing a black coat and a black fedora hat, looking gorgeous, i was impressed by how clear and high pitched his voice sounded. Dizzy’s piano was stunning.
13- You Could Be Mine. Its was time to go back to hell!! El Poliedro was burning, both the audience and the band were so excited, i wasnt in shock anymore now i was enjoying the show at 100% singing and screaming, i had too much engergy i was feeling so alive it was really intense. I felt like in the Your could be mine video, watching Axl spinning in the middle of the stage with his microphone. Killer bass line by Stinson, the guitar solo was impeccable.
15- Sweet Chile o’ Mine. Ok when i heard the first chord of Sweet child, i got shocked, once again.. All i remember is the audience jumping and singing out loud, Dj’s solo was perfect he puts his heart and soul on every single chord.Sweet child sounded sweeter than ever.
16- Another Brick in the Wall Another brick in the wall. People went crazy with this little cover from the Floyd`s classic. Axl looked at the audience very pleased, like thinking oh you like this eh?? This was the prefect bridge for what was coming up next. Something i thought i was ready for but no, i was wrong...
17- Axl piano solo & November rain. This was the song i was waiting to hear the whole night, the song that changed my life, the song i used to hear every single day when i was a teenager back in the 90’s, the song that made me fall in love with Axl Rose. After a small solo on the piano, Axl hit the first notes of November Rain.. i closed my eyes and the tears started running through my face..This time i wasnt in my room listening to the song on the radio, this time i was listening the song live with Axl at the piano, words cannot explain how i was feeling inside..I was crying with a big smile on my face.. Every single person in the crowd was singing, word by word, and screaming Axl!! Axl!!! i took a look around and everyone was crying!! This was the sublime moment of the night. The part of the outro with the pyro was breath taking, DJ and Richard were in front of the drums in the middle of all the spraks, it was visually stunning!!! A glorious moment!
18- Bumblefoot soloRon Thal Solo. Ron is a genius, his redemption of the Pink Panther theme was amazing,he plays with so much feeling and virtuosism, and looking so humble gotta love him!!
19- Knockin' on heaven's doorsKnocking On Heavens door. It was time to get back to heaven, with a beautiful Axl Rose wearing his famous white cowboy hat, looking so smooth…This new long version of Knocking is glorious, Axl had the audience at his feet singing along with him, it was very touching.. The fun part of the song was when someone threw to the stage a red babydoll and Axl grabbed it and and put it over his shirt with a kinky smile on his face..He also grabbed a Venezuelan flan, one of the many that were threw to the stage that night.
20- Nightrain. Time to get on the Nightrain!! My favourite song from the whole concert!! This version of Nightrain with 3 guitars its so much better than original,it was raw and pure, it has so much power. Fortus,Ron and DJ were on fire, it was like around 3am and the audience was electric, this song was a new shoot of adrenaline!! I was singing along with Richard at one point, feeding from each others energy it was so intense!!I was really flying like an aeroplane…The extended solo was killer. A+.
21- Madagascar. Maddy was very emotional, i remembered when i heard it for the first time in Rio 2001 and i loved it…The images on the screen were so stricking. Axl was walking around the stage looking so peaceful, i got lost on his eyes, looking at every inch of his body,and his face expressions i couldnt help it, this performance really touched me i felt very overwhelm by the end of the song..
22- Shacklers Revenge. Oh my…Shacklers!!! At this point the band realised that we liked heavy stuff and that we were really into the new material so they decied to gave us Shacklers, thank you God!! Gotta love the disco beat and the killer guitars son this one, Axl got posesed by a superior force once again it was crazy, the look on his eyes was fierce!! Everyone got so pumped, it was fucking fantastic!!! A+
23- Patience. Ohh Patience, the sweet ballad of the night… It brought me so many good memories, it was the first GNR song i ever heard when i was a teenager... Richard and Ron had 2 acoustic guitars and DJ the electric, his solo was great.. The highlight of the song was when DJ threw his cigarette right in front of me, i went crazy!! One security guy passed it to me, ohhh i was sooo happy!! I can assure you that a Marlboro Light never tasted better before!!! The end of the song was grandious with the whole band playing as one, the vibe between them was beautiful!! A+
24- Paradise City. The first chords started and we knew the show was about to end, but we were ready to give all the energy that we had left to end this party in a memorable way!!! It was insane!!! The Paradise City turned into a wild jungle with flying undearwear, clothes,shades,jewerly all over the place!! Dj climbed one of the scafoldings during the solo, everyone went crazy screaming and sinigng out loud!! Axl was running around the stage singing with so much rage, the man had been for almost 3 hours singing and he still was pure fire!! Fortus lost it again shredding his guitar, Ron and Tommy were all smiles, the drums were so strong, the solo was much faster than older versions, oh God what a way to end up the concert!! There were so many things happening at the same time that i lost myself, the confetti in the air was awesome,the pyro, the band and the audience were 1, the feeling between us was mind blowing!!! Suddenly it was time to say Goodbye, and Axl said the magic words: Baby please…Thank you, Caracas, Venezuela Good fucking night!!! And threw his mic to the crowd….i didnt want this party to end i was feeling so happy like i never felt in my life before! You could feel the joy and the hapiness in the audience, it was wonderful… At the end the band got together on the center of the stage to thank us, made a toast and threw his glasses to the audience and tons of picks.. I got one from Ron, and a friend of mine Dj’s glass…Now it was time to say goodbye to our heroes, to the men that gave us the best time of our lives, a life changing experience that we’ll never forget.
I left El Poliedro de Caracas in complete extasis.. Minutes after the concert i laid on the floor, i couldnt feel my body, i felt so high …like i was floating!! The adrenaline was still running through my body, i never felt like this before in my entire life! Suddenly i started crying like a baby, i couldnt stop the tears…Those tears were a catharsis for me, after 18 years waiting to see Axl and GNR my dream finally came true… I was satisfied, because all the wait was worth it, i never thought it would be this way, i was speechless..
Higlights:
The concert in Caracas willbe always remember by a few things:
By how excited the band was, just like the audience.We fed from each others energy the whole time. All the underwear that was thrown to the stage, babydolls,panties etc…( my red bra that ended up over Rons mic hehe).. And all the horny women..
The band member that impressed me the most was Fortus, Richard Fortus..I had the priviledge to have this man playing in front of me almost the whole show, the energy and the vibe that i got from him all the time was so intense..He plays with so much excitement,passion and feeling, that i loved it!! Dj Ashba, hes the new man in the band, but seems that he has ages in it, his charisma is incredible! Dj fits perfect with GNR, hes got that x factor that only great guitar players have. People love him because he seems so down to earth,he poses for pics, share his cigs, his not afraid of blowing kisses and smile back at you. I cannot wait to hear his work on the Studio with Guns, i know it will be awesome.
Axl….
One thing that i can say after seeing Axl Rose live in front of me, is that before this experience i though i knew him..But no i had no idea!! This man is supernatural! His magnetism on the stage takes you to new place that you had never been before. For those who have seen Axl in concerts they know what im talking about. He has a beautiful aura around him that you dont see very often, the man shines by himself. Axl is one of those frontman that doesnt exist anymore, theres only a few left, and thank God hes still here with us.
Axl Rose can sing, Axl Rose can take the high notes, Axl’s incredible showmanship is still intact. Axl still has the same fiery personalilty, his escense is intact! Axl is still the same Axl that we all love and support, the same Axl doesnt takes shit from anybody, the Axl had faith in GNR and wanted us, his fans to believe in him.. To believe that this new lineup could be as great and ever better than the older band. And for those who believed we got our reward and God it was sweet.
Axl Rose kicked all the haters asses that night,he shut them up!!! Before the show critics and the press were complaning that he was always late and blah blah, and that he needs oxigen tanks on his dressing room blah blah, like this was something new, he used oxigen on the illussions tour…that hes fat blah,blah, Fat my ass!!!!. Pufffff they are just so full of hate, that their behaviour its turning pathetic!!! First of all, if you have been a GNR fan, and you know at least something about Axl, you will know that he only performs when hes ready! And if by ready he means, that he needs to take a few more hours to get on the stage, thats FINE!!! For God sake, Axl has been around for so many years now that i dont know how come people still gets surprised by seeing him coming to the stage after 12am. Axl was late in Caracas, so what??!! I waited for the man 18 years, 4 more hours didnt make a difference. What Axl does on the stage its not an easy task, hes not longer on his early 30’s like when he played here for the first time in 92. The man is 48 years old but he can perform much better than any 20 year old! Axl Rose is a legend, a legend that we got the pleasure to have in our country, a man that like a fine wine is getting better with age.
Final words..
I just hope this line-up stays like this forever, i must say that during the concert i never thought about the old members, i didnt miss them at all. This Guns n Roses, has a lot to offer, you can tell how much they like to play together. They got a fantastic chemistry on stage and out, they deserve the recognition from the critics because this shows that are doing are amazing, top class. I wish them all the best and success that they deserve, i cannot wait to have them in Venezuela. Im thirsty of more GNR, im addicted to them, i want my next dose soon, i love them Venezuela loves them!! One thing that i’ll never forget is the moment i saw Axl, that minute will stay in heart and in my mind forever. The moment Axl was no longer the singer from the magazine, and the boy from the poster and the video, he was a man of flesh and bones, this time i wasnt dreaming it was real, real life never felt better!!
Nathalie Haaf.
