Guns 'N' Roses. SECC Glasgow. 21/7/06

Glasgow has waited a long time to see Guns 'N' Roses. No incarnation of the band has ever seen fit to stumble North of the border so there was a genuine air of excitement and nervous expectation at the SECC. Word was getting round of the drama at Newcastle and it seemed a fair few expected Axl not to turn up at all. And as 9pm came and went the nervousness and anticipation increased. We had been forewarned of course. The venue was liberally plastered with signs that the gig could, and indeed would run late. And anyone who reads this site knows that Axl comes to the stage whenever he feels like it. So as time ticked by and yet another AC/DC song came through the sound system there were mutterings, there were boos and more than one shout for Axl to 'get a fucking move on'. However, just after ten, the lights went down... and all fucking hell broke loose.

As the opening notes of Welcome To The Jungle rang out, and the siren-like wail we had waited so long to hear finally rang out, well... Glasgow went mental. The energy that had been building during the long, long, long wait for Axl and co. exploded as GNR fans old and new (from grey-haired guys in studded leather jackets to 13 year-olds in Nirvana hoodies) were jumping, stomping, clapping and singinG along to every word. Axl fuckin' Rose was onstage and it seemed Glasgow was going to give it everything from the get go, 'cos who knew how long we would actually get? Had we known the actual answer was two and a half hours perhaps it woud have been wise to conserve some energy but as the band segued into a pounding It's So Easy and followed it with a pyro-aided Live & Let Die such logical thought went right out the window. At our first breather a good-humoured Axl was quick to remind us of his Scottish roots - even treating us to a few lines of his god-awful Scottish accent! We then got our first taste of Chinese Democracy when the band launched into (a fairly well received) Better. Scattered pockets who clearly had access to newGNR.com were singing every word but the majority of the crowd got into it when that almighty riff got going.

All was proceeding swimmingly until just after eleven when, in what I can only describe as a gutless, pussy-ass joke of a maneuver, a fair sized number of people started to leave to catch their last bus and/or train! WTF!!?? This is supposed to be Rock 'N' Roll people! What's the likelihood of you ever getting the chance to see Axl Rose again? Surely that's enough of a reson to miss the bus and walk home? It was for me. Those who remained were in it for the long haul, but that didn't stop a few getting restless during one of the many, many jams and solo spots that littered the set. The Richards Fortus portion was well received, as was the Don't Cry invitation for a singalong, but honestly there was quite a but of unneccesary padding during the middle part of the show. It was during one such moment that crowd restlessness prompted Axl to deliver the great 'go catch a bus fuckhead' line.

Things got back on track with a sparkling version of Novermber Rain, countless MTV and VH1 replays having ensured mass participation during every note, and it was interesting to see the three guitarists sharing the solo's between them. Then came the moment we had all been waiting for. As soon as Axl said the words 'I would like to introduce' the crowd was already going ballistic. Ladies and gentlemen... Izzy fuckin' Stradlin!! And there he was. The man who wrote the tunes, the heart and soul of the original line-up, looking dapper and sharing a mic with Axl on Think About You, Nightrain and an unexpected and rapturously received I Used To Love Her. Now I love the new guys, especially the super cool Richard Fortus, but this was the highlight of the show for me as Izzy has always been a hero of mine.

There was still time for a great rendition of Madagascar, during which the crowd took a welcome breather and enjoyed the video that accompanies the song. This appeared to to be the same one that they used at the Leeds festival in 2002 but as that day I was a mile away from the screen I can't be sure. After that it was time to take a deep breath and surrender what little energy we had left to Axl and the gang for the traditional Paradise City big finish.

Did it live up to expectations? It did for the group I was with. The band sounded great, Axl's voice was unbelievable throughout and with two and a half hours we certainly got our money's worth. Minor quibbles aside - no Rocket Queen, a bit too much stalling for time and a paucity of Illusion-era material - for Glasgow it was certainly worth the wait. Long live Axl and long live Guns 'N' Fuckin' Roses.