in all of the greatest of likelihood it was, look you see, the case that the biggest music story of 2016 was intended to be the so-called reunion of the so-called "classic" line up of once popular beat rock combo Guns N Roses. the passing of Bowie changed that status, of course. well, that and most people clocking that there is no such thing as a "classic" line up of the band as we would associate with, say, The Beatles, The Stone Roses or indeed the Ro££ing $tone$. from a marketing perspective, it is hoped that Axl, Slash and someone called Steve Adler being on stage at the same time will count in the eyes of many with money as the "classic" line up, no matter what a Duff or an Izzy might say.
i am not sure who will be making up the numbers for this "classic" line up, but after watching highlights off of the Freddie Mercury Tribute blu ray last night, i hope this dude is included.
no, not the whiny, scruffy, somewhat temperamental Janis Joplin tribute act at the forefront; of course he will be part of it. i am talking about the ultra dude, the self styled Mister Metal in the background.
i only noticed him last night as we watched some of the concert. perhaps i was looking for a distraction from Axl, or maybe it was just chance that led me to see him - the camera crew certainly didn't think it was worth giving him much focus. which you can tell from the very short, more or less blink and you will miss him clips i managed to film off of the screen.
what makes this dude Mister Metal? you mean other than the blue jeans, black leather "bomber" jacket, beard and long hair? well, look at him in the clip, if you can. he's playing the keyboard on Paradise City whilst also bashing a tambourine and headbanging.
that pretty much makes him the most diverse and multi-talented member of the band what Guns N Roses have ever hand amongst their ranks. yes, even more than Buckethead.
another short snippet of video to show off his magnificence? surely.
who is he? if i am asking you i am not sure i will get an answer; if you are asking me then i am sorry but i have no idea at all. i am quite happy to continue with a life in which he is just called Mister Metal.
the Guns N Roses "reunion" is getting one of the most subtle pr hammerings i have seen. in HMV, and indeed online, one can purchase shiny new copies of all of their albums for £5 or less. that's a passive way of pushing sales; indeed the reverse of what you might think would happen - "oh, they are in the news, let us bung a few quid on the prices of their records to cash in".
don't get me wrong - i hope this quasi-reunion is a huge success, for both the fans who have for some reason dreamed of seeing Axl and Slash together (my personal experience is that the lack of interaction between them suggests they might as well be on different stages) and for the band, for i do believe that artists should score as many coins of money as they possibly can from their work. nobility in poverty is all well and good, but what's the point of being a massive rock star if you don't get the excesses and indulgences associated with it, exactly?
does the tambourine, the keyboard or the headbanging of this dude in any way perfect or accentuate the performance of Paradise City? not really, i suppose. on the one side, if what he contributed wasn't there then you would not think something was missing. on the other side, however, they gave him quite a prominent position on stage - to be somewhere near Axl is to be seen a lot. the band evidently thought him important to what they were doing, so that makes him important enough.
i am expecting this "classic" Guns N Roses reunion to be an all but American affair. the talk now is of them playing that festival in the States that's a lot more honest about being all about money than our Glastonbury is, as well as a residency in Las Vegas and some stadium gigs. if they elect to do a few gigs here in England then of course i will be seeking to take my (considerably) better half off to see them, for she is one of the legion of who have dreamed of seeing them do their thing. if Mister Metal is with them, well then so much the better.
right, more off of watching the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert later, but for now,
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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