Izzy Stradlin!!!

May 17, 2006
Hammerstein Ballroom
"Guns & Roses"

Axl Rose

Izzy Stradlin

Sebastian Bach

Kid Rock

The New Guns & Roses walked onto the Hammerstein Ballroom stage at 11:24pm last night. They played till nearly 2am.

When Kid Rock walked on about 3/4 through and dueted on "Nighttrain" with Axl, my ears began to physically hurt.

The most welcome surprise of the night was seeing Axl bring Izzy Stradlin onstage to play some songs. Izzy looks a bit older. I don't know where he's been or what he's been doing, but he had this skittish rehabbed air about him, as if he hadn't been out and about too much and wasn't entirely comfortable playing the part of rock royalty. But Axl was very encouraging toward him and had him sing some "Patience" with him. I had NEVER seen Izzy play live before...

Yes, I woke up super late and got to work super late. But it was such a fucking awesome show. I saw the new band in 2002, at Madison Square Garden, their last show before that tour got aborted. They were good then, but he seems to be in a different place now. He really seems to have found his new skin. Rock is so much about youth, how does a rockstar age? It almost seems like he's been struggling with that for the past decade or so and he's finally found some ground to stand on.

At one point during the show, this guy in the audience yelled, "I HAVE TO WORK IN THE MORNING!"

Getting old is a bitch...

SETLIST (not exactly in order)
[I'll assume someone will post a more definitive one so I can update this. I'm not including every single solo...]

Welcome to the Jungle

It's So Easy
(Awesome.)

Mr. Brownstone

Live and Let Die

Sweet Child O' Mine

Out Ta Get Me

Live & Let Die

Knockin' On Heaven's Door
(AXL: "You guys know the drill... I sing one, then you sing one... Deal...? Deal or No Deal?")

You Could Be Mine

The Blues
(AXL: "Let's play a NEW song for all you downloading motherfuckers..." Audience cheers. "Yeah, give yourselves a hand, you thieving little bastards!")

Better
(Nice to hear the entire song -- it gets different...)

November Rain

I Think About You (with Izzy)

Patience (with Izzy)

My Michelle (with Bach)

Rocket Queen

IRS

Madagascar

Robin Finck and one of the other guys played a terrific guitar-only version of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful"
(They should learn TLC's "Unpretty" next!)

Nighttrain (with Kid Rock)

ENCORE:

Chinese Democracy

Robin Finck Solo (Somewhere Over the Rainbow)

Paradise City (Kid Rock, Bach, Izzy...)