I saw them 14 years ago when they toured Europe with Faith No More and Soundgarden, and they were flipping amazing. Ok, so they left us in the blazing sunshine for 3 hours until they finally decided to grace us with their presence, but the wait was worth it. I couldn't sleep for months before the gig, and was having kittens the week beforehand (I was 17 at the time, not 12, as I appear to be making myself sound) and suffered the heat and the crowds for the whole day to be 3 rows from the front for when they finally came on. It's sad, but now I wouldn't even go if I got a free ticket. Too much time has passed, music has changed, tastes have changed, and Axl has indeed lost - respect, talent and the plot. The man should have a bit more humility, and show some respect to the punters who paid to see him live. No storming off, no cancelled gigs, no tantrums. He's starting over again, and it's about time he remembered that.
I'm interested to hear how the other gigs go. A friend of mine is seeing them in Glasgow on Friday night, so I will post her comments on Monday.