There's a moment when it all hangs in the balance. For 30 minutes, Guns 'n Roses have singed the eyebrows and eardrums of the Download crowd. After being over an hour late on stage at Hammersmith earlier in the week, Gn'R are on-time and on-form, opening with flashbombs and the one-two-three suckerpunch of Welcome To The Jungle, It's So Easy and Mr Brownstone.  | | Axl Rose |
Live And Let Die and Knockin' On Heaven's Door follow, before guitarist Robin Finck picks out the signature riff to Sweet Child O'Mine. But you can tell from the giant screens flanking the stage that all is not well on the braided, goateed visage of Axl Rose. He's been carping about the stage being too slippy and, during a front-of-crowd walkabout, appears to aim the 'c' word at an over-zealous steward. As the band's most famous song dies, he abruptly announces: "We're having some technical problems, so we're gonna take a break." I was on this Leicestershire soil in 1988 when the over-exuberant response to Guns' debute Donington appearance led to the fatal crushing of two fans. With tonight's restless crowd, semi-delirious on three days of booze, guitars and 30-degree heat, this could all turn nasty. Just as it seems as though Axl's well-documented appetite for self-destruction is about to consume another comeback appearance, guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal saves the day, appearing alone, stage front, to crank out a guitar-only version of Don't Cry which quells the bottle-fight in the crowd enough for normal service to (almost) be resumed. You Could Be Mine claws back more ground but then Axl's gone again, leaving Finck and Richard Fortus to widdle their way through a (frankly excruciating) guitar instrumental version of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful". That's followed by the night's first new song (The Blues?) in which the level of chatter in the crowd, followed by booing and chants of "sort your f****** head out" , have seasoned Axl-watchers on alert yet again. When bassist Tommy Stinson grabs the vocal mic and threatens to go home if he's hit by one more flying bottle, the rainclouds gathering above Download for the first time all weekend seem an apt, if ominous, portent of a coming storm. Maybe Axl needs this danger, this threat of impending violence, to really get the adrenaline racing. And as the band rips defiantly in to Out Ta Get Me, the whole dynamic shifts. Dizzy Reed's solo piano version of Ziggy Stardust is warmly received, another new song (Better?) sounds loads, erm, better. The tide has turned, and it's time for Axl's coup de theatre: "I'd like to welcome a very good friend of mine…Mr Izzy Stradlin…" and out trots his former sidekick to roars of approval. There are now as many members of prime-time Guns n' Roses in this band as there are in Velvet Revolver, and the performance of Think About You that follows throws down a gauntlet for all pretenders. "Can I get a piano out here?" asks Axl and seated, drink in hand, there's only one way he's going now. November Rain is nothing short of a masterpiece, the band firing, finally, on every single cylinder as the main man, in his own words, "beats the hell out of that old love song." Another "old friend" is welcomed onstage in the shape of ex-Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach, possibly one of the few frontmen who can give Axl a run for his money in the helium-scream department. The pair trade lines through My Michelle, before Stradlin's recalled for a run through Patience and a punked-out, four-guitar version of Nightrain which, to coin a phrase, rolls like a freight train right through the middle of this dusty field. The encores, bravely, begin with another newie, Madagascar, before Brian Mantia kick-drums the seven-piece into a masterful version of Rocket Queen. "I don't wanna go home," says Axl, before admitting: "that's different to how I felt an hour ago." Two more new songs – IRS and Chinese Democracy – are aired, both of them whetting appetites for the new album, before Izzy Stradlin comes out once more for the final two-step, a ramshackle, Stonesy version of Useta Love Her and a thunderous reading of Paradise City which lights up the sky with pyrotechnics and ticker-tape cannons. Guns n' Roses were once proclaimed The World's Most Dangerous Band. On tonight's evidence that danger is still there, which – while at one stage threatening to derail the whole show - has instead focused Axl and the band into delivering one of the all-time great Donington performances. Yes, Metallica were unstoppable on Saturday night, but they didn’t face the pressure of a world waiting to see them put a foot wrong. What Axl delivered in the face of that expectation was a two-and-a-half-hour masterclass in the light and shade of rock'n'roll. The new album, Chinese Democracy, is reportedly ready for release. If it lives up to tonight, then Guns n' Roses will once again be the biggest band in the world. yeah man that right but axl chould be better with Slash/Duff/Izzy/and Matt Shorum .Chould be......
steve the greek Download=brilliant. i was screaming through all of it, and still have a sore throaght...
Tess they sucked....! axl had the stage carpetted cos he fell on his rear, and he kept complaining at the monitor engineer "thats the worst sound i ever heard" etc. they started well but once they lost the crowd they barely got them back onside, this is because so many people left. there were HUGE gaps in the audience!(unlike saturday night). and yes i was a one of the drunken idiots dancing like a prat! had to do something to entertain myself. g'n'r on that night were pretty much axl + a backing (pub) band. rant over! ;)
scruff Guns n' Roses were apalling. They couldn't hit a note right. Metallica on the other hand were the best band at download and are still metal genius'. There is no beating them. Metal GODS.
matt Guns 'n' Roses were absoloutley fantastic, a great end to an amazing weekend.
laura Glorified Karaoke with pyro's. Most unprofessional gig ive eva been 2!
FREAKY It mite hav said gnr on the ticket but it was a very watered down version from the one I last saw at slane.! More to do with Axls apathy than Slashes absense.Metallica kicked their asssss !!!!!
grace Due to Axl throwing his hissy fit, alot of riots erupted. If that's a masterclass, I'll be happy to skip it to watch Metallica. That's what you call a show, and that's what you call professionalism. It's about time Axl put down the mic, and picked up his pipe and slippers. There's many up and coming bands out there doing it twice as good as he once did. They are the ones calling shotgun, Grandpa Rose.
Sali Persoanlly, i was looking forward to the monsters of rock being guns but they let me down- the immature behaviour left me feeling they had no desire to play music anymore- Metalica owned that festival placing more heart and sole than every other band put together
Sam GnR were rubbish, slow and boring. end off. I was so dissapointed i left early.
Phil To anyone who says the gnr set was less than amazing, where were you?!?!? I went to Download for just the sunday and saw some great bands, but Guns... well, I can't think of the words. So much pressure was on Axl as this is one of the biggest shows he'd done in a long time and I thought the whole band handled it well. I expected lateness and slaughtering of old songs, but what we got was an awe inspiring performance from one of the best frontmen the rock world has ever seen. Axl definately hasn't lost his charisma. I was right on the barrier screaming along to some of the greatest songs ever by my favourite band, in which my faith is now fully restored. Truly Amazing. Bring on Chinese Democracy!
Angelina I'm so glad that this review was made! There's been some really biased reviews about the GNR set. In my opinion they kicked ass!!! I've waited so long to see Axl and I never thought I actually would. I was lovin every second of it. And the new GNR are way better than I thought they'd be! The guitarists are ace!
Sierra To be honest, most of the set sucked, and everybody around me (except for the group of stoned, drunk dancing-but-hugely-entertaining idiots in front of us) were just waiting for Paradise City to be played. They do need a kick up the ass to be back to the time when we'll all be happy to sit through one of their shows, and I hope it's soon.
Kay Everett technical difficulties?there was no difference in sound or lighting before or after their break! Axl was unprofessional when he just went of stage just because he slipped on the floor a little bit. Axl also had no stage pressence whatsoever, very dissapointing really...
zach Spot on review, the amount of whinging ive heard about Axl's antics are just tired and boring, i personnal believe it added authenticity to the g'n'r experience :)
David Watkins I was stood near the front filming nearly this whole set and all I could hear was people complaining that there was no slash. It's quite simple they went their separate ways, you can't expect to see the set from 1991 or whenever it was it's just not gonna happen. I thought they took the first half too slowly but eventually began winning the crowd over. It was amazing to see people changing their opinions so quickly. Axel needs to be careful though, you could tell he had a sore throat and it sounded as if he was stretching it. He needs to make sure he doesn't strain his voice too much or he could lose it.
James Crook Fantastic review, one of the best I've read! Look forward to reading more.
Lisa Ventura The first half of their set sucked. who cares about some nobody who can play a 10min guitar solo?! Really poor band, out of time for a lot of songs. redeemed thems selves in the encores though. they're gonna need to tighten up to be anywhere near their old selves (technically impossible though!!)
will Excellent reveiw! Guns are back in full form this year. Kick ass show! (Despite the knuckleheads)
Ions You forgot to mention that it was a plastic bottle, as no glass was alowed in the arena. People are under the impression that it was a glass bottle. This is an importaint point as it shows that his reaction was over the top, where as if it was glass, would have been apropriate.
Chris woodz Great weekend, best festival I've deen to by a long way. Metallica were unbelievable I shall admit that but Im annoyed at all these 'Axl was poor' and 'GnR were a disappointment' type reviews I keep seeing. I was at the very front for GnR, actually next to the barrier, and in my opinion they were even better than Metallica. It was the best time of my life, topping the last time I saw GnR at Leeds. Axl was not poor, he was amazing!
Kenneth Galloway I'd again agree that its a very accurate review, in someways (as it all came right in the end) it seemed apt that Axl had one of his traditional mards, could we expect anything less from him? Though i felt sorry for the guy hit with the bottle i felt more sorry for the camera man who had a guitar wrapped round his neck.
Hannah At last, a reviewer that stayed longer than 10 mins! Best rock n roll show on earth!
Dave the bassest was annoyed over being hit by a bottle big deal i had a glass bottle hit me in the head and shatter having a piece go in my head before metallica i stil lraved like a loonie and i still went into pits the next day. G N R ur mena be men not mice!
sarah (aka) oWl (again) That's a fair review. Started badly but, boy, once they got going they really rocked. Too many solo spots (and most of them not much good) but the songs themselves were brilliant - the new material sounds great too.
Neil Personally i thought GNR were mediocre. The set didn't flow like Metallica's had done. Axl constantly leaving the stage and the dragged on solos brought the show down IMO. For me the highlights were November Rain, Paradise City and My Michelle.
Andy (Redhotpunk if ne Dwnload boardies reading) Great review! Best I've read so far!! *Bows to John Atkin*
Anon I thought that gnr where a joke, strapping young lad, arch enemy and opeth where the best, axel once again has let himself down, he is a disgrace to what guns and rosed once were!
Craig Jonson I don't understand why it is acceptable for a front man to throw a tantrum. Other bands have faced worst and stayed on stage. They sounded like a poor support act. We left at the first new song (it was abysmal) and wondered why they headlined when other bands were more deserving. As for the Metallica comment. People are always waiting for them to fail. They've only been forgiven the last few albums because they put on such an awesome show. Axl should take note.
Emma I went to download this year and it was my first festival! I was really impressed by Guns 'N' Roses...Axl was clearly having problems hence him saying about technical difficulties and going off stage, mind you did anyone notice his swift costume change during that time? The review above is a very clear and accurate one of the night. I think the bassits reaction to being hit (almost being hit?) was fair..would any of you stand being hit with a bottle while you were trying to play to 60,000 fans?
Julie Houseman I was honestly dissappointed by the performance G'n'R put on for us this year. Between Christina Aguleria covers and "technical difficulties" I was throughly annoyed so I walked away from the apparent "best metal loive act ever" ...
Vicki Awesome review!! I've seen this band 4 times, and more to come. They get better every time. I am in awe everytime I see them onstage. You never know what's going to happen next, or how long their gonna play, but all that craziness somehow forms together the makings of one of the greatest performances you'll ever see.
Heath Awsome concert and Great review! Sounds like you actually took the time to stop listen and absorb the full experience. Which is quite rare when it comes to reviewers of GN'R shows. It had everything from the drama that's become legend with GN'R shows. To actually fantastic performances, Axl is back on form, looking good and singing is spot on. Perhaps the first 'classic' show this new band have performed yet. The new songs sound fantastic! hope Axl keeps the mommentum this time.
Mrf A quality, fair and intelligent review. Hats off to you Mr John Atkin :-)
Bob I think that this years download was realli good and even though Axl'I'm gonna walk of stage every ten minutes' Rose was in a stress theey played an amazin set
Alex Yea this sounds about right. GNR are kicking an unholy amount of ass right now.
Buddha Master An amazing review! Thanks for Writing it! It is a great thing that all reporters don't have a personal vendetta against Axl.
... Just want to say, the review not only perfectly described the shift in momemtum during the vitriolic set, but also captured how phenomenal this band is when hitting on all cylinders!! Really appreciate this review, as it reminds me of the old Lester Bangs style of journalism during the 70's!
Chester Best review I have read so far and the dude knows what he's talking about unlike all the rest of the reviews I've read.
ZJ I love how some fans think it's their right to throw bottles at entertainers...One other rag said that Tommy Stinson "whined" about the treatment.Why don't we do this...whoever thinks its whining, we'll soak you in urine while you bust your ass trying to entertain us, and see how you like it...most of these losers should go back to their mums basement where they can download porn,listen to their Cannibal Corpse albums and dream of one day meeting a female.
Zed Axl has something that other singers don't have. Axl is unique. Despite having problems GN'R could go on. YEah!!
Dulmar Well done for not going there with preconceptions and judging the show itself
Anon Great review! Very well written, and very fair. It's nice to read reviews like this.
joe osburn This was a great review!
Linus Carle Great review and spot on,Axl delivers. the problem is the guy has a hard time ever doing anything "right" for alot of ppl as he is constantly under a microscope ppl should keep in mind this is rock n roll not a political office. As far as the bassist reaction I think he handled it correctly I don't think many of us or any other bands would be happy to have bottles thrown at you when playing.
Jim The 'Beautifull' solo is amazing, you obviously know nothing about guitar miusic.
Adam S very good review ;) I enjoyed reading it
marta I think the author of this review must be totally tone deaf.As an old fan, for me Saturday's GnR show was one huge disappointment. With such a low level of professionalism and total lack of effort from the band its not hard to guess Axl and his buddies are doing this to raise cash and dont even care about their fans.
kristian Mathisen Excellend review! Thanks for a fair review in the press for once!
Russ Robinson great review! Im gonna see GNR in Oslo, and Roskilde! Cant wait to see the Biggest band in the world!
Nytunz I'm sorry, but if you think being hit by a bottle is ok, then there's something wrong with your value system. Maybe they should put chicken fence on the front of the stage in Donnington, like in those sleazy western bars you see in movies...
Danny Finally, a fair review of the GN'R gig. Thank you so much for this.
Christos Great review, John. Thanks for the insight. Sounds like the show, 10 years ago, would have been another GnR disaster. But, in '06, the band was able to turn it around an put on a killer set. Oh, and one thing: To Graham who says that Tommy was unprofessinal in his reaction to getting a bottle thrown at him, I'd have to wonder what YOUR reaction would be if someone walked in to your workplace and chucked a bottle at you? I'd say he was very professional. He voiced his complaint and went on with the show.
Cal Great review and praise well deserved for Axl and the guys.
Sneeks I left. Due to the amount of times Mr 'I need help'left the stage. Me and my friend then had a better night by going up by the kerrang interviewers and having a very 'truthful' interview about our opinions on Guns 'N' Roses. Tho the festival was a great time, I do think they could have found some much better headliners! From Tim
Tim. N What is unprofessional about not wanting to be hit by bottles? They were fantastic, and as far as I am concerned Axl walking of stage is all part of the Gn'R experience.
Ian That is the best review I think I have ever read. Absolutley spot on, however the piano solo by Dizzy was before The Blues, and the first new song they played was Better. Doesn't matter though, top review for a top top top show!
Rob People may want axl to go horribly wrong, and had a smile on their face for the first few minutes, but after the "Slash" chants died and GnR got on form, they were un-stoppable. Why don't people just get it through their heads that Guns N Roses are no longer sith slash. Boo-hoo...if you're that bothered, go back to the camp site and let the people who wanted to see them watch them in peice. A Brilliant set which shows the return of Guns in Englang
Chris I was there and had such high expectations, i've seen so mny massive bands, nine inch nails, velvet revolver, metallica, bon jovi, aerosmith to name a few, and GnR were incredible. Simple as that, not perfect musically, but what a show!
Sam Best review i've read in a long while. Thank you.
Richard Woolham frankly i was unimpressed with Guns N Roses, they came across as unprofessional (the bassists reaction to being hit by a bottle), and up untill November Rain they were a bit ropey. From Novemeber Rain onwards it was much better, especially My Michelle with Sebastian Bach, but the new songs sounded weak in comparrison to the 80s material, especially with I.R.S. sounding, to me at least, like Anastacia. They were easily blown off the stage by Metallica the previous night and The Prodigy just before them on the second stage
Graham Smith | 
