(Axl at the AAA in Miami 10/30/2011)

During their peek in the late 80s and early 90s, Guns 'n Roses didn't make their way to the booming metropolis known as Wichita, Kansas. At that time, I was much too young to travel to Kansas City without parental supervision for a chance to see my favorite band perform live. And responsible parents who see 'a riot' here, and hear about 'a trampled fan' there, well... that wasn't going to help me get the permission slip I needed in order to travel outside of my allotted 30 mile radius to see a concert. So you can understand the conundrum I faced growing up. A die hard GNR fan wanting so badly to hear the opening of Jungle Live... longing for a glimpse of Axl and Slash on stage... but just a bit too young to make that dream a reality.

A few years later, I was finally old enough to go and see them in concert on my own. And like that... they were gone.

Fast forward a decade and a half. Chinese Democracy. The first GNR album in about 15 years is slated for release. The "New" GNR, basically Axl and a new group of hand picked musicians, announces a US tour. I know there's no Slash, but I still can't wait. I get tickets in my hand for their only South Florida show, set for the second week of their tour. I'm so close... but so far away. They do 2 or 3 of the scheduled US dates and then once again...they were gone.

All of this brings us to this past Saturday, October 29th, 2011. I entered the AAA in downtown Miami and the strangest feeling of excitement came over me. I was taken back in time and felt something I hadn't felt since my first rock concert at age 13 (never mind it was a Bon Jovi and Skid Row concert with my brother, Mom and Aunt Ruth). At this point my only real concern, other than tweeting about the ridiculousness of those standing around me, is of course... will Axl actually come on stage? or will he start off his new tour with an incredibly characteristic 'No Show'?... AKA, will Axl pull an 'Axl'?

Buckcherry, the opening band, is finished. It appears the roadies have the stage set. I look at my phone and it reads 10:45pm. Take another look, 11:14... Again, 11:43... Once again, 12:03am... Here we go again. Even closer, yet even further away? Had the elusive band avoided my clutches once more?... And then, the lights drop. A sense of relief comes over me as I sense that something I had waited for, something for which I had waited so long, is about to come to fruition. Will it be good? ..Will it be bad?.. Had time passed them by? At that point I really didn't care. At least I would get to experience it for myself.

So, the verdict?... In one word, they were incredible (new band and all). I can't recall another concert I have been to that rivaled how truly fantastic of a show it was. (Note: I never saw the original GNR line up Live.)