I enjoyed Chinese Democracy and think there are some great songs on the album.
This?
Hmm... not a fan. I don't think GN'R were done after AFD but it's definitely become a brand now instead of a band.
Announce at the very start of the first rehearsal that you have learned all of the songs and have improved them tenfold.
Proceed to slap as much as possible, incorporate as many bass faces as you can and finish each time with "We need to get louder!".
Very, very lucky with my hearing. I never wore defenders in my teens or 20s but my hearing is still pretty good. I can hear frequencies I should have lost 5 years ago!
I do have a supportive wife but I would rather that she didn't come to gigs has I know the music isn't her cup of tea and usually, that makes it not enjoyable...
I have slowed down my gigging in recent years and started focusing on travelling has I get more enjoyment out of that nowadays.
Probably my current bass - a Sandberg TM4 SL. Lightweight, comfortable to play, great neck, onboard pre with loads of options for the J and MM pups and the tobacco burst looks amazing!