AXL WATCH : A Celebratory Mood at Forum

An upbeat Axl Rose made it all the way through Guns N’ Roses’ nearly 2 1/2 hour concert Monday night without incident at the Forum. Though the sometimes volcanic singer didn’t explain why he stomped off stage at the start of the encore last Thursday at the Pacific Amphitheatre, he was so full of energy as he raced around that he sometimes leaped over stage monitors the way a running back would hurdle a would-be tackler. The reasons for the celebration: It was the first time the Los Angeles-based band has headlined an arena in its hometown and, Rose announced, he and guitarist Slash completed work over the weekend on the hard-rock group’s two new albums. The collection is expected to be out Sept. 17 from Geffen Records. The sold-out, four-night Forum engagement continues Friday and Saturday.