How many Guns N’ Roses concerts ended in a riot?
When Eddie Vedder spoke about Guns N’ Roses, he praised the band as being a musical outfit that brought venom back into the Los Angeles rock scene. He certainly had a point.
When Guns N’ Roses burst onto the scene, they did so during a time when rock music felt much more style over substance. Bands spent more time talking about their look than they did writing songs, and that reflected in the music being made. There were a lot of big choruses, and additionally a lot of “Come on everybody clap your hands,” but very few of the songs were actually good.
Along came Guns N’ Roses with a style of music that was unlike anything people had experienced before. The guitar lines used didn’t just use distortion, but they were played in a way that could only ever work with distortion. They were aggressive, messy, and unique, a representation of what had been missing from a stagnant scene. The same also went for Axl Rose’s vocals, as the singer was able to tap into something aggressive which other rock vocalists at the time couldn’t.
This blend of chaos, anger, and general badassery meant that people were obsessed with Guns N’ Roses the moment they heard them. It led to rock ‘n’ roll stardom, notoriety, and inflated egos. While all three of these factors would eventually hinder the band, it was the last one that really caused a problem, as the clashing of big personalities and egos throughout the band meant that they were constantly putting forward different ideas, arguing, and fighting (both on-stage and off-stage, with fans and each other).
Did any Guns N’ Roses gigs ever end in a riot?
Yes, they most certainly did. You don’t get that kind of music and those kinds of egos in a room together and not expect fireworks at some point. The venom that Eddie Vedder spoke about seeped into their attitude, which in turn trickled into their fans.
The overall result was that gigs were sometimes called early, as Axl Rose was fed up with the show or wasn’t enjoying himself. Equally, a fight on stage could also cut a gig short. If this happened, fans would often take matters into their own hands, embodying the spirit of the rock band that seemed to be fleeing the stage.
How many Guns N’ Roses gigs ended in a riot?
There are likely a number of Guns N’ Roses gigs that ended in riots, or at the very least, large brawls; however, there are only two recorded concerts that officially ended in a riot. The first was in St Louis, Missouri, on July 2nd, 1991, the crowd erupted into a riot when Axl Rose left early after having a fight with somebody in the crowd. The blend of flying fists and a sudden show stopper left the audience enraged.
Their second riot is arguably the more notorious of the two, as the band were asked to go on stage early after Metallica, who was playing before them, had to cut their set early after James Hetfield was injured by a pyrotechnic. Guns N’ Roses were asked to go on early and play a longer set, which they agreed to; however, Rose instead opted to turn up late and leave early. Suffice it to say, the crowd weren’t happy, and the result was a full-blown riot.
“Not only did we not go on early enough to fill the void left by Metallica, we went on three hours later than our OWN scheduled stage time. In the end, it was something like four hours between the time Metallica were forced to stop the show and the moment we took the stage, and once we did, Axl ended it early,” said Slash, recalling the nightmarish gig.
Concluding, “It was a very tense time – a major straw on the camel’s back for me and for everybody in our camp. It was actually a huge issue for me because I’d lost face with everyone in Metallica. We didn’t keep our promise to them, the fans, or to ourselves to put on the best show possible. I felt like an ass, and I couldn’t look James, Lars, or anyone from their band in the eye for the rest of the tour.”
