1992.07.29 - Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, USA

POP MUSIC : Rock's Dream Team : They said the Guns N' Roses/Metallica tour could never happen, but the bands worked it out over dinner at Le Dome
August 09, 1992|ROBERT HILBURN | Robert Hilburn is The Times' pop music critic. and

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The 48,000 rock fans at Giants Stadium are impatient as the clock moves past the midnight hour. It has been almost 90 minutes since Metallica ended its blistering set, yet there is still no sign of Guns N' Roses.

"Where the hell is Axl?" shouts a young man wearing a bright new Guns N' Roses T-shirt.

Other fans near him raise their fists as if also demanding an answer.

"Yeah," screams another youth. "Maybe he's in jail in St. Louis."

The fans nearby howl with laughter.

The truth is most Guns N' Roses concerts have proceeded without incident since the "Use Your Illusion" tour began more than a year ago, but a few highly publicized accounts of lead singer Axl Rose's going on stage late--or leaving it early--have made fans of the Los Angeles-based hard-rock band ready for anything.

It was, in fact, an early exit during a St. Louis-area concert last summer that contributed to a riot that resulted in misdemeanor assault charges being filed against Rose. An Oct. 13 court date has been scheduled.

But tonight's delay has nothing to do with Rose, a fact that contributes greatly to the backstage calm of Guns N' Roses' manager Doug Goldstein.

The reason for the long time between acts, he says, is the unusual nature of this historic tour featuring America's two leading hard-rock bands, the '60s equivalent of a Rolling Stones/Who package.

Because each group could headline stadium tours on its own, rock insiders and fans were surprised last spring when they announced they would tour together this summer--a journey that includes stops Friday at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego and Aug. 22 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Because it is such a rare pairing, the tour--like the current "Lollapalooza" traveling festival concept--is being watched closely in a concert industry that has found in the '90s that it is not recession-proof after all.

"I think this tour will have a huge effect," said Gregg Perloff, president of Bill Graham Presents, the San Francisco-based concert production firm. "You have two major headliners playing together in a historic package. Other acts who normally tour alone are going to look at what is happening here and think it makes sense for them, too.

"This tour is a return to the spirit of the '60s and '70s, when you had lots of bands playing together . . . a time when you could see the Who and the Grateful Dead together.

"I'm also excited about the 'Lollapalooza' concept, which mixes music with other elements, from performance art to crafts, and allows greater socialization . . . something you can do every year, like going to the state fair."

As he sits in a production office at Giants Stadium, Goldstein explains the delay in Guns N' Roses' taking the stage: "The wait isn't because anybody is late. It is because each band is doing a full show, which means we have to take down all the Metallica equipment, which is three truckloads of gear, before ours goes up.

"We could have cut a lot of corners--and saved a lot of money--if each band did shorter sets and used the same (staging), but the whole idea was to make this tour unique. The only reason it's happening at all is that the bands wanted to put on the kind of show that they loved when they were teen-agers themselves."

And why haven't we seen more dual headline tours in recent years?

Goldstein smiles.

"I could probably give you a hundred reasons," he says. "But it really boils down to two: ego and greed."

They said it would never happen.

That's the provocative line used in some ads for the 24-date Guns N' Roses/Metallica package--provocative because it is true on many levels.

First, there's the matter of ego.

Regardless of how you try to neutralize the issue by advertising the tour as a "co-headlining" affair, the closing act is invariably looked upon by most fans as the real headliner--therefore the more important or popular band.

So, the first question to be resolved on a dual headline tour is: Who agrees to go on first?

Then there's the money.

The rule of thumb in rock is that a headliner receives about 60% of the gate at a stadium show. If you figure a gross of $1.2 million for a stadium date, Guns N' Roses or Metallica would walk away with about $720,000 if they headlined their own shows.

But production costs escalate on a twin-headline event, so the headliners on a Guns/Metallica-type bill will walk away with $500,000--or about $250,000 each, according to one insider's estimate. That's a handsome $6 million when multiplied by 24, but far less than the potential $17.2 million from a solo stadium tour.

On that basis, Guns N' Roses and Metallica are doing the stadium shows for about the same money each receives for a successful show in a much smaller arena.

Other questions raised by the tour:

- Were the bands compatible? Metallica's mostly male heavy-metal fans may get into a turf war with Guns N' Roses' more mainstream (and co-ed) hard-rock fans. That could lead city officials around the country to worry about crowd control.

Rockin' With Axl, Bruce, Metallica . . .
POP BEAT
August 01, 1992|ROBERT HILBURN | TIMES POP MUSIC CRITIC

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Two of the year's most important pop tours crossed paths here this week, leaving audiences not only with lots of memories, but with a few questions.

* Who walks away the winner in the much-heralded Guns N' Roses-Metallica matchup?

* Is it possible for Axl Rose to get through an entire performance without some kind of incident?

* Is Bruce Springsteen, blessed with two albums' worth of strong new material, playing it too safe by devoting half his time on stage to old songs?

* Or is it asking too much of his longtime fans to do without both the E Street Band and "Hungry Heart" in Springsteen's first U.S. tour in more than four years?

First, the Guns/Metallica show, a 7 1/2-hour affair that lasted until 2:35 a.m. Thursday morning at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands complex across the Hudson River from New York City.

Though both groups express admiration for each other in interviews and strenuously deny any "battle of the bands" rivalry on a tour headed toward Southern California, it's hard to imagine the 48,000 fans at the show not filling out personal score cards on the way home. Picking a favorite is part of the fun of this rare pairing of two stadium-caliber acts.

The long affair started off with a winning 45-minute set by Faith No More, a band that shows considerable independence and integrity in its new album, "Angel Dust."

Rather than race after easy sales by churning out clones of the song "Epic," which made its last album a runaway bestseller, the San Francisco-area quintet moves in interesting, if less accessible new directions in the album. While sacrificing some immediate sales, Faith No More may be building a more solid foundation for itself.

Metallica, which followed at Giants Stadium with a 2 1/4-hour set, already has a solid foundation, thanks to a series of albums and performances in the '80s that established the quartet as a sort of thinking man's heavy metal band.

Without abandoning the intensity and relentless assault associated with the genre, Metallica has written songs that moved, musically and lyrically, beyond the bombast and cliches of basic metal.

Still, there isn't a lot of range to a Metallica performance, especially in a stadium where the emphasis is on power, not nuance. In a stadium setting where many mainstream hard-rock fans may be seeing the group for the first time, this could be a severe limitation.

But Metallica--one of rock's most consistent entries--played with such lean, persuasive force Wednesday that even the mainstream fans appeared caught up in the power and precision of the group.

In the closing barrage of tunes--including the accessible "Nothing Else Matters," "One" and "Enter Sandman"--the band stepped up an even more dynamic level, matching sonically the fireworks extravaganza that accompanied some of these tunes.

When lead singer James Hetfield raised his hand in salute to the wildly enthusiastic audience at the end of the stirring set, there was some question whether even a band as seductive as Guns N' Roses could successfully follow Metallica.

For one thing, Guns is a much less consistent band than Metallica, one controlled on stage by the emotional mood of Axl Rose. When on target, it can be the most captivating band in American rock. But there were some nights on its lengthy arena tour when it was discouragingly flat.

An added handicap Wednesday: the show's length. Guns didn't go on until after midnight and it was easy to picture some of the weary Metallica fans heading for the exits early, especially on a weeknight.

Yet Guns lived up to the challenges, holding the crowd to the end with a blistering performance, complete with literal and figurative fireworks of its own. Rose seemed especially comfortable and confident, racing around the stage with his normal intensity, alternating vocally between his patented shrieks and tender crooning. The rest of the band, notably guitarist Slash, also seemed inspired.

As the concert headed toward a spectacular finale, however, it came to an abrupt halt when Rose stormed off the stage during the group's version of Bob Dylan's soothing "Knockin' on Heaven's Door."

The rest of the band continued playing for almost five minutes with bassist Duff McKagan taking over the vocals before announcing that Rose had left the stage because he had been hit in the groin by a lighter thrown from the audience. McKagan then announced the show was over--about two songs--or 10 minutes--ahead of schedule.

It's not uncommon for unruly fans at outdoor hard-rock shows to hurl objects, ranging from coins to fireworks, at the stage, and Rose has repeatedly warned audiences that he won't stand for it.

Crowd reaction was mixed.

There was some booing by fans who thought Rose was being a spoiled brat, which is how he is frequently portrayed in the press. Mostly, however, the crowd accepted the announcement and headed for the parking lot.

A band spokeswoman Friday announced that the lighter wasn't the only thing bothering the singer at Giants Stadium. He was also suffering from a severe sore throat. In fact, the group's next three concert stops were postponed because of the ailment.

So who was the winner?

In this case, both bands benefited from this unique pairing as the inherent competition brought out the best in them. The tour includes stops Aug. 14 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego and Aug. 22 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

At Springsteen's concert Tuesday night at the Brendan Bryne Arena, also in the Meadowlands complex, he spotlighted 10 songs from the new "Human Touch" and "Lucky Town" albums in the first half of the three-hour-plus performance. They ranged from the rousing celebration of "Better Days" to the haunting drama of "Living Proof."

During this 70-minute sequence, Springsteen and his new band, complete with five backup singers, turned purposefully to old songs--including "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Badlands"--to comment on or clarify the feelings expressed in the new material.

But he only included four of the new songs in the 15-song second set, thus shifting the emphasis to the past. While some of these songs, including the acoustic "Thunder Road" and "Cover Me," still work in the context of the performance, some of the other choices, including "Bobby Jean" and "Hungry Heart," do not carry the contemporary revelation of such new material as "Book of Dreams" or "Real World."

Mostly, however, the show was classic Springsteen--still a man of considerable heart musically and supreme instincts as a performer. At times, you miss the various elements of the old E Street Band, especially Clarence Clemons' saxophone. At other times, however, the band performs the new material so well that the change of musicians isn't an issue.

The most moving moment in the show was perhaps the end when Springsteen closed with the haunting "My Beautiful Reward," a song of benediction from one of the new albums.

It was a moment as captivating as hearing "Born to Run" for the first time in the mid-'70s--and it is remarkable that he can continue to come up with moments like that after all these years. Tuesday's show was part of an 11-night run at the arena. Some of the 20,000 fans came to celebrate the old. The lucky ones realized that there is still much to enjoy and learn. The tour includes stops Sept. 24, 25 and 28 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

Dueling metal: Guns Ν’ tiny thrown objects

By ROGER CATLIN
Courant Rock Critic

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A tiny thrown object that hit its target in ego-bloated, costume-changing Axl Rose cut short the Guns N’ Roses performance at Giants Stadium Thursday morning.

Even so, the mammoth double headlining show with Metallica, in its second sellout date here, had already gone more than 7 1/2 hours — until 2:35 a.m., the latest show yet for the unwieldy rock tour.

The idea was to match two huge acts on one big stadium tour and not confine either act to a shorter opening status (that was left, alas, to Faith No More, who played almost unnoticed Wednesday as the crowd filed in).

So Metallica, the California metal band with a huge New York following, put on its full 2 1/2-hour, three-
encore show, on a reasonable facsimile of its diamond-shaped stage set from its recent world tour.

It took 90 minutes to tear it down and build Guns’ set, whose main feature is a little room where Rose can run back and change costumes during a 2 1/2-hour set, which ran short at least 10 minutes.

There was no two-band jamming at the end; the groups didn’t even mention the other. Yet on a steamy night, the crowd of bare-chested men and scantily-dressed women loved the show, realizing they were seeing two shows and only fighting traffic once.

In the two-band competition — although Metallica is giving the edge to Guns by letting them close — the evening clearly belonged to Metallica, whose musicians are stronger, more assured and less sloppy and unpredictable than the headliners. And they get to play before the crowd is drained.

The foursome was sharper, even, than its own headlining arena tour. And as loud as Metallica was, darned if the audience wasn’t louder in its applause. Jets overhead must have experienced mild turbulence as they flew over.

That’s not to say most everyone didn’t stay to hear Guns. They still bring a lot of excitement to the stage. But musically, they’re still quite erratic — stunning on versions of “Sweet Chile O’ Mine” and “Welcome to the Jungle,” but tied to lugubrious, overblown pyrotechnics on “Live and Let Die” and prone to all kinds of bad 70s references, from the theme to “The Godfather” to Alice Cooper’s worst song, “Only Women Bleed.”

Nobody changes clothes more often during a concert than Rose, not even Stevie Nicks. Unwilling to simply rely on his voice, he depends on his goofy togs to tell a song’s story. During “Civil War,” he wore no less than four jackets. Among his offensive T-shirts was one that said “Nobody Knows I’m a Lesbian” and another, his only political message, said “Free Mike Tyson).”

Rose claimed to be in too good a mood to engage in any of his notorious rants. Still, he urged fans to pummel anyone throwing things at the stage. Although he did mention a New York Times critic, at least he did not read aloud and rebut specific passages of the offending review, as he did last time.

When Rose was hit (but clearly not injured), he made good on his threat, storming off stage after throwing down his microphone and flinging his white cowboy hat (which went with the white fringed coat). The amusingly inarticulate Duff and Slash were left to shrug and attempt to explain why things were being cut short.

Hats off, indeed, to the flinging fan. If he hadn’t acted, we all still might be there.

The Guns N’Roses/Metallica concert plays Foxboro (Mass.) Stadium tonight in a sold-out show.

Diary of a 7 1/2-hour concert (still knockin’ on heaven’s door)

■ Wednesday, 5 p.m. — Gates open for the show; thousands have been outside for hours in tailgate activity, sunbathing and hobnobbing amid the broken glass and asphalt.

■ 6:31 p.m. — Souvenir stands already flooded with customers for T-shirts priced up to $30. There are ones for Metallica, others for Guns N’ Roses and the most popular, a special combined T.

■ 7:00 p.m. — Opening act Faith No More goes on stage on time before a fraction of the audience. Under the sunlight, the stage lights are ineffective; it’s also tough to see the banks of TV monitors helping to make performers look like more than mosquitoes from across the football field.

■ 7:45 p.m. — Faith No More’s exit is on time, too. Despite biggest reaction to the hit “Epic,” there’s no chance of an encore. Roadies descend to change the stage even before the band is off.

■ 7:55 p.m. — Crowd boos as first huge beach ball is taken away.

■ 8:01 p.m. — A few dozen contest winners are led to Metallica “snake pit,” much smaller than on a recent tour, looking more like a hole in the stage from which the underworld can peek up.

■ 8:13 p.m. — Big buildup to Me-tallica’s set is aided in audience by illegal fireworks (M-80s) going off in the stands. The crowd cheers.

■ 9:15 p.m. — Jason Newsted’s bass solo begins.

■ 9:37 p.m. — “You’re not getting tired, are you?” inquires lead singer James Hetfield. “We’re just getting warmed up.”

■ 10:05 p.m. — Band goes off, but there’s three more encores.

■ 10:20 p.m. — Pyrotechnics usher in second encore, starting with “One.”

■ 10:37 p.m. — Metallica finally leaves for good, hordes of roadies begin to change the stage.

■ 11:17 p.m. — Cheers as eight-story Guns N’ Roses banners are pulled up, replacing Metallica banners.

■ Midnight — Audience cheers lustily as video cameras zoom in on random females in the audience, many of whom expose their breasts.

■ Thursday, 12:13 a.m. — The playing of “We are the Champions” by Queen indicates that the final set is coming soon.

■ 12:30 a.m. — Axl Rose issues first diatribe, at New York Times critic Jon Pareles, to whom he dedicates “Live and Let Die.”

■ 12:47 a.m. — Axl appears in red hot pants instead of the white hot pants he had been wearing; they last one song.

■ 1:02 a.m. — Slash begins first guitar solo.

■ 1:40 a.m. — Matt Sorum’s drum solo.

■ 1:50 a.m. — Slash has a blues guitar solo.

■ 2:03 a.m. — Axl, rising out of the stage on a motorcycle attached to a grand piano, begins a solo leading into “November Rain.”

■ 2:31 a.m. — Axl, hit by some sort of small thrown object in the audience, storms off, leaving the rest of the band to finish “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.”

■ 2:35 a.m. — Concert’s over, with no encore, more than 7 1/2 hours after it started. Some boo anyway because it didn’t go to 8.

Guns N' Roses reschedules sold-out show in Minneapolis

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Three Guns N’ Roses concerts are being rescheduled, including a sold-out show Wednesday night in Minneapolis, because of damage to lead singer Axl Rose’s vocal cords.

The announcement was made Thursday night in a press release by Geffen Records.

The Geffen release said that Rose is expected to fully recover but must not sing for a week to allow his severely damaged vocal cords to heal.

The two others concerts being rescheduled are a sold-out show tonight in Foxboro Stadium near Boston and a show Sunday at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C.

Tickets for the shows will be honored for the rescheduled dates, which were not announced.

The Geffen release said the tour, which includes the group Metallica, will resume Aug. 8 in Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.

A spokesman for Foxboro Police Chief Ed O’Leary said the chief received a phone call late Thursday night from the management at Foxboro Stadium saying the concert would not be held.

Security for the concert was canceled, the spokesman said, and the chief was told the concert would be rescheduled for September. About 50,000 people had bought tickets to the show.