1991.07.25 - Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, USA

MORE GUNS THAN ROSES AXL GREASES UP AN ANGRY SHOW
- Dave Wielenga, The Press-Telegram, 7.27.91

Axl Rose arrived at the Pacific Amphitheatre late and angry Thursday night, stomped off the stage early and even angrier, and tossed in a couple of tantrums in between.

Whether or not all this nastiness is necessary may never be known - it has become a staple of Guns N' Roses performances, and why mess with a good thing? The band has elevated its brand of bad-attitude rock and roll to the stratum of superstardom, and amid all the animosity exists a mesmerizing music machine.

For two hours the band - lead guitarist Saul ``Slash'' Hudson, bassist Duff McKagan, keyboardist Dizzy Reed, drummer Matt Sorum and guitarist Izzy Stradlin - supplied a tight and powerful musical springboard for Rose, who sprinted and whirled and danced as he sang a mix of material, some familiar and some from the still-awaited albums, ``Use Your Illusion, Parts I and II.''

Guns N' Roses doesn't work from a set playlist, instead moving from song to song at the whim of Rose - who can get pretty whimsical. This is a guy who took to the stage wearing a red and black kilt, the kind of belt favored by boxing champions, combat boots and a catcher's chest protector.

After opening with ``Mr. Brownstone,'' the band moved into ``Our Obsession,'' then to the Paul McCartney song, ``Live And Let Die,'' then to a bawdy, grinding tune off one of the new albums, ``Dust And Bones.''

It was at this point that Rose, never reluctant to air his complaints onstage (he criticized his band members' drug use and threatened to quit the group during an appearance opening for the Rolling Stones at the Los Angeles Coliseum in October of 1989) explained why Guns N' Roses didn't begin performing until 9:10 p.m. - 1 1/2 hours after the opening act, Skid Row, had departed.

Basically, he blamed it on overzealous film crews from local television stations, who Rose claimed, in a profanity-laced tirade, demanded interviews and threatened to have him arrested.

``I told them, `You are nothing but parasites. If nothing happens you make it up,''' Rose recounted, adding that the controversy would help him ``go out and sell another half-million records.''

(Fans had their own troubles getting to the 6 p.m. show. Traffic from rush hour, the Orange County Fair, the nearby South Coast Plaza shopping center and the concert created a Sig-Alert in the area.)

But there was no meaningful explanation for the sudden end to the show, which occurred after the band, to the accompaniment of a thunderous ovation, had assembled on stage for an encore.

After the first few notes of what Rose had introduced as a new song called ``The Strange,'' the music stopped, apparently because Rose was dissatisfied with it.

``You can start over any time,'' he said sardonically to his bandmates.

They did, briefly, until Rose threw his microphone to the floor and stalked off stage. He never returned, but Sorum, Slash and Reed came back to collaborate on a brief instrumental jam before pleading that ``we don't know any more songs'' and departing for good.

An announcement to the crowd blamed the situation on ``technical difficulties.''

In between, Rose also delivered a scathing attack on Guns N' Roses former manager and former drummer, Steven Adler, who was banished for alleged drug abuse and is now suing the group.

Another time Rose stopped one of the band's most popular songs, ``Welcome To The Jungle'' to take issue with something that a man seated in the front row was doing - something that Rose, who has been accused of being homophobic because of lyrics to his song, ``One In A Million,'' interpreted as a homosexual gesture.

``When a guy is doing that I don't know what to think,'' sneered Rose. ``I guess I have to remember that we are in L.A.''

It's at moments like these that it becomes difficult to know what to think about Rose, a guy confident enough to perform in shorts and boots and a fishnet shirt - just one of his unusual ensembles - but worried about what somebody's gesture might mean as a challenge to his masculinity, and compelled to react hostilely toward it.

Rose resumed his performance with the same passion and grit - and the same frightening cat-like scream - through songs such as ``Patience,'' ``Sweet Child O' Mine'' and ``Knockin' On Heaven's Door.'' There was no denying the emotion invested in his art.

However, while his unpredictable outbursts give an edge to Guns N' Roses shows, at some point they begin to detract from the messages the songs were designed to deliver. At the end, no one seemed surprised - or even especially angry - when Rose abruptly ended the evening. The overriding emotion seemed to be amusement.

And that is what should really make Rose mad.

POP MUSIC REVIEW : Stop the Presses! Axl's Upset Again : Pop music: A typically intense concert by Guns N' Roses comes to an abrupt end during the encore when Axl Rose leaves the stage in anger.
July 27, 1991|ROBERT HILBURN | TIMES POP MUSIC CRITIC

The drama continues.

Just as it appeared that Axl Rose had gotten through a "homecoming" concert without serious incident Thursday night at the Pacific Amphitheatre, he threw down his microphone at the start of an encore number and stomped off stage.

It was a touchy moment because it was Rose's abrupt exit during a Guns N' Roses concert near St. Louis on July 2 that contributed to an ugly incident.

Apparently upset that the concert had been cut short by Rose's departure that night, an estimated 2,500 fans went on a rampage that left 60 people injured and $200,000 in damages. Police in Maryland Heights, Mo. are expected to announce a decision Monday on whether charges will be filed against Rose or the band in the case.

Cooler heads prevailed Thursday.

Rose had flashed bits of his widely publicized temper in a few, brief verbal outbursts earlier in the evening, but had mainly stuck to music.

So everything seemed to be cooling down nicely on what had been a masterfully intense performance when Guns N' Roses returned shortly after 11 p.m. for the encore.

After announcing "Estranged," a song from the group's upcoming pair of albums, Rose stood at the microphone and waited as the musicians began the song.

But Rose seemed dissatisfied with the intro and asked the musicians to start the song over. A few seconds into the second attempt, Rose headed for the wings. Caught off guard, the other band members stood around awkwardly for a few seconds.

While the others eventually followed Rose off stage, bassist Duff McKagan and guitarist Slash--perhaps wary of a repeat of the St. Louis incident--tried to entertain the crowd by going into a tentative jam.

After about three minutes, however, they set down their instruments and, too, left the stage. "We've run out of songs," quipped Slash.

More to the point, they had run out of a lead singer.

As more than 18,000 fans milled around uncertainly, a voice on the sound system announced that the show was having to end one song early because of technical problems.

There was scattered booing and lots grumbling about Rose, but no noticeable rowdiness.

"What a loser," snarled one male fan in his mid-20s on the way out of the Pacific.

"Axl's act is getting tired," snapped another male, also in his mid-20s.

The outbursts may be tiring fans' patience, but they aren't an act.

Part of the fascinating, yet unsettling nature of this Los Angeles-based hard-rock band--which begins a sold-out, four-night run Monday at the Forum in Inglewood--is its spontaneity.

Like him or not, Rose is what you see--outbursts and all. You can tell from tension on stage and the frequently surprised expressions on the band members face as the drama unfolds each night that he's following his emotions on stage, not a script.

Just as he shares some of his personal torments and demons in his songs, he exhibits them, too, as they unfold in his life on stage.

The fact Guns N' Roses didn't come on stage until shortly after 9 p.m. was an early indication that Thursday's performance was going to be an anxious one.

Because there was a strict 11 p.m. curfew at the Pacific, the concert was scheduled to begin at the unusually early time of 6 p.m. This was presumably to give the band time to do its full show, which has been running about 2 1/2-hours or more on most tour stops.

But that plan seemed in trouble when Skid Row, the opening act, went on stage at 6:50 p.m. and played a crowd-pleasing, but rather one-dimensional set that lasted until 7:40. With even a moderately fast set-change, Guns N' Roses could have been on stage by 8:30 and still have done 2 1/2-hours.

Yet the group's set didn't start until shortly after 9 p.m.--and it was obvious that Rose was in a fury. The early numbers--mostly taken from the two albums due in September, but also including the old "Mr. Brownstone"--were raw and aggressive with Rose racing around the stage and snarling the lyrics in his deepest "Exorcist" voice.

After a half dozen numbers, he finally let the audience in on what had apparently angered him earlier in the day: an encounter with a TV cameraman who Rose suggested tried to interview him when the singer was trying to board a helicopter in Santa Monica for a flight to the Pacific. (Bob Tur, who reports for both KCOP television and KNX-AM, said it was just a coincidence he was at the airport and had no intention of interviewing Rose, who he said berated him with expletives.)

With the brief, but fiery tirade out of the way, Rose seemed calm--except for a couple of separate outbursts against the band's former manager and its former drummer. In a humorous aside, he said his favorite word is "ex"--as in "ex-manager, ex-wife."

A spokeswoman for the band said afterwards that the "official" reason for Rose's leaving the stage at the start of the encore was a problem with the stage monitors--something Rose alluded to at one point during the show. But there were whispers from others backstage that there were other problems.

Though overshadowed for many by the sudden, unsatisfying end, the show included spectacularly emotional versions of both some old songs, including the torrid "Civil Wars," and new ones, including a tender "November Rain" featuring Rose on piano.

Much like two very different attractions in rock--Bruce Springsteen and U2--there is a sense about Guns N' Roses of trying to reach a new level of passion each time the group steps on stage. Because of the curfew and the quick end, the Pacific show--for all the white-heat moments--seemed a bit abbreviated.

GNR Tour Makes for Strange Bandfellows : The group's show at the Pacific Amphitheatre on July 25 will mark the first time rival promoters Avalon and Nederlander have worked together in Orange County.

July 11, 1991|MIKE BOEHM

Imagine the Sharks and the Jets getting together to throw a sock hop, the Hatfields and the McCoys joining forces for a housewarming, the Democrats and the Republicans building a mutual float for the Independence Day parade.

Cooperation between Avalon Attractions and the Nederlander Organization would seem about as likely. But the two big concert promoters, persistent and heated feuders on the Southern California pop scene, have formed an unusual marriage of necessity to stage five upcoming Southland concerts by Guns N' Roses.

The two sides started out by jostling, as usual, for the right to stage shows by Los Angeles' hottest hometown attraction.

According to Alex Hodges, who heads Nederlander's West Coast concert operations, "(Avalon) made their pitch, and we made our pitch, and (Guns N' Roses') representatives came up with this (co-promotion idea) as kind of a compromise in the band's home territory."

The Guns N' Roses show at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa on July 25 (the band will also play four subsequent co-promoted dates at the Forum in Los Angeles) will mark the first time Avalon and Nederlander have worked together in Orange County, where Nederlander's Pacific Amphitheatre annually battles the Avalon-booked Irvine Meadows to land the most lucrative pop attractions.

It's not unusual for touring bands and their business agents to practice a form of pop diplomacy aimed at keeping good relationships with both Avalon and Nederlander. That is commonly done by hiring one promoter to put on a Los Angeles date, then turning to its rival to handle an Orange County performance.

In a statement released by its publicist, Bryn Bridenthal, Guns N' Roses and its management said: "Both (Avalon and Nederlander) have been great to us in the past, so why should one be a loser? We'd like to make sure the fans are taken care of. Working with both promoters alleviates any potential problems."

There have been a few occasions in the past in which bands asked Avalon and Nederlander to co-promote. But in those cases, Hodges said, the cooperation was merely nominal: One company would do all the work, while the other was involved in name (and profit share) only.

This time, the two old enemies are dividing the labor evenly, splitting such tasks as placing ads, generating media exposure for the shows and staging the actual events.

"There has been daily contact on everything" between the two promoters, Hodges said. "If there's any back-stabbing, nobody's seen it so far. There isn't any."

Jennifer Perry, the Avalon promoter who is doing much of the hands-on work for the Guns N' Roses dates, said it has helped that she and her counterpart at Nederlander, Rich Meaney, have a long-standing friendship established before they went to work for the two rival companies.

"Everything is fine," Perry said. "I talk to Rich 20 times a day, because there's so much to go over. If we weren't friends, it would be harder."

But don't look for this one-time experiment with mutuality to lead to further cooperation in the future.

"We're not going to try to find" opportunities to do more joint promoting, Perry said. "We're still competitors." [...]

No Extra Security at Pacific's GNR Show : Concert: Amphitheater officials say they're sufficiently prepared but plan to take measures to keep the traffic from turning into a nightmare.

July 23, 1991|RICK VANDERKNYFF | SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

COSTA MESA — No extra security is planned inside the Pacific Amphitheatre for Thursday's Guns N' Roses show, even though 60 people were injured in a riot when the band played St. Louis recently.

"We feel that we prepared well in the beginning," Susan Rosenbluth, the Pacific's general manager, said Tuesday. She noted that Nederlander West Inc., operators of the amphitheater, also promoted two Guns N' Roses concerts in May at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles and that there were no security problems.

However, Rosenbluth will be meeting again with officials of the Costa Mesa Police Department and the Orange County Fair in an effort attempt to head off potential traffic problems before and after the concert, one of three that come during the fair this year.

The amphitheater is on the fairgrounds. This is the first year the Pacific has booked concerts during the fair since 1986, when a Beach Boys show contributed to a nightmarish traffic situation.

But traffic was not as bad as expected during the first of this year's three shows, a Gloria Estefan concert Friday. In fact, Costa Mesa police officers on the scene said that traffic seemed no heavier than for a typical concert at the amphitheater. However, Rosenbluth said, the Guns N' Roses audience is expected to exceed Estefan's crowd of 15,000 by 3,700.

Under a new traffic plan, more than 50 officers were on hand near the fairgrounds and amphitheater Friday to help alleviate congestion, and shuttle service to several satellite lots was instituted. The extra officers will be on hand again tonight as Joe Cocker and Los Lobos perform, starting at 8 p.m. The amphitheater box office would not release ticket sales figures for tonight.

In St. Louis, Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose leaped into the crowd to grab a camera from a fan and then led the band off the stage. A melee erupted, resulting in the injuries and in $200,000 in damage. Rose later blamed the incident on lax security.

Soulmonster wrote:So a month before the show, it would be said the show would be on Friday, July 26. Then just before the show, in a pre-show article on Tuesday, it is said the show will take place on the following Thursday, which was July 25.

I conclude that initially the show was intended to take place on Friday, July 26, but was later decided to happen on Thursday, July 25.

Blackstar wrote:

Soulmonster wrote:So a month before the show, it would be said the show would be on Friday, July 26. Then just before the show, in a pre-show article on Tuesday, it is said the show will take place on the following Thursday, which was July 25.

I conclude that initially the show was intended to take place on Friday, July 26, but was later decided to happen on Thursday, July 25.

Actually the ad was in the L.A. Weekly July 26 issue, a day after the show. I assume it was just a mistake?

schizo wrote:This was a show to remember. I had just flown down to SoCal to visit my mom for the summer, and she had bought two tickets to GNR so my uncle could take me. After my backstage debacle at the Shoreline Ampitheater show in Mountain View, I hatched a plan to try and get backstage to meet GNR. My other uncle, a musician also living in San Diego, knew I was a big GNR fan. He had told me a few years earlier that a couple of his buddies were friends with GNR’s manager at the time, Doug Goldstein. He told me their names and I had memorized them for this purpose. (I won’t repeat those names, because in hindsight, I today suspect they may have been drug dealer buddies of Goldstein LOL!) So when we got to the venue, I went to the Will Call booth and bullshitted my way into backstage passes by throwing these names around and pretending I was furious when told my name wasn’t on the list. Flustered, the person at the counter asked me how many I needed. I said “two”, and he handed them over. It was seriously that easy, and I even shocked myself, having not expected it to work!

Skid Row once again was on fire, at their peak. I can’t add much that isn’t in the reviews and articles posted here already. Axl was pissed off that night. He slammed down the mic at the beginning of Estranged and stormed off the stage. The band tried tepidly to save the show instrumentally but knew it was futile. A dark, restless vibe filled the stands, and there were several minutes when it felt like we might have a “West Coast St. Louis” on our hands. Fortunately, everyone filtered out peacefully once the house lights came on and reality set in that the show was really over. In spite of getting “cheated” out of a full set, I actually loved the element of danger and unpredictability that night. It was what drew me to GNR in the first place.

My uncle and I successfully used our satin passes to get backstage. Duff was there mingling with the crowd, and after a few minutes I elbowed in and got to meet and talk to him. We chatted briefly about his old punk records, which I had been collecting in addition to GNR stuff. I mentioned that I had his first 45 from a band called Vains. His stage name in that band was Nico Teen. When I asked him to sign my GNR pass, he signed it “Nico Teen”, which I still have. As Duff was signing it, he started getting mobbed by people, and seemed overwhelmed by the chaos and excused himself from the backstage area. I left totally stoked to have finally met one of my rock heroes.

schizo wrote:I went to the first night at Shoreline on 7/19, but was unable to go the second night. I know the audio exists for both nights but not sure about film. Like many bigger venues, Shoreline had big screens with a live video stream for the people in the back. Considering the Metallica show I saw at Shoreline in ‘89 surfaced as a DVD on their AJFA box set, I’m assuming Bill Graham Presents shot and preserved all his shows this way and probably has them in their vault.

I don’t recall the Shoreline stage setup… I’m guessing it was the same as Pacific Ampitheater in Costa Mesa?

schizo wrote:He died in ‘91. You’ll have to Google to see who controls his assets now

schizo wrote:The show footage I’m sure is private. But a lot of vintage Bill Graham show memorabilia is here: https://www.wolfgangs.com/
It sounds like you’re not from the Bay Area. So out of curiosity, what is it about this Shoreline show that is of particular interest to you?