1992.01.07 - The Pyramid, Memphis, USA

GNR FANS SAY THE WAIT WAS WORTH IT
- Larry Nager, The Commercial Appeal, 1.8.92

It was billed as the largest, loudest and latest-starting indoor rock concert ever held in Memphis, and 19,000 heavy-metal fans packed The Pyramid Tuesday night and into early this morning to hear Guns N' Roses, currently one of the hottest bands in rock and roll.

They began arriving in mid-afternoon, driving in from throughout the Mid- South.

Patrick Seliner made it by 4 p.m., all the way from Clinton, Ark., only to find that the 7:30 starting time printed on his ticket meant nothing. The show was rescheduled to start at 9 p.m. (Soundgarden, the opening act, came on at 9:08) and wasn't expected to end before 1 a.m., a decision the band made only last week, due to lead singer Axl Rose's preference for playing late.

Seliner, 20, didn't mind the long drive and the longer wait one bit.

"Naw," he said. "That's the way he (Rose) is, he goes on when he feels like it."

As for his nearly six-hour drive, Seliner added, "I'd drive 2 1/2 days to see them. They're my No. 1 band."

Seliner echoed the sentiments of the hundreds of other GNR fans who already were pouring into The Pyramid parking lots by 5 p.m. The 'Gunners,' thanks in large part to their rebellious stand at the "nasty edge of rock," are headlining the biggest rock tour in a long time and everyone from the youngest teenage fans to grizzled rock veterans wanted to be part of it.

And unlike most concerts, the atmosphere inside the arena Tuesday afternoon was almost as exciting as the one outside.

"The show doesn't start until 9, but it's been like this all day," said arena marketing manager Larry Enis, surveying the frenzy as The Pyramid staff prepared for the evening.

Guns N' Roses carries a sound system befitting its position as probably the premier hard-rock act on the road. A total of 134 speaker cabinets hung from the rafters, flanked by a pair of giant video screens. The speakers, tested in keeping with GNR's reputation, blasted out taped gunfire and explosions of heavy artillery.

But despite the band's reputation, the GNR crowd was mainly well-behaved. Although many of the early arrivals spent time before the show drinking in their cars, few obviously inebriated fans could be seen by showtime.

And, with many Baby Boomers now firmly entrenched in, or approaching, middle age, even rock concerts like Guns N' Roses, are becoming family affairs.

Lynn Armstrong, 39, of Milan, Tenn., was there with his fiance Debbie Cannon, 36, and her kids, Kevin Thompson, 12, and Amanda Cannon, 8. All four are GNR fans, they said. "I love 'em," asserted Amanda.

Roe Sollars, 44, drove from Little Rock with his son Brad, 13, and three of Brad's friends.

Sollars was unfazed by the fact that he and the boys probably wouldn't get home before 3 or 4 a.m.

Sollars is no stranger to rock, but in this case, he was serving as more of a chaperon, he said.

"I've been watching the videos recently to prepare for this," Sollars added.

"If it was the Doors or something like that, I'd be more comfortable."

GNR ACT SPONTANEOUS AND WILD, OR WAS IT?
- Larry Nager, The Commercial Appeal, 1.9.92

Axl Rose and Guns N' Roses earned their positions as rock's foremost bad boys by ignoring virtually every music business rule. But their show Tuesday night at The Pyramid could have profited from one old saw: Always leave them wanting more.

After two hours and 40 minutes of the band's hard rock, even the most die- hard GNR fans were ready to go home, although the concert did provide the record crowd of 18,678 with an old-fashioned rock and roll spectacle.

The 134-speaker system proved, unlike the Van Halen concert in December, that The Pyramid's echo problems can be overcome. Although the vocals still were lost in the upper reaches of the arena, in most seats the sound was surprisingly crisp and clear.

Opening act Soundgarden took the stage shortly after 9, paying tribute to Memphis as "the home of rock and roll" and providing a 50-minute set that ran a heavy gamut from punk-edged speed metal to painfully slow sludge metal. Heavy metal openers have the toughest job in rock, but Soundgarden held its own, and won over the crowd with variety and humor.

The band returns Feb. 7 to open for Skid Row at The Auditorium North Hall.

When GNR finally took the stage at 11:08 p.m., the crowd was more than ready.

By show's end, almost every song on the band's four albums was played and every member showcased.

And Axl was Axl, berating the front rows when they dared to sit, having an audience member who annoyed him thrown out and complaining about what the media writes about him.

To his credit, he demanded as much from himself as he did of the crowd. Though he complained of twisted ankles and a sore throat, he never let up, his razor-blades-on-a-blackboard shriek going full tilt.

But while Guns N' Roses tries to be this generation's Rolling Stones, the real strength of the band isn't Rose's Jagger, it's Slash's Keith Richards.

The guitarist held the band together while managing to avoid a single modern metal cliche. His bluesy solos were concise and to the point and he avoided self-indulgence even during his extended solo spot.

Not surprisingly, the evening's most indulgent moments belonged to Rose, who sat down at a grand piano to gliss his way through November Rain. It was the worst song of the night, completely unsuited to Rose's voice and amateurish approach to the piano.

Still, at least that sort of pretentious self-indulgence was in keeping with the band's image as wild and spontaneous.

But two black boxes at the front of the stage raised a disturbing question: What sort of spontaneous band has to have lyrics rolling by on a couple of teleprompters?

Maybe Axl needs to spend less time worrying about what people write about him and more time memorizing his own lyrics.

GUNS N' ROSES MEMBERS JAM AT LOCAL CLUB
Michael Donahue, The Commercial Appeal, 1.10.92

Excerpt:

Rascals has to be the coolest spot in town.

The bar at 2128 Madison played host to none other than Axl Rose and his band, Guns N' Roses, early Wednesday morning.

Rose and the other band members, who played a dynamite show Tuesday night at The Pyramid, stopped by the bar about 3 a.m., said Charlie Barnett, who co- owns the bar with Scott Fruhman.

Not only did Guns N' Roses hang out for several hours, but all the members of the band jammed with Son of Slam, a local band, Barnett said.

Fruhman met Guns N' Roses crew and members of the band in Los Angeles. So, when the band came to town, the members naturally visited Rascals, Barnett said.

Some of the crew and band members held a private party Monday night at Rascals. But after Tuesday's concert they "wanted to come in and party" again, Barnett said. There was a "limited crowd" in the club that morning.

Rose, who didn't attend Monday night's party, showed up at Rascals after the concert wearing a full-length fur coat, Barnett said. And he didn't order anything to drink. "He was a nice guy. I went over and shook his hand and told him I appreciated him coming. He was just as cool as he could be."

As Son of Slam played, one Guns N' Roses member after another got up to jam. "Axl was sitting in the crowd. He saw everyone playing with the band. He was digging it. I saw him take his coat off. Before I knew it he was on stage jamming."

There was only one incident at the club, Barnett said.

One man wanted to take a picture of Axl. But Guns N' Roses security took the film out of the man's camera and escorted him out of the club.

Guns N' Roses is one of a growing number of hot bands that have frequented Rascals, which is kind of an 'in' place for rock groups, Barnett said.

Members of Warrant, Tesla, Black Crowes, Soundgarden, Lynyrd Skynyrd and U2 have been at his bar, he added. He recalled when U2 visited. "Nobody recognized them. They drank beer, tipped the waitress $20 and left."

Warrant was responsible for local band Roxy Blue being signed to a major label, Barnett said. "Warrant was in town. They came in to party at the bar. They liked Roxy Blue (playing that night) so well, they told their management about them."

So, if you go to Rascals, don't be surprised who you bump into. "We're not a yuppie bar. We're not the classiest joint in town. We don't sell Dom Perignon. We're just an old beer bar."

Guns ’N Roses a sellout

No concert worries hanging over this group

Guns N' Roses will be wowing the crowds on Tuesday at The Pyramid in Memphis. It’s going to be a sellout audience.

By Darlette Carver
Sun reporter

Concert promoters are worried about if the years of constant sellouts are gone for good, but rock ‘n’ roll group Guns ’N Roses wouldn’t know because their concert scheduled for The Pyramid in Memphis is sold out.

Promoters complained that laser and light-laden shows have become so expensive in the music-television era that they’re forced to sign contracts guaranteeing everincreasing sums to the stars.

This reduces the profit margin to the extent that some concerts that might be considered nominally successful — selling 70 percent of tickets — lost promoters money.

For the last few years, the pop music industry has concentrated its concert season in the summer. But this past summer, many people stayed home.

Promoters blamed a combination of high ticket prices during a recession, a glut of acts on the road and a simple discontent among the public with many of the shows being offered.

Toward the end of last summer, some promoters slashed ticket prices on select shows and that seemed to pull more people in.

“Instead of charging $25, we should be charging $17.50,” Jim Koplik said, who’s based in New York City.

Tickets were priced at $20 for the Guns N’ Roses concert and West Tennesseans who bought tickets early will have a chance to hear and see the group as they perform some of their new releases from “Use Your Illusion I” and “Use Your Illusion II.”

The rock ‘n’ roll group will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Pyramid in Memphis.

On Sept. 17, 1991, Geffen Records released the new albums from Guns N’ Roses.

A new track, “You Could Be Mine” on “Use Your Illusion II” was released as a single and featured in the blockbuster film “Terminator 2: Judgment Day."

It all formed for Guns N’ Roses in 1985 in Hollywood with singer W. Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and former drummer Steven Adler.

In August of 1986, the group signed to Geffen Records and in 1986 produced and released a song on its own Uzi Suicide Record Company label.

“Appetite for Destruction,” the group’s full-length album, appeared in July of 1987.

After 10 months, during which the band toured with The Cult, Motley Crue, Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden and Aerosmith, the album broke into the Top 100 of the record charts and then shot to No. 1 where it remained for five weeks.

Three singles from the album went Top 10 — “Sweet Child O’ Mine” was certified gold and reached No. 1, “Paradise City” hit No. 5 and “Welcome to the Jungle” earned a No. 7 slot.

The band also won the 1988 MTV Award as Best New Artist with their “Welcome to the Jungle” video.

“Sweet Child O’ Mine” won both an American Music Award for Favorite Single, Pop/Rock and the MTV award for Best Metal/Hard Rock Video.

Guns ’N Roses fans go for tickets

By Erica Berry
Sun reporter

One was dressed as a woman, another was dressed as Tarzan and the last one was ready to sing in his underwear.

They all looked outrageous, but each had the same goal: To do whatever it took to win Guns’N Roses tickets.

Jackson radio station Power 92-FM gave away a pair of tickets today to the person who performed the most outrageous act at the station. As the Jack-son Sun went to press, the station hadn’t reached a decision. The concert is in Memphis tonight at The Pyramid.

Shane Burkeens came dressed in a blue floral dress, stockings that plastered down the hair on his legs, and a pair of flats. His girlfriend Theresa applied his makeup and curled and rolled his hair Monday night.

Burkeens, of Henderson, made it clear he would do anything for the tickets.

“I’ll shave my legs. I’ll put ice down my pants,” said Burkeens, 18, a student at Jackson State Area Vocational-Technical School. “I want Guns ’N Roses tickets.”

Mike Hendrix stayed up all Monday night making a loincloth so he could sing Guns ’N Roses’ hit “Welcome to the Jungle” in Tarzan attire.

“I’ve waited on them for three years,” Hendrix, 24, said. “This is my only hope.”

Power 92 morning deejay Tony Hamilton said the station wanted to do something different

“We’re always looking for something unusual or outrageous to turn some heads,” Hamilton said.