2002.12.09 - MTV News - Guns N' Roses Dates Canceled

GUNS N' ROSES DATES CANCELED
SOURCE CLOSE TO BAND SAYS CONCERT PROMOTER PULLED PLUG AFTER SECOND NO-SHOW.

ARCHIVE-JON-WIEDERHORN
12/09/2002

After their second no-show concert in a month, Guns N' Roses may have had the plug pulled on their first tour in almost a decade.

A source close to the band told MTV News that concert promoter Clear Channel Entertainment canceled the trek, which was scheduled to run through the end of the year. The source gave no reason for the cancellation.

A spokesperson at Clear Channel would not confirm that the tour has been canceled, stating that so far only the December 6 and December 8 shows in Philadelphia and Monday's (December 9) show in Washington, D.C., were axed.

While the spokesperson said that only three shows have been canceled, she could not confirm that any of the other scheduled shows will take place. In addition, a publicist for opening band CKY said his group was told to pack up and go home and that no additional gigs with GN'R would happen anytime soon.

On their Web site yesterday, CKY wrote, "Guns N' Roses tour canceled. Typical. And freakishly expected. Haha."

The decision to halt the GN'R tour came after the band canceled a show at Philadelphia's First Union Center on Friday because Axl Rose failed to appear. An announcement over the PA at the venue said the show was called off due to "health issues," and a spokesperson for the First Union Center told the Associated Press that a bandmember fell ill.

The night of the show, opening band CKY performed a complete 40-minute set, then DJ Mix Master Mike spun for a full hour, considerably longer than he performed on other dates of the tour. After he left the stage at 9:40, almost 90 minutes elapsed before the announcement came that the show was canceled, a person on the scene said.

Chants of "Axl sucks, Axl sucks" and less polite sentiments followed, and then the crowd became unruly. For around 10 minutes, cups of beer, bottles, ceiling tiles and other debris rained down from the upper tier, and audience members on the floor started flinging seats at the stage, mixing board and each other. Several fights were reported, and there were 15 complaints of injury, police said. Of those, five people were sent to Methodist Hospital for evaluation. There were no major injuries reported, and no arrests were made.

"They really f---ed the Philly fans over," wrote CKY. "Really bad idea. I wouldn't suggest they come back."

The Guns tour had been garnering strong reviews, though ticket sales were soft in some markets and the trek got off on the wrong foot. The band's scheduled tour opener in Vancouver, British Columbia, had its plug pulled by the venue, sparking similar unrest. The group kicked off its tour the following night in Tacoma, Washington.

After the fact, Rose told a Seattle radio station that the Vancouver show could have gone on, and that the venue scrapped the show without consulting the band.

http://www.mtv.com/news/1459058/guns-n-roses-dates-canceled/

Related article in NME, December 9, 2002:

ANOTHER WAR OF THE ROSES?

GUNS N' ROSES have reportedly scrapped the rest of their US tour.
As we reported over the weekend, the group were due to play at the Philadelphia First Union Center Friday night (December 6), but failed to show.

Eyewitnesses claim that after DJ Mixmaster Mike finished his support set, there was a delay. At 11.15pm, fans were informed that the headline band would not be appearing.

Police were on hand at the venue and claimed the crowd became unruly after hearing that the show was not going ahead. Although there were no arrests, officers said two people were hospitalised.

MTV news have reported that the rest of the band's dates, which are due to run until the New Year, have now been pulled.

NME.COM is currently unable to verify the story.

https://web.archive.org/web/20030809163252/http://www.nme.com/news/103721.htm

Related article in the Houston Chronicle (Dec. 10, 2002) focused on the scheduled show in Houston:

Will Guns, Axl Rose become more no-shows?

By MICHAEL D. CLARK

Popular legends who are often rumored, but rarely seen: Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster, Santa Claus, Axl Rose.

The mystique surrounding Rose and the latest incarnation of Guns N' Roses became more impenetrable Monday as the group's current tour - including a Dec. 17 stop at Compaq Center - appeared to be evaporating.

Yesterday MTV reported that, according to a source at Interscope Records, Clear Channel Entertainment had canceled the remaining 13 dates on the tour. But calls to Interscope yesterday went unreturned, and other sources were reluctant to comment.

"If you want to write a story about that, you'll probably need to wait another 24-48 hours," said Billy Sexauer of Stone City Attractions, the entertainment promoters organizing the Houston date. "We haven't got any confirmation on that."

Calls to Clear Channel Entertainment, promoters for many of the tour's other dates, also were unreturned.

Organizers at Compaq Center had heard rumors about a cancellation but had received no official word. The show appeared on the venue's online calendar and tickets were still available through Ticketmaster.

The rumored demise of the Chinese Democracy tour started gaining momentum Friday when Rose was a no-show at Philadelphia's First Union Center, forcing a cancellation after fans already had arrived.

It was the second such late cancellation in a month (the first was the tour opener in Vancouver), and both led to fights and vandalism by disgruntled fans that had to be quelled by police.

The Chinese Democracy tour, named after a Guns N' Roses album Rose has been preparing through most of the '90s but has yet to release, went on as planned in the Midwest and Canada throughout November. They were the first live dates the band has played in a decade.

Meanwhile, Houston ticketholders should monitor the Ticketmaster Web site, www.ticketmaster.com, or the Compaq Center site, www.compaqcenter.com.