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Guns N' Roses Tour 1991-1992 "The start of the tour was intense and exciting, we were walking into an amazingly huge limelight and had thousands of people coming to see us." (Slash)

Get in the ring tour information.

Axl Rose: lead vocals, piano on "November Rain"
Slash: lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
Izzy Stradlin: rhythm guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Dust N' Bones" and "14 Years"
Gilby Clarke: rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Duff McKagan: bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on "So Fine" and "Attitude"
Matt Sorum: drums, backing vocals
Dizzy Reed: keyboards, backing vocals

Played songs

Guns N' Roses: Welcome To The Jungle / It's So Easy / Nightrain / Out Ta Get Me / Mr. Brownstone / Paradise City / My Michelle / Sweet Child O' Mine / You're Crazy / Rocket Queen / Move To The City / Patience / Used To Love Her / Right Next Door To Hell / Dust N' Bones / Perfect Crime / You Ain't The First / Bad Obsession / Back Off Bitch / Double Talkin' Jive / November Rain / Bad Apples / Dead Horse / Coma / Civil War / 14 Years / Yesterdays / Breakdown / Pretty Tied Up / Locomotive / So Fine / Estranged / You Could Be Mine / Don't Cry

Cover songs: Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan) / Live And Let Die (Paul & Linda McCartney) / Mama Kin (Aerosmith) / Attitude (The Misfits) / Always On The Run (Lenny Kravitz) / Tie Your Mother Down (Queen) / We Will Rock You (Queen) / Train Kept A Rollin' (Tiny Bradshaw)

Live guests

Sebastian Bach: vocals on "You're Crazy" (Toronto 1991 / Inglewood 1991)
Shannon Hoon: vocals on "Don't Cry" (Los Angeles 1991 / Inglewood 1991 / New York 1991 / Chicago 1992)
Lenny Kravitz: vocals, guitar on "Always On The Run" (Paris 1992)
Steven Tyler: vocals on "Mama Kin" and "Train Kept A Rollin'" (Paris 1992)
Joe Perry: guitar on "Mama Kin" and "Train Kept A Rollin'" (Paris 1992)
Brian May: guitar on "Tie Your Mother Down" and "We Will Rock You" (London 1992)
Ronnie Wood: guitar on "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" (Tokyo 1993)

Opening acts

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West Coast Struttin’: The Greatest Guns N’ Roses Show Of All Time Turns 30 Today

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GUNS N’ ROSES – LOS ANGELES FORUM – AUGUST 3, 1991

Saturday, August 3rd, 1991 was a pretty good day for live gigs. Phish fans will immediately recognize the date as that of the legendary “ Amy’s Farm ” show in Auburn, Maine, a free 3-set event that was the band’s first “larger” festival gig. The first Lollapalooza tour held forth in Chicago that day, and its stacked lineup included Jane’s Addiction , Fishbone , Nine Inch Nails , Living Colour , and Ice-T , along with several others. And out in Seattle, two young bands named Pearl Jam and Temple of the Dog would scorch a young crowd at the now-defunct, all-ages dive, RKCNDY .

On this day, however, none of these shows—nor any others—would hold a candle to the one by Guns N’ Roses , who played the fourth of four consecutive sold-out hometown gigs at the 17,000-capacity Los Angeles Forum and sealed their entrance into the club of the biggest and best rock bands of all time with a volcanic marathon of a show that ran close to four nonstop hours.

INTO THE CITY WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

The 1980s will always be one of the wildest and most successful decades in the history of the music industry, fueled by the introduction of MTV and the onset of the CD. Guns N’ Roses would be one of the last figurehead bands to emerge from the decade, and their rise to the top remains an utterly chaotic tale of music industry excess that never happen again.

The band formed in Los Angeles in March 1985 when two members of Hollywood Rose , guitarist Izzy Stradlin and singer Axl Rose (aka Jeff Isbell and William Rose , two childhood friends from Indiana) teamed up with three members of LA Guns , who would all be replaced within three months by the members who’d comprise the “classic” lineup of Guns N’ Roses. First in was Izzy’s new neighbor on bass, a recent Seattle arrival named Michael “Duff” McKagan . Then came LA natives and Hollywood high school buddies, guitarist “ Slash ” (aka Saul Hudson ) and Steven Adler (aka Michael Coletti ).

The chemistry between these five musicians would become the stuff of legend. While Slash and Steven were your classic ’80s California hard rock and heavy metal dudes, Izzy and Duff were much angrier punk rockers whose attitude and raw, unpolished approach would immediately and permanently set the band’s songs and performances apart. On top of that, it was all fronted by Axl, a volatile bandleader with wide musical tastes, an unmistakable voice, and unpredictably violent mood swings. It also didn’t hurt that Guns N’ Roses were a gang of model-thin, good-looking bad boys who really were bad, which made them perfect for magazines, posters and bedroom walls.

The band would quickly forge their bonds and their identity by renting a storage space in Hollywood and converting it into a rehearsal space, party spot, and living quarters by building a loft out of stolen plywood. They’d frequently make ends meet through activities that were far from legal, and their tastes for drugs, alcohol, and all-hours were unparalleled in the LA rock scene, so run-ins with the law were frequent. But Guns N’ Roses turned out to be world-beating songwriters, with Axl’s split personality spawning lyrics to flagrantly evil anthems like “It’s So Easy” and “Welcome to the Jungle” on one day before yielding deeply emotional love songs like “Sweet Child of Mine” and signature ballad “Patience” on the next. They could also deliver their goods live, and it didn’t take long for the music industry to take notice.

RAGS TO RICHES, OR SO THEY SAY

Geffen Records A&R executive Tom Zutaut would win the race to sign the hot new band to a recording contract in March of 1986. As the months passed, however, numerous possible producers flunked interviews by suggesting GNR become “more metal” to match the trends of the day. Mike Clink finally said the right things, and band found their match.

On July 21, 1987, the band released their debut LP, Appetite For Destruction , which made Guns N’ Roses a household name within 18 months and went on to sell over 18 million copies in the United States alone. The band’s two years of touring to promote Appetite would be highlighted by opening stints for rock legends Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones , and as the band ascended to stardom, it was pretty hard to miss the fact that Guns N’ Roses had modeled themselves on those very two bands. Each had their dark-haired, iconic, laconic, cig-in-mouth, cool-as-f— guitarist in the forms of Keith Richard , Joe Perry , and Slash, with Slash set himself apart through his trademark top hat, mirrored shades and stunning chops. Meanwhile, Axl would combine Mick Jagger ’s hyperactive physicality and Machiavellian business sense with Steven Tyler ’s unpredictability and grandiosity, and then mix that with a rage borne from a poverty-stricken, traumatic childhood. Axl would be the most traditionally handsome of the three vocalists, as well as the most genuinely dangerous.

It soon seemed like each time Guns N’ Roses sold another million albums, they’d find another new way to get into trouble. The first album cover for Appetite contained artwork so violent that the album had to be reissued with the now-iconic “5 skulls on a cross” cover. The stopgap GNR Lies LP (actually an early 4-song EP paired with 4 new acoustic songs, including “Patience”) released in November of 1988 would sell over 5 million copies, but Axl’s first-person, street-kid lyrics to “One In A Million” contained racist and homophobic slurs that were rather justifiably ill-received, while “Used To Love Her” got the band slapped with the “misogynist” tag.

Alongside these scandals, the success and newfound wealth that arrived did little to prevent the band from fraying around the edges throughout 1990 through increasingly self-destructive behavior. By that summer, Slash, Duff, and Izzy were all drinking hard liquor by the bottle, and Izzy would hit rock bottom in August after an arrest for disrupting an airplane mid-flight during an alcoholic blackout. But the biggest casualty would be Steven, whose heroin addiction left him unable play his drums and track his parts. He was dismissed from the band in November while they tried to move forward with recording their next album.

SO NEVER MIND THE DARKNESS

As the Gunners moved into 1991, Matt Sorum was plucked from The Cult to replace Steven on drums. Matt’s heavier, pounding, and more technical style was a clear stylistic switch from Steven’s bouncy and frenetic playing, and they would fill out their sound even further by adding keyboard player Darren “Dizzy” Reed . All the while, the now-sober Izzy was contributing remotely via delivered demo tapes and tracking his guitars in a separate studio in order to avoid the alcohol and drugs that followed his bandmates wherever they went. There was also the not-unimportant question of what kind of direction their next album would take—with more than 30 songs up for potential inclusion running the entire gamut of rock music.

But Guns N’ Roses now had so much clout that they were able to dictate an absolutely stunning decision during this physical-product-only era: their next album would instead be two albums. On top of that, each of the two releases would essentially amount to a double-LP of music, respectively entitled Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II , and they would both come out on the same day and contain 31 songs between them. It would be the rock industry’s biggest all-at-once gamble since Kiss had released solo LPs by all four band members on the same day in 1978, and that had been a colossal overshoot with disastrous consequences for Kiss’ label, Casablanca Records . Somewhat predictably, the recording and mixing of the albums dragged on and on for months, soaring over budget and delaying release dates.

On the good side, two songs slated for Use Your Illusion II had already been released as singles—and they were both classics. First, the epic “Civil War”—the last GNR recording to feature Steven—appeared on a 1990 charity compilation album and became an immediate rock radio staple. Next, the hard-rocking, venomous “You Could Be Mine” was released in June 1991 as the theme song to Terminator 2: Judgment Day , the highest-grossing film of the year, with lead actor Arnold Schwarznegger doing a bit of cross-promotion by appearing in the band’s promo video, in character.

On the bad side, the albums were nowhere close to being completed and delivered when the Use Your Illusion tour started in May of 1991. Now that GNR were a headline act, Axl had acquired a habit of deciding to go onstage only when he felt he was truly ready—sometimes leaving bandmates, crew, venue staff and sold-out venues of fans waiting for hours. Sometimes, the waits were worth it. Other nights were uneven.

Then, on July 2nd, another low point came around 90 minutes into the band’s sold-out show in St. Louis when Axl waded into the crowd to seize a bootlegger’s video camera. The ensuing fracas led Axl to call off the rest of the show, and the resulting riot by fans led to the band quickly fleeing across state lines to avoid arrest while their stage set and gear were destroyed. If there was an ”upside” to this, it was that the incident generated a huge wave of unexpected “bonus” publicity for the opening weekend of Terminator 2 , which was released the following day on July 3rd. All this while, Izzy remained present but distant from everyone to maintain his sobriety, traveling separately and only really seeing his bandmates onstage.

By now, Guns N’ Roses had become the rarest of creatures: a band big enough to headline stadiums while remaining so volatile and unpredictable that buying one of their concert tickets was akin to buying a lottery ticket. Fans had no idea what might or might not happen on a given night, and for that matter, neither did the band. This was the state of affairs as the first leg of the tour wrapped up with the band heading into their coronation shows: four sold-out nights at their hometown Forum arena in Los Angeles.

I GOT THE TIME AND I GOT THE MUSCLE

Guns N’ Roses were clearly cognizant that this was their hometown-triumph moment, and they’d done it quickly—four years after playing the Appetite release party show at 400-capacity Whisky-A-Go-Go on the Sunset Strip, they were playing four sold-out nights at the 17,000-capacity Forum. Even with all of the craziness, the band arrived at the shows knowing they had reached the summit they had all once dreamed about.

Another positive milestone finally took place on the afternoon of the first Forum show on July 30th: the band officially signed off on the final mixes of both Use Your Illusion albums. After over 18 months of struggles and lineup changes, it was all a wrap, and the albums could now be mastered, pressed, and shipped to stores for release in six weeks’ time. Relief quickly turned to joy, and the band now truly had something else to celebrate on top of the existing achievements.

The first three nights of the four-show run all found the band in great spirits and playing at a very high level. There were even hijinks such as sending Rip magazine editor Lonn Friend out on stage wearing only his underwear and Slash’s top hat and boots to introduce the band on the opening night. The band didn’t use setlists during this era, so shows varied slightly from night to night, with a typical show lasting a little over two hours and featuring around 20 songs, including encores.

Then, on the afternoon of the fourth and final show, the ever-mercurial Axl Rose made another mercurial decision. Axl decided that tonight’s show was going to be the best Guns N’ Roses show that would ever happen, and he sent word to the rest of the band that they should plan to play all night long.

Slash, Duff, Matt and Dizzy reacted to this by spreading the news: all of them uncharacteristically crashed the VIP backstage pre-show party to knock back drinks with the guests and leak the advance knowledge that the band was going to break the record for the longest show at the Forum, explaining that tonight was going to be the night.

One can only wonder what the folks who heard this must have been thinking as they made their way to their seats. It’s one thing to say you’re going to go out and play the greatest gig of your life, but it’s another thing entirely to actually do it. On this Saturday night, Axl and Guns N’ Roses would do both.

I GOT THE NEED TO LAY IT ALL ON THE LINE

After New Jersey’s Skid Row warmed up the crowd with a strong set that got them called back for an encore, Guns N’ Roses took the stage at 11:00 pm and indeed set the venue record for the longest show, playing until nearly 3:00 a.m.

The main set would last for over two-and-a-half hours, and it was unintentionally but satisfyingly symmetrical— four groupings of three songs or interludes would lead to the set’s centerpiece, followed by four more groupings of three. The opening salvo was a lethal only-time-ever trio that placed the zig-zagging, hypnotic riffs of “Mr. Brownstone” in between surprise opener “Perfect Crime” and “Right Next Door To Hell”, two short 90-miles-an-hour blasts that were basically punk songs. The effect was overwhelming, with regulars quickly realizing that things were happening on another level.

After another half-dozen songs, it became apparent that Axl wasn’t saving anything for tomorrow, covering every inch of the stage while singing with a full-on delivery that touring vocalists quickly learn to avoid as the band played their hardest to match his intensity. Another effective trio of songs would consist of signature ballad “Patience” placed in between the two “known” original songs from the Use Your Illusion albums, “Civil War” and “You Could Be Mine”.

For the aforementioned centerpiece, a grand piano appeared at center stage for Axl to use on his magnum opus, “November Rain”, complete with Slash climbing up on top of the piano to play his iconic guitar solo at the song’s climax. Soon after, Axl would open himself up completely before the band started “Welcome to the Jungle”, making a longer and unusually heartfelt introduction to the song that included the following: “These four shows, at the risk of repeating myself from the other nights, are the four most important shows that THIS f—king band will ever play… Anything we do after these four gigs… (is) just icing on the f—king cake. These are the four shows we’ve been working for, for ten f—ing years.”

Later, the band’s deft adaptation of “Speak Softly, Love” (better known as the theme from the 1972 film, The Godfather ), would make a smooth transition into “Pretty Tied Up”, which was followed by “Rocket Queen”. These back-to-back bad girl songs made an ideal pairing, but this would be the last of the 8 times it would ever happen. In an unexpected turn, the main set ended on a decidedly more tender note, with Blind Melon ’s Shannon Hoon providing additional vocals on breakup song “Don’t Cry” (much like he did on the studio recording and in the music video) before the band closed it out with their cover of Bob Dylan ’s “Knocking On Heaven’s Door” and a “Peace!” declaration from Axl.

It had been a long, emotional, and intense set, with the two new band members’ heavier, forceful styles helping to pummel the crowd. Even with a customary encore of a couple of songs, this would still have been one of the best Guns N’ Roses gigs of all time, and it would still be the one that sealed their ascension to the Mount Olympus of rock bands. However, what the band did next would move this show firmly into the “greatest rock n’ roll gigs of all time” column.

The first encore would instantly become legendary, and it would run long enough to be considered another set to the show. Axl would call it “Guns N’ Roses Jam Hour”, and it consisted of every deeper cut or leftover song that this lineup knew well enough to play. Shannon Hoon would return for “You Ain’t The First”, and Skid Row’s maniacal lead singer Sebastian Bach would duet with Axl on the highly appropriate choice of “You’re Crazy”.

By now, Axl had been singing at full blast for so long that his voice was audibly rough, but it was perfect for the what-the-Hell, just-go-for-it vibe of the proceedings. As they passed the 2:00 a.m. mark, it was as if they’d invited everyone back to their old Hollywood loft for the sort of impromptu show they used to play for their friends in 1985. The looser and more imperfect the band became, the more immortal the show would become, with the band powering through “Out Ta Get Me” and “Dead Horse” before staggering off for the second time.

However, they still weren’t quite done as Axl had stashed away two songs for the very end: a pair of epics in the form of “Estranged” and an extended take on their anthem, “Paradise City”. The two songs would last almost 20 minutes, and before the latter, Slash would come to make a heartfelt comment of his own: “This is the last f—in’ tune of the night. All you guys who have f—in’ hung in there? You guys f—in’ kick f—in’ ass, man… These four f—in’ days (have been) the best four days of my f—in’ life , and I think I’m speaking for the rest of the guys in the band as well.”

The house lights finally came up just before 3:00 am on a bludgeoned, exhausted crowd. This was also back in the days before decibel limits, and the volume had been loud. How loud? One prominent entertainment lawyer who’d scored prime seats for the show told us he had to “lay low” for the next four days because his ears rang to the point where he couldn’t hear anything or take phone calls in a time before email and text messages. One almost feels a touch of sympathy for the well-connected folks who were “obligated” to tough it out and attend the band’s after-show party, which would last until dawn. Almost.

The day after the show, Axl would make a stunning admission to Lonn Friend, who’d include it in his subsequent write-up of the show for RIP : “We would have gone on longer, but we didn’t have any more songs!

WHY MUST IT DRIFT AWAY AND DIE

Four weeks after the last Forum show, Izzy Stradlin played his final show as a full member of Guns N’ Roses on August 31st, 1992 at Wembley Stadium in London. Axl’s pleas for his old friend to stay in the fold were unsuccessful, but the band quietly recruited Gilby Clarke to replace him before Izzy’s departure was finally announced on November 7, 1991.

The two Use Your Illusion albums were released on September 17th, 1991, and they combined to sell 1.5 million copies the first week while claiming the #1 and #2 spots on the Billboard album charts. The sprawling, 76-minute albums would go on to sell over 7 million copies each, and the nine-minute “November Rain” still remains the longest song to ever reach the Top 10 on the Billboard singles chart when it peaked at #3 in August of 1992.

The Use Your Illusion tour continued into 1993, with the summer 1992 leg of the tour highlighted by 26 co-headlining stadium shows with Metallica , with each band playing full, 2-plus hour sets. However, the tour remains as legendary for its riots and cancellations as it does for the shows themselves. On-time starts for the Gunners remained the exception and not the rule, and for their part, Metallica opted to play first at each show so their sets were never affected by what might happen afterwards.

In the following years, the Use Your Illusion lineup of the band would slowly disintegrate, with founding members Slash and Duff leaving, followed by Axl cutting Sorum loose. Axl would continue on for the next two decades with a revolving cast of top-flight musicians and the occasional live cameo by an OG member; only keyboardist Dizzy Reed has remained the the entire time, and in 2008 the band finally released a new album, Chinese Democracy .

Slash and Duff would eventually return in 2016 for the Not In This Lifetime tour , which continued up through the beginning COVID-19 pandemic.

Just last week, the modern-day GNR lineup returned to the stage in Hershey, PA to kick off their rescheduled 2021 outing under the billing We’re F’N Back . The band’s current set list remains heavily based on the format they established for the Use Your Illusion tour, but with the added bonuses that shows now start on time. The band had also started to reviving some lost classics at the last shows before the pandemic, signaling some further exploration of their catalog as the 2021 outing gets underway.

It’s a beautiful thing that this band is now back and gigging again, and today we can also celebrate the night thirty years ago when Guns N’ Roses was the best rock n’ roll band on the planet.

For a list of upcoming Guns N’ Roses 2021 tour dates, head here .

HONEY, WE GOT THE NAMES: GUNS N’ ROSES SET LIST, 8/3/91, ANNOTATED:

(All dates and numbers listed below are based on the 961 known Guns N’ Roses shows from 1985 to today.)

Setlist: Guns N’ Roses | The Forum | Inglewood, CA | 8/3/91

Perfect Crime (only played 42 times, shelved since 1992) Mr. Brownstone Right Next Door to Hell (only played 11 times, final version, shelved since 1991) Bad Obsession Live and Let Die It’s So Easy Yesterdays (6th version) Dust n’ Bones (only 8 more versions after this one, shelved in 1992) Double Talkin’ Jive Civil War Patience You Could Be Mine November Rain My Michelle (final version with Izzy) 14 Years (only played 37 times, shelved since 2012) Nightrain Welcome to the Jungle Matt Sorum drum solo Slash guitar solo Godfather Theme -> Pretty Tied Up (only played 31 times, final version with Izzy, shelved since 1992) Rocket Queen Don’t Cry (w/ Shannon Hoon on vocals) Only Women Bleed (partial) -> Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door

Encore 1: You Ain’t The First (w/ Shannon Hoon on vocals) Used To Love Her Move To The City (final version with Izzy, shelved since 1992) Sweet Child Of Mine You’re Crazy (w/ Sebastian Bach on vocals) Locomotive (only played 8 times and shelved in 1992, revived in 2019) Out Ta Get Me (final version with Izzy, then shelved for over a year) Dead Horse (only played 59 times and shelved in 1993, revived in 2019)

Encore 2: Estranged Paradise City

Use Your Illusion Tour

The Use Your Illusion Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Guns N' Roses which ran from January 20, 1991, to July 17, 1993. It was not only the band's longest tour, but one of the longest concert tours in rock history, consisting of 194 shows in 27 countries. [1] It was also a source of much infamy for the band, due to riots , late starts, cancellations and outspoken rantings by Axl Rose .

Notable events

First typical setlist, second typical setlist, third typical setlist, fourth typical setlist, fifth typical setlist, songs played, external links.

The Use Your Illusion Tour was a promotional tour for the albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II . The tour started on May 24, 1991, approximately when the long-awaited follow-up to G N' R Lies was to be released, and ended over two years later. The release date of the album, or albums, since there were now two of them, was pushed back to September but the tour began as originally scheduled. The tour marked a high point in the popularity of Guns N' Roses, with a total of over 7 million [1] fans attending, and accompanied by high worldwide album sales.

Live recordings from the tour would be issued as a two video / DVD set, Use Your Illusion I and II (featuring footage from a 1992 concert in Tokyo, Japan) and provide content for the 2-disc set Live Era: '87-'93 . The tour also provided footage for music videos , including " Dead Horse " and their popular cover of Paul McCartney's " Live and Let Die ". A planned documentary, titled The Perfect Crime , included footage consisted of the band's time on the road, concert clips, and information about the riots and other major events of the tour. It was never released and never spoken about after the tour. Slash mentioned in his biography that Axl Rose controls the footage and that Slash would be interested in viewing it, as he thought it captured "killer moments" from the tour. [ citation needed ]

The conduct of the band, and particularly Axl Rose, during the Use Your Illusion Tour generated negative press, notably from the magazines Spin , Kerrang! , Circus , and Hit Parader . These magazines were mentioned in the song "Get in the Ring" where Axl Rose attacked writers who had written negative articles dealing with Rose's attitude.

The shows were all varied, as a setlist was never chosen by the band. They did, however, usually open with " Welcome to the Jungle ", " It's So Easy ", " Nightrain " or "Perfect Crime" and would shortly after one another play " Mr. Brownstone " or "Live and Let Die", and close with " Paradise City ". Each show featured guitar solos from Slash (including the " Theme From the Godfather ") and a drum solo from drummer Matt Sorum , usually six minutes in length. [ citation needed ]

The tour was massive not just in the number and size of performances, but also in its technical aspects and the size of the crew . A total of 130 working personnel traveled with the band, using two different stages to enable faster setup. [2] The trade magazine Performance named the tour crew "Crew of the Year" for 1991.

Duff McKagan revealed in 2015 that the band didn't make profit on the tour until 1993 due to the extravagant costs. [2]

"The band had such a ball," Slash remarked in 1994. "We managed to tour for two and a half years, against all the fuckin' odds. It really was a fuckin' endurance test of pretty big proportions." [3]

At the June 10, 1991, show, at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center , Axl Rose requested that the crowd chant "Get in the ring!" This was recorded for the song of that name on Use Your Illusion II .

On June 13, 1991, during the show in Philadelphia, Rose erupted after a fan fought with Guns N' Roses' photographer Robert John . When the fan kicked the camera out of his hands, Rose cursed him out and challenged him to a fight. After the fan was ejected from the concert, the show continued.

On Tuesday, July 2, 1991, at a show at the Riverport Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, Missouri , near St. Louis , Rose spotted a spectator recording the concert with a video camera and jumped into the audience after him when concert security failed to respond to his request to apprehend the man. Returning to the stage, Rose declared: "Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home!" then slammed the mic on the stage, sparking the infamous Riverport riot . Rose then stormed off the stage; some people thought when he slammed the mic, because of the noise, that he shot someone. Slash told them, "He just slammed his mic on the floor. We're outta here." He proceeded to throw his guitar pick into the crowd and follow Rose. The band followed. The band was looking to come back out and finish the show, but as police and security tried to calm down the audience, a riot broke out. The footage was captured by Robert John who was documenting the entire tour. Sixty fans were injured. The band lost most of their equipment and Rose was charged with inciting a riot. He was acquitted due to lack of evidence. The band would later express their feelings regarding the incident by including the message "fuck you, St. Louis!" in the liner notes of both Use Your Illusion albums. [4]

On August 3, 1991, the day mixing of the Illusion albums was finished, the band played the longest show of the tour at the L.A. Forum . It lasted three and a half hours. [5]

On November 7, 1991, Izzy Stradlin quit the band after the release of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II ; his last show was on August 31, 1991, at Wembley Stadium . On December 5, replacement rhythm guitarist Gilby Clarke made his debut in Worcester, at the first show after the release of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II .

On April 13 and 14, 1992, two concerts had to be canceled when a warrant was issued for Rose's arrest due to his behavior at the St. Louis show.

On April 20, 1992, the band performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert , an effort for AIDS Awareness in London. The band was a controversial addition to the lineup, as many in the gay community were still angry over Rose using a homophobic slur in " One in a Million ." The band opened with "Paradise City" and closed with " Knockin' on Heaven's Door ." During the famous "Paradise City" opening, Axl pointed at protesters in the audience and yelled, "SHOVE IT!" [ citation needed ] [ clarification needed ] He had planned to address the controversy between songs, but was asked not to by the band as it would pull the spotlight from Queen and Freddie Mercury . As Slash concluded a short cover of Alice Cooper 's " Only Women Bleed ", Duff McKagan kept an eye on Rose, who approached the front of the stage. When Slash finished the song, then strummed the beginning of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", McKagan walked over to Rose and shook his hand in appreciation. Later in the show, Slash joined Joe Elliott of Def Leppard and the surviving members of Queen for " Tie Your Mother Down ." Rose sang " We Will Rock You " and finished " Bohemian Rhapsody " with Elton John and Queen. The show was broadcast live around the world via satellite , gathering the largest audience for a music concert in history.

On August 8, 1992, in Montreal , Quebec , during the famously troubled Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour portion, Metallica frontman/guitarist James Hetfield 's left arm was badly burned due to misunderstanding about pyrotechnics added to Metallica's stage setup. Metallica was forced to end their set early. However, Guns N' Roses were not present at the arena to begin before the scheduled time, leaving fans to wait several hours before they took the stage. A few songs into the very late set, audio problems resulted in the band not being able to hear themselves play. Rose stormed off stage due to vocal issues, sparking a riot that spilled into the streets.

On November 25, 1992, the band performed in Caracas , Venezuela, in front of a crowd of 45,000. Just two days later, the Venezuela Air Force launched a failed military coup , making it impossible for half of the band's crew and all of their equipment to leave the country. [ citation needed ]

On November 30, 1992, the band performed for the first time in Bogotá , Colombia. When they started to play " November Rain ", a soft rain fell over the city and stopped right after they finished the song. Rose later stated this was a special moment for him because "November Rain" was #1 in Colombia for 60 weeks. Rose stated that the band were at risk of electrocution and must stop to dry the stage. The band moved backstage and returned to finish with " Don't Cry " and "Paradise City."

On December 2, 1992, the band performed in Santiago , Chile, at Estadio Nacional in front of 85,535 people, breaking an attendance record in the stadium. At their arriving at Chile, Rose attacked some graphic reporters and a cameraman was injured. Before the concert, Rose got drunk and arrived at the stadium two hours late. While the band performed " Civil War " some people threw bottles to the stage, and Rose stopped four minutes into the show. The concert ended with 50 people arrested outside the stadium, and a teenage fan with several injuries, dying two days later.

In February 1993, Gilby Clarke told BBC Radio 1 's Friday Rock Show : "For the last year and a half, we had a film crew with us. They do film every show and things backstage: hotel rooms, everything. And what we're gonna do at the end of the whole tour – which is actually after we're done in Europe – is put it all together, and we are gonna make a movie. It's pretty candid right now, so it's gonna be really great. The difference between ours and Madonna's is that ours isn't scripted. This movie is actually things that are happening around us." He also said Guns N' Roses would record an MTV Unplugged during their stay in Russia. Neither of these plans came to fruition. [6]

Stradlin returned for several shows in 1993, deputizing for an injured Clarke. "It was weird," he recalled. "We toured Greece, Istanbul, London [sic] . I liked that side of it – seeing some places I'd never seen… [But] money was a big sore point. I did the dates just for salary… [At the end] I didn't actually say 'See you', cos they were all fucked up… It was like playing with zombies." [7]

On July 17, 1993, the band performed in Buenos Aires , Argentina at River Plate Stadium in front of 80,000 people. It was their last show with most of the Use Your Illusion -era lineup (Rose, Slash, McKagan, Sorum, Reed, and Clarke). The tour was renamed the "Skin N' Bones Tour" for the last couple of legs and included an unplugged performance in a living room set. A highlight of the night was Cozy Powell dressed as a Domino's Pizza delivery boy playing drums with Sorum.

(Taken from the Inglewood, California Great Western Forum show on August 3, 1991)

"Perfect Crime"
" Mr. Brownstone "
"Right Next Door To Hell"
"Bad Obsession"
" Live and Let Die " ( Paul McCartney and Wings cover)
" It's So Easy "
" Yesterdays "
"Dust N' Bones"
"Double Talkin' Jive"
" Civil War "
" Patience "
" You Could Be Mine "
" November Rain "
" My Michelle "
" 14 Years "
" Nightrain "
" Welcome to the Jungle "
" Pretty Tied Up "
" Rocket Queen "
" Don't Cry " (Original lyrics) (with Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon )
" Knockin' on Heaven's Door " ( Bob Dylan cover)
"You Ain't the First" (with Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon)
"Used to Love Her"
"Move to the City"
" Sweet Child o' Mine "
"You're Crazy" (with Sebastian Bach of Skid Row )
"Locomotive"
"Out ta Get Me"
" Dead Horse "
" Estranged "
" Paradise City "

(Taken from the Tokyo, Japan Tokyo Dome show on February 22, 1992)

"Nightrain"
"Mr. Brownstone"
"Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney and Wings cover)
"It's So Easy"
"Attitude" (McKagan sang lead vocals) ( Misfits cover)
"Pretty Tied Up"
"Welcome to the Jungle"
"Don't Cry" (Original lyrics)
"Civil War"
" Wild Horses " ( The Rolling Stones cover)
"You Could Be Mine"
"November Rain"
"Sweet Child o' Mine"
"Rocket Queen"
"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan cover)
"Estranged"
"Paradise City"

(Taken from the Stuttgart, Germany Neckarstadion show on May 28, 1992)

"Attitude" (McKagan sang lead vocals (Misfits cover)
"Wild Horses" (The Rolling Stones cover)
"It's Alright" ( Black Sabbath cover)

(Taken from the Paris, France Hippodrome de Vincennes show on June 6, 1992)

"Attitude" (McKagan sang lead vocals) (Misfits cover)
" Always on the Run " ( Lenny Kravitz cover) (with Lenny Kravitz)
"It's Alright" (originally performed by Black Sabbath)
" Mama Kin " ( Aerosmith cover) with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith)
" Train Kept A-Rollin' " ( Tiny Bradshaw cover) (with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith)

(Taken from the Buenos Aires, Argentina River Plate Stadium show on July 17, 1993)

"Yesterdays"
" Dead Flowers " (The Rolling Stones cover)
"You Ain't the First"
"You're Crazy"
"Dead Horse"
W. Axl Rose – lead vocals, piano, whistle, whistling, acoustic guitar, tambourine, backing vocals
Slash – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, talkbox, slide guitar
Izzy Stradlin – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, lead vocals (1991; 1993 – five shows)
Duff McKagan – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals, drum
Matt Sorum – drums, percussion, backing vocals, drum
Dizzy Reed – keyboards, piano, backing vocals, percussion, organ, tambourine
Gilby Clarke – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, drum (1991–1993)
Teddy Andreadis – keyboards, backing vocals, harmonica, tambourine (1991–1993)
Roberta Freeman – backing vocals, tambourine (1991–1993)
Traci Amos – backing vocals, tambourine (1991–1993)
Diane Jones – backing vocals, tambourine (1991–1993)
Cece Worrall-Rubin – saxophone (1991–1993)
Anne King – trumpet (1991–1993)
Lisa Maxwell – horns (1991–1993)
Shannon Hoon
Sebastian Bach
Lenny Kravitz (June 6, 1992)
Steven Tyler (June 6, 1992)
Joe Perry (June 6, 1992)
Brian May (June 13, 1992)
Ronnie Wood (January 15, 1993) [8]
Michael Monroe (May 30, 1993) [9]
Tyranny of Time
Soundgarden
Raging Slab
Faith No More
Smashing Pumpkins
My Little Funhouse
Blind Melon
El Conde del Guacharo
Estadio El Campín
Nine Inch Nails
Brian May (some shows with his band)
Motörhead
Pearls & Swine
Rose Tattoo
Soul Asylum
Suicidal Tendencies

From Appetite for Destruction :

From G N' R Lies :

"Reckless Life"
"Nice Boys"
" Mama Kin / Train Kept A-Rollin' " (with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith )
"You're Crazy" (Acoustic)

From Use Your Illusion I :

" Don't Cry " (Original lyrics)
"Back Off Bitch" [10]
" The Garden "
"Garden Of Eden"
"Bad Apples"

From Use Your Illusion II :

"Breakdown"
"Don't Cry" (Alt. Lyrics)

From "The Spaghetti Incident?" :

" Since I Don't Have You " (Intro)
"Attitude" (McKagan sang lead vocals)

Other commonly performed songs:

" Theme From the Godfather " ( Nino Rota cover) (Guitar Solo)
" Imagine " ( John Lennon cover) (Intro)
"Dust In The Wind" ( Todd Rundgren cover) (Intro)
" It Tastes Good, Don't It? " (Unreleased original) (played during Rocket Queen)
" I Was Only Joking " ( Rod Stewart cover) (Intro)
" Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds " ( The Beatles cover) (Intro)
" Only Women Bleed " ( Alice Cooper cover) (Intro)
" Mother " ( Pink Floyd cover) (Intro)
" Pinball Wizard " ( The Who cover) (Intro)
" The One " ( Elton John cover) (Intro)
" One " ( U2 cover) (Intro)
"Sail Away Sweet Sister" ( Queen cover) (Intro)
"Bad Time" ( Grand Funk Railroad cover) (Intro)
" Voodoo Child (Slight Return) " ( The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover) (Intro)
" Let It Be " ( The Beatles cover) (Guitar Solo)

1991 Guns N' Roses concert

The 1991 Guns N' Roses concert was a massive outdoor concert by rock band Guns N' Roses at the Birmingham Race Course on June 30 , 1991 . Skid Row opened the general admission show staged by New Era Productions , for which tickets cost $22.50.

The crowd has been estimated at around 40,000, but organizers and concessionaires were unprepared for the turnout. The race track infield was quickly trampled into thick ankle-deep mud. The headlining band appeared late and the show was interrupted numerous times for technical difficulties and, later, due to mud being thrown onto the stage. Axl Rose threatened to end the show early, but returned after a short break, and the band played three encores.

"Perfect Crime"
"Mr Brownstone"
"Welcome to the Jungle"
"Bad Obsession"
"Double Talkin' Jive"
"Dust N' Bones"
"Nightrain"
"Civil War"
"It's So Easy"
drum solo (Matt Sorum)
guitar solo/"The Godfather" theme (Slash)
"Sweet Child O' Mine"
"November Rain"
"I Was Only Joking"/"Patience"
"Only Women Bleed"/"Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
"You Could Be Mine" (encore)
"Estranged" (encore)
"Paradise City" (encore)
Wake, Matt (June 30, 2016) " Guns N' Roses: A look back at band's infamous 1991 Alabama concert " The Birmingham News
1991 events
Birmingham Race Course

Guns N' Roses: A look back at band's infamous 1991 Alabama race course concert

Published: Jun. 30, 2016, 3:41 p.m.

Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose. (Courtesy Everett Collection)

Matt Wake | [email protected]

It was hot, muddy and depending on whom you ask either a transcendent rock show or total debacle.

And about halfway into Guns N' Roses' two-hour June 30, 1991 performance at the Birmingham Race Course, Slash, the curly-haired guitarist who normally lets his instrument do the talking for him onstage, stepped to the microphone.

"I'm seeing a lot of people being carried over the barricade," Slash said. His voice, endearingly semi-wasted. "Try to relax whoever's pushing towards the front, alright? Just cool out! There's a lot of (expletive) people in this (expletive) place, man, as far back as I can (expletive) see."

A few seconds later, Guns N' Roses erupted into the sinister punk-metal track "It's So Easy." The antithesis of chill-out music.

Guns N' Roses fans fill Birmingham Race Course for an outdoor concert in 1991. (Bernard Troncale, The Birmingham News/AL.com/Alabama Media Group)

Tens of thousands of fans had come to the Birmingham Race Course that day to see the biggest and most dangerous band in the world play hits like "Sweet Child O'Mine." After taking almost a year to truly blow up, the group's 1987 debut LP "Appetite for Destruction" mushroomed into one of the biggest selling releases of all-time: 18 million copies sold in the U.S., 30 million worldwide. In addition to their brutal-brilliant music, the band's volatile, dagger-voiced frontman Axl Rose was a huge reason for the band's success. Rock singer charisma like that comes around once a generation.

Fans arrived for the GNR show that Sunday afternoon, travelling from across the state and beyond. Stephanie Carter, then a 17-year-old recent high school graduate, had made the trip down from Huntsville in a little white hatchback with two other girls. Although she didn't sport leather or big hair, music-wise Carter was a total metalhead, and a fan of Sunset Strip rockers like Motley Crue, L.A. Guns, Faster Pussycat and of course GNR.

After arriving in Birmingham, Carter and her friends had decided to stop by the race course before going to eat lunch. Just to check the venue out.

Guns N' Roses fans in line to enter Birmingham Race Course in 1991. (Bernard Troncale, The Birmingham News/AL.com/Alabama Media Group)

"And when we got there, there was already a huge line waiting to get into the parking lot," Carter says now. "And so we made the decision instead to just go ahead and get in line. We had like no food, no water with us so we were starving and it was a super-hot day. It had rained the night before and it was really humid. They weren't letting people into the parking lot until a certain time and so when they finally opened the gates for the parking lot, I don't think the venue was ready for this event. They had like one place selling water but the water was super expensive. So there were people that were severely dehydrated that were getting sick all over the place because you're out in the sun and not enough water."

Nineteen year-old Steve Hall had only been living in Alabama for about two weeks. The Air Force had stationed him in Montgomery and the same day Hall, a "massive fan" of Guns N' Roses, arrived at Gunter Air Force Base he found out GNR was going to be play later that month in Birmingham. "I was just a one-striper in the Air Force and didn't have a car," Hall recalls. "And one of my first priorities was try to find anybody else who was interested and had transportation."

Hall made the drive up to the Birmingham concert with two other airmen. Growing up in Upstate New York, he'd seen his share of arena shows, like Van Halen and the Beastie Boys, but once he entered the Birmingham Race Course grounds, he felt the number of people here on this day was "double or triple the number of those."

The crowd at GNR' Birmingham Race Course show has been rumored to have been around 40,000.

(I reached out to Red Mountain Entertainment, the Birmingham concert promotions company with some staff members that formerly worked for New Era Productions, for an interview for this article. Built by concert promoter Tony Ruffino, who brought legendary acts like Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin to Alabama, and Gary Weinberger, New Era became a Birmingham-based concert powerhouse. The organization also built Oak Mountain Amphitheater. I'd wanted to ask former New Era staff several key questions about the 1991 GNR show. Among them: What was the actual attendance/number of tickets sold? On a tour where the band otherwise played almost exclusively arenas, stadiums and amphitheaters, why did GNR play such an unorthodox venue in Birmingham? Did the band go on late? What was it like doing business with a group as volatile as Guns N' Roses was at that time? Unfortunately, that interview fell through. I also left multiple messages with Birmingham Race Course in an attempt to talk with the general manager there about the GNR show. Those calls were not returned.)

Skid Row was GNR's opening act at the Birmingham Race Course. The Skids had recently followed up a polished quintuple-platinum 1989 debut album with the much heavier "Slave to the Grind" disc, also a hit. A few months later, the band's atomic-grade singer Sebastian Bach would writhe sexily on the cover of Rolling Stone. So having the Skids on the bill made GNR even more of a hot ticket.

Hall recalls that Skid Row "absolutely killed it" that night in Birmingham opening the show. "I don't know if I've ever seen another opening act that fit the headliner better than Skid Row did with Guns N' Roses that night. Sebastian was a one of a kind frontman and the band was just absolutely on fire. As tight as they could be."

A ticket to Guns N' Roses' 1991 concert at the Birmingham Race Course.

Tickets were $22.50 for this general-admission show. After waiting in their car for the venue to begin letting people in, Carter and her friends saw a long line forming so they walked to the back of it. After an extended wait to get into the Birmingham Race Course, the girls found a spot well back from the large stage and in the middle of the field. They'd brought a blanket to sit on. However by the time Skid Row started their set, playing such songs as the scream-fest "Monkey Business," the blanket had been totally trampled and was completely under mud.

"And one of the girls I was with ended up losing a shoe," Carter says.

There was probably more than one shoe lost at the Birmingham Race Course that day. Among other things.

Guns N' Roses, circa 1990, from left: Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, Dizzy Reed, Matt Sorum, Slash, Izzy Stradlin. (Courtesy Everett Collection)

Looking back 20 years later, it's unclear exactly how long it took GNR to hit the stage after Skid Row finished. Hall doesn't remember the gap being more than 60 minutes. Carter thinks it was at least 45 minutes. Some fans have posted online Guns didn't go on until around 11. The start time for the concert was listed as 7 or 7:30 p.m., depending on which outlet tickets were obtained from.

Robb Hereford, a 19-year-old University of Alabama student at the time, had travelled with friends to see the GNR show. Asked about the first thing that comes to mind when he thinks back to that night at the Birmingham Race Course, Hereford says with a laugh, "Really my main memory is of mud. I was ankle-deep in peanut-butter-like mud."

Then he adds, "Also, I remember not being sure if they were going to keep playing or not. There were a lot of interruptions."

We'll get to those interruptions in a minute.

GNR opened their Birmingham set with "Perfect Crime," a blistering number from the band's ambitious twin "Use Your Illusion" albums, which wouldn't be released until September. The band would play nine songs that night from the forthcoming LPs, including several that clocked in at seven minutes or longer, like "Civil War," "Estranged" and the epic ballad "November Rain." It felt truly daring for a mega-band to be playing that many unheard songs (aside from new GNR single "You Could Be Mine" and its B-side, "Civil War," also previously released on a 1990 charity album). Well, mostly unheard. A friend of Hall's had previously given him a bootleg recording containing many "Illusion" songs, so Hall was actually able to sing along with the new numbers, puzzling other nearby fans at the Birmingham concert.

Of course, the sweaty, shirtless race course throng went bananas whenever GNR broke into an "Appetite" track. The band did the junkie-funk "Mr. Brownstone" as the second number. Followed by a slamming "Welcome to the Jungle," which had the entire crowd singing along with the Hollywood-underbelly lyrics.

Things started going a little sideways soon after "Jungle" though.

After a performance of "Illusion" sleaze boogie "Bad Obsession," Rose left the stage. The band went into a sloppy blues jam. There were technical difficulties. Then, Slash erupted into the rat-a-rat riff from Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown" and then halted just as quickly. There was a lot of dead air. Some fans, fearful the temperamental singer was done for the night, began chanting "Axl! Axl!" Rose reappeared and said to the crowd, "Can we like listen to the (expletive) songs and get through this show?" The band played two songs sung by rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, including "Double Talkin' Jive," with lyrics about finding "a head and an arm in a garbage can," with Rose contributing howling background vocals.

Before announcing the performance of "Appetite" alcoholic anthem "Nightrain," Rose said into the mic optimistically, "I got a feeling we're going to be here a little while tonight," drawing an cheer from the crowd. During band introductions that followed that song, Stradlin played the intro to "Sweet Home Alabama" after Rose called out his name.

Hereford remembers Slash's performance of "The Godfather" film theme, which the guitarist had begun doing on the "Illusion" tour as his solo showpiece, as a musical highlight of the show. After "The Godfather," Slash broke into the "Sweet Child O'Mine" wah-wah intro and the crowd went berzerk. It seemed like the show, which at one point seemed on the edge of bedlam and even madness, was veering toward victory.

Two songs later it veered back again.

During the hit bittersweet ballad "Patience," fans began throwing mud onstage at Rose. As the song reached the first chorus, Rose said, "Stop. Stop the (expletive) song." The band stopped playing. "That's cute. We'll be back in about maybe 15 minutes if I feel like playing some more. Thank you." He threw down the microphone. The crowd began to grow unruly. After a few minutes later Rose returned. He addressed the crowd. "You throw something and then some (expletive) drunk kid over here, 16, throws a (expletive) bottle or something, my job, my career is (expletive)." This speech failed to connect with a crowd that mostly did not have careers yet.

I was also at GNR's Birmingham Race Course concert. To a 19-year-old restaurant employee and college student, like I was at the time, Rose sounded like a spoiled rock-star. But years later my opinion of the incident changed. If people were throwing mud at me while I was trying to do an interview or write an article, I would not be happy either.

Hall also feels sympathy towards Rose's plight at the time.

However for many in the crowd, including Carter, the image of Rose "throwing a fit and walking offstage" was "kind of the topper of the whole day, the whole experience." The irony of the incident occurring during a song called "Patience" was not lost either. In 1987, Carter had enjoyed seeing GNR open for Motley Crue on a tour that also hit Birmingham and Mobile, but felt at the Birmingham Race Course "the whole thing was off and it just didn't feel the same.

"It was just a disaster."

Rose and the band finished "Patience," picking it up in the chorus again, with a soaring Slash solo elevating the song. Rose sang the absolute hell out of the tune's anthemic bridge, his vocals part-demonic, part-gospel. The band would next play their roof-raising cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," with Slash working a bit of Alice Cooper's "Only Women Bleed" into the intro. And then three encores, with Slash slurring "This is like a sea of (expletive) people," before slamming into "Paradise City" on a double-neck Gibson guitar. As the song crescendoed, Rose did one last "Whoa oh oh yeah" melisma before screaming staccato: "Birmingham. Thank you. Good. (Expletive). Night."

Leaving the venue after the concert "was chaos," Carter remembers.

"Of course there were a lot of people that were drunk or under the influence of some kind of drugs," she says. "And there was just so much anger too. I remember a lot of horns blowing and screaming and stuff like that as a release of anger."

It could have been much more harrowing.

GNR's next concert, three days later at a St. Louis-area amphitheater, ended with a riot. So did the band's 1992 co-headlining concert with Metallica in Montreal.

Guns N' Roses would actually play Birmingham again on the grueling 18-month "Use Your Illusion" tour, which included almost 200 total concerts and traveled to more than 25 countries. But the band wasn't the same for that latter show, held Feb. 25, 1993 at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Arena. Stradlin had left the group by that time and the band's dangerous side had swollen into caricature. GNR went onstage annoying late. Rose stormed off after blowing out his voice, reportedly because his monitor tech forgot to turn the stage monitors on, so bassist Duff McKagan sang a couple of tunes and Slash apologized to the crowd. Hall was also at that 1993 BJCC show, and says, "I wasn't one of them, but they lost a lot of fans that night."

Hereford, now 44 and working in retail and landscaping in Huntsville, thought he'd have many more chances to see classic Guns N' Roses. "AC/DC's been touring for how many decades? And The Stones. And they just keep coming back around - we all knew that's where (Guns N' Roses) were going. They're a great band and a great band live. It's a shame they let it fall apart like they did."

A July 17, 1993 show in Buenos Aires, Argentina would be the last time Axl, Slash and Duff would share a stage for almost 23 years.

Rose would continue the group with many different skilled musicians over the years, before reuniting with Slash and Duff for this year's "Not In This Lifetime" stadium tour, which comes to Nashville July 9 with outlaw country singer Chris Stapleton opening.

GNR's 2016 "Not In This Lifetime" concerts have drawn strong to ecstatic reviews. As have Rose's performances with AC/DC, earlier this year abroad, as the hard-rock icons' touring vocalist after longtime singer Brian Johnson's hearing injury. And it's no small sign GNR, once notoriously tardy, has been going stage on-time for "Not In This Lifestime" shows.

Carter is now 42 and a teacher's aide living in Lake Elsinore, Calif. Even though she left the Birmingham Race Course disappointed after that GNR concert, she remained fan. "I remember thinking I might think twice about seeing them again. But I liked their music and whenever they'd put out an album I'd buy it. I really liked a lot of the metal and rock (of that era) and their sound was just a little bit grittier, a little bit dirtier."

Now 44, Hall has been a concert promoter for the last 13 years, with shows featuring artists such as Cage the Elephant, Snoop Dogg and Deftones. He currently runs Birmingham-based Steve Hall Productions. As a young fan at that Birmingham Race Course concert, he'd fought his way up to the front row, close enough to touch Slash's high-tops during a solo. Decades later Hall would promote concerts featuring Slash's solo band and McKagan's group Loaded. Hall tips his hat to "the legendary Tony Ruffino," who died in 2011, for bringing monster shows, like prime GNR, to the state. "To pull off the logistics in an unorthodox venue and still make it happen and put Birmingham on the map with one of the most ambitious tours in rock and roll history is something to be proud of."

Listed to a bootleg recording of Guns N' Roses' June 30, 1991 at Birmingham Race Course below.

Setlist "Perfect Crime" "Mr. Brownstone" "Welcome to the Jungle" "Bad Obsession" Blues jam "Double Talkin' Jive" "Dust N' Bones" "Nightrain" "Civil War" "It's So Easy" Matt Sorum drum solo Slash guitar solo "The Godfather" theme "Sweet Child O' Mine" "November Rain" "Patience" (with "I Was Only Joking" intro) "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (with "Only Women Bleed" intro) Encore: "You Could Be Mine" "Estranged" "Paradise City"

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Guns N’ Roses
August 3, 1991 Setlist

Guns N’ Roses Setlist at Great Western Forum, Inglewood, CA, USA

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Song played from tape My Way ( Claude François song) ( Sid Vicious version ) Play Video
Perfect Crime Play Video
Mr. Brownstone Play Video
Right Next Door to Hell Play Video
Bad Obsession Play Video
Live and Let Die ( Wings cover) Play Video
It's So Easy Play Video
Yesterdays Play Video
Dust n' Bones Play Video
Double Talkin' Jive Play Video
Civil War Play Video
Patience ( I Was Only Joking Intro ) Play Video
You Could Be Mine Play Video
November Rain Play Video
My Michelle Play Video
14 Years Play Video
Nightrain Play Video
Welcome to the Jungle ( Followed by Band Introductions ) Play Video
Drum Solo ( Matt Sorum ) Play Video
Slash Guitar Solo Play Video
Love Theme from The Godfather ( Nino Rota cover) Play Video
Pretty Tied Up Play Video
Rocket Queen Play Video
Don't Cry (with Shannon Hoon ) Play Video
Knockin' on Heaven's Door ( Bob Dylan cover) ( Only Women Bleed Intro ) Play Video
You Ain't the First (with Shannon Hoon ) Play Video
Used to Love Her Play Video
Move to the City Play Video
Sweet Child o' Mine ( Bad Time Intro ) Play Video
You're Crazy (with Sebastian Bach ) Play Video
Locomotive Play Video
Out ta Get Me Play Video
Dead Horse Play Video
Estranged Play Video
Paradise City Play Video

Edits and Comments

63 activities (last edit by event_monkey , 20 Jan 2024, 12:17 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

It's So Easy
Mr. Brownstone
My Michelle
Out ta Get Me
Paradise City
Rocket Queen
Sweet Child o' Mine
Welcome to the Jungle
You're Crazy
Bad Obsession
Don't Cry
Double Talkin' Jive
Dust n' Bones
November Rain
Perfect Crime
Right Next Door to Hell
You Ain't the First
Pretty Tied Up
You Could Be Mine
Move to the City
Used to Love Her
Knockin' on Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan
Live and Let Die by Wings
Love Theme from The Godfather by Nino Rota
Slash Guitar Solo

Complete Album stats

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Guns N’ Roses Announce Limited-Edition ‘London 1991′ CD

Guns N' Roses will release previously unheard, newly mixed footage from their Aug. 31, 1991, Wembley Stadium concert on the limited-edition London 1991 CD.

The six-song disc is available to members of the Nightrain Fan Club who joined or renewed their membership after Feb. 16. It will ship ahead of the band's 2023 world tour , which begins on June 5 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

You can learn more at Guns N' Roses' website and see the London 1991 track listing below.

The 1991 Wembley concert was part of Guns N' Roses' two-and-a-half-year Use Your Illusion Tour , which began several months before the albums hit shelves that September. It also marked guitarist Izzy Stradlin 's final show as a full-time member of the group. He announced his resignation a few months later, and GN'R replaced him with Gilby Clarke and headed back out on the road in early December 1991.

Guns N' Roses recently released a Use Your Illusion box set that includes recordings of two full live concerts: one from May 1991 at New York City's Ritz Theatre and one from January 1992 at Las Vegas' Thomas and Mack Center. The box set also includes a Blu-ray of the full Ritz performance.

The double-disc reissues of Use Your Illusion I and II additionally feature live versions of "Perfect Crime," "Dust N' Bones," "Double Talkin' Jive" and "14 Years" from the Wembley 1991 show. Recordings of "Mr. Brownstone" and "My Michelle" previously appeared on the 1999 double album Live Era '87-'93 .

Listen to Guns N' Roses' 'Perfect Crime' Live at Wembley Stadium in 1991

Since Axl Rose , Slash and Duff McKagan reunited in 2016, Guns N' Roses have released two new songs, " Absurd " and " Hard Skool ," both of which date back to the Chinese Democracy sessions. Slash told radio host Eddie Trunk in October that he "want[s] to go in and cut a whole brand new record at some point, probably sooner than later." The guitarist said the band has a handful of unreleased new songs, including "a couple of epic ones coming out, so I'm excited about that."

Guns N' Roses will also take part in the Power Trip festival in October, playing at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., alongside Ozzy Osbourne , AC/DC , Metallica , Iron Maiden and Tool .

Guns N' Roses: London 1991 Track Listing 1. "Bad Obsession" 2. "Live and Let Die" 3. "Voodoo Child (Slight Return) / Civil War / Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" 4. "You Could Be Mine" 5. "Only Women Bleed / Knockin' on Heaven's Door" 6. "Estranged"

The 30 Wildest Moments From Guns N' Roses' Use Your Illusion Tour

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GNR The Ritz 1991 (1080P HD)

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