As time goes by, things change around us. It happens, and there's nothing you can do to stop it. You will have different friends, you will listen to different music, and you will play different video games. However, as much as time goes by, somethings, no matter what happens, against all probability, remain the same.
After several years in hiding with, my guess, some good food and light drugs, Guns N Roses, the uber badboys of the cock-rock glam era of late 80's early early 90's music have returned, and are currently on tour. Yeah, GNR, back on tour, with no Duff McKagen, no Izzy Stradlin, and, most importantly no Slash blazing away with cigarette in mouth and greasy hair dangling down from the top of his head, a top hat perched on top. Not to fear though, Axl's still there, and so's their keyboardist.
Back to the point of this rambling. I find it hilarious that in Vancouver there was a riot. Now, you must understand, being an American, I do joke about my neighbors to the north, but I have no hatred for them. I don't find it funny that there's a riot, but the reason, I find hilarious. Axl Rose was trapped in an airport in California, and couldn't get up to Vancouver to perform. As usual, the fans went nuts and rioted. The police only moved in when people started bashing in windows with metal pipes.
I say as usual because Axl has a nasty habit of inciting riots. Not really inciting them, he does not work the crowd into a rabid frenzy, so the only thing on their mind is mass destruction of large inanimate objects. Riots seem to follow him wherever he goes.
Back a few years ago, the coolest tour ever worked it's was around the United States. Guns N Roses, riding high from the success of the use your illusion albums toured with opening act Metallica, who were just beginning to get really really huge off the black album. On September 8th, 1992 the tour made it's way up to Montreal, and tragedy struck.
When Metallica goes on tour, they always have three things. Beer, a box of dirt for James Hetfield to step in before they take the stage, and pyrotechnics. Make that lots of pyrotechnics, fire spouting things and other objects that go boom. Before that show on the 8th, the stage manager went up to the band and told them that they added pyro that would go off, and told them during what songs. What wasn't absolutely clear was that the old pyro was still there. Shortly after the intro to the power ballad Fade to Black, a song James wrote after the band's gear got stolen in Boston while on tour for the first album, the pyro went off. The only problem was, James Hetfield was standing over one of the fire pots, you know, one of the thingies that shoots out an 8 foot flame straight into the air.
Needless to say, medical attention was required immediately. James suffered burns on his right hand and arm and could not play guitar for a good while. Metallica would continue the tour after some downtime with a roadie standing in for James on guitar.
The fans were totally bummed out, and understandibly so, but the worst was yet to come. Axl decided that he could not go out on stage that night. The band was present, with all their equipment, ready to take the stage and for some reason or other, Axl would not. They announced that Guns N Roses would not be performing that night. The Canadian fans, upset that their expensive concert was only about 35 minutes long, went into their best British football hooligan riot impression, and riot they did. I fear for what happens when Guns make their way to Boston near the end of December, and I don't think Axl should be allowed in Canada, ever.
sources:
www.encycmet.com
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