Violence & Chaos: Guns N’ Roses Photographer Recalls Chaotic St. Louis ‘Riot’
Gun N’ Roses’ career was riddled with violence, partying, drugs, womanizing, and chaos — especially at the height of their fame. REELZ’s new docuseries, Guns N’ Roses: Breaking the Band, looks back at the band’s darkest times, including a wild concert in which lead vocalist Axl Rose jumped offstage and attacked a fan.
In the middle of a show in St. Louis in 1991, an enraged Axl, 57, stopped performing when he saw a fan taking a photo with a camera — despite photography being prohibited.
“Take that!” he screamed repeatedly, but seeing as no one reacted, he said, “I’ll take it, damnit,” and jumped off stage, flying into the crowd. He then punched the fan and started a massive fight between the concertgoers.
The rocker then jumped back on stage. “Thanks to the lame a** security, I’m going home,” he said before slamming the mic on the floor.
“It ended up in a riot,” recalls Guns N’ Roses Photographer and friend Marc Canter in the REELZ show. “It was unfortunate and there was a lot of damage, and it was a big mess.”
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After the brawl, 21 people were treated for injuries, and at least six of them were police officers. In the end reports said 80 people got injured and the damage was estimated at $25,000, one of the most expensive in rock history.
Guns N’ Roses: Breaking the Band airs Sunday, June 16 at 10ET / PT on REELZ.