GUNS' TEXAS SHOW QUIET
- Associated Press, 7.10.91

Dallas police had riot gear ready for the heavy-metal band Guns N' Roses' first show since fans rampaged at a Missouri concert, but all went smoothly once the performance started two hours late.

The band performed Monday night for a near-capacity crowd at Dallas' 20,000-seat Starplex Ampitheatre. Lead singer Axl Rose arrived late, police said.

Rose told fans that the melee last week was blown out of proportion by the media. He also apologized for sound problems, which he blamed on equipment damaged in the riot.

Police Sgt. Jim Chandler said 41 off-duty officers, 10 more than usual, were hired to provide security. A private security firm provided additional guards, said Starplex general manager Larry Fontana.

Last week, about 3,000 of the 15,400 fans at the Riverport Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, Mo., went wild after Rose jumped off the stage and then stopped the show.

Angry fans threw bottles, uprooted chairs and demolished equipment. At least 64 concertgoers and 15 officers were injured. Subsequent shows near Chicago and at Bonner Springs were canceled.

At Monday night's concert, Rose told the audience he had jumped into the crowd at the Missouri concert last week "because the security was beating on some kid." At the time, authorities and witnesses had said he had gone after a concertgoer who was toting a video camera; cameras are barred at the concert. The concert's promoters today said that Rose's claim wasn't true.

'If he says that security was beating up someone, he's the only person who saw it," said Steve Schankman, president of Contemporary Productions. Also Monday, a man injured in the melee filed a lawsuit in St. Louis Circuit Court, seeking unspecified damages from Rose, the concert's promoters and the builder of the amphitheatre.

GUNS N' ROSES CONCERT ENDS PEACEFULLY, DESPITE TARDY AXL
- Press-Telegram Wire Service, 7.9.91

Guns N' Roses took to the stage - late - Monday night amid beefed-up security for the heavy-metal band's first show since a concert in Missouri last week turned into a riot. This one ended peacefully.

In a lengthy tirade between songs, lead singer Axl Rose said the melee last week was blown out of proportion.

``(The media) will tell you he (Rose) jumped on somebody in a crowd. (The media) won't tell you that he jumped into the crowd because the security was beating on some kid,'' Rose told the cheering crowd.

The band began performing about 10:15 p.m. to a restless crowd that had been awaiting the performers since about 8 p.m. The concert ended less than two hours later.

The delay apparently was caused by the absence of Rose, who didn't show up until minutes before the concert began, a police officer said.

Last week, about 3,000 fans at the Riverport Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, Mo., went wild after Rose jumped off the stage and fought with a fan with a camera. The crowd, angered because the six-member band stopped the show after the incident, threw bottles, uprooted chairs and demolished equipment. At least 64 concertgoers and 15 officers were injured.