Guns N' Roses set S.L. concert date
- Salt Lake City Tribune, 6.21.91

Excerpt:

One of the most highly anticipated concert tours of the year will hit Salt Lake City when Guns n' Roses visits the Salt Palace July 13.

The group missed Utah on its last tour, but early accounts of the new stage show, which kicked off last month in Wisconsin, say it is the group's tightest, most hard-rocking set yet. Skid Row will open the show.

Tickets go on sale at 7 a.m. Monday at the Salt Palace and all Smith's Tix outlets.

Safety Concerns Prompt County to Review Concert
- Vince Horiuchi, Salt Lake City Tribune, 7.6.91

Salt Lake County will "demand the right" to cancel the July 13 Guns N' Roses heavy-metal concert at the Salt Palace if safety measures aren't met, an official said Friday.

Brent Cameron, director of the county's administrative services, asked the managers of the Salt Palace to review the band after lead singer Axl Rose touched off a riot at one of its concerts Tuesday night.

"I told them that I wanted to make sure that we reviewed the security and made sure things were safe," said Mr. Cameron. "I do know that if there is a public-safety issue, we would demand the right to cancel it."

Spectacor Management Group, the firm that manages the Salt Palace, plans to meet with county officials Monday to determine if any additional safety measures will be taken for the concert.

The concern for safety began after Mr. Rose leaped into a crowd at a Maryland Heights, Mo., concert and started a riot that injured about 60 people.

Witnesses said the singer jumped into the crowd to stop a fan from taking pictures. An estimated 3,000 rioters began tearing out seats and rolling amplifiers up a grassy hill.

Spectacor has requested reports of the Missouri incident and will review if additional security measures are required, said public relations director Beth White.

"At this point, we are not considering canceling the concert. But with patron safety to consider, we can go that route if we have to," said Ms. White.

County officials are particularly concerned because they do not want a repeat of the Jan. 18 AC/DC concert at the Salt Palace when three teen-agers were crushed to death when the crowd rushed the stage.

Concert promoter Jim McNeil said he talked to the band's management Friday morning about the incident. "We were very specific with what we needed and they didn't have any problem complying. I need them to come and be responsible, and they're going to be," he said.

"You don't want someone in the arena who's going to incite to riot, but on the other hand, you hope that their management will make sure they don't do anything that will create an incident," said Mr. Cameron.

Security strategy planned for Guns N' Roses concert
- Lori Buttars, Salt Lake City Tribune, 7.12.91

Salt Lake County authorities are taking precautions to ensure there is no repeat performance of the Guns N' Roses riot last week in Missouri when the band plays the Salt Palace Saturday.

"Guns N' Roses is one of the premier rock 'n' roll bands, and with any act like that you are going to have your hands full," said Salt Lake County Commission Chairman Jim Bradley. "We are aware of that and our people are prepared."

The commissioner said he is reserving the right to close the facility "as late as Saturday if for any reason I feel uncomfortable about the band coming here."

County administrative services asked the managers of the Salt Palace and United Concerts to monitor the actions of band members at performances this week in Dallas and Denver.

Mr. Bradley said concert promoters have been in close contact with the band's management and were "very specific about our concerns and how we expect them to act when they are here. They were happy to comply and thus far we haven't seen, nor do we expect, any problems," Mr. Bradley said.

Nearly 10,000 tickets had been sold by Thursday, according to Beth White, spokeswoman for the Salt Palace management firm, Spectacor. As a precautionary measure, an attendance cap of 12,500 has been set.

Company policy prevented Ms. White from giving details about concert security measures, but Mr. Bradley said there would be more than 200 security workers on duty Saturday. Salt Palace personnel will also install fixed seating on the Salt Palace arena floor, eliminating festival seating and the possibility of chair throwing.

"Our crowds are enthusiastic, not malicious," Mr. Bradley said.