Slash Guitar

Chapter III : Guns & Roses

            Guns N' Roses is an American Hard Rock band who formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The classic lineup as signed to Geffen Records  in 1986, consisted of vocalist Axl Roses, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlyn, Bassis Duff McKagan & Drummer Steven Adler.

                          Guns N' Roses' late 1980s shows were often eventful for more than just the band's performance. During a November 1987 show in America , Rose assaulted a security guard and was held backstage by police, while his band mates continued playing with a roadie singing. In 1990, Guns N' Roses returned to the studio to begin recording their most ambitious undertaking yet.

           Interviews with Guns N' Roses band members suggest that between 1994 and 1996, the band sporadically began to write and record new material, most of which, according to Slash, had been written by Rose.The so-called "Hell Tour" cemented the band's first stable lineup, with McKagan later commenting.its accompanying music video received heavy airplay on both radio and MTV, becoming a huge hit during the summer of 1988 and reaching the top of the charts in the U.S. Slash later commented, "It was actually my least favorite song we ever wrote.

                                            Many of the successful performances during the tour were equally matched, and often overshadowed, in the press by riots, late starts and outspoken rants by Rose. While the band's previous drug and alcohol issues were seemingly under control, Axl was often agitated by lax security, sound problems and unwanted filming or recording of the performances. He also used the time in-between songs to fire off political statements or retorts against music critics or celebrity rivals.

                                                                Rose was wanted by the police for inciting the riot, but police were unable to arrest him until almost a year later, as the band went overseas to continue the tour. Charges were filed against Rose, but a judge ruled that he did not directly incite the riot. In his defense, Rose stated that the Guns N' Roses security team had made four separate requests to the venue's security staff to remove the camera, all of which were ignored, and that other members of the band had reported being hit by bottles launched from the audience, while the security staff was refusing to enforce a drinking Alchohols & Using Drugs.

                               Stradlin cited a combination of Rose's personal behavior (Rose frequently delayed the start of shows by hours at a time) and his mismanagement of the band.Metallica was forced to cancel the second hour of the show, but promised to return to the city for another performance. After a long delay, during which the audience became increasingly restless, Guns N' Roses took the stage. However, the shortened time between sets did not allow for adequate tuning of stage monitors, resulting in members of G N' R not being able to hear themselves.