Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour

Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour

Tour by Guns N' Roses and Metallica
A poster for the concert on August 12, 1992 in Denver, Colorado, which was postponed due to James Hetfield's injuries in Montreal
Associated album	Use Your Illusion I Use Your Illusion II Metallica Angel Dust
Start date	July 17, 1992
End date	October 6, 1992
No. of shows	26
Guns N' Roses tour chronology Use Your Illusion Tour (1991–1992) Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour (1992) Use Your Illusion Tour (1992–1993) Metallica tour chronology Wherever We May Roam Tour (1991–1992) Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour (1992) Nowhere Else to Roam (1993)

The Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by American rock bands

On May 12, 1992, Metallica's drummer,

Comedian Andrew Dice Clay introduced Guns N' Roses before they came onstage on October 3, 1992 at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California.

The tour was financially successful for Metallica, however; Guns N' Roses did not benefit nearly as much. According to Slash, in his self-titled autobiography, the band lost about 80% of their earnings primarily due to Rose's extravagant spending, which included funding expensive backstage theme parties at every show, as well as the band being fined heavily for multiple late appearances. The tour also earned both bands a Metal Edge Readers' Choice Award in 1992, when it was voted "Best Concert Tour".^[3]

Incidents

• On July 21, 1992, when Guns N' Roses was performing at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, when the band was done performing their song "You Could Be Mine", Axl Rose vomited onstage and left soon afterwards, but returned to the stage and apologized to the audience for the poor performance, so the band performed the song again.
• On July 29, 1992, while Guns N' Roses was performing during the second show at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, frontman Axl Rose encountered severe pain in his throat, but continued the show until he was hit in the genitals by a cigarette lighter thrown from the audience during "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", forcing him to retreat backstage to recover, while bassist Duff McKagan took over on vocals as the set would be immediately be cut short soon afterwards.
• On July 30, 1992, while on a rest day in New York City, Rose was diagnosed with severe damage to his vocal chords, and was told by doctors that he could not sing for at least a week, resulting in three shows of the tour being rescheduled.
• On September 21, 1992, Faith No More was fired from the tour due in large part to the band's dissatisfaction with Guns N' Roses' management and singer Mike Patton's obscene retaliatory behavior in which he allegedly urinated on Axl Rose's teleprompter.^[4]

Montreal Riot

On August 8, 1992, during the performance at Montreal's Olympic Stadium; several songs into Metallica's set, during the song Fade to Black,^[5] frontman and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield was accidentally burned by improper pyrotechnics forcing the band to cut their set short as Hetfield was rushed to the hospital. After Hetfield was taken to the hospital, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, bassist Jason Newsted and drummer Lars Ulrich promised a makeup concert to quell the sold-out crowd of 54,666. After lengthy delay, the audience became increasingly impatient as Guns N' Roses eventually took the stage after a two and a half hour wait. However; the shortened time between sets did not allow for adequate tuning of the band's stage monitors, resulting in multiple band members noticing audial issues. Singer Axl Rose later blamed the issues on bad audio and vocal problems stemming from his diagnosis on July 30.^[6] Rose forced the band to end their set short after performing only nine songs, then proclaiming to the crowd "This is going to be the last you'll hear from us in a long time, I'm out" before throwing his microphone and storming offstage.^[7] Following the set, an estimated crowd of 2,000 people began rioting within the stadium and surrounding areas, the fans would overturn police cars, loot various souvenir booths, and set multiple bonfires within the stadium causing an estimated $600,000 in damage to the stadium and surrounding areas. Footage from the incident was later included in Metallica's 1992 documentary A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica. According to multiple reports from Metallica's road crew, in addition to guitarist Kirk Hammett, Rose showed little remorse for the incident following the mayhem, and was even reported by Hammett to have returned to his dressing room drinking with other band members while the bands were forced to remain inside the Expos' locker rooms during the destruction.

Six shows were forced to be rescheduled due to Hetfield's injuries, including a cancelled performance in Vancouver at BC Place for August 17.^[8]

On August 27, 1992 during a performance of U2's Zoo TV Tour, frontman Bono jokingly imitated Rose regarding the incident to the crowd, asking fans "Oh hey, what time is it? looks like we gotta go!".^[9]

Metallica would later perform two half-priced shows at the Montreal Forum in February 1993. The Régie banned Guns N' Roses for life from the venue.^[10]

On August 11 and 13, 2023, as part of their M72 world tour playing two shows for every city, Metallica returned to the Olympic Stadium for the first time since the events.^[11]

Guns N' Roses setlists

First setlist

(Taken from the Orchard Park, New York, Rich Stadium show on July 25, 1992)

1. "Nightrain"
2. "Mr. Brownstone"
3. "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney and Wings cover)
4. "Attitude" (Misfits cover)
5. "Bad Obsession"
6. "Double Talkin' Jive"
7. "Civil War"
8. "
   Wild Horses" (The Rolling Stones
   cover)
9. "Patience"
10. "It's So Easy"
11. "Welcome to the Jungle"
12. "You Could Be Mine"
13. "It's Alright" (Black Sabbath cover)
14. "November Rain"
15. "Sweet Child o' Mine"
16. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan cover)
17. "Don't Cry (Original)"
18. "Paradise City"

Second setlist

(Taken from the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Three Rivers Stadium show on July 26, 1992)

1. "It's So Easy"
2. "Nightrain"
3. "Mr. Brownstone"
4. "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney and Wings cover)
5. "Attitude" (Misfits cover)
6. "Bad Obsession"
7. "Double Talkin' Jive"
8. "Civil War"
9. "Move to the City"
10. "
    Wild Horses" (The Rolling Stones
    cover)
11. "Patience"
12. "Welcome to the Jungle"
13. "You Could Be Mine"
14. "November Rain"
15. "Sweet Child o' Mine"
16. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan cover)
17. "Don't Cry (Original)"
18. "Paradise City"

Third setlist

(Taken from the Houston, Texas, Astrodome show on September 4, 1992)

1. "Welcome to the Jungle"
2. "Mr. Brownstone"
3. "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney and Wings cover)
4. "Attitude" (Misfits cover)
5. "Nightrain"
6. "Bad Obsession"
7. "It's So Easy"
8. "
   Wild Horses" (The Rolling Stones
   cover)
9. "Patience"
10. "Double Talkin' Jive"
11. "Civil War"
12. "It's Alright" (Black Sabbath cover)
13. "November Rain"
14. "You Could Be Mine"
15. "Sweet Child o' Mine"
16. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan cover)
17. "Don't Cry (Original)"
18. "Paradise City"

Fourth setlist

(Taken from the Columbia, South Carolina, Williams-Brice Stadium show on September 7, 1992)

1. "Welcome to the Jungle"
2. "Mr. Brownstone"
3. "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney and Wings cover)
4. "Attitude" (Misfits cover)
5. "It's So Easy"
6. "Bad Obsession"
7. "Nightrain"
8. "Double Talkin' Jive"
9. "Civil War"
10. "Move to the City"
11. "
    Wild Horses" (The Rolling Stones
    cover)
12. "Patience"
13. "You Could Be Mine"
14. "It's Alright" (Black Sabbath cover)
15. "November Rain"
16. "Sweet Child o' Mine"
17. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan cover)
18. "Paradise City"

Fifth setlist

(Taken from the Foxborough, Massachusetts, Foxboro Stadium show on September 11, 1992)

1. "Welcome to the Jungle"
2. "Mr. Brownstone"
3. "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney and Wings cover)
4. "Attitude" (Misfits cover)
5. "It's So Easy"
6. "Double Talkin' Jive"
7. "Civil War"
8. "
   Wild Horses" (The Rolling Stones
   cover)
9. "Patience"
10. "Nightrain"
11. "Out ta Get Me"
12. "You Could Be Mine"
13. "It's Alright" (Black Sabbath cover)
14. "November Rain"
15. "Sweet Child o' Mine"
16. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan cover)
17. "Don't Cry (Original)"
18. "Paradise City"

Sixth setlist

(Taken from the San Diego, California, Jack Murphy Stadium show on September 30, 1992)

1. "Welcome to the Jungle"
2. "It's So Easy"
3. "Mr. Brownstone"
4. "Nightrain"
5. "Attitude" (Misfits cover)
6. "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney and Wings cover)
7. "Bad Obsession"
8. "
   Wild Horses" (The Rolling Stones
   cover)
9. "Patience"
10. "Double Talkin' Jive"
11. "Civil War"
12. "You Could Be Mine"
13. "It's Alright" (Black Sabbath cover)
14. "November Rain"
15. "Sweet Child o' Mine"
16. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Bob Dylan cover)
17. "Don't Cry (Original)"
18. "Paradise City"

Metallica setlists

First setlist

(Taken from the Orchard Park, New York, Rich Stadium show on July 25, 1992)

1. "Creeping Death"
2. "Harvester of Sorrow"
3. "Fade to Black"
4. "Sad but True"
5. "Wherever I May Roam"
6. "Of Wolf and Man"
7. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
8. "The Unforgiven"
9. "The Shortest Straw"
10. "Bass Solo"
11. "Guitar Solo"
12. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
13. "Master of Puppets"
14. "Seek & Destroy"
15. "Whiplash"
16. "Nothing Else Matters"
17. "
    Diamond Head
    cover)
18. "
    Last Caress" (Misfits
    cover)
19. "One"
20. "Enter Sandman"

Second setlist

(Taken from the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Three Rivers Stadium show on July 26, 1992)

1. "Creeping Death"
2. "Harvester of Sorrow"
3. "Fade to Black"
4. "Sad but True"
5. "Wherever I May Roam"
6. "Of Wolf and Man"
7. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
8. "The Unforgiven"
9. "The Shortest Straw"
10. "Bass Solo"
11. "Guitar Solo"
12. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
13. "Master of Puppets"
14. "Seek & Destroy"
15. "Whiplash"
16. "Nothing Else Matters"
17. "
    Diamond Head
    cover)
18. "
    Last Caress" (Misfits
    cover)
19. "One"
20. "Enter Sandman"

Third setlist

(Taken from the Houston, Texas, Astrodome show on September 4, 1992)

1. "Creeping Death"
2. "Harvester of Sorrow"
3. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
4. "Sad but True"
5. "Wherever I May Roam"
6. "Of Wolf and Man"
7. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
8. "The Unforgiven"
9. "The Shortest Straw"
10. "Bass Solo"
11. "Guitar Solo"
12. "Fade to Black"
13. "Master of Puppets"
14. "Seek & Destroy"
15. "Whiplash"
16. "Nothing Else Matters"
17. "
    Diamond Head
    cover)
18. "
    Last Caress" (Misfits
    cover)
19. "One"
20. "Enter Sandman"

Fourth setlist

(Taken from the Columbia, South Carolina, Williams-Brice Stadium show on September 7, 1992)

1. "Creeping Death"
2. "Harvester of Sorrow"
3. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
4. "Sad but True"
5. "Wherever I May Roam"
6. "Of Wolf and Man"
7. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
8. "The Unforgiven"
9. "The Shortest Straw"
10. "Bass Solo"
11. "Guitar Solo"
12. "Fade to Black"
13. "Master of Puppets"
14. "Seek & Destroy"
15. "Whiplash"
16. "Nothing Else Matters"
17. "
    Diamond Head
    cover)
18. "
    Last Caress" (Misfits
    cover)
19. "One"
20. "Enter Sandman"

Fifth setlist

(Taken from the Foxborough, Massachusetts, Foxboro Stadium show on September 11, 1992)

1. "Creeping Death"
2. "Harvester of Sorrow"
3. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
4. "Sad but True"
5. "Wherever I May Roam"
6. "Of Wolf and Man"
7. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
8. "The Unforgiven"
9. "The Shortest Straw"
10. "Bass Solo"
11. "Guitar Solo"
12. "Fade to Black"
13. "Master of Puppets"
14. "Seek & Destroy"
15. "Whiplash"
16. "Nothing Else Matters"
17. "
    Diamond Head
    cover)
18. "
    Last Caress" (Misfits
    cover)
19. "One"
20. "Enter Sandman"

Sixth setlist

(Taken from the San Diego, California, Jack Murphy Stadium show on September 30, 1992)

1. "Creeping Death"
2. "Harvester of Sorrow"
3. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
4. "Sad but True"
5. "Wherever I May Roam"
6. "Of Wolf and Man"
7. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
8. "The Unforgiven"
9. "The Shortest Straw"
10. "Bass Solo"
11. "Guitar Solo"
12. "Fade to Black"
13. "Master of Puppets"
14. "Seek & Destroy"
15. "Whiplash"
16. "Nothing Else Matters"
17. "
    Diamond Head
    cover)
18. "
    Last Caress" (Misfits
    cover)
19. "One"
20. "Enter Sandman"

Tour dates

Personnel

Guns N' Roses

• W. Axl Rose – lead vocals, piano, whistle, whistling, tambourine
• talkbox
• Duff McKagan – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals
• Matt Sorum – drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Dizzy Reed – keyboards, piano, organ, synthesizer, percussion, tambourine
• Gilby Clarke – rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Metallica

• James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
• Kirk Hammett – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Lars Ulrich – drums, percussion
• Jason Newsted – bass, backing vocals
• John Marshall – rhythm guitar (August 25 – October 6)

Faith No More (July 17-removed September 21)

• Mike Patton – lead vocals
• Jim Martin – lead guitar, backing vocals, rhythm guitar on "Last Caress" during Metallica's set
• Billy Gould – bass, backing vocals
• Mike Bordin – drums
• Roddy Bottum – keyboards, backing vocals

Motörhead (September 27-October 6)

• Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister – lead vocals, bass
• Phil "Wizzö" Campbell – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Würzel – lead guitar
• Mickey Dee – drums

• Ice-T – lead vocals
• Ernie C – lead guitar
• D-Roc the Executioner – rhythm guitar
• Mooseman – bass
• Beatmaster V – drums

• Teddy Andreadis – keyboards, backing vocals, harmonica, tambourine
• Roberta Freeman – backing vocals, tambourine
• Traci Amos – backing vocals, tambourine
• Diane Jones – backing vocals, tambourine
• Anne King – trumpet
• Cece Worrall-Rubin – saxophone
• Lisa Maxwell – saxophone

Additional musicians for Guns N' Roses

• Shannon Hoon – backing vocals on "Don't Cry" (Original) (July 22, 1992)

References