In 1992, Guns N’ Roses and Metallica embarked on a dream tour. As two of the biggest bands in the world, this was an event for the ages. However, it all came apart at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Metallica performed before GNR, but the heavy metal group’s set was cut short after vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield experienced a pyrotechnics accident that left him with burns and the need for medical attention.
On the tour, there would usually be a two-hour turnaround between Metallica and GNR’s sets, but there was hope that GNR might take to the stage quicker in lieu of Hetfield’s accident. But that didn’t happen, and GNR only made their way onto the stage three hours later. Fifty-five minutes into his band’s performance, Axl Rose pulled the cord, citing the same voice issues that he had experienced earlier in the tour.
The 53,000-strong crowd didn’t appreciate this. They destroyed the Olympic Stadium’s windows and took to the streets, where they started fires, looted a store, and created havoc on a path of destruction. The police contained the chaos and shut down the subway stations, fearing that the riot would spread to other areas.
For Guns N’ Roses’ second studio album, “G N’ R Lies,” the band continued to push buttons. That time, though, they may have gone too far with the release of the track “One in a Million,” which not only consisted of homophobic slurs, but also the N-word and eyebrow-raising comments about immigrants. The song attracted a lot of controversy from critics, fans, and other artists — with even Living Color speaking out about it.
