The summer of 1992

[CherryGarcia]

For older members:

What do you remember of the summer of 1992 as far as GN'R? How big would you say they were, especially coming from American perspectives? It seems like June - August 1992 represents the apex of GN'R's popularity:

June 6th, 1992 - GN'R airs a massive PPV show from Paris. The show is watched by millions around the world and features Lenny Kravitz, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry as special guests.

July 17th, 1992: GN'R begin the massively successful (and controversial) GN'R/Metallia co-headlining tour, with Faith No More opening for both bands. They easily sell out RFK and Giants Stadium that summer.

August 29th 1992 - November Rain hits #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

September 9th, 1992 - GN'R win the Video Vanguard Award for November Rain, and close out the show as the grand finale in a duet with Elton John

For members here who can remember '85-'95 in full, would you say this period - the summer/early fall of '92 - was GN'R's peak of popularity in the states? Or were they bigger in '88/89?

[gcluskey]

Saw them play Slane, Ireland on May 16th in 1992. I've never forgotten that date or that day. It was a scorching hot day and the village of Slane was swamped with fans. Extra Garda? (police) had been called in from around the country as they feared there'd be trouble at a concert hosting 'the most dangerous band in the world'. There was no trouble though. Everyone was buzzing. Faith No More supported and My Little Fun House. After the support played there was a very long wait before Guns N Roses hit the stage opening with Nightrain. Everyone went apeshit. I couldn't believe I was seeing these guys in the flesh. I was 16 years of age and these guys were the coolest band around. There was a bit of banter between songs and Axl did a short cover of One by U2 before singing Sweet Child. Great day and a great time.

[D-GenerationX]

I consider 1992 the height of their career. 

As big as they ever were, probably.  Definitely bigger than they were in 1988, when they were also pretty big.

In 1992, they were the legit biggest band in the world.  Only one with an argument was maybe U2.

[Bridge]

Although I think the band was at their best in 1988, I have to concur they were at their biggest in 1992.  Even though they'd lost Steven and Izzy by that point, it was nevertheless exciting to see GNR blow up so huge.

I saw the 6/6/92 Paris pay per view at my uncle's house as it aired live.  Not quite as awesome as the 2/2/88 Ritz show (which I also saw on its initial MTV airing), but it was tremendously exciting nonetheless.

[D-GenerationX]

I swear, the 'November Rain' video was played at least every 2 hours on MTV during that year.

[jarmo]

Despite not being in the US, and me being me, this might not interest you. But here you go anyway.


1988-9: It seems like GN'R were big, but mainly in the hard rock circles. Anybody listening to that kind of music would've heard of GN'R by that point. It wasn't underground anymore. But a new GN'R video wasn't headline news at that point. It was the cool new band for many. Fast forward to....

1992: GN'R is on everybody's minds. Even if you don't like hard rock, you know who they are. A video like November Rain was a big deal when it premiered on MTV. At this point the media started focusing more on the so called alternative bands. But GN'R were huge. Which partly explains the fascination with the so called younger bands by the media.




/jarmo

[GeorgeSteele]

Hard to remember to be honest, but my recollection is that 92 probably was their prime in terms of popularity, but still not at U2's level.  Both did stadium tours, but Guns did the co-headlining stadium thing in 92 with Metallica.  They may have played some U.S. stadiums without Metallica but I can't remember. 

Anyway, in term of numbers, yes, 92 was there prime, but as Jarmo noted, around then there was a big 'jumped the shark' vibe with them in the media.

[Bridge]

1992: GN'R is on everybody's minds. Even if you don't like hard rock, you know who they are.  A video like November Rain was a big deal when it premiered on MTV.

Yeah, I remember people who didn't even listen to Guns N Roses at the time.  They would refer to them as "the band with that really long video".   

[TheBaconman]

The band become huge world wide. 

The band become huge from adults to kids.   

How often do parents and kids listen to the same music?   Well it happened then in th Bacon family

i wish I was old enough to hit up clubs at that time, as I remember everyone used to wait for a couple of guns songs to be played at the jr high dances. 

[D-GenerationX]

I started high school in September 1991, right when UYI came out.

Before Nirvana and Pearl Jam cam along and changed the game, GNR was unquestionably the biggest band amongst people I knew.  Guys, girls, whoever.

My cable system didn't offer PPV at the time, and I was crushed.  But I had a buddy who's dad had an illegal hook-up, and that's when I saw the Paris concert.  Which 15 year old me thought it was best thing he had ever seen.  Watching Axl up there with Aerosmith was so incredible.  It really seemed like I was watching a historic band.

I still listen to that show all the time.

[Bridge]

I started high school in September 1991, right when UYI came out.

My cable system didn't offer PPV at the time, and I was crushed. 

Same here.  In 1989, we moved to the country, and we got all of 4 channels: ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX.  On one hand, I could still watch WWF since WWF Superstars came on Fox, and WWF Saturday Night's Main Event came on NBC.  I could still see things like Married with Children and The Simpsons.  But that was about it.  We didn't get cable (and pay per view capability) until 1994, but fortunately, I had an uncle living in town with PPV capability, and he was a huge GNR fan, so I managed to get to see the show live.

[D-GenerationX]

Yeah, PPV was just nowhere around us at the time.

And I'm growing up in upper middle class suburbs here.  But nobody had it.  We had HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and whatnot.  But not PPV.

I used to see ads for wrestling, or concerts, and never had any avenue to get to it.  It was frustrating as hell for young DX.

[jarmo]

I actually watched that PPV live.... I think it was around that time that they premiered November Rain on MTV Europe as well....





/jarmo

[WAR41]

My brother and his friends got together for a party to watch the PPV show.  My brother is 4 years older than me and I was only 11 at the time, so I wasn't allowed to go.  Luckily they taped it and my brother got the VHS first so that I could watch it. 

[jarmo]

No party for you, next!

I think it was a Saturday night here in Europe.
Must've been like afternoon/evening over in North America.




/jarmo

[Bridge]

I think it was a Saturday night here in Europe.
Must've been like afternoon/evening over in North America.

Yeah, if I am remembering correctly, it was still daylight in the U.S. when the show began airing.

[jarmo]

I remember it started with Soundgarden....

And then all of a sudden they cut to the live broadcast with the intro playing.



/jarmo