ST. LOUIS – Guns N’ Roses, a band that shares a back-and-forth relationship with St. Louis, abruptly postponed a Busch Stadium show set for Saturday.
The band announced Friday that they canceled a planned weekend show with The Pretenders due to an illness.
Guns N’ Roses did not specify more details around the reported illness, but shared this message Friday via Twitter: “Hang on to your tickets – fans who are unable to make the rescheduled date will be eligible for a refund. Thank you for the support.”
On Friday, FOX 2 witnessed the stage being torn down from our Ballpark Village bureau office.
The unexpected announcement left many fans disappointed.
“Something always comes up with these guys, just with their history,” said Elkville, Illinois resident Robert Kelley. “I wanted to see Slash, and now I can’t, so I’m kind of bummed out.”
“We drove all the way from Michigan, but it is what it is I guess,” said Ted Ordiwi.
Other fans were a bit more sympathetic.
“I figured it’s kind of legitimate,” said California resident Jerry Schulenberg. “Something’s wrong, but it’s still upsetting.”
“They’re made just like we are,” said Michigan resident Carla King. “They get sick, they get injured, and they get tired.”
The band has a somewhat contentious relationship with St. Louis dating back several decades.
An infamous incident happened in 1991 when Guns N’ Roses played at the Maryland Heights venue now called the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. A photographer was taking pictures of the concert, despite photos being prohibited. Lead singer Axl Rose called for security to get the camera and eventually jumped into the crowd himself. The concert ended, and fans started ripping out chairs and throwing pieces of equipment from the stage.
It wasn’t until 2017 that Guns N’ Roses returned to St. Louis. They planned a stop in 2016, but that was unexpectedly dropped. It may have been part of an April Fool’s joke. The originally scheduled show date, July 2, 2016, was the 25-year anniversary of the “Riverport Riot.”
Patrick McGlynn, the owner of Stadium Liquor near Downtown St. Louis, was gearing up for a busy weekend.
“I’m sure everybody downtown was expecting the big crowds coming in to Busch Stadium with the Cardinals kind of laying an egg on us recently,” said McGlynn. “The crowds would have been good, and I’m sure restaurants and bars are going to be losing out.”
McGlynn has been in the business long enough to remember the “Riverport Riot.”
“I just remember all the police cars heading out to Riverport, and it was a big scene,” said McGlynn.
As for those from out-of-town with tickets, some are headed back home while others decide to stick around and explore St. Louis.
“Now we’re just going to probably go look at some Van Gogh art at the art museum instead,” said Kelley.
“I think we’re going to end up heading home tomorrow,” said King.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Live Nation are telling fans to hold onto their tickets. The event organizer is hoping to reschedule sometime in the future, but when remains to be determined.
