Watch: Axl Rose started a riot in this spot

On July 2, 1991, Guns N' Roses played what should have been a routine show at the Riverport Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, just outside St. Louis. It became one of the most infamous concerts in rock history.

During "Rocket Queen," Axl Rose spotted a fan in the crowd with a camera. He demanded security confiscate it. When they didn't move fast enough, Rose said "Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home" — and dove into the audience to deal with it himself. After a brief scuffle, he was pulled back onstage, slammed his microphone down, and walked off. The band followed.

What followed was a full-scale riot. The crowd of nearly 20,000 tore the venue apart. Seats were ripped out, fires were started, equipment was destroyed. Over 60 people were injured and 16 were arrested. The damage ran into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Rose was later charged with assault and property damage — he was eventually found guilty of four misdemeanour counts and fined.

The incident cemented Guns N' Roses' reputation as the most dangerous band in rock. It also highlighted the volatility of Axl Rose, whose unpredictable behaviour — late starts, mid-show walkoffs, audience confrontations — was already legendary. The Riverport Riot remains one of the defining moments of the early '90s rock scene.

The venue still stands, now operating as Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre. It's a standard large outdoor concert venue on the outskirts of St. Louis — nothing about the building suggests the chaos that erupted here. But for GN'R fans and rock historians, this is hallowed ground: the night Axl Rose started a riot because someone had a camera.