July 2, 1991. Less than a month after Riverport Amphitheatre’s debut concert. Skid Row was opening for Guns N’ Roses, arguably the biggest rock act in the world at the time. Twenty thousand fans were in attendance, including yours truly. The show was clicking along without incident when vocalist Axl Rose spotted a fan snapping photos and jumped into the crowd in pursuit. A scrum broke out, followed by momentary confusion, before the band quickly left the stage.
Though only a few of us down low were able to see the initial scuffle, all of us were soon enveloped in the rising tide of anger. The crowd lashed out. The stage was trashed. Chaos erupted. Finally, after an hour, authorities regained control. Dozens of arrests were made, and a few injuries were registered.
Considering its high intensity, it’s amazing that the mayhem yielded relatively little lasting damage—save, of course, for the disappearance of that night’s headliner, which is scheduled to return to town to play The Dome at America’s Center on July 27, a mere 26 years later.
