GUNS N' ROSES MAKING STOP IN ROANOKE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 1, 1993                   TAG: 9304010047
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
GUNS N' ROSES MAKING STOP IN ROANOKE
Promoters for the rock band Guns N' Roses chose Roanoke over Charleston, W.Va., for a concert date on April 15 partly because of an early curfew on music acts in Charleston.
Mark Collins, assistant manager at the Roanoke Civic Center, said Charleston has a curfew on bands playing at the Charleston Civic Center past midnight. Roanoke has no such ban.
"Axl has a history of not going onstage until after midnight," Collins said, referring to the band's mercurial lead singer, Axl Rose. That ruled out Charleston.
Roanoke also was chosen over Atlanta, but not because of curfew restrictions, Collins said. Roanoke worked better in the group's touring schedule.
Guns N' Roses first came to national attention in 1988 following the release of its debut album, "Appetite for Destruction," and opening on high-profile concert tours by Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones.
Since then, the band has become the top hard rock act in the music business and one of the most controversial. Perhaps its best-known flap came when Rose touched off a riot at a concert in St. Louis in 1991 by jumping into the audience and trying to attack a rowdy fan.
The rioting that followed left 60 people hurt.
In November, Rose was found guilty of property damage and assault; he was put on two years probation and ordered to donate $50,000 to St. Louis social service groups.
The band's hard-living guitarist, Slash, also created a stir recently when he signed a multimillion-dollar deal to promote Black Death vodka.
Critics of the sponsorship say using Slash encourages underage drinking.
Opening for Guns N' Roses in Roanoke will be Blind Melon. Tickets will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. at the Roanoke Civic Center and TicketMaster outlets.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB