THE FIRST 50 GIGS: Guns N‘ Roses and the Making of Appetite for Destruction

We pick things up only 48 hours after the newly formed Appetite lineup finishes their first gig together at The Troubadour on June 6, 1985. The band quickly packs up their gear and heads north on the I-5 corridor toward Seattle for a Northwest tour that Duff originally coined, “The Shakeout Tour,” but quickly becomes known as “The Hell Tour” instead. Danny Biral is our guest on this episode; a friend and roadie for the band and the captain of their ship who commandeered a green Pontiac Catalina station wagon and a stolen gas card for this excursion to the Northwest. In this episode you’ll: Hear from GNR friend, roadie, and Hell Tour driver, Danny Biral, about his relationship with the band and how he became the driver for Hell Tour. Learn about how quickly mishap turns to madness on the I-5 corridor. Listen to Hell Tour stories directly from Slash and Duff such as hitching a ride with a speed freak truck driver. Find out how Hell Tour strengthened and solidified the Appetite lineup but didn’t insulate them from interpersonal problems once they returned to the Strip. Links: Preview this episode on Youtube Subscribe to our Patreon Site to access all videos, bonus episodes, image galleries, live streams, merch and more: https://www.patreon.com/first50gigs_gnr Learn more at https://www.first50gigs.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We pick things up after Tracii and Rob leave Guns N’ Roses and the revolving door of band members spins for the final time. Slash and Steven agree to join Guns N' Roses and hit the road for the Northwest Tour that Duff planned but need to quickly get up to speed on the set list for an upcoming show at the Troubadour -- the Appetite lineup's first gig as a band that featured Axl, Izzy, Duff, Slash and Steven.  In this episode you’ll: Hear Marc Canter's first-hand account of this crucial lineup change and how it all came together. Hear about Slash and Steven joining Guns N’ Roses and quickly preparing for the Troubadour gig and the Northwest tour (aka the Shakeout Tour/Hell Tour). Listen to Duff and Slash describe the Appetite lineup coming together and rehearsing for the first time. Listen to Marc’s experience photographing and recording the band at their first gig as the Appetite lineup. Links: Preview this episode on Youtube Subscribe to our Patreon Site to access all videos, bonus episodes, image galleries, live streams, merch and more: https://www.patreon.com/first50gigs_gnr Learn more at https://www.first50gigs.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the Fall of 1984, The New Hollywood Rose had called it quits, Izzy had joined London, and at that time, Rob Gardner was playing drums in a band with Tracii Guns called L.A. Guns. Eventually Raz Cue would get involved with L.A. Guns and encourage not only a member lineup but also a name change which would result in the creation of Guns N’ Roses. As the original drummer for Guns N’ Roses, Rob helped create and influence the band’s sound and although his involvement with the band ended early, the blood, sweat, tears and grooves that Rob poured into Pyrrhus, L.A. Guns and Guns N’ Roses can still be heard today as it is forever pressed into the vinyl of Appetite for Destruction. Rob shares with us his first-hand account of everything that led to the creation of the original lineup of Guns N’ Roses. In this episode you’ll: Hear about Rob moving to L.A. in high school and meeting Izzy, Tracii and Mike Jagosz. Hear about Rob’s former bands Pyrrhus and L.A. Guns and how L.A. Guns eventually became Guns N’ Roses. Listen to an excerpt from the recording of the first Guns N’ Roses radio appearance. Hear about the various lineup changes of the bands Rob played in, including Guns N’ Roses. Learn from Rob why he and Tracii left Guns N’ Roses. Hear how he felt when he left the band then and how he feels about it all now looking back on everything that happened. Links: Preview this episode on Youtube Subscribe to our Patreon Site to access all videos, bonus episodes, image galleries, live streams, merch and more: https://www.patreon.com/first50gigs_gnr Learn more at https://www.first50gigs.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We got The First 50 Gigs team together to recap the first five episodes of the First 50 Gigs and the Appetite lineup origin story. In this episode, Marc Canter, Jason Porath, and host Mina McNair fill in the gaps as we spin our way through the incestuous revolving doors of bands and musicians that ultimately led to Guns N' Roses. From Slash's garage bands Tidus Sloan and Roadcrew to Rose and the New Hollywood Rose, we talk about what we learned from our guests, take you behind the scenes of our production, share new stories and preview what's to come for the rest of Season One. In this episode,  you'll: Learn about Slash's audition for KISS. Understand why the New Hollywood Rose was only one step away from the Appetite lineup of Guns N' Roses. Hear about what's coming up for the rest of Season One. Links: Subscribe to our Patreon to see the video version of this episode, access bonus episodes, merch, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices