A legend ignited in the summer of 1985—a story forged through years of chaos, passion, and music…
Guns N’ Roses carved their name into rock history not just with songs, but with onstage meltdowns, snake-filled houses, and unforgettable solos.
Following their legendary 1993 concert, Istanbul will once again turn into a “jungle” for one night only, on June 2, at Tüpraş Stadium—32 years later.
Summer, 1985.
We’re on the verge of a blast that will shape the future of rock history.
A five-man crew from the dusty streets of Los Angeles hits the road to Seattle, hauling a trailer tied to the back of a Buick.
The van breaks down, their gear is stranded, the club owner refuses to pay, and the band sets a garbage bin on fire.
The spark doesn’t catch—but something does ignite on that trip:
the legend of Guns N’ Roses.
Slash, Duff, Steven, Izzy, and Axl… Each one the wildest kid in their own neighborhood. But together, the moment they stepped on stage, they were powerful enough to earn the title “the most dangerous band in the world.”
There would be years of heavy drinking, missed stage calls, microphones thrown, managers fired—even lawsuits between band members.
In 1987, Appetite for Destruction would be released, and with songs like Welcome to the Jungle and Sweet Child o’ Mine, they would dominate both the radio charts and MTV.
Guns N’ Roses wouldn’t just be a band; they would become a rock mythology.
Here are some highlights from the story of Guns N’ Roses, who will take the stage at Beşiktaş Tüpraş Stadium on June 2.
Guns, Roses, and Thankfully Rejected Names
The band’s name was, quite literally, the result of a marriage. Axl Rose’s Hollywood Rose and Tracii Guns’ L.A. Guns came together to form Guns N’ Roses.
As for the earlier alternative name suggestions? “AIDS” and “Heads of Amazon.”
Thankfully, the final decision swerved away from those options—and history took a different turn.
The name wasn’t just a title; it was an attitude: as fragile as roses, as explosive as guns.
The original lineup—Axl Rose (vocals), Slash (lead guitar), Duff McKagan (bass), and Steven Adler (drums)—was living in Los Angeles at the start of their career. Their tiny apartment was notoriously known as the Hell House.
It was from that very place that they gained their reputation for wild lifestyles and outrageous behavior.
Even Aerosmith reportedly kept their distance, saying, “We’re trying to stay clean,” in reference to these wild newcomers.
Axl Rose, as we know him on stage, was a blend of anger, passion, and chaos—but he had to start somewhere.
In his youth, with barely a penny to his name, he took part in a smoking experiment at UCLA. The daily pay was 8 dollars.
That experiment earned him a few dollars but also sparked the internal explosions that would later grab the attention of millions on the rock stage.
Slash: The Lord of Snakes and the God of Solos
With his hat pulled low over his eyes, curly hair resting on his shoulders, a Les Paul guitar in hand, and over 20 snakes at home, Slash was a rock star not only on stage but also in his own home. He was one who spoke not with his voice but with his tone. Every guitar solo was another form of self-expression for him.
Guns N’ Roses’ Traditional Sport: Getting Fired
Guns N’ Roses went down in rock history with 22 lineup changes. Even the band members said, “everyone has fired someone at least once and been fired themselves.” But the real important thing was that music always emerged victorious from this chaos. Such instability could have sunk other bands, but it fueled them. Clearly, chaos was their lifeblood.
The Legendary Album: Appetite for Destruction
Released in 1987, Appetite for Destruction initially went unnoticed. It entered the Billboard chart at number 182. But then Welcome to the Jungle was aired on MTV, and everything changed. The album sold 18 million copies in the U.S. and 30 million worldwide. The exact opposite came in 2008.
“You’re in the Jungle, Baby!”
The song Welcome to the Jungle was based on a true event. When Axl Rose and a friend first arrived in New York, a homeless man shouted at them, “Do you know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby! You’re gonna die!” That was the inspiration for the song…
Do you know how the band’s biggest hit Sweet Child O’ Mine came about? Slash was playing a riff as a finger exercise when Axl Rose heard it and said, “This is amazing!” He immediately started writing lyrics on top of it. The song was written in just 5 minutes! The ironic thing is, even today Slash considers this song the band’s worst!
If a band can write a song in 5 minutes, then they also have the right to work on a song for 10 years. The band’s big hit November Rain was completed by Axl Rose over 10 years.
The closing track of the Appetite for Destruction album, Rocket Queen, became legendary not only for its music but also for the scandalous story behind it. The sexual sounds heard in the middle of the song were real, recorded between the band’s vocalist Axl Rose and Adriana Smith, who at the time was the girlfriend of the band’s drummer Steven Adler. Smith stated she did the recording “for the band and in exchange for a bottle of Jack Daniel’s.” However, this event caused Smith to struggle with feelings of guilt and shame for years. When Adler found out, he had a huge outburst of anger, which further weakened his position within the band. Rocket Queen is not just a song, but one of the most sensational memories in rock history.
In 1991, Guns N’ Roses released their double albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, significantly expanding their musical scope. The albums reached numbers 1 and 2 on the US charts and were praised for their ambitious incorporation of “blues, classical music, heavy metal, punk rock, and classic rock and roll elements” into their hard rock style. They then embarked on a 28-month tour covering 27 countries. This tour was not just about music—it was a test of survival. It went down in history as the longest tour in rock history.
Axl Rose was notorious for his wild stage performances and unpredictable outbursts. On July 2, 1991, near St. Louis, he attacked a fan who was filming the concert, causing a major chaos. Rose left the stage, the concert ended abruptly, and the crowd rioted! Dozens were injured, and Rose narrowly escaped criminal charges.
When the band performed at the Monsters of Rock Festival in 1988 in Castle Donington, England, the crowd was dancing so violently that two people were crushed to death. They didn’t earn the title “the world’s most dangerous band” for nothing.
In 1987, at a concert in Atlanta, Rose attacked a security guard backstage and was arrested by the police. Meanwhile, the concert went on! One of the road crew members had to get on stage and sing in Rose’s place. Can you imagine how exciting that must have been for the road crew?
Slash left in 1996, and Duff followed in 1997. Only Axl remained. The album Chinese Democracy was produced over 13 years and cost 13 million dollars, finally released in 2008. But a Guns N’ Roses without Slash felt incomplete to many. Critics harshly criticized the album, though some said, “late but worth it.” In 2012, Guns N’ Roses was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Axl did not attend, but Slash, Duff, Steven Adler, and Matt Sorum were there. That night was both a celebration and a silence — another note added to rock history.
Years later, Slash and Duff returned. The “Not In This Lifetime” tour grossed over 480 million dollars. Stadiums were packed, and tears were shed. Because this band was no longer just a music group; it was the youth of millions. This was also the period when Axl said, “I rediscovered myself.”
To date, Guns N’ Roses have sold over 100 million albums—45 million of those in the U.S. alone. But their real legacy isn’t just the numbers: it’s that wild, rebellious, romantic rock sound living in the hearts of their fans. Their story isn’t just a discography—it’s a graffiti on a wall, a concert scream, a dramatic exit from the stage.
Broken friendships, unforgettable albums, snake-filled houses, microphones thrown on stage, years spent in courtrooms, and legends rewritten… The story of Guns N’ Roses is not just about a rock band; it’s the story of passion born from chaos, music rising from destruction, and standing strong on stage against all odds. They fell, fought, broke apart, got bitter, made up—but they never completely fell silent. Because their voice was the inner scream of a generation.
Now, this scream is about to echo through the skies of Istanbul on the night of June 2nd. Tüpraş Stadium will become a jungle for one night only. Yes, maybe they’re older now, but when the stage lights come on that night, it won’t be just a band standing there—it will be a legend.
Get ready: because this is not just a concert, it’s a time machine. And when that machine starts, we’ll all be young and rebellious again. Welcome to the Istanbul Jungle, Guns N’ Roses.
