Vancouver History: Riots! IV or Welcome to the Jungle

I can't say that I've ever been in a riot. Perhaps the closest I've come is that back when the 'Celebration of Lights' was called the 'Symphony of Fire', I was involved in a light scuffle. The melee lasted only a brief instant when a group of guys involved in a fight stumbled over, falling on me in the process. I simply pushed the gentlemen back into the circle of death and went on my way.

I guess it really wasn't even a light scuffle. And it seems tame now, compared to Granville's drunken wasteland.

That being said, I can't think of many things that would make me want to riot. And I can certainly - without any hesitation - say that I would never riot because Guns N' Roses weren't going to play a set.

But, it seems like a significant number of people would disagree with me. On November 7, 2002 angry ticket-holders turned to violence when it was announced that Axl Rose had missed his flight.

Guns N' Roses (sans everyone but Axl) were set to open their long-awaited (by some, I guess) Chinese Democracy tour in Vancouver. Apparently, Axl's flight from LA was delayed due to mechanical difficulties and GM Place decided to cancel the gig while Axl was enroute midair. This left a bunch of upset Guns N' Roses fans milling about drunk and high. What to do?

The scene, as described by Deputy Chief Constable Gary Greer: "At 7:35, it was a crowd milling about. At 7:36, it was a full-blown riot,"

Fans picked up the metal security barriers, ramming them through the glass entry doors of GM Place. Bottles and rocks were thrown, along with the usual mayhem that is quite becoming of mob mentality.

Police decided to enact some "crowd control" and went to work, using pepper spray, attack dogs, and a liberal helping of baton. One rioter - famously captured on numerous local media feeds - got his teeth knocked out by the police.

It was pretty vicious to say the least, and police remained on scene to beat the living shit out of anyone remaining who didn't have the smarts to leave. As per usual, the police response was a "proper use of force".

Backstage, the band chilled out, unaware of the brutality outside.

In the end, there were lots of pissed-off, injured fans and a band upset that the venue decided to cancel the show. What was supposed to be the glorious return of GnR, was instead a return to the sort of violence only capable in Montreal.

So the real question is: What band would make you want to riot?

(Photo by random dude in the BR Flickr Pool)