Pearl Jam, U2 and Guns N Roses – The Story Behind The 90s Tour That Never Was
This fun little story about how Pearl Jam turned down a tour with Guns N Roses and U2 in the 90’s got The John DeBella Show thinking: what would be YOUR dream 90s bill for a concert?
Dave Gibson of The John DeBella Show would take Lindsay Buckingham, Dire Straits and Pink Floyd.
Here’s the full story behind the 90’s concert tour that ALMOST was…..
This story comes to us from GNR Central (via Alternative Nation). GN Central did an interview with Guns N Roses former manager Doug Goldstein. During the interview Goldstein told the story of how Guns N Roses’ Axl Roses asked Goldstein to approach U2 and Pearl Jam about doing a tour with Guns N Roses in 1993.
Per Goldstein here’s what happened…“Axl came to me, Pearl Jam had just broke, they had released Ten and it was on fire, I was in Tel Aviv, Israel, we were playing there. Axl had come to me in the morning and said, ‘I don’t care if we open, I don’t care if we don’t get paid, I want to do a show or a couple of shows with us, Pearl Jam, and U2 closing. Can you please call everybody?’ I said, ‘Sure.’”
When Goldstein approached U2’s manager Paul McGuinness, he agreed that U2 would be interested in the tour as long as Pearl Jam was. Goldstein says he then called Pearl Jam’s manager Kelly Curtis. Here’s how the conversation went according to Goldstein….
I said, ‘Kelly, can you please pick up?’
‘No.’
‘Kelly, I need to talk to you, it’s kind of important.’
‘Yeah I don’t care, what do you want?’
‘Kelly, I can’t hear, I’m in a closet.’
‘I don’t care, what do you want Doug?’
So I told him, he goes: ‘Eh, no. We’re going to pass.’
I said, ‘Okay hang on a second, I manage Guns, and when an idea comes to me, I usually talk to the band.’ I go, ‘Are you speaking on behalf of the band?’
He goes, ‘Yeah, we’re going to pass?’
I go, ‘Don’t you have a moral ethical responsibility to at least discuss it with the band?’
‘Don’t f—ing tell me my f—ing job.’
‘Okay, nice talking to you, you have a great life!’