In 1992, during the height of their massive Use Your Illusion tour, Guns N’ Roses found themselves in the middle of a real-life war zone. While the band was in Caracas, Venezuela, for a scheduled performance, a coup attempt led by Hugo Chávez threw the capital city into chaos, turning a rock concert into a high-stakes diplomatic crisis.
In a recent interview with the “Corredor 5” channel, security professional Renato da Silva, who was acting as the band’s representative in South America at the time, detailed the harrowing experience. According to Renato, the warning signs were visible as soon as the group arrived at the Poliedro de Caracas venue.
“What caught my attention was that there were a lot of police, a lot of military,” he recalled (via Whiplash).
At first, the band’s team was told that the heavy security presence was simply due to the attendance of the country’s president’s daughter. However, the situation outside the venue was rapidly deteriorating into violence.
“There was sh**ting in the city, radio stations exploded, people were s**t and ki**ed,” Renato reported.
Realizing the gravity of the coup attempt, the team had to organize an immediate evacuation plan to get the band out of Venezuela safely. Renato explained that they had to improvise their departure route to avoid the violence happening the city center.
“We had to run not to the main airport, but to an airport outside the city, in Maiketia, to be able to leave the country,” he explained.
Despite the terrifying backdrop, Renato looks back on that era of the band with admiration. Led by the unpredictable Axl Rose, Guns N’ Roses was at its absolute creative and commercial peak.
“I still consider it one of the greatest live rock band shows,” the security guard stated.
However, during that specific tour, the job usually involved managing the singer’s volatile behavior rather than navigating military uprisings.
“The greatest protection was always Axl‘s,” he noted regarding their usual security priorities.
While the tour continued on to other South American destinations, the night in Caracas remains one of the most dangerous and turbulent episodes in the history of Guns N’ Roses.
