When Guns N’ Roses Ruled the Jungle: Exclusive Photos of the Hard Rockers in Their Wild Heyday

Guns N’ Roses has reunited and will serve as one of the headliners at Coachella this weekend. Back in 1988, at the height of their powers, Angelenos Axl Rose, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan, and Steven Adler were rocking stadiums and partying hard, earning the nickname “The Most Dangerous Band in the World.” Photographer Ian Tilton, shooting for the British magazine Sounds, captured the band backstage at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas, at the height of their madness. The photos come courtesy of Steven Walker’s Modern Rocks Gallery in Austin, Texas. But you can see them right here, exclusively.

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Guns N' Roses at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

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Duff McKagan at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

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Guns N' Roses at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

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Slash and Duff McKagan at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

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Axl Rose at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

Photographer Ian Tilton, Modern Rocks Gallery

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Axl Rose at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

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Axl Rose at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

galleries/2016/04/15/when-guns-n-roses-ruled-the-jungle-exclusive-photos-of-the-hard-rockers-in-their-wild-heyday/160414-guns-and-roses-09_xkjgde

Axl Rose at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

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Axl Rose at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

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Slash at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

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Axl Rose at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

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Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

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Axl Rose at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

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Guns N' Roses at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

galleries/2016/04/15/when-guns-n-roses-ruled-the-jungle-exclusive-photos-of-the-hard-rockers-in-their-wild-heyday/160414-guns-and-roses-16_cmu7hl

Guns N' Roses at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

galleries/2016/04/15/when-guns-n-roses-ruled-the-jungle-exclusive-photos-of-the-hard-rockers-in-their-wild-heyday/160414-guns-and-roses-17_vofoea

Guns N' Roses at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

galleries/2016/04/15/when-guns-n-roses-ruled-the-jungle-exclusive-photos-of-the-hard-rockers-in-their-wild-heyday/160414-guns-and-roses-18_epewlz

Axl Rose at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

galleries/2016/04/15/when-guns-n-roses-ruled-the-jungle-exclusive-photos-of-the-hard-rockers-in-their-wild-heyday/160414-guns-and-roses-19_bix8id

Slash at the Starplex Amphitheater in Dallas, Texas.

Photo Credit: Ian Tilton for Modern Rocks Gallery.

When Guns N’ Roses Ruled the Jungle: Exclusive Photos of the Hard Rockers in Their Wild Heyday

Check out this exclusive collection of backstage photos of rock legends Guns N’ Roses during the height of their power in 1988.

Marlow Stern