The Manchester Evening News has filed the following report, published October 19th:

US rockers Guns N' Roses turned up over 90 minutes late for their eagerly-anticipated M.E.N. Arena gig - and must now wait to hear whether bosses there will take any action against them.

The Arena has an 11:00pm curfew for all gigs - to allow revellers to get trains and buses home.

However, the rock 'n' rollers didn't even arrive on stage until 10.35pm - an hour-and-a-half late - and then played on until 1.10am.

From 10pm there were audible boos from the audience who had become increasingly impatient while waiting for the band to arrive, but they were replaced by cheers when frontman Axl Rose and his band bounded onto stage to perform a blistering two-and-a-half-hour set including some of their biggest hits like 'Sweet Child O'Mine', 'You Could Be Mine' and 'Paradise City'.

A spokesman for the M.E.N Arena said: “The M.E.N Arena holds a 24 hour entertainment licence. However, to tie in with local transport links, we always ask that shows finish by 11.00pm. The majority of acts comply with this policy, however Guns N’ Roses have a well-publicised history of late performances of which their fans are fully aware. Last night’s late finish would have been no surprise to the majority of fans."

Because of the 24 hour licence, the Arena will not face any sanctions from the licensing authorities for the late running of the gig. But the Arena itself could take action against the band, although they have not yet confirmed whether this will be the case.

Guns N' Roses' ongoing Chinese Democracy Tour has been frought with controversy since arriving in the UK. The band's apppearance at the Reading and Leeds Festival in the summer was cut short by organisers after they over-ran the curfew there by an hour, and at their Dublin gig they were bottled off stage by fans after their late start, before being persuaded to return and complete the gig.