Australian Photographer Reports From GUNS N' ROSES After-Party

GUNS N' ROSES fan site GnrDaily.com reports: Simon Cross, a photographer for The Sunday Mail, will never forget the night he spent partying with rock n' roll legends GUNS N' ROSES after their show in Adelaide, June 13. This is his story, as written down by colleague Elissa Lawrence:

"It was about 1.30am on Thursday and I was hanging out in front of the Hyatt Hotel hoping to snap a photo of their frontman Axl Rose as he arrived back from their show at the Entertainment Centre. As the band's car rolled up and the door opened, out stepped the rock legend and I caught a few frames, not believing my luck. Little was I to know, my luck was only just beginning.

"A few minutes after the band had gone upstairs, their publicist re-emerged and asked if I wanted to get a better shot of Axl and the other band members later on. I agreed and she tool me into the hotel, sat me down at the bar and organised a bar tab.

"About half an hour later, she came back and said to put my camera away and just come up to the penthouse and mingle for a little bit. When I first walked in, there were about 10 people but about an hour later, there were about 30. There were three trolleys of spirits on offer, two large eskys of beer, including South Australian brew Coopers, and a tray of Red Bulls.

"Axl was still in the shower and the rest of the band were just arriving. They were really quite nice, coming up and saying hello. And they were turning down the lights, trying to get the right ambience, to set the mood. One of the guitarists was sitting at the piano quietly playing and singing ELTON JOHN and BEATLES songs. It wasn't exactly what you'd expect.

"When Axl came in, his publicist came and introduced him to me. I've got to admit, I was pretty nervous. I've heard stories of Axl breaking cameras and beating up photographers. I had no idea what to expect. But he was very easygoing. I didn't feel out of place at all. It was just like going to a mate's place for a few drinks. I was certainly made to feel welcome.

"He talked about how he loves wallabies. He said you can buy them in the States and he has owned a few of them as pets. I suggested he get a kangaroo but he said they were just too big. He was also discussing wombats and seemed to like all Australian animals. Axl always had a drink in his hand but he wasn't out of control. He had a lot of energy and just seemed happy. He was going around talking to everyone, mingling, having a laugh.

"The band said they had never seen Axl this happy after a concert before. The thing that really stuck with me was talking with him while he sat there and casually played the piano. He wasn't playing anything in particular but it was all pretty laid-back. He also talked about his cigar collection. He was just being a really nice guy. I was therefore almost four hours before they left for the airport to fly out.

"I didn't really want to press them before that and they just wanted me to become comfortable with them before getting the photos. I snapped off a few shots but I didn't want to push it by asking for a photograph of Axl with me. Apparently someone had asked for his autograph during the night and he said he didn't like doing that sort of thing. I didn't want to spoil it.

"And then they were in their car and off to the airport. It was a weird turn of events. I would have put Axl in the top 10 celebrities that I was never going to meet. So to meet him, talk to him and be at his party was pretty exciting.

"It was a bizarre night but very much a night to remember."