Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose has developed a (not-unearned) reputation as one of hard rock’s most volatile personalities. So when the “Welcome to the Jungle” crooner, 63, expressed his frustration by throwing a microphone at new band member Isaac Carpenter’s drum kit during a recent show in Argentina, many fans wondered if the “old Axl” had returned. Now, lead guitarist Slash is speaking out about his bandmate’s outburst.
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Slash: Axl Rose’s Onstage Mishap Was “Blown Out of Proportion”
Following Guns N’ Roses’ Oct. 18 gig at Estadio Huracan in Buenos Aires, Argentina, video footage began circulating of Axl Rose’s onstage meltdown. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer threw his microphone at the drum kit, ripped off his jacket, and stormed offstage after the band’s opening song, “Welcome to the Jungle.” While he did return to perform with his bandmates, Rose later kicked the bass drum and informed the audience, “I’ll just try and wing this.”
Rose’s bandmates later issued a statement clarifying that the lead vocalist (born William Bruce Rose Jr.) was dealing with technical issues. Lead guitarist Slash reiterated this claim during a recent interview on Eddie Trunk’s podcast Trunk Nation.
“Oh, that whole thing. God, it got so blown out of proportion,” insisted the former Velvet Revolver member, 60.
[RELATED: Guns N’ Roses Break Silence Over Axl Rose’s Onstage Outburst, Back New Drummer]
Axl Rose Was Having Technical Difficulties
Slash explained, “So for monitors, instead of wedges on the stage, we use in-ear monitors. And so there was something f—ed up in Axl’s mix where the only thing that he could hear was the drums, and that was it. And it was the first song.”
The guitar legend continued, “So he’s trying to communicate that to the engineers and they don’t know what the f— he’s talking about. And so it just it was one of those frantic moments trying to get it together, you know, at the beginning of the set, and that was it. And he was pointing out that it’s the drums. It’s not something else or whatever myriad of different things it possibly could be. It was the drums, and that’s what he was trying to convey. So, but it got really blown out of proportion. Jesus.”
Former Awolnation drummer Isaac Carpenter is still relatively new to Guns N’ Roses, replacing Frank Ferrer in March 2025. After Rose’s explosion in Argentina, some fans wondered if Carpenter’s stint with the band had ended before it truly even began.
Slash emphatically shot down this theory, saying, “I guess people are thinking that it had something to do with Isaac because it was directed at the kit. But it wasn’t about Isaac.”
Featured image by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
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