Guns N’ Roses issue statement on Axl Rose’s recent on-stage meltdown in Buenos Aires and new drummer Isaac Carpenter

Guns N’ Roses have issued a statement on frontman Axl Rose’s recent on-stage meltdown in Buenos Aires.

The band are currently midway through their South American tour, and last Saturday (October 18), Rose appeared to lose his temper during opening number ‘Welcome To The Jungle’.

After finishing the song’s chorus, Rose threw his microphone at the drum kit, tore off his leather jacket and stormed off stage. He was also spotted kicking the bass drum elsewhere in the show, and told the crowd later: “So, I’ll just try and wing this”. At the time, it was unclear whether Rose’s anger was towards the sound on-stage, new drummer Isaac Carpenter, or any other bandmates.

Now, Guns N’ Roses have taken to social media to explain the fiasco. “During the opening song at our recent Buenos Aires concert, Axl’s in-ear monitor pack had only the percussion in his ears versus the entire mix,” the statement read. “The issue was fixed by our tech by the third song, and we had a great night.

The message went on to clarify that “the situation had nothing to do with Isaac Carpenter’s playing, who is top notch and a great drummer”.

Carpenter was hired following the exit of long-term drummer Frank Ferrer last March. Ferrer had performed with Guns N’ Roses since 2006, and seemingly left the band in what was initially described as an “amicable exit”.

Ferrer later shared his “disappointment” that his time with the band had finished, and one day later, AWOLNATION’s Carpenter was announced as their new drummer. Carpenter has previously worked with GNR’s bassist Duff McKagan’s band Loaded.

Meanwhile, Slash recently hinted at a new Guns N’ Roses, saying that “everybody [in the band] is thinking about it”. The band’s last album was 2008’s much-delayed ‘Chinese Democracy’, while the last LP that either Slash or McKagan appeared on was the 1993 covers album ‘The Spaghetti Incident?’.

“There’s so much material at this point – it’s a matter of having the discipline to sit down and fucking get into it,” he said. “But the thing with Guns is, in my experience, you can never plan ahead. You can never sit down and go, ‘We’re going to take this time, and we’re going to do this.’ Every time we’ve done that, it falls apart.”

Elsewhere, NME caught the band’s Glastonbury headline performance in 2023, calling it “one of their strongest sets in recent years” in a three-star review.

“To any G’N’R fan, the Glasto set undoubtedly marks one of the strongest sets that the rock veterans have given in recent years — completely devoid of sound issues, Axl Rose’s vocals in pretty good form, Slash at the top of his game and, probably the second biggest shock of the night, the band beginning the performance bang on time.”