Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash has explained the reasons for Axl Rose's recent onstage meltdown – insisting it was nothing to do with the band's "killer" new drummer Isaac Carpenter.
Rose was filmed running to Carpenter's kit and kicking the bass drum during opening song Welcome To The Jungle at the Estadio Huracan in Buenos Aires, Argentina this month.
He then stormed offstage at the end of the song, only to return and tell the audience: "So, I’ll just try and wing this."
Now in a new interview with Trunk Nation, Slash explains that technical problems were to blame and sings the praises of former Awolnation man Carpenter.
He says: "Oh, that whole thing, God, it got so blown out of proportion. For monitors, instead of wedges on the stage, we use in-ear monitors. And so there was something fucked up in Axl's mix where the only thing that he could hear was the drums.
"And it was the first song. So he's trying to communicate that to the engineers and they don't know what the fuck he's talking about. And so it was one of those frantic moments trying to get it together 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. Whatever your myriad of different things it possibly could be, it was the drums, and that's what he was trying to convey.
"But it got really blown out of proportion. Jesus. I guess people were thinking that it had something to do with Isaac because it was directed at the kit, but it wasn't about Isaac."
GNR also clarified in a band statement that Carpenter was not to blame, saying "the situation had nothing to do with Isaac Carpenter’s playing, who is top notch and a great drummer."
The new man behind the kit has brought new energy to GNR's shows, according to Slash.
He adds: "Isaac's killer. It's been great. From the first day that he came in to audition, he's just been amazing.
"And the way that he plays and then also his sort of spirit and his whole attitude all together. We sort of knew from the first day, but we kept going to make sure.
"So it's been great. And he's really given a lot of energy to the show."
The What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things tour continues in Brazil tonight. Remaining dates can be viewed below.
Guns N' Roses: What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things Tour dates
Oct 25: São Paulo Allianz Parque, Brazil
Oct 28: Curitiba Pedreira Paulo Leminski , Brazil
Oct 31: Cuiabá Arena Pantanal, Brazil
Nov 02: Brasília Arena BSB, Brazil
Nov 05: Lima Estadio Nacional, Peru
Nov 08: Mexico City Estadio GNP Seguros, Mexico
