Slash Explains Axl Rose’s Viral Mic Toss at Last Week’s GN’R Show

Slash addressed the viral moment that stemmed from a technical mishap at last week’s Guns N’ Roses concert in Argentina, explaining that Axl Rose’s frustrated microphone throw had nothing to do with drummer Isaac Carpenter or the rest of the band.

“Oh, that whole thing, God, it got so blown out of proportion,” the guitarist said on a recent episode of Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk. “Well, we all are on in-ears. So 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 that was it. 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,” he continued. “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.”

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What Happened at Guns N’ Roses’ Argentina Show?

Guns N’ Roses made headlines after their Oct. 18 concert at Estadio Huracan in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Widely circulated fan footage showed Rose hurling his microphone at the drum kit, ripping off his jacket and storming offstage at the conclusion of the band’s opening song, “Welcome to the Jungle.” During their second song, “Bad Obsession,” Rose walked up to the drum riser and kicked the bass drum. At one point he brusquely told the audience, “I’ll just try and wing this.”

Some fans joked that “old Axl” had returned following nearly a decade of spotless behavior from the frontman. Others feared that Carpenter’s job was in jeopardy just seven months after he joined the band.

Watch Axl Rose Throw Microphone at Guns N’ Roses’ Argentina Concert

Guns N’ Roses’ Response to Argentina Online Discourse

The online chatter prompted Guns N’ Roses to issue a statement explaining the technical difficulties during the Argentina concert.

“During the opening song at our recent Buenos Aires concert, Axl’s in-ear monitor pack had only the percussion in his ears versus his entire mix,” they said on Instagram. “The issue was fixed by our tech team by the third song and we had a great night. The situation had nothing to do with Isaac Carpenter’s playing, who is top notch and a great drummer.”

Slash Praises Isaac Carpenter

Slash had similar praise for Carpenter during his conversation with Trunk. “Isaac’s killer. It’s been great,” he said. “From the first day that he came in to audition, he’s just been amazing.

“And it was funny ’cause when he came in to audition, he was one of probably six or seven guys that we tried out — all known players whose names I will not mention — but it got to a point where we’d narrow it down to, ‘Okay, we want four guys to come back’, then three guys, then two guys, and Isaac was always there; he was always one of the guys. And the way that he plays and then also his sort of spirit and his whole attitude all together just… 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.”