The year 2012 is fast shaping up an “annus horribilis” (or very bad year) for Guns N’ Roses screamer Axl Rose. First, he refused to play nice with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which went ahead and inducted his band anyway with full support of the other founding members.
Then came the current European tour, which has been dogged by late starts, furious fans pelting stuff on stage, lukewarm critical reviews, theft of personal property, rumours of outrageous band behavior and now, an embarrassing spill which found Rose falling face-first into a stage riser at French festival Hellfest on Saturday. Naturally, fan-made video of the accident is online; see below.
To his credit, Rose – who tumbles during the opening bars of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” at about the 25-second mark in the video – doesn’t miss a beat, nailing the song’s opening. But you have to know he would have been the brunt of many backstage guffaws later on. Maybe not to his arrogant little face, but you take the point.
And of course, thanks to the interweb, footage of the fall will be out there forever. I guess we should feel sorry for the little guy, but honestly he seems to bring so much of this grief onto himself that it’s hard to summon pity. So I guess we just won’t.
Axl Rose did his first face plant back in the day when he single handedly caused the riots in Montreal when he refused to go on after James Hetfield of Metallica nearly electrocuted himself.(I think it was Montreal) Axl Rose could have became a rock hero that day, but he said his "throat was sore" and therefore couldn't sing. Yet backstage he was reported to have been drinking booze and smoking cigars.
I worked that GnR show in Montreal...Rose partied all night backstage after they deep-6'd the show; it was all bogus. Hetfield got burned by stage pyrotechnics, nothing to do with 'electrocution'...the fans rioted as usual; hey, winning or losing a hockey game can cause a riot in Montreal
Axl Rose did his first face plant back in the day when he single handedly caused the riots in Montreal when he refused to go on after James Hetfield of Metallica nearly electrocuted himself.(I think it was Montreal) Axl Rose could have became a rock hero that day, but he said his "throat was sore" and therefore couldn't sing. Yet backstage he was reported to have been drinking booze and smoking cigars.
Ever since then I've looked at GNR differently.
Posted by: Jim Reeve | 06/20/2012 at 09:32 PM
couldnt happen to a bigger a--hole lol
Posted by: terry | 06/20/2012 at 09:32 PM
I worked that GnR show in Montreal...Rose partied all night backstage after they deep-6'd the show; it was all bogus. Hetfield got burned by stage pyrotechnics, nothing to do with 'electrocution'...the fans rioted as usual; hey, winning or losing a hockey game can cause a riot in Montreal
Posted by: Phil | 06/21/2012 at 12:32 PM
Couldn't of happened to a nicer PR--K !!!
Posted by: JD | 06/21/2012 at 08:36 PM
After what this moron has done to everybody else in this world, why would anyone actually GO to his show...are you people masochists?
Posted by: JD | 06/21/2012 at 08:38 PM