GUNS N' ROSES explain AXL ROSE's onstage meltdown in Buenos Aires
23-10-2025
GUNS N’ ROSES have issued a statement explaining singer Axl Rose‘s recent onstage meltdown.
During the opening song of the band’s concert last Saturday (October 18) at Estadio Huracán in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Rose appeared to lose his temper, violently throwing his microphone at the drum kit, tearing off his leather jacket and storming off stage. At a later point in the show, which was part of GUNS N’ ROSES‘ South American tour, Rose walked up the drum riser and kicked the bass drum, telling the crowd: “So, I’ll just try and wing this”. At the time, it was unclear whether Rose‘s frustration was directed at the sound onstage or if he was dissatisfied by Isaac Carpenter‘s performance behind the kit. The drummer joined GUNS N’ ROSES earlier this year, replacing longtime member Frank Ferrer.
Now, GUNS N’ ROSES have taken to social media to explain the incident. “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,” the statement read. “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.”
Prior to joining GUNS N’ ROSES, Carpenter was a member of GN’R bassist Duff McKagan‘s LOADED. Isaac‘s career also spans an impressive roster of acts, including live and studio work with AWOLNATION, Adam Lambert, the hardcore metal outfit BARBARIANS OF CALIFORNIA, A PERFECT CIRCLE, THE EXIES, OURS and BLACK LAB, in addition to his large session film and TV roster. Carpenter made a name for himself by uniquely blending versatility and groove with crushing force and technical skill, cementing his reputation as a multifaceted drummer in the industry.
Earlier this year, McKagan spoke about Carpenter‘s role in GUNS N’ ROSES, comparing him to the band’s previous drummers Ferrer, Steven Adler and Matt Sorum. “Isaac has got this ability to swing and groove that only a few drummers have,” Duff said. “Steven had it as well, Steven Adler, and Matt is a great, solid drummer with amazing fills — and Matt‘s amazing. They’re both amazing drummers. And Isaac somehow blends both of those two guys and adds his own thing. So he adds a new sort of excitement to the songs. And the groove and swing of the songs right now with Isaac is super impressive and super fun.”
Axl‘s onstage meltdowns in the 1980s and 1990s were legendary. He famously took exception to an unauthorized photographer in the audience during a show in St. Louis in July 1991 and jumped into the crowd to stop the fan from filming the concert with a camcorder. Returning to the stage, he said: “Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I’m going home.” The show ended and the audience decided to riot. Rose was charged in the matter, but those charges were later dismissed.
GUNS N ROSES‘ current touring lineup consists f Rose, Carpenter, McKagan, guitarists Slash and Richard Fortus, and keyboardists Melissa Reese and Dizzy Reed.
Watch the meltdown below.
UMe/Geffen celebrate Guns N’ Roses’ incredible musical legacy with GUNS N’ ROSES – LIVE ERA ’87-’93, the ultimate vinyl set that chronicles the first official live album from Guns N’ Roses. LIVE ERA ’87-’93 was recorded live across the universe between 1987 and 1993, and it has been newly remastered for this collection from the original stereo analog master tapes for the first time since 1999. Included on LIVE ERA ’87-’93 are definitive, of-era live renditions of classic Guns N’ Roses tracks such as “November Rain,” “Sweet Child O’ Mine, “Welcome To The Jungle,” “Don’t Cry,” and “Paradise City.”
Set for release on November 21, 2025, GUNS N’ ROSES – LIVE ERA ’87-’93 features a total of 23 live tracks. It is available in multiple configurations, including a Premium 4-LP Color Vinyl, Standard 4-LP 180-Gram Black Vinyl, and Digital Remaster. The new remaster of GUNS N’ ROSES – LIVE ERA ’87-’93 will be available to stream and as digital downloads newly expanded with the 1999 vinyl & Japan bonus track “Coma”, with all vinyl configurations available to pre-order
The history of Guns N’ Roses up to the time that Live Era ’87-’93 was originally released in 1999 is the stuff of legends. The first full-length album from Guns N’ Roses, 1987’s Appetite For Destruction, is one of the most popular hard rock albums in history and has been on the Billboard Top 200 albums or Top Pop Catalog chart for a total of 746 weeks. Certified 18 times platinum in the U.S., Appetite For Destruction charted No. 1 for five weeks and includes three Top 10s: the anthem “Welcome To The Jungle” (No. 7) and the frenzied rocker “Paradise City” (No. 5), plus their platinum selling No. 1 single “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” The video for “Sweet Child O’ Mine” has over 1 billion views on YouTube.
1988’s G N’R Lies, comprised of songs from the group’s independently-released 1986 EP Live?!*@Like A Suicide plus new studio recordings, followed Appetite For Destruction up the charts, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The Grammy®-nominated album (for Best Hard Rock Performance) was five times platinum (each platinum level connotes sales of more than one million units) and claimed the gold No. 4-charting ballad “Patience.”
Then, on September 17, 1991, with one of the most anticipated releases ever in music, both Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II debuted. Use Your Illusion I featured two gold singles with “November Rain” (No. 3) and “Don’t Cry” (No. 10) plus another Top 40 with “Live And Let Die” (No. 33). Use Your Illusion II boasted another gold hit with the previously released single “You Could Be Mine” (No. 29), heard in the film Terminator II: Judgment Day. II also features “Yesterdays,” “Civil War,” and GN’R’s take on Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” Each of the Use Your Illusion albums went seven times platinum with Use Your Illusion I going to No. 2 and Use Your Illusion II hitting No. 1. Use Your Illusion I was Grammy® nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance as was the Wings cover “Live And Let Die.” Both Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II have sold over seven million copies to date.
A collection of Guns N’ Roses covers of classic, mainly punk, songs that had influenced the bandmembers since their early days, 1993’s The Spaghetti Incident? hit No. 4, and is certified platinum. The Spaghetti Incident? features renditions of The Dead Boys’ 1978 track “Ain’t It Fun” and an unlikely cover of The Skyliners’ ’50s doo-wop gem “Since I Don’t Have You”
