In his first public comments on the matter, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash has addressed the viral videos of Axl Rose’s recent onstage “meltdown,” stating that the incident was a “frantic moment” caused by a technical failure and was not directed at new drummer Isaac Carpenter. Speaking on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk,” Slash explained that the entire event “got so blown out of proportion.”
The incident in question took place on October 18 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. During the opening song, “Welcome To The Jungle,” Rose was seen kicking Carpenter‘s bass drum and throwing his microphone at the kit before briefly storming off stage. The footage led to widespread fan speculation that Rose was angry with the band’s new drummer.
Slash provided a detailed, technical explanation for Rose‘s actions.
“Oh, that whole thing, God, it got so blown out of proportion,” Slash said (via Blabbermouth). “We all are on in-ears… there was something f**ked 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 f**k he’s talking about.”
He clarified that Rose‘s actions, while directed at the drum kit, were an attempt to identify the source of the problem for the sound crew, not an attack on Carpenter.
“He was pointing out that it’s the drums; it’s not something else… that’s what he was trying to convey,” Slash explained. “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.”
Slash also used the interview to offer high praise for Carpenter, who joined the band in March, replacing Frank Ferrer.
“Isaac‘s killer. It’s been great. From the first day that he came in to audition, he’s just been amazing,” Slash stated. He revealed that Carpenter was one of “six or seven” “known players” who tried out for the coveted spot. “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.”
Slash‘s comments reinforce the official statement the band released on October 22, which confirmed the incident was due to a monitor malfunction and that Carpenter is a “top notch and a great drummer.”
