Slash recently addressed concerns about a potential feud within Guns N’ Roses after Axl Rose was visibly frustrated, kicking the bass drum, hurling his microphone toward the drummer Isaac Carpenter’s kit, and storming offstage after stripping off his leather jacket. It all went down during the opening number, their 1987 hit “Welcome to the Jungle” at Estadio Huracán in Argentina on October 18th.
Slash opens up on Axl Rose
Slash clarified the situation in an interview on Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk.
The guitarist explained that the incident was simply a technical issue with Axl’s in-ear monitors. It was not a sign of internal conflict or dissatisfaction with the new drummer.
“Oh, that whole thing, God, it got so blown out of proportion,” Slash said. “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 to describe the chaotic moment during the opening of their set.
“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,” he explained.
Slash emphasized that the gesture was misinterpreted by fans and media.
“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,” he stated.
The guitarist also took the opportunity to praise the band’s new drummer, Isaac Carpenter.
“Isaac’s killer. It’s been great. 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,” Slash concluded.
