Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose recently addressed a health issue impacting his live performances, sharing details during a candid moment on stage.
Rose humorously opened up about his struggle with TMJ, the temporomandibular joint disorder that causes pain as the jaw moves, during the band’s show in New Jersey on August 12. He explained how the condition affects his ability to sing and perform.
“So now this side of my mouth is still f*cking numb, which makes it interesting, but this one [points to the left side of his face] had work done two days ago,” Axl Rose said. “So it’s interesting. It’s challenging.”
He went on to describe the difficulty of managing the condition while trying to sing at his usual level of intensity.
“You’re singing and you hear sounds, and you’re like … none of the doctors, none of the dentists — there’s really no way to describe what you do, and with TMJ they tell ya, ‘Try not to chew!'” he continued. “OK, I won’t eat. Second, you really can’t describe — you stretch your face in so many ways trying to sing like I do!”
Rose also joked about the alarming sensations he experiences mid-performance.
“So you hear all these sounds while you’re singing, and you hear sounds that, like, make you go, ‘I really probably shouldn’t be doing what I’m doing, because that sound sounds like my jaw’s gonna fall off or go to the side or get stuck that way,'” he said. “Which, that would be pretty funny!”
Rose appeared to take the condition in stride despite the challenges posed by his TMJ, continuing the show with his characteristic humor intact.
The disclosure comes at a demanding stretch for the 64-year-old singer, who is in the middle of a grueling touring schedule.
Rose underwent a procedure just two days before the MetLife Stadium performance specifically to correct his TMJ, leaving the left side of his mouth numb as he took the stage. He powered through a full three-hour set that night regardless. He closed the show with a run of fan favorites including “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “Patience,” “November Rain,” “Nightrain” and “Paradise City.”
The condition clearly weighed on him vocally. He didn’t shy away from describing just how disorienting it felt in the moment.
“I had really crazy TMJ,” Rose said. “When I’m singing it’s kind of like somebody’s in my ear, like Big Bunny is eating in my ear a carrot and celery.”
Guns N’ Roses show no signs of slowing down despite the singer’s health hurdles. The band’s North American tour is set to run through September 19, after which they’ll head to Australia and New Zealand for the next leg of their world tour. Fans can expect the road-tested lineup to keep pushing through, with Rose’s resilience on full display even as he navigates ongoing dental and jaw complications night after night.
