Duff McKagan, in an interview with Heavy Music, defended Axl Rose and talked about Guns N’ Roses’ lengthy live performances which often last three and a half hours. He spoke of Rose’s commitment to delivering comprehensive shows and the band’s dedication to their fans despite the physical demands of such long concerts. McKagan also explained that they could not shorten their long concerts, even though his own body wanted to. He said:
“Axl man, Axl loves… I think it’s… Goddamn, it’s like, what songs do you take out if you wanted to play shorter? Don’t get me wrong — my body would love it if we only played two and a half hours. Most bands play two hours, two hours and 10 minutes or something, and we’re playing three [hours and] 30 [minutes]. I’d love to play shorter because I’d be in less pain the next day. But there’s just too many songs, and people stay for the whole thing. Nobody leaves, so it’s, like, okay, they must be enjoying this. We’ll whip out ‘Coma’ or ‘Locomotive.’ We’re whipping out other songs. I really love playing them. ‘Bad Obsession,’ ‘Pretty Tied Up’. So great. We’ll play it all. ‘Reckless [Life]’and‘Shadow [Of Your Love]’.”
Duff then touched on Axl Rose’s longevity and praised his bandmate. He continued:
“And I’m looking at Axl, and I’m, like, ‘Yeah, you sure, man? ‘Cause we’ve gotta play again in a couple nights.’ But he’s a monster, man, that guy, Axl, like his longevity. We’ve had to cancel only one show because of vocals, because you get a swelling — no wonder — swelling on one of his sides. And he’ll still wanna play the show, and the doctor will be, like, ‘You could ruin your voice forever.’ We canceled one [gig] in Glasgow a couple of years ago. We made it up.”
Slash On Axl’s Voice
Slash is one of the defenders of Axl Rose’s voice. Far from criticizing it, he thinks that Rose’s voice adds emotional depth and energy to the songs. Slash praised Axl Rose’s standout qualities as a vocalist on Revolver’s show ‘Fan First’ in 2021. He noted that Rose’s vocal style is incredibly distinctive, setting him apart from other singers. Recalling the first time he heard Axl singing, Slash said:
“I’d worked with different singers on and off for a while, and then when I met Axl and we started jamming together, he was the only singer that ever brought an emotional content to it that affected me on an emotional level, on an energy level. A song all of a sudden went to a whole new level, and I felt it.”
Explaining that he could not get such a feeling from the singers he worked with before Axl, Slash explained that he found the right fit with Axl. He continued:
“And that’s when I realized where music and vocals really meet. Because prior to that, everybody that I’d worked with sucked and I had no use for it, and I would just rather play instrumentally. But that’s when I first really arrived at that poignant feeling that you get when things connect on a lyrical and the vocal level and the music level.”
The Concert Guns N’ Roses Canceled Because Of Axl’s Voice
Following two consecutive shows in Tottenham, England in 2022, Rose experienced vocal strain and adjusted his performance by singing in a lower register. However, the band canceled their upcoming Glasgow show due to Axl Rose’s vocal problems, based on medical advice. After the canceled Glasgow concert that McKagan mentioned, Axl made statements about his vocal problems. Rose thanked fans for their support and mentioned working with a vocal coach and addressing sound issues. After the canceled concert, in a statement on X, Rose said:
“I’d like to thank everyone for their well wishes! It’s greatly appreciated! We apologize for the inconvenience of postponing Glasgow. I’ve been following Dr’s orders, getting rest, working with a vocal coach and sorting out our sound issues. Seems good so far. Thanks again for everyone’s concern! At the end of the day it’s about giving you, the fans the best of ourselves and the best time we can give you, and that’s all I, the band, and the crew are focused on. See you in Munich!!”
You can watch the full interview with Duff McKagan talking about Axl’s voice below.
