Guns N’ Roses was always a band that had problems among the members. They have gone through many lineup changes throughout the years and experienced problems with one another. Their fights and arguments, especially with Axl Rose, would become apparent on stage and mess up their performance because Axl would often leave them hanging.
In 1992, Guns N’ Roses were on tour with Metallica, supported by Faith No More and Motörhead. During a show in Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, Metallica’s vocalist James Hetfield had to cancel because he got second-degree burns after an accident with pyrotechnics. Metallica had to cancel their act and, Guns N’ Roses took the stage instead.
However, the tuning of the monitors was poor, and the band couldn’t hear themselves. Axl Rose then left the stage claiming his throat hurt, which resulted in a riot among the audience that resulted in injuries. Shortly after this event, the band’s rhythm guitarist Gilby Clarke and drummer Matt Sorum quit the band, never to return.
The remaining Guns N’ Roses members, Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan, took almost 20 years of a break until they reunited in 2016. Slash and Axl Rose got over their differences after being upset with each other for nearly two decades. Since Slash or Axl Rose hadn’t commented on a possible reunion before that, the fans were surprised to see them reunite.
What Did Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler Advise Axl Rose?
According to Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, he contributed to Guns N’ Roses’ reunion. He claimed to have talked to Axl about how the band should reunite because that is what their fans would want. He could empathize with the rockers due to their falling out with Joe Perry and felt the anger behind Slash and Axl’s feud.
Here is what he stated in his 2016 interview:
“I’m sure I’m not solely responsible, but I did meet Axl in a couple of clubs a year ago and two years ago and three years ago. I said, ‘You need to get fucking back together again soon because we all miss you.’ It’s the same thing someone said to me when Joe and I were fighting.
‘You’ve gotta get back together. What are you, crazy?’ In fact, it was Jon Bon Jovi. I’m in rehab. He calls me up and goes, ‘What the fuck are you in rehab? The world needs you. We’re out here ripping it up, and everybody’s asking for Aerosmith. You need to get out of here because people in the world need you.’
So I’d say to Axl, ‘You’ve gotta get together. There’s a place and time where if you don’t, you’re gonna miss it.’ And in another four or five years, no one’s gonna even know who they were or care if they’re on tour, and that’s Steven Tyler’s opinion. And also, I’m the lead singer of another great band, so I have a right to feel that way. I have such a huge ego about keeping the fire and the music together.
Because if people come up to me and say, ‘Dude, I got laid to your music,’ or a woman comes up to me and says, ‘We got married to your songs.’ You had something to do with the fabric of people. Guns N’ Roses had something to do with the fabric of humans on this planet, so I get fucking pissed.”
How Did Guns N’ Roses React To This Claim?
After announcing their reunion in 2016, the band tweeted a sarcastic thank you tweet and indicated that many people are talking to the media about reuniting Guns N’ Roses. According to the band, several people, including Steven Tyler, served a non-existent role in reuniting them.
Here is what the band tweeted in 2016:
“Guns N’ Roses would like to respectfully thank the many people taking credit for our upcoming shows and everything in between. Especially those whom we haven’t spoken to in numerous years who, through the power of media, have somehow served a pivotal, even if non-existent role. We and the fans thank you.”
Guns N’ Roses made it clear that Slash, Axl Rose, and Duff McKagan were the only people responsible for this reunion. The band planned their upcoming tour for Winter 2022, and it seems like the fans will be seeing a lot more of Guns N’ Roses in the future if they don’t have another falling out.
You can see Guns N’ Roses’ 2016 tweet below.
#GnFnR pic.twitter.com/F10chn5U0G
— Guns N' Roses (@gunsnroses) January 28, 2016
