5 Big Mistakes Axl Rose Has Made In His Career

5 Big Mistakes Axl Rose Has Made In His Career | I Love Classic Rock Videos

Axl Rose for "November Rain" - Guns N' Roses / Youtube

Axl Rose – love him or hate him, but you can’t deny what he’s done in the reinvigoration of rock in the late ‘80s with Guns N’ Roses. Although, one can’t deny that he’s one of the biggest problem children of the industry as well. From notorious stage antics to infighting within the band, Axl Rose has done it all. Here are some mistakes the infamous frontman has made in his career that almost cost it all.

Better Late Than Never…Not!

During the band’s heyday, everything was supposed to go well with Guns N’ Roses concerts and tours…except when Axl Rose decided to be fashionably late for them. One hour was probably on the tolerable level, but two to three hours is a bit excessive. Either way, it didn’t take long for fans to realize that his ego was more important to him than them, which impacted the band’s reception levels in the future.

Inciting a Riot

Guns were in the middle of the song “Rocket Queen” when Axl suddenly pointed at the crowd as he spotted a fan holding a camera. He decided to take it off the fan’s hands himself and dove to the crowd, tackling the person. Rose dealt some blows to people before being scurried out by security, to which he climbed back on stage and said “Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I’m going home!”, slamming his mic to the ground and walking out in the process. This started a costly riot at the Riverport Amphitheater which caused massive damage to property and loss of lives.

Pride Before the Fall

Axl Rose’s dysfunctional relationship with his bandmates was the reason why Use Your Illusion didn’t have a proper follow-up. Whether it be Slash, Duff, or Izzy, the frontman didn’t mince words when he spoke about them, leading to an eventual falling out which also meant the end of a successful run in the industry.

Look At Those Dreads

Much like his decisions regarding band matters, Rose also had this misfortune plague his wardrobe. By the 2000s, the world was shocked to see the controversial frontman in cornrows. More than a matter of cultural appropriation, it was just plain awful to look at.

Desperation Calls

It doesn’t take much thinking to realize that Chinese Democracy was a desperate move for Rose to release something amidst the pressure put on him by fans. Taking a grueling 13 years and a heavy cost to make, not to mention various musicians to fill in the gaps of the GNR’s original fold, it was destined to crash before it was even released.