Duff McKagan recalled Axl Rose’s nerves over auditioning to sing with AC/DC in 2016, calling it a “cute” moment.
The Guns N’ Roses vocalist helped the Australian giants complete their tour commitments after their vocalist Brian Johnson was forced off the road by hearing issues.
In an upcoming episode of Eddie Trunk’s Trunk Nation show on SiriusXM, McKagan told how Rose was doubtful about his chances.
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“He’s like, ‘Man, I’ve got this opportunity… a dream come true to go and sing with my favorite band.’ We’re like, ‘Go do it, man.’ Me and Slash jam with all kinds of people, you know?”
The bassist continued: “[H]e went… ‘I’m gonna go try out.’ … [We said,] ‘You think you’re gonna have to try out?’ I’m like, ‘Dude, you got the gig!’ So he flew to Atlanta and he tried out. It was really kinda cute, you know? We knew he was gonna get the gig, of course.”
McKagan also recalled the issues cause by Rose breaking his foot just as Guns N’ Roses began their classic-era lineup reunion, also in 2016. They opened their 21st-century account with an intimate show at the Troubadour on Apr. 1 that year.
“We get up on that old stage,” the bassist said. “We have the monitors and stuff, and Axl gets up on the monitor – I think it was like the second song ��� and he slipped off of it. We have like these in-ears and he can talk to just us… [He said,] ‘I think I broke my foot,’ and he played the rest of the show. ‘Yeah, yeah, it’s broken.’
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“After the show he goes straight to the Cedars Hospital, which is right down the street. He … got some pins put into it, and he’s like, ‘I don’t wanna cancel anything. I’m trying to figure out how to sing sitting down.’ … [F]or that kind of music, singing sitting down is a really tough thing too… and singing [Rose’s] stuff is a feat.”
As a result he needed to start the band’s Not in This Lifetime tour in a seated position. Dave Grohl lent them the custom throne he’d had built to deal with his own recent foot injury – but that presented its own problems.
The band tried a rehearsal with Rose on a standard chair, said McKagan. “[H]e’s like, ‘Well, I think I can do it, but I don’t wanna sit in a chair. Just a chair, you know, looks kinda lame.’
“Grohl… had that amazing throne, and so they drove it out from LA, I think, the day of the show. And there was no instructions how to put it together! So our crew had to figure out how to put that big old throne together piece by piece – and they did!”
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Gallery Credit: UCR Staff
