It took 30 years for the projectile otherwise known as Axl Rose’s mic to connect with someone’s face but now, unfortunately, that has happened. Wireless mics were never designed to be thrown. Faces were not designed to absorb the impact of wireless mics. At least it wasn’t a caber. The fan was hit squarely in the bridge of the nose, and escaped with two black eyes. A painfully close call and no doubt a shock.
Axl Rose issued the following statement:
“It’s come to my attention that a fan may have been hurt at [our] show in Adelaide Australia possibly being hit by the microphone at the end of the show when I traditionally toss the mic to the fans. If true obviously we don’t want anyone getting hurt or to somehow in any way hurt anyone at any of [our] shows anywhere. Having tossed the mic at the end of [our] show for over 30 years we always felt it was a known part of the very end of [our] performance that fans wanted and were aware of to have an opportunity to catch the mic. Regardless in the interest of public safety from now on we’ll refrain from tossing the mic or anything to the fans during or at [our] performances. Unfortunately there [our] those that for their own reasons chose to frame their reporting regarding this subject in a more negative [and] irresponsible out of nowhere light which couldn’t [be] farther from reality. We hope the public and of course [our] fans get that sometimes happens. A BIG THANKS to everyone for understanding.”
Here’s the moment he let fly.
https://youtu.be/HwhGuWcpXnM?t=374
Rose’s mic of choice is frequently the Shure A58 with a hardened steel mesh grill, neodymium magnet for clear sound, and an isolating supercardioid pattern. The Shure A58 is a staple mic for live rock n’ roll, and Rose’s will stay a safe distance from fans in the future.
