
Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose recently gave opening act Eagles of Death Metal their walking papers after just one show, and GN'R have also called off tonight's planned show in Milwaukee (11/28), citing illness.
It was a short run for Eagles of Death Metal, who were due to open 15 shows for Rose and company, beginning with a Friday (11/24) concert in Cleveland. Upon hitting the stage, the group was met with what Cleveland Plain Dealer concert reviewer John Soeder described as "indifference"; during GN'R's set, Rose reportedly said to the crowd, "So how'd you like the Pigeons of S--- Metal? Don't worry; that's the last show they're playing with us."
MTV News quoted Soeder as saying, "My impression was--and I don't want to belittle GN'R fans, but--they didn't really get the inside-joke quality of the Eagles."
EODM, in a statement released via MTV on Monday (11/27), took the development with a dose of humor.
"At first the audience refused to welcome us to the jungle, but by the time we took our final bow, it had become paradise city," read the statement. "Although Axl tried to November rain on our parade, no sweet child o' mine can derail the EODM night train. We say live and let die."
In addition to EODM, Friday's show--which had an 8 p.m. start time--also included a sets from former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach and The Suicide Girls. Guns N' Roses took the stage at around midnight and wrapped things up at around 2:20 a.m., according to The Cleveland Leader.
Meanwhile, GN'R--which performed sans-EODM in the Detroit area on Saturday (11/25) and the Chicago area Monday (11/27)--have canceled tomorrow night's (11/29) show in Milwaukee because Rose is suffering from an ear infection and strep throat, according to an announcement posted at the band's website.
"Rose was first diagnosed with the ear infection on the 20th of November in Halifax, Nova Scotia," the announcement said. "He was seen again by a doctor last night following the band's show in Chicago and ordered to rest for a few days."
"We had a great show in Chicago tonight and had hoped to do a surprise acoustic show afterwards," Rose said in a prepared statement. "I have been fighting this off for a long time but the doctor told me tonight that the only way not to jeopardise the balance of the tour is immediate rest. We will now have 3 days off before continuing Friday. We are sorry to miss the fans in Milwaukee."
The tour's current leg resumes Friday (12/1) in Ames, IA, and is scheduled to conclude later this month. A subsequent handful of shows are already in place for January. Details are included below.
GN'R kicked off their "Chinese Democracy" tour October. Rose is the only original member in the group's current lineup, which includes guitarists Robin Finck, Richard Fortus and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal; keyboard players Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman; bassist Tommy Stinson; and drummer Frank Ferrer. Regular GN'R drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia is on personal leave to be with his wife and newborn child.
The tour is named for GN'R's still-unreleased "Chinese Democracy" album, which Rose has been famously working on for about a decade. The record has been rumored to be right around the corner for many years. Rose and his management have implied in recent weeks that it will see the light of day before the end of this year, but time is running out, and a release date still hasn't been revealed.