Guns N' Roses - Guns N' Roses blame lateness on 'huge rig'

Guns N' Roses blame lateness on 'huge rig'

GUNS N' ROSES are always late for their shows because they have ''a huge rig''.

The 'Paradise City' rockers are notorious for taking to the stage hours after their scheduled time and guitarist DJ Ashba says singer Axl Rose is often unfairly blamed, and it is setting up their equipment which takes so long.

He told Yahoo's Australia7 News: ''We have a huge rig and pyrotechnics so often it's the case of fitting all that into the venue.

''Our number one priority is to make the shows safe. Criticism from fans kills us as a band because we're not doing any of this on purpose. Our main goal is to go and give the fans a show they will never forget and we understand how expensive tickets are. We take that into account and when we do hit the stage, it's almost impossible to get us off.''

He also defended Axl - who requests a bed backstage and sleeps until showtime - saying he is misrepresented in the media as short tempered and demanding.

He added: ''I think a lot of people and the press try to blow it up and say he's an asshole but everyone can be an asshole if you get them on the wrong day.

''One thing people don't seem to get is that he's genuinely funny and he's always joking around and telling stories to make people laugh. I always say that if he wasn't a musician he'd be a great comedian. I wish the world could see that side of him because it's the opposite of what people have branded in their brains.''

Guns N' Roses late stage times have seen them pelted with beer glasses and money in Ireland, while they blamed taking to the stage two hours late on a rainstorm in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

Notably when the band were over an hour late at the UK's Reading festival in 2010 their set was cut short and the power pulled from their instruments. Axl attempted to continue the concert singing through a megaphone, but was eventually forcibly removed from the stage.