Report: GUNS N' ROSES Walks Off Stage In Dublin; Video Available

According to Entertainment.ie, GUNS N' ROSES left the stage for more than 30 minutes during tonight's (Wednesday, September 1) concert at the O2 in Dublin, Ireland after a bottle was thrown up on stage following a warning from singer Axl Rose.

The band's show reportedly started at 10:25 p.m. — well over an hour after the support act, DANKO JONES, had finished playing. Some angry fans booed and threw a few beer/water bottles on stage in protest at the delay.

GUNS N' ROSES kicked off the performance with "Welcome To The Jungle" at which point another bottle was thrown up on stage, causing Rose to declare, "Alright, here's the deal. One more bottle, we go home. It's up to you. We would like to stay. You want us to stay? We wanna stay. We wanna have some fun. If you don't wanna have fun, all you gotta do is let us know and we've got no probllem. We'll go on our way." According to the report, "The gig continued for another three songs and as Rose was introducing the band, another missile was thrown at the band. At this, Rose took the band, bid his goodnight and stormed off the stage at about 10:50 p.m."

The report adds, "Just after 11 p.m., a member of the O2 staff arrived on stage telling the crowd that there were some 'technical difficulties' and they were trying to get GUNS N' ROSES back on stage. A short while after, another staff member arrived on stage to plead with the now-depleting crowd to stop throwing bottles as they were still trying to get Axl Rose to return to the stage. [At] 11:10 p.m., the main lights came on and the majority of the crowd left The O2."

According to Entertainment.ie, GUNS N' ROSES returned to the stage at about 11:25 p.m. and "continued playing a set to a small but pretty irate crowd."

It is not presently clear if refunds will be offered to fans who ended up leaving the venue before the concert resumed.

***UPDATE***: Video footage of Axl Rose warning the Dublin crowd not to throw any more bottles on stage during the "Welcome To The Jungle" performance can be viewed below. The clip continues with a member of the O2 staff telling the crowd that there were some "technical difficulties" before another staff member pleads with the crowd to stop throwing bottles as they were still trying to get Axl Rose to return to the stage.***

As previously reported, Axl Rose issued a statement yesterday (Tuesday, August 31) aimed squarely at the promoters of the U.K.'s Reading and Leeds festivals, which the band headlined on Friday (August 27) and Sunday (August 29) respectively. GUNS N' ROSES came onstage an hour late on Friday and 30 minutes late on Sunday, with both shows cut short due to venue curfews.

Rose wrote at Twitlonger.com, a related Twitter site where one can post messages longer than 140 characters, "We allegedly had a deal in place pre-show with the city at least at Leeds to do a bit longer performance that was either miscommunication, someone wasn't informed, changed their mind, didn't care or was a con.

"Regardless, the nonsense just seems so unnecessary but without real management or industry presence is unfortunately beyond our control."

Rose's statement seems at odds with comments made by festival organizer Melvin Benn before the shows, in which he said that the band's set would be cut short if they showed up late.

The group took the stage more than two hours late when it last played Leeds eight years ago, with Benn saying that any curfew violation this time could threaten the festival's license.

Rose said from the stage Sunday night as the band's set was halted, "We would like to play a few more songs for you tonight but someone is telling us the show's over." He also launched an f-bomb at the festival's promoters before leaving.

Meanwhile, on Friday night, Rose staged a sitdown protest when the band's set was stopped at midnight. The curfew had already been extended half an hour for the group at that point.

Many members of the crowd jeered the band when it arrived onstage 60 minutes late, while a number of audience members also left before the set even started. According to Gigwise.com, the crowd continued to disperse throughout the band's performance.

****Video footage of Axl Rose warning the Dublin crowd not to throw any more bottles on stage during the "Welcome To The Jungle" performance can be viewed below. (Note: The speech in question can be heard around the 1:30 mark.) The clip continues with a member of the O2 staff telling the crowd that there were some "technical difficulties" before another staff member pleads with the crowd to stop throwing bottles as they were still trying to get Axl Rose to return to the stage.

****Another video clip of Axl Rose warning the Dublin crowd not to throw any more bottles on stage during the "Welcome To The Jungle" performance can be viewed below. (Note: The speech in question can be heard around the 3:39 mark.)