“In the interest of public safety”: Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose pledges to stop throwing mic into crowd following fan injury claim

American hard-rock band Guns N' Roses' frontman Axl Rose has addressed the reports of a woman being injured by a microphone thrown into the crowd by him during a concert in Adelaide, Australia, held on November 29.

The microphone reportedly hit the concert goer in the face, leaving her in a bloodied mess. She took to TikTok to share her story and when it went viral, the frontman apologized via social media on December 2, vowing to never throw his microphone into the crowd again.

Axl Rose mid performance (image via Getty/Amy Sussman)

In a statement, Axl Rose justified his decision by claiming it was out of concern for the safety of the public that the band will henceforth refrain from throwing their microphones into the audience. The statement said:

“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 r performances.”

Disclaimer: This article contains graphic images of injury. Discretion is advised.

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Axl Rose to quit 30 year long concert tradition following injury to a fan

Guns N' Roses appeared in concert at the Adelaide Oval in Australia earlier this week, and unfortunately frontman and rock legend Axl Rose injured a patron. Rebecca Howe was injured in the face after Axl threw his microphone at the audience, as he has done at the end of every concert for the past 30 years.

The woman posted a video on her TikTok account sporting two black eyes and an injury to the bridge of her nose. She mentioned that if it was a few inches off, she would have lost an eye, or broken a tooth or two.

Rebecca Howe shared images of her face post injury (Image via TikTok)

Following the news, Axl Rose posted an apology on his socials and announced that he will no longer be throwing mics at the audience at the end of every concert. In his statement, he mentioned that the long-standing tradition was something that fans anticipated, hoping they would catch the thrown mic. The artist wrote:

“Having tossed the mic at the end of r shows for over 30 years we always felt it was a known part of the very end of r performance that fans wanted and were aware of to have an opportunity to catch the mic."

The lead vocalist then announced that the band will refrain from throwing their mics at the audience. His statement also made it clear that their "mic throw" was never intended to be malicious, and that through random acts, accidents can occur. He continued:

“Unfortunately there are those that for their own reasons chose to frame their reporting regarding this subject in a more negative n’ irresponsible out of nowhere light which couldn’t be farther from reality. We hope the public and of course fans get that sometimes happens."

Rebecca Howe told her TikTok followers that Axl Rose threw the mic after the night's final performance in Paradise City. When she was hit, the crowd around her did not notice as they were focused on catching the mic. She mentioned that she was hyperventilating and worried that she had broken her nose. She was found with a bloodied nose by a security guard.

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This is not the first such incident to occur during a Guns N' Roses concert. After the tour opener concert in Perth in 2013, a man named Darren Wright was also struck in the face. He sought $5,000 for dental charges after having chipped a few teeth.

The band will wrap up their tour with two more shows in New Zealand, following which their next performance will be in June 2023 for the British Summertime Festival in Hyde Park, London.