Axl Rose Must Have an Ax to Grind

By Stephen M. Silverman

Wednesday January 02, 2002 01:05 PM EST

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Guns N' Roses made a rare concert appearance Sunday night in Las Vegas, but former member Slash was shut out of it, reports ABCNEWS.com. The sold-out concert at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino was only the second U.S. gig that Guns have performed in eight years. Former guitarist Slash was in the gaming capitol for the show, but only got as far as the door. Speaking briefly with ABCNEWS Radio, Slash claimed that he tried to gain entry, but couldn't. A security guard confirmed his account, crediting band frontman Axl Rose for the exclusion. Rose, the only member remaining from the group's golden "Appetite For Destruction" days, reportedly warned the Hard Rock that he would walk offstage if he saw any of his former bandmates in the audience. Those who did gain entrance to the show apparently liked what they saw and heard, despite some technical difficulties that appeared to further agitate Rose, 39. Rose addressed the crowd about the audio glitches and announced that he no longer performs with former members of the group. He also said that he had never committed to play a much-publicized on-again, off-again European tour this past summer. In fact, he claimed, he had only learned about the tour on the Internet.