Axl Rose will stop tossing mic after fan may have been injured

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose says he will no longer do his traditional microphone toss into the audience after a woman was allegedly struck in the face by his mic at a Nov. 29 concert in Australia.

"It's come to my attention that a fan may have been hurt at r show in Adelaide[,] Australia[,] possibly being hit by the microphone at the end of the show when I traditionally toss the mic to fans," tweeted Rose, 60, born William Rose, on Friday, following local news reports showing a photograph of Rebecca Howe with two black eyes and a cut nose, saying she had been struck.

“[O]bviously we don't want anyone getting hurt," Rose continued, explaining that, "Having tossed the mic at the end of r show 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.” He added that "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."

The "Sweet Child O' Mine" singer for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame group, one of the world’s most popular rock bands, went on to castigate media reports he called "negative n' irresponsible," and concluded by giving "BIG THANKS to everyone for understanding."

The casual underhand microphone toss at the Adelaide Oval stadium was captured in audience videos.

Howe told Australian media that at the end of show’s final song, “Paradise City," Rose "took a bow and then he launched the microphone out to the crowd … and then bang, right on the bridge of my nose."

She recalled, "My mind went, 'Oh my God, my face is caved in. I had blood dripping down the front of me. … What if it was a couple of inches to the right or left? I could have lost an eye … what if it hit me in the mouth and I broke my teeth? If my head was turned and it hit me in the temple, it could have killed me."

Other fans scrambled to pick up the souvenir for themselves, she said: "There was this huge kerfuffle as this man tried to get the microphone … he held it up like a victory, 'I got it, I got it', while I was trying to keep my composure."

BAND SUES STORE OVER NAME Guns N' Roses is suing a Jersey Village, Texas, gun shop doing business online as Texas Guns and Roses, citing trademark infringement and illegal use of the band's name without "approval, license, or consent."

According to multiple outlets that have obtained a copy of the lawsuit, filed Thursday, the complaint additionally notes, "GNR, quite reasonably, does not want to be associated with Defendant, a firearms and weapons retailer. Furthermore, Defendant espouses political views related to the regulation and control of firearms and weapons on the Website that may be polarizing to many U.S. consumers." The retailer had ignored cease-and-desist letters sent as early as February 2020.