FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!!
ATTENTION: The March 14th Guns N' Roses show in Rio De Janeiro at Apoteose Stadium has been officially canceled for this evening due to the stage collapsing because of heavy rains. Stay tuned for more info and possible rescheduling information as we receive it.
There is a possibility the show may be rescheduled for tomorrow night March 15th or at a later date. There fortunately are no fatalities but there are injuries from both our camp and Rio crews the extent of which is not known at present. The Rio Fire Dept is evacuating crews out of the venue to avoid further injuries with the heavy rains and winds. Details are just coming in. Also a truck w/part of The Sebastian Bach Band's gear has rolled on the trip from Sao Paulo to Rio what is our understanding several times and we are awaiting details on the safety of the driver at this time. Thank you for your understanding and please be safe out there. Thank you. Axl Rose-
Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has issued the following update from his current South American tour as the support act for GUNS N' ROSES:
"You just can't make this stuff up.
"All the reports you have heard are true.
"I don't know where to begin this update!
"After what was certainly one of the best gigs of our career, Sao Paulo, things got completely crazy, only this time it was none of our fault!
"I spent the afternoon of the Rio concert [Sunday, March 14] on the beach getting some sun. I noticed some foreboding clouds forming in the sky around this time, but thought nothing of it; we've played in the rain before. Then I had dinner at 5 p.m. and got ready for the show as usual. About 7 p.m. I got a call from our tour manager saying, 'You have a night off tonight.'
"WHAT???
"The tornado that hit Rio de Janeiro completely demolished the stage. On top of that, on the way to Rio from Sao Paulo, our truck carrying all our equipment drove off a cliff and rolled down the hill.
"Thank God I am able to report that the driver is OK. Not so with the stage collapse.... Many local crew guys were hurt but thank God there are no fatalities to report. Which might not have been the case if this tornado hit Rio an hour later; the crowd would have been in the venue at that time.
"As evidenced by the pictures, there most certainly would have been massive carnage had the crowd been in the venue at the time of the stage collapse. I thank God yet again for the timing of this incident... we missed it happening while we were onstage by about only an hour. Obviously, we feel totally rotten for the fans who bought tickets to the show that didn't happen. I have heard we are trying to reschedule the show and I sure do hope this goes down! We are dying to play for you, Rio de Janeiro!
"Which brings us to tonight's show in Porto Alegre.
"When our truck rolled off the cliff, all the drums were smashed. Bobby's [Jarzombek] 'Angel Down' custom bass drum heads do not exist anymore (total bummer). Worse yet, when the truck was at the bottom of the cliff, locals came out and raided the scene, stealing whatever they could.
"All of Johnny Chromatic's guitars are missing right now. The airlines lost Johnny's luggage as well on the way to Rio.
"Johnny is right now on tour in South America with literally no instruments and no clothes. All he has right now is the shirt and shorts he is wearing. Lucky for him, it's warm down here!
"We all feel like total shit for Johnny.
"GUNS N' ROSES have been kind enough to offer us use of any equipment we need for the rest of the tour. Which means we can play the gigs!
"As I write this at 6 p.m. local time, we have no idea what time we're going on tonight. GN'R's backline is still not on the stage due to the 19-hour drive from Rio to Porto Alegre. We are shooting for a 9 p.m. set time but it could be later. It has taken us all everything we got to pull off tonight's show... the show must go on!
"See you in a couple of hours, Porto Alegre!
