Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal has shared an incredible story of how he received death threats after messing up the guitar solo to Welcome to the Jungle at a Guns N’ Roses concert in 2011.
The guitarist, who played with the band from 2006 to 2014, was recently interviewed by radio show Rockin’ Metal Revival and was asked to pick the most memorable moment from a career that has included stints with everyone from GNR, to Asia, Lita Ford and supergroup Sons of Apollo.
We all make mistakes, of course, and it’s usually best not to dwell too long on them, but Thal’s choice is a doozy– happening at Guns N’ Roses rain-lashed 2011 Rock in Rio performance.
“It was pouring,” recalls Thal (Blabbermouth), “The rain was like a few inches high on the stage; they were sweeping it up. It was almost as high as the top of the pedalboards …
“Pyro was misfiring … it was just crazy. And I remember trying to use the fretless guitar, and my fingers were so pruned up … it was like trying to play a wet balloon.”
It wasn’t the rain alone that caused the issues– rather an ill-advised attempt to save the situation with a bit of cosplay. Thal says the problems really began after he spotted a fan wearing a stormtrooper helmet in the front row…
“I put it on my head, and as soon as it touched my cheeks, it’s like it fused to it,” says Thal.
“I remember just saying, ‘Oh shit’ and, as soon as I said the ‘S’ curse, everything just misted up! Now it’s like, ‘Alright, I have this helmet that is gonna take a bit of effort to remove… And I can’t see anything.'”
The timing could not have been worse, coming as all eyes were on the band for their second song in the set Welcome to the Jungle–and soon about to turn to him for the lead crescendo.
“The iconic solo that I had to play is about to come up and it’s like, ‘Oh god. This is not gonna work out well,'” notes Thal.
“I managed to get the helmet up at least over my eyes and keep it there. And then I think I nodded, like, ‘Ah, good.’ And it tumbled right back down!
“It got to one point, like halfway through the solo, where I just had to stop playing and pull this helmet back so I could see what I was doing.”
While the guitarist notes it only lasted a few seconds, he says it did not go unnoticed by those in attendance–indeed, the footage remains on YouTube.
“The next day I got hundreds– hundreds– of angry emails from Brazilians,”…» Read More
