Guns n Roses have issued an explanation for the sound issues BBC viewers noticed during their headline performance at Glastonbury. On Saturday night, the LA rock legends took to the iconic Pyramid stage at 9.30pm for their first ever set at the Somerset festival.
It is 36 years since Appetite for Destruction became the biggest-selling debut album in history in 1987. The band had been separated for years before reuniting. And fans at Glastonbury could not have been happier. With frontman Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan in full flow, the seven-piece band sent festival-goers wild, delivering classics such as Sweet Child O' Mine and Welcome To The Jungle.
But many Glastonbury viewers watching the BBC coverage on TV repeatedly complained that Rose's vocals appeared to keep dropping out. While the rest of the band's sound appeared perfectly pitched, the singer's vocals seemed to come and go.
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The problem appeared to have resolved itself at times as the set went on, but at other times it appeared worse than ever, like during the performance of Rocket Queen. Disgruntled viewers noticed and took to social media. Writing on Twitter, Ricky Davidson said: "Seriously, it looks like Axl is singing his heart out but the mic is not having it." Rix Hendersen wrote: "Watching GnR on an OLED with Ambilight and in UHD is great, but I wish they’d stop cocking about with Axl’s mic. The mix is all over the place." Another wrote: "They’ve set that microphone lower than my current bank balance."
In an email to WalesOnline on Sunday, the agency representing the band said it has "dug deep" into the problem and discovered there were problems with the broadcast being streamed on certain TVs, resulting in poor sound quality. This would explain why at times Axl's voice sounded as powerful as ever while at others he could barely be heard. A review of Guns n Roses' performance by the BBC's music correspondent, Mark Savage, suggests that there were no such sound issues for those there in person. Praising Rose's "wolverine yowl" and "snarling delivery", Savage said: "Some TV viewers complained his microphone was too quiet, but in the field he cut through the swathes of guitar like a knife through butter."
A spokesperson from the agency representing Guns N' Roses said: "Axl was in top form last night. We have dug deep into the matter, and it appears the broadcast had issues being played on certain TVs like UHDs. This was an unfortunate issue that the mix played through these TVs sounded so poorly; however, it was not the band’s fault but the BBC’s."
A spokesperson for the BBC said: "This year the BBC is bringing audiences amazing live performances straight from Glastonbury’s stages, with 40 hours of TV coverage, 85 hours of live radio and multiple streams on BBC iPlayer." On Sunday night, Elton John will headline the Pyramid Stage.
