Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal reveals that he received death threats after an unfortunate mishap during his guitar solo for ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ at a Guns N’ Roses concert in 2011.
In a recent interview with radio show Rockin’ Metal Revival, Thal reflects on the most Spinal Tap moment of his career, which spans stints with GNR, Asia, Lita Ford, and supergroup Sons of Apollo. The incident occurred during a rain-soaked performance at the 2011 Rock in Rio festival.
“The rain was pouring down,” recalls Thal (Blabbermouth). “The pyrotechnics were misfiring, and my fingers were pruned up from the rain. It was chaos.”
However, things took a turn for the worse when Thal attempted to wear a fan’s stormtrooper helmet. “As soon as it touched my cheeks, it fused to my face,” Thal explains. “I couldn’t see a thing. The timing couldn’t have been worse for my guitar solo on ‘Welcome to the Jungle.’”
Thal’s struggle to remove the helmet during the iconic guitar solo did not go unnoticed by the audience, and the footage continues to circulate on YouTube. The following day, Thal received hundreds of angry emails from Brazilian fans.