When the news broke, it did so out of the blue, and via a car window. “Axl Rose has broken his foot!” Those of us stood in the Las Vegas sunshine, tailgating outside the city’s box-fresh T‑Mobile Arena, did a double-take. The car from which this mystery newscast had been broadcast had not hung around to take follow-up questions, instead winding up its window and disappearing towards the nearby multistorey car park. In little under six hours’ time, the arena’s doors were due to open on 20,000 fans and the new era for the finally reunited Guns N’ Roses. Given we were dealing with a band who were once hours late to the stage so its frontman could watch a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, no-one had a clue what his rumoured inability to walk would mean for the n...
