Axl Rose and crew reportedly canceled a show in Maine because of a dispute over the use of pyro, which of course has come under scrutiny since the Great White tragedy. However, Maine officials are now saying the band was more hung up on their "no drinking booze while playing" rule.

Apparently, Maine has had a prohibition against having alcohol on stage for years. That agitated the band that caused the cancellation, officials say, not the pyro issues the fire marshals were there to oversee. SunJournal.com reports:

"Steve McCausland said inspectors had been there to oversee pyrotechnics and ran into "a couple issues that were quickly resolved. The bigger sticking point: Representatives of Guns N' Roses shared the fact that they "wanted to drink beer, wine and Jagermeister while performing," McCausland wrote."

I understand why some fans want to blame the rule makers and enforcers for the show getting cancelled. But, if the official are correct in that it really came down to the booze issue then I have to give the band a little fault as well. They could probably have found a way, if they really needed it, to drink before hand and how long would they really play anyway? Certainly less than two hours, probably closer to one. So, they couldn't go without a beer or shot for that long to play some music for the fans that had bought tickets to the show? We'll probably never know the real story here but given Axl's diva past nothing surprised me with these guys.

Labels: Axl Rose, Guns N' Roses