Guns N' Roses has a long history with Rock In Rio , dating back to the festival's first edition in 1985. Rumors suggest Axl Rose is set to return to the festival in 2022 and has been named the most difficult star to manage by Roberto Medina , the event's creator.
When asked by Veja magazine about the biggest headaches he's faced over the years, the businessman recounted a few episodes. "In the very first edition, I learned the hard way how to deal with outlandish requests. Prince demanded 400 white towels and only used thirty. Elton John wanted roses with stems exactly 14 centimeters long in his dressing room," he narrated.
The most complicated artist of all, however, is the leader of Guns N' Roses. “But nobody surpasses Axl Rose, who caused trouble here and in Portugal. In 1991, at Maracanã, a member of Guns N' Roses' crew got into a fight with someone from Rede Globo. The commotion lasted all day, and Axl said he would only perform when they gave him the tape with the altered footage [of the news report]. The crisis ended half an hour before he was to go on stage: someone from the band went to Globo and saw the footage being erased. In Lisbon, Axl brought nine identical pairs of jeans and insisted he would only perform in the pair he had forgotten on the plane. We sent someone to get them, of course,” he recounted.
All this stress impacts Medina's health, and he has some preparations in the lead-up to the event. “Now I have a large team and that's spread out, but at the first Rock in Rio everything was centralized on me. I finished the festival 15 kilos lighter,” he revealed. “That's when I realized how important it was to prepare for the marathon. I lead a disciplined life, I exercise, I swim in my home pool, I don't smoke, and I only drink a beer with friends. On event days, I sleep with a little Rivotril.”
READ ALSO: Creator of Rock In Rio announces mega-festival in São Paulo with metal in the line-up
