The days of Guns N' Roses front man Axl Rose going on stage late or cutting concerts short on a whim are firmly behind him.
Rose proved that Sunday in Abu Dhabi, when he refused to cancel the gig despite being "severely ill."
Before being joined onstage by the band, Rose came out to address the crowd assembled at the Du Arena. He explained that he had been vomiting backstage but still wanted to try and perform.
"They've got me on IVs and a bunch of injections, because I got sick today," he told the audience. "I've been throwing up for the last five hours. Instead of canceling, we're going to do the best show we can for you."
GNR is on the final leg of its hit Not in This Lifetime world tour, in which the band has performed nearly its entire catalog in marathon three-hour concerts at each stop.
Despite Rose's illness, the band performed 17 songs over two hours, taking its final bows after "November Rain."
Guitarist Slash thanked the fans for their support following Rose's display of endurance.
"Abu Shabi, you guys were f---ing great tonight!" Slash wrote in a Tweet. "Axl was severely ill. But you all were hugely supportive. Thanks for that. We'll see [you] again next time! Cheers!"
Bassist Duff McKagan added via Twitter that Rose "pulled a damn miracle...the man was beyond ill, and pulled off something I've never seen in my 40 years of playing. You all pulled him thru."
This summer, Slash counted his former nemesis Rose as his favorite singer of all time. He added in an interview with Q104.3 New York's Out of the Box with Jonathan Clarke that he was "in awe" of Rose's ability to split time between GNR and AC/DC in 2016 and still never lose his voice.
There are two more dates on the Not in This Lifetime tour itinerary. Once the tour is through, Slash will resume supporting his latest album, Living the Dream, with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators and then presumably reconvene with his GNR band mates to work on new music.
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