When we look back at 2016 (which we’ll do in, oh about three months), amidst all the losses and other trend stories, the rehabilitation of Axl Rose will be one of the primary stories. Who would’ve thought that someone that was notoriously reclusive and eccentric for much of the ’90s and early 2000s would not only come back with Guns N’ Roses, but do so on time every show and sounding as great as he does? Then he joined AC/DC to fill in for Brian Johnson after he couldn’t sing with the band any more, which he’s currently doing. But he’s just done something that’s above and beyond, reaching out to a waitress that was bullied at a restaurant and surprising her with an all expenses paid trip to see him with AC/DC.
18 year-old Sadie Elledge, who’s of Mexican and Honduran descent, was waitressing at Jess’ Quick Lunch in Harrisonburg, VA. A customer, in lieu of a tip, wrote “We only tip citizens.” It didn’t take long for the story to attract media attention. Not only is Elledge a US citizen, but the restaurant is owned by immigrants, who came to her defense. It also reached Jane the Virgin star Greice Santo, who was also bullied as a child. She reached out to Santo and gave her a makeover via her “Glam With Greice” program. At the end of the makeover, Elledge got a phone call from Axl Rose inviting her to an AC/DC concert. Santo, who knows Rose, told Alternative Nation:
“He reached out to me. Axl is a friend and I told him about Sadie and he already knew her story. When I told him about the Glam with Greice that I wanted to do he actually wanted to fly in personally and invite her to the Ft. Lauderdale show on August 30th and have her and her family flown down to show in Ft. Lauderdale and put up in beautiful hotel rooms there as well on his dime. He was going to pick up the WHOLE tab.
But Sadie could not come that day because there was a death in her family. So Axl told me we are coming near her town on September 17th at DC concert, let’s have her come then. Axl is one of the kindest and most generous men I’ve ever met and he is such a cool but down to earth regular guy. He really wanted to make this so special for Sadie and help me with my Glam with Greice initiative.
Axl called me at a certain time while I was with Sadie and the stylists and makeup artists and I put him on speaker to tell Sadie the GREAT NEWS!!!”
Hopefully Elledge likes AC/DC. Or even better, hopefully the people that stiffed her on the tip really love AC/DC or Guns N’ Roses, and the news of this gets back to them. Rose’s karma level is off the charts.
