Chris Slade realized rumors about Axl Rose were wrong when he met the singer during AC/DC’s 2016 tour. Rose was playing with the band as a guest to fill in for Brian Johnson at that time.
Slade recalled in a recent chat with VRP Rocks:
“I’d heard all the horror stories. Of course! Haven’t we all? But he turned out to be—I shook his hand and thought, ‘This guy’s alright, strangely. Why do I think that?’”
He commented on the Guns N’ Roses vocalist’s voice:
“And he started singing. He was like, ‘Wow, this guy has a voice.’ I didn’t know he had that voice. I’d only ever heard him sing Guns N’ Roses. But that voice that he has, that instrument he has, is just phenomenal.”
Rose Is Not Like Brian Johnson, The Drummer Says
AC/DC recruited Axl Rose because Johnson had to step down from the North American tour due to hearing problems. The band faced some criticism from fans over the decision at the time. Slade reflected on that:
“Now, he’s not Brian Johnson. He wasn’t even trying to be Brian Johnson. Again, the trolls are going, ‘Well, he’s not Brian.’ Nobody can be Brian. Brian is Brian, and he has his own voice, and it’s unique. That’s the way it goes.”
Then, he clarified:
“Axl had a different approach, and that’s all. I’m not saying one is better than the other because music is not a competition.”
The ‘Guns N’ Roses’ Frontman Was ‘Staggering’
Chris Slade joined his former band to fill in for Phil Rudd during the 2016 tour as the latter was under arrest for drug possession and threatening an employee. The drummer talked about the experience in an interview with Eonmusic two years later:
“Angus [Young] was running around like a schoolboy, you know? It did reinvigorate the band. Brian is great, as we all know; he’s a great personality and a great guy. Axl brought his voice to it. Like, I couldn’t believe the notes he hit; it was staggering. And I actually had no hope at all.”
He added:
“When I heard that Axl was going to be in the band, I thought, ‘Oh, what?!’ Because I’d only ever heard that Guns N’ Roses voice, but all great singers, they can change the timbre of their voice, and wow, he hit notes that dogs can only hear. It was unbelievable. I thought he did an amazing job. I could hear him very clearly because I use in-ear monitors, and it’s the best I’ve ever heard the band.”
Now, AC/DC is on the road again. The band has Matt Laug behind the drums this time, but Slade is open to reunite with them in the future if asked to.