Axl Rose showed up as a guest vocalist during AC/DC’s 2016 tour when Brian Johnson had to step down due to hearing loss. Chris Slade shared whether the band ever thought of making the change permanent in a recent chat on the ‘Appetite For Distortion’ podcast:
“That was it, really. [I was told], ‘This will be the tour.’ And I didn’t expect it to carry on after. I didn’t know what Brian was doing. He didn’t tell anybody. I think he just left at the time, or whatever the word is. And that was all I knew.”
He recalled:
“I was told, ‘Brian’s not here.’ ‘Oh. Okay. Well, what are we doing?’ ‘Well, we’re gonna get a replacement.’ ‘Oh. All right.’ So, we tried out quite a few people, six or seven people, I think. Some were unknowns, completely unknowns, and some weren’t, but I’m not gonna say who.”
The Drummer Was Hesitant About The New Vocalist
Slade rejoined the band during the ‘Rock Or Bust’ world tour to replace Phil Rudd after he was arrested for drug possession and threatening to kill an employee. The drummer was unsure at first about Rose taking over for Johnson during the American dates:
“The thing with Axl, people went, like, ‘Axl Rose. Do me a favor.’ And I must admit, I was a little trepidatious, shall I say. But he said ‘hello.’ I shook his hand, and I thought, ‘This guy’s all right.’ And he was telling jokes. And he was a great guy, actually.”
He shared:
“I know I’ve heard the horror stories, as we all have, but in my experience, he was great. Very professional. He was never late anywhere, anytime. And he used to warm up two hours before every show and warm down for two hours every show. I know that for a fact, because I was next to him [laughs]; I could hear him.”
The Band Has A New Touring Drummer Now
AC/DC went on hiatus after the ‘Rock Or Bust’ tour ended. They reunited in 2020 with the same lineup and released the ‘Power Up’ album two months later.
Rudd continued as the drummer but stopped touring in 2023. The band brought in Matt Laug to play drums during the ‘Power Trip festival’ in October and for the upcoming 2024 summer tour in Europe.
‘The Power Up Tour’ will kick off on May 17 in Germany.