Last time we heard about AC/DC’s future plans, frontman Brian Johnson claimed that the band would be entering the studio and playing 40 shows around the world in celebration of the band’s 40th anniversary. Now there are reports emerging about AC/DC’s future, but they’re drastically different. One report came from Australian radio station 3AW, which reported a rumor that the band would be announcing their retirement very soon. And by very soon, they mean it could be tomorrow. 3AW’s entertainment reported Peter Ford explains the reason the band could be retiring:
“The suggestion being put to me is that that tour will not happen and we will never see AC/DC perform again or record again.”
“The boys have a pact that they will not get anyone else in the group; nobody will be replaced and when somebody leaves, the group ends.
“My information is that Malcolm Young, one of the founding members of the group, has in recent times returned to Australia to live with his family and for his own personal reasons he may not want to continue with the band.”
In addition, Mark Evans, son of original AC/DC singer Dave Evans, tweeted that Malcolm Young is sick and that the band is finished. While blog The Orstrahyun reports that Young had a stroke, which left him with a blood clot on his brain, and that when the band reconvened to write the new album, Young found that he was unable to play like he used to following the stroke.
In contrast, The Australian responded directly to the rumors with a piece that might as well have been titled “I call bullshit.” The piece makes the following claim:
AC/DC are booked into a recording studio in Vancouver for six weeks from May 1, according to a music industry source, throwing into doubt speculation today that the legendary Aussie rock band are to announce their retirement.
There really isn’t anything to go off of for either of these claims. Sure, AC/DC are getting up there in years, but what legendary band isn’t these days? At this point, someone could make the claim that George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher will replace Brian Johnson on vocals and it would be as concrete as the above reports. If an announcement from the band truly is imminent, we’ll know of their future soon enough, and if Young is really sick, best wishes to him for a speedy recovery.
UPDATE: According to Billboard, “industry insiders” report that there’s no truth to the rumor about the band retiring. However, the band’s management and label, Columbia, haven’t commented one way or the other on the rumor.
UPDATE 2: Shortly after Brian Johnson denied the band was retiring, AC/DC confirmed that Malcolm Young is stepping down due to health issues.
