It’s been a trying few years for AC/DC, with quite a few lineup changes. Their former drummer tried to kill someone, their rhythm guitarist and founding member is suffering from dementia, their lead singer suddenly had to retire from touring or risk going deaf, and their bassist said that this tour will be his last. Through it all, Angus Young, guitarist and probably the most visible member of the band, has remained calm and centered. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, he spoke about the turnover in the band, which included Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose stepping in on vocals.
He says that Axl actually reached out to AC/DC through a production person he knew and volunteered his services. He said that the singer actually wanted to play Highway to Hell‘s “Touch Too Much,” but the band had never played it live. And as those that have also seen GN’R live on this leg of the tour, that unlike earlier days, punctuality isn’t a problem:
He’s been really good. He prepares himself, ready to go. We sit and chew the fat before we get on, work out what songs we want to do. It’s gotta be fun for him, and for us.
As far as Cliff Williams announcing he’d be leaving the band, Young says that he’d made that decision before the band even started touring. He adds that the band didn’t seriously consider throwing in the towel when his brother Malcolm Young had to leave the band, saying his work ethic would suggest that the band want to soldier on, saying “Malcolm was always one to battle through.” But will Hell’s Bells stop ringing after the final leg of the Rock or Bust tour finishes on September 20th? Young hasn’t decided yet, but the band’s work ethic might dictate what’s next:
At this point, I don’t know. We were committed to finishing the tour. Who knows what I’ll feel after? When you sign on and say, “I’m gonna do this and that,” it’s always good to say at the end of it, “I’ve done all I said I would do.”
That was always the idea, especially when we were younger – me, Malcolm, Bon. You had to show up and be on time. You’d be playing in a pub in the afternoon. Then late at night, you’d be playing a club. You got into that habit: “If we don’t play, we don’t eat.”
Looks like we’ll have to wait and find out, but here’s where the final leg of shows will be:
8/27 Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum
8/30 Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ BB&T Center
9/01 Atlanta, GA @ Phillips Arena
9/04 Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
9/06 Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
9/09 Detroit, MI @ The Palace
9/11 Buffalo, NY @ First Niagara Center
9/14 New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
9/17 Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
9/20 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
