CHRIS SLADE Says AXL ROSE Was 'Nothing Like The Character You've Heard About' During AC/DC's 2016 Tour

January 3, 2024

Former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade has praised Axl Rose's collaboration with the band, saying that the GUNS N' ROSES singer was "nothing like the character" he had heard about.

AC/DC postponed the last ten dates of its North American tour eight years ago after doctors told singer Brian Johnson he faced a total loss of hearing if he did not stop touring immediately. AC/DC completed the tour in the summer of 2016, with Rose as a "guest vocalist."

"To be honest, I was incredulous," Slade told WalesOnline of Rose's addition to AC/DC's touring lineup. "We were auditioning singers — we tried four or five. And I didn't know anything about it. All of a sudden they said: 'It's Axl Rose tomorrow'. I knew all the horror stories, of course. I met him, shook his hand, and thought: 'This guy's all right'. And he was. He's nothing like the character you've heard about — he tells great jokes. He's as funny as Brian is."

Slade, who played drums for AC/DC's "Rock Or Bust" world tour after Phil Rudd was arrested for drug possession and threatening to kill an employee, told Eonmusic in a 2018 interview that Axl fronting AC/DC definitely re-energized the band. "Yes, absolutely," he said. "Angus [Young, guitar] 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. 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."

Slade had previously served as AC/DC's drummer between 1989 and 1994, playing on the album "The Razor's Edge".

Slade originally followed Simon Wright in AC/DC's lineup. When Rudd returned in 1995, Slade was shown the door and harbored some bad feelings about that for a while.

AC/DC recruited Matt Laug to play drums with the Brian Johnson-fronted outfit at the Power Trip festival last October.

Find more on Ac/dc

Prev More News Next

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).