UDO DIRKSCHNEIDER: 'AXL ROSE Is Doing A Great Job' With AC/DC

Former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider says that he can live with the fact that he wasn't asked to step in for Brian Johnson on AC/DC's just-completed European tour.

AC/DC postponed the last ten dates of its recent North American trek after Johnson was advised to stop playing live or "risk total hearing loss." The band has since completed the European leg of its "Rock Or Bust" tour with GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose as a "guest vocalist" and Johnson apparently not returning to the band at all.

In a brand new interview with o Spark TV, which is part of the Czech monthly magazine Spark, Dirkschneider once again confirmed that he had not been approached by AC/DC to fill in for Johnson on any of the shows, but added about the Rose-AC/DC pairing: "I was a little surprised. Axl is doing a great job so far. And I think it was also a surprise for a lot of people. You know, everybody was, like, 'Axl Rose [singing for] AC/DC?' But in a way, it works, and, yeah, I think everybody is happy so far."

He continued: "I saw just one video clip from a festival in Portugal, and, yeah, it works. Everybody was a bit [unsure about it at first], but I think the sound is good. So I think it really works. But not forever."

Regarding the fact that he wasn't contacted about doing the AC/DC shows instead of Axl, Udo said: "Of course, a lot of people [are saying to me], 'Why aren't they asking you?' I said, 'I don't know. Ask AC/DC.' [Laughs] Nobody was asking me, nobody phoning, but I can live with that."

AC/DC guitarist Angus Young said in a recent interview with NDR.de that he's not really sure what AC/DC will do after wrapping up its current touring commitments with Rose on lead vocals. Young remarked: "We were committed to finishing this tour, so that's been our main goal, and Axl's helping us. I know he's very excited. He keeps saying, can he do more? But we don't really know at the end how we will [proceed]. But we wanna get [through] this tour, which we were committed to doing. We wanna finish it."

The European tour ended in Germany on June 15 and despite initial fan trepidation, Axl has gotten generally good reviews for his performances so far. Angus Young said: "I mean, under the situation that we had, it was very good that he volunteered and said, 'Hey, if I can help, let me try.' So he's been very good. And he had to learn a lot of songs very quickly, and he's done a great job."

The rescheduled dates of AC/DC's North American tour — which will be the band's first concerts here with Rose on lead vocals — will kick off in Greensboro, North Carolina on August 27, just five days after Rose completes his summer stadium run with GUNS N' ROSES.