Now that I’ve had some time to let it sink in a bit, I decided to sit down and try and collect my thoughts regarding the news of AC/DC continuing on without Brian Johnson. Starting back at the beginning of the AC/DC’s Rock or Bust tour, a buddy of mine, who is a HUGE AC/DC fan, reported to me that the show was an absolute disappointment. He said that while the band sounded good, there was zero chemistry on stage between Brian Johnson and Angus Young. If you look back at footage from previous tours, you’ll see that the two of them had some serious connection on stage but for some reason that connection was not even present. Could this have been the beginning of the decline?
In March of this year, AC/DC postponed the remainder of their tour because of Brian Johnson’s announcement that he was losing his hearing. As a musician of any kind, you should know that this is our worst nightmare in addition to losing a limb. Johnson went to press and had this to say:
“I had for a time become aware that my partial hearing loss was beginning to interfere with my performance on stage,” Johnson admitted. “I was having difficulty hearing the guitars on stage and because I was not able to hear the other musicians clearly, I feared the quality of my performance could be compromised. In all honesty this was something I could not in good conscience allow. Our fans deserve my performance to be at the highest level, and if for any reason I can’t deliver that level of performance I will not disappoint our fans or embarrass the other members of AC/DC. I am not a quitter and I like to finish what I start, nevertheless, the doctors made it clear to me and my band mates that I had no choice but to stop performing on stage for the remaining shows and possibly beyond.”
After 36 years of loyalty, 36 years of never missing a gig, and 36 years of giving the fans top quality live shows, Brian Johnson was no longer able to perform. What I loved more than anything was that it seemed that his biggest concert was that he would not be able to deliver the caliber of a performance that the fans not only expected but deserved. One would think that AC/DC would stand by their brother of 36 years and say, “Thank you all but unfortunately, our brother cannot perform so with that, we bid you all good night and thank you for 40+ years of amazing times. Well, you would think this but nope. What do they do? Hand Johnson his walking papers, “thanks for your time but you’re no longer needed.” They hire, of all people, Axl Rose to go out and tour leaving their brother at home feeling tossed to the curb and just un-appreciated. Talk about a slap in the face.
People were pretty much on the fence when they decided to carry on after the death of Bon Scott but the band had his family’s blessing and they went on to honor his name in music for many many more years to come. I’ve heard people talk about how it was a low blow that they would go out and tour without Malcolm Young after he was diagnosed and started suffering from dementia. I had mixed emotions about that move but it seemed to be done with Malcolm’s blessing and at least they kept it in the family by using his nephew Stevie (who replaced Malcolm on the 1988 Blow Up Your Video tour while Malcolm was in rehab). Then you have the deal with long time drummer Phil Rudd not being present but in this case, he was asking for it by trying to have someone murdered. But to carry on touring without your lead singer of 36 years because of an ailment that he had no control over just seemed like a slap in the face not only to Johnson but to me as a fan.
This is where I start to call into question the camaraderie, the brotherhood of AC/DC. Was it always just a show? I mean, how could these guys in good conscience turn their backs on their long time singer/friend/brother and just carry on like it’s business as usual. I’m sure there are many other fans that feel the same why but why would I want to go see AC/DC with anyone other than Brian Johnson at the mic? This is the guy that was the voice of AC/DC for the majority of their career and now he’s just been handed his walking papers, his severance package, patted on the back and replaced.
At what point is it even worth it to support a band whose primary focus is one the almighty dollar rather than their own band mates? I have the same lack of respect for the integrity of AC/DC that I have for Black Sabbath. When Black Sabbath announced their “farewell” reunion tour, the band also announced that original drummer Bill Ward would not be attending. This was because Bill didn’t want to be “hired” as an employee. Can you blame the guy? How insulting. Now, with AC/DC, you have a guy who’s doctors have told him, “You can’t tour anymore” and the band just said, “Sorry to hear that. Later.” I mean, at this point in the game, isn’t it about time for AC/DC to hang it up anyway? Regardless, I find it a shame that AC/DC has shown their true colors and proven to be more of a corporation than a family.
Brian, best wishes to you and your recovery and I wish you nothing but the best. As for AC/DC, well, you’ve got Axl Rose to deal with now. I couldn’t think of a worse punishment. Best of luck with that.
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