Former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade has a history with Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose including a misunderstood first impression.
In March 2016, the lead singer, Brian Johnson, took a temporary break following an order to halt touring, leading to the rescheduling of the final weeks of the tour. Upon returning to the stage, the lineup underwent a significant change, with Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses filling in for Johnson. This marked the first instance since the conclusion of the ‘Highway to Hell Tour’ in January 1980 with a vocalist other than Johnson.
Despite the rumors he heard about him, Rose turned out to be way different than he expected. In a new interview with Wales Online, the rocker reminisced about the auditions and his initial thoughts about Rose:
“To be honest I was incredulous. 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 Thinks Axl Rose Energized AC/DC
Two years after the show, Slade was asked whether or not the band would like to see Rose play with AC/DC again. Apparently, the band liked the Guns N’ Roses singer so much that they got even more energetic on stage than they already were. The drummer said in an earlier interview:
Yes, absolutely. Angus [Young] 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.”
Though the drummer was surprised, he was then very satisfied with how things turned out with the lead singer:
“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.”
You can hear what Axl Rose sounded like with AC/DC in the concert snippet below.
