Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott has offered his take on Brian Johnson’s departure from AC/DC in 2016 due to medical issues.
Following 2014’s “Rock Or Bust” album, AC/DC halted the accompanying tour in early 2016 after Johnson was advised by doctors to stop performing in arenas and stadium-sized venues immediately or risk total hearing loss; Axl Rose stepped in to assist the band complete a spring run across Europe and a ten-show fall US trek.
In an official statement on the issue at the time, AC/DC thanked Johnson “for his contributions and dedication to the band throughout the years. We wish him all the best with his hearing issues and future ventures.”
“I wouldn’t have done it like that,” Elliott tells the Life In The Stocks podcast. “I can’t speak for Angus [Young] and his team as to what their reasons were for doing what they did, but considering that we had a drummer lose an arm and we waited for him, the way that they dealt with it was not the way I would have done it. Put it that way.”
While Elliott didn’t see any of the Rose-fronted AC/DC shows in person, "I saw some stuff on YouTube, and I think he did a pretty good job, actually. He’s a huge fan, so he took to that like I would take to singing a Mott The Hoople song."
"Obviously, there's detractors in any walk of life, so somebody out there thinks he was awful, some people think it was the best thing ever," he added. "So it is what it is, but it kept AC/DC on the road, I suppose. But it's not really AC/DC anymore, is it?,” referring to the band’s lineup changes in recent years. “It's basically just Angus and the other four now. So I don't know that Brian's ever gonna come back."
While rumors of Rose’s continued involvement with AC/DC surfaced in 2017, the band’s future remains unknown.
The AC/DC family recently suffered the loss of legendary musician and producer George Young at the age of 70 in October and the passing of Malcolm Young at 64 in November following a long battle with dementia.
AC/DC were named the No. 4 Rock News Artist Of The Year and delivered the No. 10 Rock News Story Of The Year as part of the 2017 hennemusic Rock News Awards.
See also:
AC/DC: Malcolm Young remembered at private Sydney funeral service
AC/DC: Malcolm Young funeral plans announced
AC/DC singer Brian Johnson pays tribute to Malcolm Young
VIDEO: Foo Fighters rock tribute to AC/DC’s Malcolm Young
Search AC/DC at hennemusic
