AC/DC
Members of Pretenders, Rush, Queen, AC/DC, Police Shine at Taylor Hawkins Tribute
Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins was a rock’n’roll fanatic through and through, and many of his most formative influences assembled tonight (Sept. 3) at London’s Wembley Stadium in tribute to the artist, who died suddenly in March at age 50.The latter portion of the concert began with The Pretenders, a band Dave Grohl said he and Hawkins “shared a musical love for” and “spent many a night singing and dancing along to.” In The Pretenders’ first live performance since 2019, the Chrissie Hynde-led group, augmented by Grohl on bass, tore through “Precious,” “Tattooed Love Boys” and “Brass in Pocket.” “He loved me, but I loved him more,” Hynde said of Hawkins before the latter song. From there, the Joe Walsh-led James Gang played favorites such as “Funk #49” and “Walk Away” in its first live...
The 50 Best Live Albums of the 1970s
The concert industry exploded in the 1970s, and the live album, a stopgap project once reserved for only the biggest artists, became a compulsory ritual and a pivotal moment for many artists. Live albums captured legendarily loud bands like The Who and The Ramones in their natural element. Once obscure regional acts like Bob Seger, KISS and Cheap Trick exploded into the mainstream with live albums. The Band, The Stooges, and Velvet Underground put their final gigs on vinyl. Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young (as his ongoing archive series shows), and Jackson Browne recorded entire sets of new songs onstage. The Grateful Dead released several official live albums (and continue to do so) that only made fans want to bootleg shows on their own more. With the 50th anniversary of a landmark live album, Th...
Watch Eddie Vedder Play With Josh Klinghoffer and Foo Fighters Perform With AC/DC’s Brian Johnson at Global Citizen’s VAX Live Event
On Saturday night, Global Citizen aired VAX Live: The Concert to Reunite the World — a virtual event aimed “to help end COVID-19 for all, end the hunger crisis, resume learning everywhere, protect the planet, and advance equity for all.” The hourlong show, hosted by Selena Gomez, kicked off with Eddie Vedder playing two songs with a backing band that featured former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and the rhythm section of White Reaper. Together, they thrashed through a punky version of Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy track “Corduroy” and a cover of Little Steven Van Zandt’s 1984 anthem “I Am a Patriot.” “We need governments to stop stockpiling vaccines — and to share their excess doses. Now. We need pharmaceutical companies to provid...
AC/DC Share ‘Realize’ Video
“Realize,” the opening cut from AC/DC’s massive hit album Power Up, gets the video treatment with a cool black and white clip of a live-in-studio performance of the tune. Another classic, chunky foot-stomper in the AC/DC canon, lyrics including “I got the power to electrify Make or break or satisfy / And feel a chill up and down your spine,” could reflect the rock and roll experience… or be about women. In a 2020 interview about the making of Power Up, singer Brian Johnson and guitarist Angus Young told SPIN that the presence of late rhythm guitarist/co-founder Malcolm Young was throughout the new album. That presence was both literal and posthumous: The Young brothers wrote the songs years ago, and spiritual in that his vibe was alive in the studio. [embedded content] Powe...
AC/DC Travel Down the Dark Path in ‘Demon Fire’ Video
AC/DC knows a thing or two about the dark side. The band that brought you “Highway to Hell” took a trip down that fiery road in their new video for “Demon Fire.” The clip debuted on the video game Fortnite in its Nexus War Event. As you can see below, a muscle car journeys down a dark highway to…hell and ends up having to fend off bikers and cops in the process. [embedded content] Power Up was released on Nov. 13 and went No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in its first week — becoming the second rock album this year to top the charts following Machine Gun Kelly’s Tickets to My Downfall in September. It was the Australian rockers’ third No. 1 album. Previously, AC/DC shared a video for “Shot in the Dark.” We spoke with the band’s Brian Johnson and Angus Young ahea...
AC/DC Flick the Switch on Power Up
The elephant in the room has a name: Axl Rose. AC/DC singer Brian Johnson’s actual room is illuminated by standing lamps on either side of a long, dark couch; he perches in the middle with his trademark cap and in his jolly British brogue begins the Zoom interview with an a capella tune. It incorporates my name and concludes with the lyrics “I’ll see you in my dreams.” Disarming, charming and voluble, my chat with the AC/DC singer is a relief. Rose, the Guns N’ Roses frontman, had replaced Johnson on the band’s European tour in May 2016, after Johnson’s exit the previous month due to worsening hearing issues. Ironically, Rose himself was infirm; he performed some AC/DC shows seated and in a leg cast. Four years and a ton of hearsay later it was confirmed: Johnson was officially back with...
AC/DC Drop ‘Realize’ From Upcoming Album
AC/DC’s new album, POWER UP, is out this Friday. Giving fans one last taste before the real thing is released, the band shared “Realize,” another muscular rocker. In three-and-a-half minutes, it sounds like, well, AC/DC. The balls-to-the-wall rocker features Angus Young’s monster chords and the band’s tight rhythm section, allowing Brian Johnson’s voice to shine. Listen to the song below. [embedded content] Previously, AC/DC shared audio and a video for “Shot in the Dark,” a powerful return to form for the group. POWER UP welcomes Brian Johnson, Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams back into the lineup with guitarist Angus Young’s nephew Stevie Young replacing his late uncle Malcolm Young. The album is out this Friday, Nov. 13. The album was produced by Brendan O’Brien. You Deserve ...
AC/DC Share ‘Shot in the Dark’ Video
Earlier this month, AC/DC officially returned with the announcement of a new album, Power Up, and the release of its lead single “Shot in the Dark.” Today, the band shared its highly-teased music video. Featuring a red background, the clip for the rollicking rocker sees the band performing live and was directed by longtime collaborator David Mallet. Watch it below. [embedded content] Power Up welcomes Brian Johnson, Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams back into the lineup with guitarist Angus Young’s nephew Stevie Young replacing his late uncle Malcolm Young. The album is slated for a Nov. 13 release and is available in multiple formats including a deluxe edition that comes in a light-up box with built-in speakers that play a portion of “Shot In The Dark,” as well as a 20-page book...
AC/DC Return With Power Up, Share ‘Shot in the Dark’
AC/DC are officially back. The Australian hard rockers revealed the full details for Power Up, their album that welcomes back Brian Johnson, Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams back into the lineup. Stevie Young (nephew of guitarist Angus Young) will replace his late uncle Malcolm Young. The album is produced by Brendan O’Brien, who also worked on 2008’s Black Ice and 2014’s Rock or Bust. As promised, the band shared the full version of “Shot in the Dark,” which you can hear below. [embedded content] Johnson left the band in 2016 after his hearing deteriorated to the point where the damage could become permanent. Axl Rose took over and finished out the tour. Earlier in the decade, Rudd was arrested for drug possession and attempting to h...
New AC/DC Album Will Include Malcolm Young’s Song Contributions
While AC/DC fans are still awaiting the official announcement about the band’s new album, the group’s longtime recording engineer, Mike Fraser, offered some new details about the upcoming project that confirms song contributions from the late Malcolm Young. Fraser told the AC/DCFans.Net podcast: Angus kinda came into this with a lot of ideas and riffs and not too many completed songs. But that was similar on [2014’s] Rock Or Bust. Because him and Malcolm [Young] had written tons of songs before Mal got sick and eventually passed away. So he’s got a whole treasure trove of ideas and riffs and all that. So he’s probably spent a few years before we came in to do this record pooling ideas together and all that, and then when he came into the studio here, he just sat down with a whole suit...
AC/DC Reunite With Brian Johnson, Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams
After several years away and a few weeks of teasing activity, AC/DC are back. Angus Young brought singer Brian Johnson, drummer Phil Rudd and bassist Cliff Williams back together for first the time since 2014 when the group released Rock or Bust. After that, Rudd was arrested for drug possession and attempting to hire a hitman. He ended up serving eight months in home detention but the hitman charge was dropped. Johnson left the band in 2016 after his hearing deteriorated to the point where the damage could become permanent. Axl Rose took over and finished out the tour, but it seems like Johnson is doing better now! As for Williams, he retired after the band’s final show of the Rock or Bust tour, saying that the band that was a “changed animal.” But, it seems like everything is all da...
Dave Grohl Tells AC/DC’s Brian Johnson He Wants to Quit Foo Fighters After Every Tour
Dave Grohl has a confession to make: at the end of Foo Fighters’ lengthy tours, he feels like calling it quits. Worried? Don’t be. Grohl admitted to AC/DC singer Brian Johnson that “it’s kind of a running joke.” In a new Sky Arts documentary, appropriately titled Brian Johnson Meets Dave Grohl that airs tonight (Sept. 17), NME reports that the longtime touring legends shared stories of life on the road, with the former Nirvana drummer saying, “I’ve been on the road for a year and a half, I come home from tour and say, ‘I’m never doing that again. That’s it. That’s the last time. Never ever again. I’m going to take two years off’”, he said. “And all my friends look at me and say, ‘Bullshit. There’s no way.’” According to Sky Media, the rock legends film the seg...
