Chris Slade Says Axl Rose Hit ‘Unbelievable’ Notes Singing for AC/DC
Chris Slade, former drummer for AC/DC, has praised Axl Rose for not only hitting "unbelievable" notes when he sang for them in place of Brian Johnson, but also for being a "really nice guy."
Back in 2016, Johnson had to stop performing with AC/DC per a recommendation from his doctor because he was at risk of losing his hearing permanently. Rather than calling off the tour, the rockers recruited Rose, who already had an enormous reunion tour planned with Guns N' Roses for that year. Nevertheless, Rose stepped in for Johnson and finished out the tour with them.
Slade described his experience working with the GN'R frontman during an interview with Vinyl Writer Music.
Following Johnson's leave, the band went to Atlanta, Ga. to audition for a new vocalist.
"I heard all the stories about Axl. The next day, there he is. I shook his hand and thought, 'This guy's not bad at all,' and he was telling jokes," Slade recalled. "And then he sang and I didn't know he had that voice. I really had no idea he could sing like that. It was tremendous from the start. Within the next day, he was in the band."
The drummer continued to commend Rose's talent, adding that some of the notes he hit were "unbelievable," and that he warmed up for two hours every day with his piano.
"And as I say, he was quite a funny guy. I know it's not the opinion that a lot of people have of it, but that's my experience of Axl," he said. "I know in the past he's had his problems, but the guy that I met was a really nice guy, really talented on the case."
To top it all off, he said Rose was never late to a show — which was his biggest fear about hiring him, of course.