GLAD I DIDN’T

 

Here at Chez Aged Rocker it isn’t unusual to hear the delicate strains of AC/DC blasting out. Be it the vocal tones of the late lamented lead singer Bon Scott or his ebullient replacement Brian Johnson, ‘TNT’, ‘Highway to Hell’, ‘Back in Black’, ‘Shoot to Kill’ and more recently ‘Black Ice’ and ‘Rock or Bust’. All of them are cracking albums, ‘Black Ice’ one of their best, ‘Rock N Roll Train’ a track that typifies everything the band was and is.

And whilst the old AR regards ‘Rock or Bust’ as an album that comes nowhere near to those that went before, with the announcement of AC/DC’s ‘Rock or Bust’ tour it was cautiously decided that acquiring tickets for the Manchester leg were in order. Let’s face it this tour could well be their last so it was a case of now or probably never. To say that having not got round to buying them was one of the best things the AR didn’t do is one hell of a sense of relief. With Brian Johnson’s hearing under threat until his doc’s have dug around his lugs a bit more it might have been an idea if the band had postponed things.

On no, let’s fire ‘Our Brian’ after thirty years of being the gravel voiced front man and draft in ‘Fatsel Crows’. What a good idea since there’s every chance the loyal AC/DC fans won’t have a clue or even notice that the tub of past its sell-by-date lard croaking about on stage isn’t who it should be. Wrong, old Fatsel’s own come back hasn’t exactly been a roaring success so as to why someone things this 80’s has-been will cut it fronting AC/DC defies belief. G’N’R were great in their day so leave it that way!      

Since the band of Scottish origin formed back in 1973, from their raucous, raw beginnings to becoming the biggest rock band on the planet, AC/DC have done it all and taught the world how to do it and do it right. However, with one member under house arrest, another having lost the plot and the forced, irreverent and less than respectful departure of Brian Johnson it’s the AR’s opinion that AC/DC should call it a day if only to maintain their seemingly fast diminishing self respect.

If I’d gone as far as to buy a pair of tickets and made a bloody great dent in my wallet only to have been confronted by ‘Fatsel Crows’ there’s every chance I’d have walked out of the auditorium in complete disgust. Some bands such as the Rolling Stones and various members of the Beetles just won’t take the hint. Its high time all of these respected old rockers sat back, counted their millions and basked in the rosy glow of the music they made, the stadiums they filled, the epic shows they staged and the enjoyment they gave their thousands if not millions of fans. Could you imagine the horror and the outcry if Motorhead announced they were looking for a replacement for Lemmy? The Gates of Hell would open up for Beelzebub himself to pour demonic molten venom and vitriolic scorn on humankind. 

Equally, with the information or lack of it AC/DC and its management put out, it’s not so much a case of the show must go its more a case of it doesn’t matter what we do they’ll still come and spend money. Here at the Aged Rocker HQ we wish Brian Johnson all the best and hope that he’ll do something on his own. A voice that the Devil himself created for rock and roll and sheer entertainment, Brian should have been the new face of Top Gear, his previous motoring shows demonstrating his knowledge and passion for cars and racing. Instead just like AC/DC, fans are going to end up with another past their prime, half arsed front man that nobody’s interested in.

So take some advice from the Aged Rocker himself, bugger off and grow old disgracefully. We’ll all have far more respect for you than we have now and think back to the good times every time we spin an album and crank up the volume. There's plenty of new and talented rock bands out there looking for their break, a chance to prove themselves and start on the road to genuine rock and roll fame. If some of the old bands had any sense they'd make space for someone to take their place and make their way in the business just as they did. And yes, I’m more than glad I didn’t buy the tickets……!