With doctors reportedly telling AC/DC's frontman Brian Johnson that if he continues touring with the Australian rock group, originally fronted by The Bon Scott, that he'd go deaf, Axl Rose is rumored to be stepping in for the final 10 shows of the band's rescheduled North American tour.
“Nothing official to announce. Will update you if that changes,” a representative for the band told British music magazine NME.
All ticket links for the"Rock or Bust" tour are met with an official statement from the band, below:
AC/DC are forced to reschedule the 10 upcoming dates on the U.S. leg of their "Rock or Bust" World Tour ... AC/DC's lead singer, Brian Johnson, has been advised by doctors to stop touring or risk total hearing loss. The rescheduled date[s] will be announced at a later time, likely with a guest vocalist.
What exactly has inspired folks to draw the Axl conclusion is the presence of the former Guns N' Roses singer, who will be teaming back up with his former outfit for Coachella and a rumored world tour, in Atlanta at the same time as AC/DC and a statement from Jason Bailey, a disc jockey at 100.5 FM in Atlanta.
"This is what I’m being told, Axl was meeting with the AC/DC group, because it’s all but a done deal that Axl will front AC/DC for the ten remaining shows. All ten, including Atlanta."
Adding, "They’re in town, they were auditioning people for the job, and then they flew Axl in, again, this is from my source."
So, will the controversial frontman be the third in a string of legendary vocalists, their voices as distinct as Angus and Malcolm Young's iconic riffs? Or will the group, after Malcolm's departure in 2014 due to illness follow him into the rock 'n' roll void, leaving behind an impressive legacy of killer riffs, tiny schoolboy outfits, guttural, growling vocals and numerous, classic rock hits. Or, will Axl (or someone else) take the reins for the twilight of the group's existence?