Interviews + Media reactions to AXL/DC, good and bad

[AlexC]

2 minutes ago, Dangelus said:

Well here's some more of Myles owning Axl... (Yes I'm kinda trolling...) 3:37 for some dying cat/raspless Back In Black. 

guess Myles will just have to stick to destroying Axl on GNR songs... ?

That was bad. I didn't think he'd give up singing it in the right key half way through, I expected him to nail the key but just sound clean. I always have mixed feelings about Myles's vocals. Alter Bridge are one of my favourite bands but on their heavier stuff like Metalingus, and Cry of Achilles and the other thrash kind of stuff on Fortress, his voice just gets tiresome to listen to. It's like he just outright refuses to even slightly compress anything.

[Dangelus]

2 minutes ago, AlexC said:

That was bad. I didn't think he'd give up singing it in the right key half way through, I expected him to nail the key but just sound clean. I always have mixed feelings about Myles's vocals. Alter Bridge are one of my favourite bands but on their heavier stuff like Metalingus, and Cry of Achilles and the other thrash kind of stuff on Fortress, his voice just gets tiresome to listen to. It's like he just outright refuses to even slightly compress anything.

Agreed I love Alter Bridge. They are probably my favourite band after Guns but whilst Myles is a great technical singer, his voice does get kinda annoying after a while. And certain styles such as AC/DC he should just leave well alone!

[MrSoftie]

7 hours ago, AlexC said:

That was bad. I didn't think he'd give up singing it in the right key half way through, I expected him to nail the key but just sound clean. I always have mixed feelings about Myles's vocals. Alter Bridge are one of my favourite bands but on their heavier stuff like Metalingus, and Cry of Achilles and the other thrash kind of stuff on Fortress, his voice just gets tiresome to listen to. It's like he just outright refuses to even slightly compress anything.

That was odd, he went down an octave for half of the song. He has the range but he seems to avoid using it... very strange.

[IncitingChaos]

Myles stage presence = 1 out of 10

Myles vocals = an acquired taste I have yet to receive 

Myles personality = super nice guy 

overall performance = shit 

[killuridols]

Myles singing any rock song that involves sexuality, devil, hell, drugs or alcohol is a disgrace.

The guy is totally dull, unattractive, he sings Back In Black like an opera thing. I don't know how any of you have the nerve to compare him to Axl.

I don't know why that guy is in rock music. He should join Maroon 5.

[The Archer]

4/5 Stars from the Evening Standard - 

http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/music/acdc-tour-review-axl-rose-and-angus-young-a-match-made-in-rock-heaven-a3264526.html

AC/DC, tour review: Axl Rose and Angus Young a match made in rock heaven

Axl offered up air-raid siren vocals while Young wrestled gigantic riffs from his Gibson SG, says Rick Pearson

 

AC/DC, tour review: Axl Rose and Angus Young a match made in rock heaven

Axl offered up air-raid siren vocals while Young wrestled gigantic riffs from his Gibson SG, says Rick Pearson

    

RICK PEARSON 

Dynamite: Axl Rose alongside guitarist Angus 

A crowd dressed in devil horns, a grown man in school uniform and a wall of Marshall amps: it could only be AC/DC at the Olympic Stadium.

With lead singer Brian Johnson at home nursing hearing problems — a lifetime of standing inches away from Angus Young’s amplifier will do that to you — the Aussies have recruited Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose for their “Rock or Bust” world tour.

It was a match made in hard-rock heaven. Axl — plaid shirt, assorted bling, leg cast — offered up air-raid siren vocals while Young wrestled gigantic riffs from his Gibson SG.

Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be was bellowed back at them by a crowd not composed entirely of teetotallers. Back in Black was arena rock at its foundation-shaking finest and You Shook Me All Night Long rejoiced in its sing-along chorus and single-entendres. The ghost of Spinal Tap stalked Hells Bells, a spooky rocker, while Young’s guitar-solo-with-a-school-tie added to the general silliness. 

Like an antipodean Status Quo, AC/DC have forged a decades-long career out of about three chords. This is both impressive and limiting. Impressive because they’ve written several stone-cold classics within the format; limiting because many of the songs inevitably end up sounding a little too similar.  

But this was not a night for chin-stroking contemplation. This was cock-rock in excelsis — and AC/DC and Axl proved themselves masters of the genre.

[The Archer]

Another 4/5 star review -

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/574951e0-2bd3-11e6-bf8d-26294ad519fc.html

June 6, 2016 3:50 pm

AC/DC, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London — ‘Irresistible’

Raphael Abraham

It was a coming together worthy of the Olympian setting. The first concert held at London’s Olympic stadium would see Aussie rock veterans AC/DC join forces with new frontman Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses, sitting in for the group’s hearing-impaired singer Brian Johnson — literally in the case of early shows, which Rose performed from a wheelchair after breaking a metatarsal. But would this prove to be a union blessed by the rock gods or a massive display of hubris?Early signs were auspicious. Since GnR rose to fame with Appetite for Destruction in 1987, Rose has displayed an appetite for self-destruction and gained a reputation for egregious lateness. So it took the vast stadium crowd by surprise when an apocalyptic rumble heralded the band’s arrival a full eight minutes ahead of schedule.

Rose is no ingenue. Unlike, say, reality star Adam Lambert trying to fill the shoes of Freddie Mercury, he is rock royalty in his own right and to the opening chords of “Rock or Bust” he strode on to the stage, his image projected on the stadium-high screens like a Colossus, not only on time but upright, the chair replaced by a surgical boot.

AC/DC have survived the loss of a lead singer before — the death of Bon Scott in 1980 — and Rose confidently spanned both periods, belting out the Scott-era “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be” before adopting Johnson’s trademark caterwaul for the crowd-rowsing “Back in Black” immediately after.

But for all this confidence, Rose kept his banter short and seemed to understand that here he wasn’t the star of the show. Lead guitarist Angus Young, dressed in schoolboy duds even in half term, is the beating heart of AC/DC, the only survivor of the band formed with his brother Malcolm in 1973. It was Angus who most often took the spotlight, duck-walking out on to a long thrust stage. Later, the rest of the stage blacked out, the 61-year-old turned “Let There Be Rock” into a staggering display of endurance. Dripping with sweat, the Glasgow-born guitarist writhed on the floor like a Scots salmon, still shredding as if his life depended on it.

There wasn’t much light and shade. Over the course of their 40 years AC/DC have never seen fit to fiddle with the formula of riff-heavy bluesy rock, resisting numerous passing fashions along the way. But it remains irresistible, and, young and old, the crowd lapped it up, seemingly grateful for a blast of uncomplicated escapism. The gladiatorial closing number “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” sounded a defiant note: change of personnel or not, AC/DC are far from done yet.

[night prowler]

3 hours ago, The Archer said:

4/5 Stars from the Evening Standard - 

http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/music/acdc-tour-review-axl-rose-and-angus-young-a-match-made-in-rock-heaven-a3264526.html

AC/DC, tour review: Axl Rose and Angus Young a match made in rock heaven

Axl offered up air-raid siren vocals while Young wrestled gigantic riffs from his Gibson SG, says Rick Pearson

 

AC/DC, tour review: Axl Rose and Angus Young a match made in rock heaven

Axl offered up air-raid siren vocals while Young wrestled gigantic riffs from his Gibson SG, says Rick Pearson

    

RICK PEARSON 

Dynamite: Axl Rose alongside guitarist Angus 

A crowd dressed in devil horns, a grown man in school uniform and a wall of Marshall amps: it could only be AC/DC at the Olympic Stadium.

With lead singer Brian Johnson at home nursing hearing problems — a lifetime of standing inches away from Angus Young’s amplifier will do that to you — the Aussies have recruited Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose for their “Rock or Bust” world tour.

It was a match made in hard-rock heaven. Axl — plaid shirt, assorted bling, leg cast — offered up air-raid siren vocals while Young wrestled gigantic riffs from his Gibson SG.

Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be was bellowed back at them by a crowd not composed entirely of teetotallers. Back in Black was arena rock at its foundation-shaking finest and You Shook Me All Night Long rejoiced in its sing-along chorus and single-entendres. The ghost of Spinal Tap stalked Hells Bells, a spooky rocker, while Young’s guitar-solo-with-a-school-tie added to the general silliness. 

Like an antipodean Status Quo, AC/DC have forged a decades-long career out of about three chords. This is both impressive and limiting. Impressive because they’ve written several stone-cold classics within the format; limiting because many of the songs inevitably end up sounding a little too similar.  

But this was not a night for chin-stroking contemplation. This was cock-rock in excelsis — and AC/DC and Axl proved themselves masters of the genre.

They stole my quote.  

1 hour ago, The Archer said:

Another 4/5 star review -

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/574951e0-2bd3-11e6-bf8d-26294ad519fc.html

June 6, 2016 3:50 pm

AC/DC, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London — ‘Irresistible’

Raphael Abraham

It was a coming together worthy of the Olympian setting. The first concert held at London’s Olympic stadium would see Aussie rock veterans AC/DC join forces with new frontman Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses, sitting in for the group’s hearing-impaired singer Brian Johnson — literally in the case of early shows, which Rose performed from a wheelchair after breaking a metatarsal. But would this prove to be a union blessed by the rock gods or a massive display of hubris?Early signs were auspicious. Since GnR rose to fame with Appetite for Destruction in 1987, Rose has displayed an appetite for self-destruction and gained a reputation for egregious lateness. So it took the vast stadium crowd by surprise when an apocalyptic rumble heralded the band’s arrival a full eight minutes ahead of schedule.

Rose is no ingenue. Unlike, say, reality star Adam Lambert trying to fill the shoes of Freddie Mercury, he is rock royalty in his own right and to the opening chords of “Rock or Bust” he strode on to the stage, his image projected on the stadium-high screens like a Colossus, not only on time but upright, the chair replaced by a surgical boot.

AC/DC have survived the loss of a lead singer before — the death of Bon Scott in 1980 — and Rose confidently spanned both periods, belting out the Scott-era “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be” before adopting Johnson’s trademark caterwaul for the crowd-rowsing “Back in Black” immediately after.

But for all this confidence, Rose kept his banter short and seemed to understand that here he wasn’t the star of the show. Lead guitarist Angus Young, dressed in schoolboy duds even in half term, is the beating heart of AC/DC, the only survivor of the band formed with his brother Malcolm in 1973. It was Angus who most often took the spotlight, duck-walking out on to a long thrust stage. Later, the rest of the stage blacked out, the 61-year-old turned “Let There Be Rock” into a staggering display of endurance. Dripping with sweat, the Glasgow-born guitarist writhed on the floor like a Scots salmon, still shredding as if his life depended on it.

There wasn’t much light and shade. Over the course of their 40 years AC/DC have never seen fit to fiddle with the formula of riff-heavy bluesy rock, resisting numerous passing fashions along the way. But it remains irresistible, and, young and old, the crowd lapped it up, seemingly grateful for a blast of uncomplicated escapism. The gladiatorial closing number “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” sounded a defiant note: change of personnel or not, AC/DC are far from done yet.

Bravo

[janrichmond]

I love Myles and so does Slash

[nn18]

17 hours ago, IncitingChaos said:

Myles stage presence = 1 out of 10

Myles vocals = an acquired taste I have yet to receive 

Myles personality = super nice guy 

overall performance = shit 

I was arguing with a friend of mine, who is a great Slash fan (or at least thinks he is ) and who likes Myles; Myles is just too nice of a guy to be singing something like Rocket Queen. It is just  so wrong! You need that sleaziness and grittiness to be able to pull off any of the Guns' songs and Myles is nowhere near that. He looks like a real sweatheart and I like him (when he's away from microfone), but he is not seducing enough, he doesn't have that bad boy attitude he needs and that's why it sounds and looks so awfull. 

Edited June 6, 2016 by nn18

[Dangelus]

16 hours ago, nn18 said:

I was arguing with a friend of mine, who is a great Slash fan (or at least thinks he is ) and who likes Myles; Myles is just too nice of a guy to be singing something like Rocket Queen. It is just  so wrong! You need that sleaziness and grittiness to be able to pull off any of the Guns' songs and Myles is nowhere near that. He looks like a real sweatheart and I like him (when he's away from microfone), but he is not seducing enough, he doesn't have that bad boy attitude he needs and that's why it sounds and looks so awfull. 

He's a great fit for Alter Bridge and for acoustic guitar singer/songwriter type stuff (can't wait for his solo album - almost at Chinese Democracy levels of being delayed), but yeah sleazy, aggresive rock & roll isn't his thing. It's nice to be able to genuinely say that for the first time in years Axl Rose is destroying any other singer who has attempted AC/DC (including imo, Brian Johnson himself...). Myles looks like a pretender next to Axl.

[Scumcat Esq.]

18 hours ago, night prowler said:

They stole my quote.  

Sue the hell out of them. That's what we do here in the land of GN'R.

[maxpax]

 german's tabloid Nr 1 says Axl looks like Chucky from child's play  

Edited June 8, 2016 by maxpax

[killuridols]

48 minutes ago, maxpax said:

 german's tabloid Nr 1 says Axl looks like Chucky from child's play  

OK. NOW THIS IS THE MEME THAT WILL REPLACE THE FAT ONE! #itneverends

[night prowler]

On 2016-06-07 at 3:41 PM, Scumcat Esq. said:

Sue the hell out of them. That's what we do here in the land of GN'R.

yeah ill probably win ..

[MillionsOfSpiders]

ha ha Chucky! I would still rather be Chucky than Sweet Pie O' Mine. 

 

[IncitingChaos]

1 hour ago, maxpax said:

 german's tabloid Nr 1 says Axl looks like Chucky from child's play  

Even the haircut is the same...

[The Archer]

While this isn't specifically about AXL/DC, the China Exchange Interview did bring up the topic of AC/DC multiple times - 

 

 

Relevant portions of the transcript from Classic Rock -

 

On Working With Angus Young -

“It’s great. I can’t really explain it. I feel protective, I feel I do not want to let this guy down, more than almost anybody I’ve ever known. And I don’t know why. And he’s very responsive to me. And they said they hadn’t seen him this happy, they hadn’t seen him moving around [this much]. In between songs, he’s playing other stuff [that has inspired potential new song ideas]. So that’s kind of a neat thing between musicians.”

 

It Was Tough to Leave Dave Grohl’s Throne Behind -

Apparently, Rose’s team was busy rather unsuccessfully trying to make their own version of Grohl’s chair when the Foo Fighters star offered the original for use after Rose’s foot injury. “At first it’s really strange, but then people apparently liked how I was moving in it. I had to make myself get out of it in in AC/DC. They didn’t tell me to, but I made myself get out of that chair because you start feeling, as Angus said, ‘a little too comfy.’ It became a safety zone, rather than having to get out their and face the people in another way.”

He’s Taking His Increased Workload Very Seriously -

Saying he’s returned to his vocal coach after two decades, Rose explained why he’s sounding so good nowadays. “I do a lot of vocal exercises. … The Brian Johnson Back in Black stuff is really demanding. Sing it wrong and you might not be signing again.”

 

Third Band? No Thanks! -

When asked which other artists he’d like to collaborate with, the already overbooked Rose humorously and incredulously responded. “TO JOIN?,” before explaining once again that he offered to help AC/DC simply because he realized “they were going to have a lot of problems” with fans and business partners if they were forced to cancel their tour due to Brian Johnson’s hearing problems.

Bon Scott’s Soft Side -

“You don’t find that much in Brian’s work with AC/DC, but what I like about Bon’s old AC/DC, as aggressive as that music was, he would talk about having a broken heart or something like that. So it made it okay for guys to feel, and to let some of it out someway.”

 

He Was Worried How AC/DC’s Fans Would React to Him -

Rose admitted to being concerned about how he’d connect with AC/DC’s audience, even if he sang the songs correctly. “I know how hard it is. Lots of bands do not want to open for [Guns N’ Roses], they just don’t want to, they don’t want to deal with our fans. It’s kind of the same with AC/DC fans. They’re very serious about their band.”

Read More: 20 Things We Learned During Axl Rose's New Q&A Session | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/axl-rose-quotes-2016/?trackback=tsmclip
 

 

Edited June 9, 2016 by The Archer

[Un42nutzly]

[The Archer]

First review from Manchester - 4/5 stars

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/review-acdc--etihad-stadium-11452544

Review: AC/DC @ The Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Seb Ramsay was at the Etihad to see if AC/DC – fronted by Axl Rose – still have what it takes to put on a show and a half

If ever a band wore its rock'n'roll heart on its fading full sleeve it’s AC/DC.

In their 43rd year and 8th line-up since Brian Johnson stepped up to the mic, the Aussie legends still find themselves packing stadiums across the globe. The tragic death of original lead singer Bon Scott through alcohol poisoning and now the decibel-induced deafness of Johnson leave Axl Rose strapped to the front of this thundering juggernaut.

So, big boots to fill and 54-year-old Axl proved he had all the credentials by breaking his foot just days after news of the job began to surface. Tonight, some two-months on sporting a cast and limp, the former Guns n Roses wild man showed us exactly why Angus Young took him on.

Not too many bands give good stadium shows. AC/DC and Axl though, have absolutely nothing to learn. The band take the stage amidst a firework-laden CGI beaming us from outer space aboard an incendiary meteor.

Natch.

 

CLICK TO PLAY

 

 

 

 

 

Play

0:00

/

 

Straight into their Rock or Bust opener, Axl’s vocals are immediately astonishing. Such power and passion speak loudly of a musician who knows he’s enjoying a rare privilege.

Bowling into Shoot to Thrill, Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be and Back in Black, the atmosphere is full fiesta. Relief is one of many emotions filling the Etihad. Every time adversity tosses another curve ball at this band, guitar genius Angus manages to smash it out of the park and, even though Axl’s performances have been almost universally lauded, it’s palpable that I’m not the only one who needed to hear it for myself.

The leg cast anchors Axl slightly but there's nothing hampered about his vocal dynamism

At times his Bon Scott and Brian Johnson tones are uncanny. This is a talented man who can put over any song in any way he chooses.

Angus's nephew Stevie Young melds seamlessly into the band deputising for his sidelined uncle Malcolm in a way he probably dreamed of all his life.

I always wonder if Angus felt he'd made a rod for his own back with the whole school uniform look. Tonight, aged 61, he's rocking a velveteen jacket and short trousers and his legs are as white and skinny as ever. Could be ludicrous if he wasn't the virtuoso musician he undoubtedly is - battering his signature Gibson SG with precise abandon.

It's easy to get diverted by the changes up front but the bottom line is there'd be no replacing Angus. He's the essential strand in the AC/DC DNA.

And, however good Axl is, Brian Johnson is missed. When all's said and done, the American is a stand in, albeit an excellent one. And what fans - including the Guns N' Roses frontman - want to see, is the Geordie back.

In black of course.

Then there'll be a party.

For now. This will do nicely.

Edited June 9, 2016 by The Archer

[MillionsOfSpiders]

How dare they miss a star off!!!

[cheesecake]

17 minutes ago, MillionsOfSpiders said:

How dare they miss a star off!!!

Looks like the reviewer is an AC/DC AND BRIAN JOHNSON'S fan...so I guess that's where the 4/5 came from.

[MillionsOfSpiders]

7 hours ago, cheesecake said:

Looks like the reviewer is an AC/DC AND BRIAN JOHNSON'S fan...so I guess that's where the 4/5 came from.

I was just kidding, and was a little bit dunk.

[cheesecake]

41 minutes ago, MillionsOfSpiders said:

I was just kidding, and was a little bit dunk.

Don't drink and type  j/k

[MillionsOfSpiders]

2 hours ago, cheesecake said:

Don't drink and type  j/k

See what I mean  there was someone smoking copious amounts of weed in front of me, I don't think inhaling that helped me much either lol