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AC/DC's Brian Johnson forced to quit touring on doctor's orders
After decades of loud performances, Brian Johnson is forced to stay off stage to protect his hearing.
AC/DC's late career rollercoaster continues with flat-capped lead singer Brian Johnson being forced to quit the band on doctor's orders.
Johnson, 68, risked going totally deaf if he continued.
AC/DC's label, Alberts, issued a statement saying 10 dates on the band's US leg of the huge Rock or Bust world tour would have to be rescheduled - presumably while a replacement singer is confirmed and learns a huge back catalogue of vocally-demanding songs.
The statement said: "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 immediately or risk total hearing loss.
"Tomorrow's show in Atlanta through Madison Square Garden in New York, NY in early April will be made up later in the year, likely with a guest vocalist."
The shock announcement comes six months after long-time drummer Phil Rudd was arrested on drugs and 'threatening to kill' charges and sentenced to home detention in New Zealand. Two years ago founding guitarist Malcolm Young left the band suffering dementia.
Despite the upheavals, the band's 17th studio album, Rock or Bust topped the charts in 12 countries, including Australia and led to the band again being booked to headline big international music festivals.
Johnson isn't a founding member of AC/DC, but he's still an essential one. In 1980 he was picked to replace cult AC/DC frontman Bon Scott who had died from acute alcohol poisoning. Johnson was immeditaley enormously successful, performing lead vocals on Back in Black, which is still the band's most popular album and one of top-selling albums by any artist.
Despite this Johnson remained forever second choice in the minds of diehard Bon Scott fans.
While many will draw the obvious conclusion that Johnson's hearing loss is a result of playing with the hard-rocking band, the singer said otherwise on The Howard Stern Show last year: "I've got hearing loss in my left ear," he told Stern" [But] I didn't get it from music. I got it from sitting in a racecar for too long without ear plugs.
"I heard my eardrum burst because I forgot to put my plugs in under my helmet. That's how it happened.
"Music had nothing to do with it ... I was dizzy, my middle ear had gone, and I took my helmet off and there was blood coming out and I'd burst my eardrum."
Without three long-time members of the five-piece touring act, the question 'what now for AC/DC?' hangs heavily on the minds of devoted fans. On AC/DC's official Facebook page the fans were split over the likelihood of continuing without Johnson.
Fan David Scala summed up the feelings of many of his peers by posting: "No Brian, no AC/DC. Don't do it boys, don't become a slave to the record companies to cash in...you play when your band is ready. No Mal, no Phil, no Brian damnnnnnn."
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/...08-gndcfj.html
After decades of loud performances, Brian Johnson is forced to stay off stage to protect his hearing.
AC/DC's late career rollercoaster continues with flat-capped lead singer Brian Johnson being forced to quit the band on doctor's orders.
Johnson, 68, risked going totally deaf if he continued.
AC/DC's label, Alberts, issued a statement saying 10 dates on the band's US leg of the huge Rock or Bust world tour would have to be rescheduled - presumably while a replacement singer is confirmed and learns a huge back catalogue of vocally-demanding songs.
The statement said: "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 immediately or risk total hearing loss.
"Tomorrow's show in Atlanta through Madison Square Garden in New York, NY in early April will be made up later in the year, likely with a guest vocalist."
The shock announcement comes six months after long-time drummer Phil Rudd was arrested on drugs and 'threatening to kill' charges and sentenced to home detention in New Zealand. Two years ago founding guitarist Malcolm Young left the band suffering dementia.
Despite the upheavals, the band's 17th studio album, Rock or Bust topped the charts in 12 countries, including Australia and led to the band again being booked to headline big international music festivals.
Johnson isn't a founding member of AC/DC, but he's still an essential one. In 1980 he was picked to replace cult AC/DC frontman Bon Scott who had died from acute alcohol poisoning. Johnson was immeditaley enormously successful, performing lead vocals on Back in Black, which is still the band's most popular album and one of top-selling albums by any artist.
Despite this Johnson remained forever second choice in the minds of diehard Bon Scott fans.
While many will draw the obvious conclusion that Johnson's hearing loss is a result of playing with the hard-rocking band, the singer said otherwise on The Howard Stern Show last year: "I've got hearing loss in my left ear," he told Stern" [But] I didn't get it from music. I got it from sitting in a racecar for too long without ear plugs.
"I heard my eardrum burst because I forgot to put my plugs in under my helmet. That's how it happened.
"Music had nothing to do with it ... I was dizzy, my middle ear had gone, and I took my helmet off and there was blood coming out and I'd burst my eardrum."
Without three long-time members of the five-piece touring act, the question 'what now for AC/DC?' hangs heavily on the minds of devoted fans. On AC/DC's official Facebook page the fans were split over the likelihood of continuing without Johnson.
Fan David Scala summed up the feelings of many of his peers by posting: "No Brian, no AC/DC. Don't do it boys, don't become a slave to the record companies to cash in...you play when your band is ready. No Mal, no Phil, no Brian damnnnnnn."
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/...08-gndcfj.html
