It’s a big week for Brian Johnson: he celebrated his 76th birthday on October 5th, and this weekend he’ll be returning to the stage with AC/DC for the first time in seven years.
The last time the band performed live was in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center in 2016. Brian was absent from this run due to hearing loss, and Axl Rose was on the mic in his place. It’s been a roller coaster for the group since then: founding guitarist Malcolm Young passed away, Brian returned to the band with restored hearing, the group released their seventeenth studio album Power Up, and then the pandemic kept them from touring in support of it.
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Now, AC/DC will make their live comeback at the Power Trip festival in Indio, California. The mammoth lineup also lists Guns n’ Roses, Metallica, Tool, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest. (Ozzy Osbourne was included before he had to back out due to health issues.)
All eyes will be on AC/DC, though, as they break their no-show streak with what’s expected be a triumphant performance and a career-spanning setlist. While we wait to see what they bring to the desert, we thought we’d flash back to a conversation in the MMaRchives with Brian Johnson from a couple of years ago.
Pierre Robert asked about how Brian scored the gig with the band in the first place, and how he barely had a buck to get to the audition. They break down everything from the recording of Back in Black to the latest LP, and Brian shares his favorite memories of Philly fans in the 1980s. He’s an outstanding storyteller, and we hope that he and AC/DC bring their thunder back to our city soon. Let There Be Rock!
