Although AC/DC had many drummers throughout their career, Phil Rudd was the one who played with the band the longest and was part of most of their classic albums. He was in the lineup from 1975 to 1983, then from 1994 to 2015, and returned in 2018, playing on their 2020 album Power Up. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the band was unable to tour at the time, and they finally returned to the stage at the end of 2023 but without Rudd. At the time, the musician revealed that his partner had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, which led fans to believe that was the reason he wasn’t touring with the band. However, in a recent interview with New Zealand’s Stuff, he said that the band never called him.
Drummer Phil Rudd says AC/DC didn’t invite him to tour
“There was a time when I thought it was the end of my world. I only knew life with AC/DC. Those people I thought loved me like a brother, they haven’t even picked up the phone. But to me AC/DC was always Bon. My favourite album is Highway to Hell. My favourite song – his song Touch Too Much.” The interviewer says: “Rudd stops, choked up whenever he talks about the band’s original frontman and lyricist Bon Scott, who died in 1980 from alcohol poisoning.”
Rudd continues: “When Bon died, even in AC/DC I felt alone. But I was never alone. The people who like the music, it always humbles me, but makes me happy too. People always ask me if I will play with AC/DC again. The only people I would do it for would be the fans. And for Bon. I would do it for Bon.”
The musician has a scheduled show next November 1st in Christchurch, New Zealand. His new “music family”, according to Stuff, includes the Auckland Philharmonia and Jimmy Barnes’ daughter, EJ Barnes, which Phil Rudd said is “way better than Angus“. They will also perform in the future in Paris, Amsterdam and other European cities.
As for AC/DC, the band has scheduled tour dates this year in Australia. Besides Angus Young and Brian Johnson, the band has nowadays Young’s nephew Stevie Young, who replaced Malcolm and the touring members: Matt Laug (Drums) and Chris Chaney (Bass).