Classic Rock

Scott Ian said he didn’t like Axl and AC/DC until he saw them live

Published on 02/19/2018

Scott Ian talked to Distortion podcast and shared his opinion about Axl Rose and AC/DC.

Read what he said:

“I’ll be completely honest: when I first heard that Axl was gonna do shows with AC/DC, I just wasn’t feeling it. I can’t tell you why other than maybe because I’m just such an AC/DC fan for so long and it just seemed weird to me that all of a sudden Brian was pushed to the wayside.

“And like a lot of AC/DC fans, I think that was kind of a bitter pill to swallow. So I was kind of like, ‘Ehhh…’ It’s not my band. I get it. I’m never gonna be the guy to tell someone else how to run their business; I understand it. But as a fan, I don’t have to buy into it – no one’s forcing me to buy into it.

“But we got to have a night off on tour and it turned out we were close enough to New York to go see AC/DC at Madison Square Garden. And then Axl was kind enough to – a friend of mine who knows Axl and his assistant was kind enough to get a bunch of us on the guest list for that show. And I can’t speak highly enough about it.

“And even before that… I’m sorry, I skipped a step. I saw a clip online – Axl singing ‘Riff Raff’ with AC/DC and it blew my mind how great it was. I was just like, ‘Holy crap! That’s perfect! It’s perfect!’

“So then, of course, I got excited about the show. And then the show itself was two and a half hours of perfection. I’ve gone on record: it’s the best AC/DC show I’ve ever seen.

“I headbanged for two and a half hours, which is about an hour longer than I even headbang in an Anthrax show, so I actually, even on a night off, I worked harder at the AC/DC show [laughs] than I normally would at one of my own gigs.

“It was incredible – one of the best rock shows I’ve ever seen. I can’t say enough about it. The setlist was mind-blowing and Axl was note-perfect on all the Brian and the Bon [Scott] stuff. His passion for it was obvious. It was incredible – it was really, really an incredible night.

“20 years from now, if someone asks me, ‘What’s the best show you’ve seen in the last 20 years?’ I have the answer. No question, it’s that.”

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Related Topics:ac/dc, angus young, anthrax, axl rose, CLASSIC ROCK, Featured, guns n roses, hard rock, heavy metal, scott ian

Rafael Polcaro

I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago. Music has always been a part of my life, helping me through tough times and being a support to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist, I knew I wanted to write about my passions. After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world! MTB: 0021377/MG