AC/DC stands as one of the most universally beloved rock bands, and it’s not hard to understand why. Even the notoriously hard-to-please Keith Richards, who has taken shots at everyone from The Beatles to Black Sabbath, has given the band his stamp of approval. “Bless their hearts, they are a great little bungle of energy,” Richards said, praising their relentless, tight performance. The band’s charm lies in their unwavering commitment to the essence of rock ‘n’ roll, without any pretension. As Angus Young has often shown, their straightforward approach is a winning formula.
From the start, Young has stayed true to this ethos, rejecting the idea that the band should evolve beyond their raw, electrifying roots. For Young, bands often fall into traps when they try to reinvent themselves too drastically. While he admires Led Zeppelin’s early work, he’s not shy about criticizing their later years. He recalls seeing Zeppelin perform live and being disappointed by their extended shows. “I’ve seen that band live. They were on for three hours. For two-and-a-half hours, they bored the audience. Then at the end, they pull out old rock ’n’ roll numbers to get the crowd movin’. That’s sick,” Young said. In his eyes, the band became self-indulgent and started imitating their heroes rather than offering something fresh.
“You look at Led Zeppelin and all that; they’ve just been poor imitators of The Who and bands like that,” he added, pointing to what he believes was the moment rock ‘n’ roll lost its edge. To Young, the genre’s true spirit is revived by fresh, new acts who keep the energy raw and real, even when the old guard falters.
When Gene Simmons declared that rock ‘n’ roll was dead, Young wasn’t impressed. “Oh right, who’s he?” Young quipped. He dismissed the sentiment, recalling how the same phrase was used when The Beatles first emerged. “They said, ‘guitar music is finished,’ and it’s still going strong,” he remarked.
Brian Johnson echoed Young’s sentiment, reminding everyone just how many times rock ‘n’ roll has been declared dead, only for it to return, stronger than ever. “It’s funny how many times people have said rock ‘n’ roll is dead. And it just keeps coming back like a bloody phoenix,” he said. “It’s never gone, it is always there, it is the basis of every kind of music that you listen to.”
As AC/DC continues to thunder through their world tour, they are living proof that rock ‘n’ roll isn’t just alive—it’s thriving, powered by their relentless energy and unapologetic simplicity. For them, rock ‘n’ roll will never be dead.
