The Singer AC/DC Auditioned Before Hiring Axl Rose

AC/DC notably hired Axl Rose to front the band on tour in 2016 after singer Brian Johnson was forced to step away from the bad due to hearing loss issues. However, before the Guns N' Roses frontman was hired, a different singer was being considered for the position.

That singer? Nic Cester from Jet, who are best known in the U.S. for the hits "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" and "Cold Hard Bitch."

Cester recalled his AC/DC experience in a new interview with Australian radio station Triple J (h/t Consequence). The singer said he was staying with his inlaws when he learned of the news one morning of Johnson stepping away from AC/DC. Cester said, "I remember saying to my father-in-law, ‘Holy s--t, you would not want to step into those shoes,’ and literally 20 minutes later my phone rang and they’re saying, ‘Would you be interested in going to Atlanta, Georgia to audition and potentially fill in for this next round of dates that we’ve got?'"

Cester went on to describe his audition as an intense experience and said that Angus Young "put me through my paces" to see how he would handle such a high-profile gig. He noted he did a good job performing the Bon Scott songs but had some issues singing the Brian Johnson-era AC/DC songs.

He also said the audition space was rather small, but it was still packed with AC/DC's many amps. Cester said, " ... I remember watching AC/DC and thinking, ‘There’s no way all of those amps are on.’ Let me tell you, they were all f---ing on! It was the loudest thing I’d ever heard in my entire life."

Back in March, Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan made headlines when he mentioned in an interview about how Axl Rose was nervous to audition for AC/DC. McKagan talked about Rose was sort of out of his element, since he had mostly fronted GN'R during his career. This was unlike McKagan and Slash, who had more experience venturing outside of Guns N' Roses.

The bassist said, "That AC/DC thing was really was like his favorite band, he went and tried out. [Rose said] 'I'm gonna try, I hope they...'. I'm like, 'You're not gonna need to try out. I wouldn't worry about it.' [Rose then said] 'I'm so nervous."

By this time, McKagan and Slash had rejoined GN'R, and both of them knew they would get the AC/DC gig. The stretch of dates where Rose fronted AC/DC certainly brought some freshness to the band, particularly to the setlist. Rose helped add some deeper AC/DC cuts to the setlist. Among them were "Dog Eat Dog," "Riff Raff," "Touch Too Much," "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" and "If You Want Blood (You Got It)."

AC/DC announced in February their European tour dates. This marks the first tour from the band since 2016.

The "Power Up" tour will kick off on May 17 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and will wrap on August 17 in Dublin. Currently, it's unknown whether AC/DC will expand their tour to other continents, but stay tuned.

In a brief statement from the band, they confirmed the lineup for the tour. Brian Johnson will be on vocals and joined by Angus and Stevie Young on lead and rhythm guitar, respectively. Matt Laug, who played with the band at Power Trip in October 2023, will be on drums.

As for bass, AC/DC has recruited Chris Chaney "to carry the torch for Cliff [Williams]." Williams retired shortly after the 2016 tour, but he appeared on AC/DC's 2020 album Power Up. Williams also performed at Power Trip with the band.

5/17 - Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Veltins Arena
5/21 - Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Veltins Arena
5/25 - Reggio Emilia, Italy - RCF Arena
5/29 - Seville, Spain - La Cartuja Stadium
6/5 - Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Johan Cruyff Arena
6/9 - Munich, Germany - Olympic Stadium
6/12 - Munich, Germany - Olympic Stadium
6/16 - Dresden, German - Messe
6/23 - Vienna, Austria - Ernst Happel Stadium
6/26 - Vienna, Austria - Ernst Happel Stadium
6/29 - Zurich, Switzerland - Letzigrund Stadium
7/3 - London, England - Wembley Stadium
7/7 - London, England - Wembley Stadium
7/13 - Hockenheim, Germany - Ring
7/17 - Stuttgart, Germany - Wasen
7/21 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Old Airport
7/27 - Nuremberg, Germany - Zeppelinfeld
7/31 - Hannover, Germany - Messe
8/9 - Dessel, Belgium - Festivalpark Stenehei
8/13 - Paris, France - Hippodrome Paris Longchamp
8/17 - Dublin, Ireland - Croke Park

The AC/DC catalog can be split into two parts: The Bon Scott years and the Brian Johnson years. For the sake of our latest list, we're going to focus on the Brian Johnson years.

Johnson was officially announced as the new singer for AC/DC on April 15, 1980. Back then, he faced the daunting challenge of following Scott, who had died suddenly in February 1980 just as AC/DC was enjoying international success from their latest album, Highway to Hell.

Not only did Johnson rise to the occasion, but he also helped lead AC/DC with the release of their monster hit Back In Black, which is one of the highest-selling albums of all time moving over 50 million copies worldwide and 25 million copies in the United States alone.

Over the course of the past four decades, Johnson has become one of rock's most iconic and easily recognizable voices ever. His official return to AC/DC in 2020 after a nearly four-year absence due to hearing loss issues was one of the bright spots in an unprecedentedly dark year.

In his honor, here's our ranking of the top 25 Brian Johnson AC/DC songs.

AC/DC is returning to North America with a batch of tour dates set for 2025.

So far, 13 dates have been announced, with the tour kicking off on April 10 in Minneapolis and wrapping on May 28 in Cleveland. In between, the legendary band will make their way through Arlington, Pasadena, Vancouver, Las Vegas, Detroit, Foxborough, Pittsburgh, Landover, Tampa, Nashville, and Chicago. (A full list of dates and venues is below.)

The lineup for AC/DC on this series of dates will feature singer Brian Johnson and lead guitarist Angus Young. Joining them are rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug, and bassist Chris Chaney.

Tickets for each show go on sale to the general public on Friday, December 6 at 12 p.m. local time. Complete ticket details can be found at ACDC.com.

April 10 - Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Stadium
April 14 - Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium
April 18 - Pasadena, CA @ Rose Bowl
April 22 - Vancouver, BC @ BC Place
April 26 - Las Vegas, NV @Allegiant Stadium
April 30 - Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
May 04 - Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium
May 08 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Acrisure Stadium
May 12 - Landover, MD @ Northwest Stadium
May 16 - Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium
May 20 - Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium
May 24 - Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
May 28 - Cleveland, OH @ Huntington Bank Field