When Angus Young Joined Guns N’ Roses at Coachella

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Angus Young joins Guns N' Roses at Coachella 4-16-16 (via GNR Facebook page)

Angus Young joins Guns N’ Roses at Coachella on April 16, 2016 (via GN’ R’s Facebook page)

Anyone who might have wondered if the news that Axl Rose would sing for AC/DC to fulfill the band’s 2016 concert commitments might have caused dissent in the reunited Guns N’ Roses camp got an immediate answer: Hell no. Angus Young joined Gn’R at Coachella for two songs on April 16 on the group’s fourth show with Slash and Duff McKagan back in the band.

Seated on Dave Grohl’s on loan throne as his broken foot healed, Rose announced, “Since I can’t run around for you, we’re gonna bring out a friend, put a little life into things for us.” It was certainly a bigger surprise than Sebastian Bach, who joined Guns N’ Roses onstage in Las Vegas the previous weekend.

Clad even at age 61 in his trademark schoolboy uniform and cap, Young ramped up the action by duck-walking across the stage on his band’s “Whole Lotta Rosie.” Then it seemed almost as if Slash were also auditioning for AC/DC – with Malcolm Young retired, not a half-bad idea – as he and Young traded guitar figures on “Riff Raff.” Both are AC/DC songs that Gn’R covered in their early days.

AC/DC finished up its Rock or Bust tour with Rose at center stage. That began on May 7 in Lisbon, Portugal for a run of 12 European dates. Then Axl rejoined Guns for the band’s Not in This Lifetime summer stadium tour. After that AC/DC made up the 10 American shows it postponed earlier that year when Johnson’s hearing issues forced him to [temporarily] retire from the road.

Young was born March 31, 1955. Both AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses performed at 2023’s Power Trip festival. And in 2024, AC/DC have scheduled their first tour in eight years. Tickets are available here and here.