Despite having a fracture, Axl Rose still got off on a good foot for his first show with AC/DC.
The Guns N’ Roses lead singer, who broke a bone in his left foot a month ago, was seated with a brace on for his debut with the legendary band in Lisbon over the weekend. Rose replaced lead singer Brian Johnson, who had to bow out of the band’s “Rock or Bust” tour on the advice of doctors because of his hearing issues.
Their set list included songs well known to fans like “Shoot to Thrill,” “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be” and “Let There Be Rock,” along with encore “Highway to Hell.”
The audience seemed to embrace Rose as the new AC/DC frontman.
Rolling Stone’s Mark Sutherland wrote that “Rose actually seemed happy to play a different role here. “
“From his opening greeting of “Nice to meet you!” — just five minutes later than billed — he was a deferential and pleasant presence between songs and an energized, brooding one during them,” Sutherland said. “He remained seated throughout the main set, his leg still encased in a brace, but even his perch was more low-key than during the recent Guns N’ Roses shows: It resembled a humble office chair that had been jazzed up at the last minute with a few lumps of metal and some devil horns.
Following the European run of the AC/DC tour through June 12, Rose will then join Guns N’ Roses for their “Not in This Lifetime” summer stadium tour.