Tonight I kind of felt like a change of pace was in order. It's been a while since I did an op-ed piece, so I figure there is no time like the present to change that. That said, something has been floating around in my head lately: Should AC/DC after 4+ decades of rocking the world hang up their instruments and call it a day?
Well to be honest, it's kind of a complex issue. There are plenty of reasons both for and against the idea of the Aussie band to retire. Before I get to my final opinion though, I think I'm going to go into a bit of detail on each side.
Reasons they should NOT retire:
1. AC/DC is a major household name when it comes to rock n' roll. No matter how old they get or who is in the band at the moment (as long as lead guitarist Angus Young is there) they will sell out big venues in a snap. There is always tons of money to be made.
2. Millions of fans across the world would be sad to see them go and not have the chance to see them live or get any more new music from them. They have become a household name as previously mentioned because for many of us they have gotten so close to our hearts. To many they are the definition of rock n' roll and without them around it would feel like a big fundamental part of ourselves was gone.
3. Regardless of who they have in the band they still sound GOOD. At the very least the people replacing the key members seem to really care about giving their all and giving the fans the absolute best AC/DC experience humanly possible for them.
Reasons they SHOULD retire:
1. Angus Young is the only original/notable member of the band left. Everyone else but him at this point is just a stand-in. In my opinion Black Ice was the last real AC/DC album/tour because after that members started leaving for various reasons. Drummer Phil Rudd was arrested for drugs and trying to hire a hit man. Rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young was diagnosed with dementia and could no longer remember how to play any of the songs. Singer Brian Johnson can't perform live any more because if he does he will lose his hearing completely. Bassist Cliff Williams (who was the only person left from the 70's other than Angus on the Rock or Bust tour) will be retiring at the end of the tour.
Each member of the band that is gone means another piece of the engine is gone and therefore makes AC/DC lose that much more of what made it the awesome band it is/was. It would feel kind of dishonest to keep calling it AC/DC without them. Any further tours they would do would be purely a cash grab.
2. Without Malcolm or Johnson in the band the creative engine in the band is absolutely gone. Angus is great and he is iconic, but he isn't/wasn't the only part of what made AC/DC tick. Malcolm's riffs and Johnson's screams and lyrics were also a big part of what made us love them so much. I can't imagine what new AC/DC tunes without either of them would even sound like. Hell, Rock or Bust felt rather lackluster to me because even just Malcolm was gone.
3. Even if the actual members of AC/DC weren't almost all out of the band they are definitely getting up there in age and it would probably be a few more years anyway before they would start to consider retirement without it being forced upon them anyway. It is kind of hard to imagine them being in their 70's or 80's and still putting on a high voltage rock n' roll show. Maybe Angus could do some solo work with other rockers? I know he and Axl Rose definitely shared some chemistry when Rose filled in at the tail end of the most recent leg of the Rock or Bust tour.
Conclusion:
As you can probably guess I'm more in favor of AC/DC throwing in the towel and enjoying their well deserved retirement. I would be a bit astounded if Angus did decide to keep carrying on as AC/DC once the Rock or Bust tour is completely wrapped up. With everyone but himself gone I think it would probably be the right thing of him to do by just folding things up. They have had a good run of it. Honestly, I think they should have called it when Malcolm had to retire. AC/DC will always have a special place in our hearts. Whenever we want to wave the flag of rebellion and rock n' roll we will crank their music. However, I think if they were to carry on as they are now it would be rather dishonest and would be giving fans less than they deserve.
What are your thoughts on the matter?
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