AC/DC’s Brian Johnson Explains Justin Hawkins’ “Clumsiness” Picking Up Student at Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
AC/DC’s Brian Johnson explained Justin Hawkins’ “stupid” microphone grip during a joint performance at a Taylor Hawkins tribute concert in London.
The darkness frontman appeared on stage with Johnson and Metallica’s Lars Ulrich to perform AC/DC’s classic single “Back In Black” at the special event at Wembley Stadium. Hawkins took the microphone from Johnson and exchanged lines with the singer.
Some viewers later accused Hawkins of “stealing the mic” from the AC/DC frontman, a claim Hawkins later denied on social media, explaining: “10 seconds before the AC DC section, Brian told me to get off for the second verse of it [‘Back In Black’]“.
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk radio show, Johnson said, “We were getting ready to go out. Justin came up to me and said, ‘Brian, I can’t believe I’m here.’ said ‘Back In Black’ is my favorite song in the whole world and I would love to sing it.’ And I said, ‘Go ahead and sing the second verse. Can you do it?’ And he said, ‘Oh, are you serious?’
“It turned out… it was Dave Grohl. Dave Grohl said, ‘If Brian Johnson asks you to sing the second verse of ‘Back In Black,’ you would sing it,’ and he did. And then he went on. And I think he chickened out half way and I forgot the fucking lyrics.
“But the worst part was that he was so excited that he went out and forgot to bring a microphone. That’s why he looked so clumsy, trying to sing with a microphone one. And he’s like seven feet tall or something.”
The Taylor Hawkins tribute concert also featured performances from Queen, Liam Gallagher, Supergrass, Rush and Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet. In a heartfelt keynote address, Grohl promised the event would be “one gigantic fucking night for one gigantic fucking person.”
On the other hand, Them Crooked Vultures, the supergroup formed by Grohl, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin and Josh Homme and Alain Johannes of Queens Of The Stone Age, reunited for the first time live in 12 years.
The surviving members of Foo Fighters closed the six-hour show with an emotional greatest hits concert. Grohl and company were joined by a rotating cast of guest drummers, including Travis Barker, Nandi Bushell and Taylor Hawkins’ 16-year-old son Shane.
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