Axl Rose Spotted at Atlanta Rehearsal Space with AC/DC

Update, 1:15 p.m.: So the rumor about AC/DC opening for GN’R actually came from a satirical piece on our friend Brian Storm’s hilarious site, Heavier Metal. Somehow, TMZ failed to realize that article was  joke, despite containing nearly a paragraph about how Axl Rose spent years searching for the perfect bucket of fried chicken. So that solves that. It does still appear, however, that Rose will be AC/DC’s replacement for Brian Johnson. Original story follows below.

At this point, it’s pretty clear that the rumor re: Axl Rose taking Brian Johnson’s place in AC/DC is not a rumor. Late last week, the son of former AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young (and the nephew of ongoing AC/DC guitarist Angus Young) told fans on social media that the rumor is “true.” And now TMZ has captured photos of Rose leaving the same Atlanta rehearsal space as AC/DC:

So if Rose isn’t the new singer for AC/DC, this is basically the biggest coincidence ever. I don’t think it’s the biggest coincidence ever.

But wait! Somehow, this strange story gets stranger still. The TMZ article also claims that the Rose-fronted AC/DC will open for the reunited Guns N’ Roses on their upcoming North American tour, which is a rumor we hadn’t heard before.

And, frankly, it’s a bizarre idea. For one thing, these are very likely going to be the final AC/DC performances ever, so the notion that they wouldn’t even be headlining gigs seems pretty nutty. Furthermore, Rose opening for himself will a) lessen the drama of his headlining appearance with Slash et al. a couple of hours later, and b) tired him out before his headlining appearance with Slash et al. a couple of hours later, ’cause, y’know, Rose is fifty-four years old and not as spry as he once was.

Still, I’m sure an all-Axl, all the time GN’R + AC/DC tour would somehow make even more money than just an AC/DC tour or just a GN’R reunion tour, and I know that money is the great decider in all things. So maybe it’s true. We should know soonish.