Former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade recently stated that he wasn’t “bitter” for not being called upon to rejoin the Australian rockers in recent times of need. He then added that he doesn’t think another reunion is in the cards.
Chris Slade talks about not being called by AC/DC
Chris Slade had been part of Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s initial glory run, where he contributed to the prog rock entourage’s first eight records. The Welsh drummer went on to collaborate with virtually every big name in the rock scene, ranging from Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page to Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and beyond.
In 1989, he joined forces with AC/DC, where he replaced Simon Wright on drums (who previously replaced the Australian rock icons’ first steady drummer, Phil Rudd, in 1983).
Slade recently stayed with AC/DC for the next five years before Rudd made his return in 1994. In 2015, he once again stood in for Rudd who was under house arrest. However, when it was announced that Rudd had to step down from his duties for 2024’s “Power Up” tour, Slade wasn’t called for a reprise, and the band went for Matt Laug instead.
In an interview with Real Music With Gary, Slade said that he wasn’t “bitter” as his old bandmates’ decision, just as he wasn’t bitter when Phil Rudd came back in 2020 to record the “Power Up” album (transcription via Blabbermouth):
“I wasn’t bitter when Phil came back [for the ‘Power Up’ album] or whatever — or [they] didn’t use me, put it that way. People said, ‘Oh, he’s bitter. Listen to the way he’s talking.’ I wasn’t bitter at all — not in the slightest. I probably got used to it by now.”
“When I lived in California, I used to know Matt Laug as a drummer. So I was pleased that I knew the guy who was gonna be sitting in. And I knew he was a nice guy. I knew he was very capable and that he could do exactly what Angus [Young] wanted. I’ve just heard a rumor, actually, that Phil’s coming back. I don’t know. But that’s a rumor, and those AC/DC rumors are… You never know.”
