Steve Perry Recalls AC/DC Opening For Journey: ‘They Spanked Us Bad’
Former Journey frontman Steve Perry recalled his horror when AC/DC toured as their opening act and made it nearly impossible to follow their performance.
The groups – who both played their first shows on the same night in 1973 – toured the U.S. together in the ‘70s as Bon Scott led the Australian outfit to the big time, while Journey were already closer to the goal, as Perry told Uncle Joe Benson on the Ultimate Classic Rock Nights radio show.
“It was this new band and everybody said they were really rockin,” he said. “I was showing up the last 10 minutes of every show. I’m trying to sing all my stuff [backstage] and warm up, and I hear this, ‘I’m a problem child!’ I said, ‘What the hell is that?’ And I run out and I see Bon Scott just layin’ in down, and the [Young] brothers are driving, and the audience has their fists in the air, just shaking in time with the music.”
He continued: “I was stunned. I just said, ‘This is unbelievable. What is this?’ And then I had to follow this band? Go out there, sing ‘Wheel in the Sky?’ What am I doing? They’re killing me here!’” He went on to admit: “They made us play better, man. They spanked us bad – I’m being honest with ya, they spanked us a good one, and any band member will admit that. We had to learn how to play all these Journey songs, that we originally wrote, with a new intensity.”
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