While his former bandmates are playing live across Northern Europe, former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd is in the middle of a run of shows of his own, which include a live, sold out show in front of a 13,000 capacity Spark Arena in New Zealand.
Rudd has been playing on stage as a special guest of the Full Metal Orchestra, a band which includes a 29 piece classical orchestra with several well-known names from the New Zealand rock and metal scene.
This line up includes Shihad frontman Jon Toogood, Devilskin singer Jennie Skulander and singer EJ Barnes, the daughter of Aussie legend Jimmy Barnes. However, the real pull factor is being involved with Rudd, who lives in New Zealand.
These shows have seen Rudd and co perform classic tracks from bands including AC/DC, as well as Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Tool, Motorhead and more.
Rudd joined the band for classic covers of AC/DC tracks, Back In Black, Thunderstruck, as well as his own solo track, Head Job. He then joined the band for a live rendition of 'It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll), featuring traditional bagpipes.
Speaking about this, guitarist Brett Adams, who performs with country star Tami Neilson, former Crowded House star Tim Finn, and several names from the New Zealand music scene, had this to say.
"He was a quietly spoken, pleasant sort of guy with a dry sense of humour, though he became a juggernaut behind the kit", he said. "He knew what he wanted from the (admittedly slightly nervous) band, feel-wise, and gave some pointers. The best one he said to someone, with one song, was, 'you need to drink a bottle of whiskey and get into a street fight!'.
"Having thrashed the albums Highway To Hell, For Those About To Rock and Back In Black in my teens, it was a surreal experience to be just feet away from Phil pumping out that unmistakable powerful groove, and very rewarding when he winked at me and simply said, 'Good, Brett!'".
Speaking of AC/DC, it would appear that their tour across Europe had "broke permitted noise levels". Find out more on this from Nova here.
