“Out of it”: Lou Reed’s manic tour down under with AC/DC
If you’re heading out on tour with Lou Reed, you probably aren’t expecting to be tucked up in bed with a cup of tea come ten o’clock. Throughout his long and illustrious career, Reed gained a reputation as a wild man of rock and roll. Living the life of an archetypal rockstar, Reed was known to overindulge in drink, drugs and everything that comes with it. In fact, during a tumultuous tour of Australia in 1974, the songwriter proved too unpredictable even for hard rock icons AC/DC.
Promoting the often-overlooked solo album Sally Can’t Dance, this 1974 tour was Reed’s first in Australia. Unfortunately – if not unsurprisingly – the songwriter was not in a fit state to really enjoy the golden beaches and exotic wildlife down under. The tour provided Reed with an infamous television opportunity to be quizzed by Australian journalists in Sydney immediately after his arrival. Sporting bleach-blonde hair, dark sunglasses, and probably experiencing some pretty heavy jetlag, the interview was awkward, to say the least, with Reed clearly wishing he was somewhere else. Soon, though, he was on the road in Australia, and things were only going to get worse.
For his first trip on Australian soil, Reed employed Stevie Wright and AC/DC as his support acts. Nowadays, AC/DC need very little introduction, having firmly cemented themselves among the most popular hard rock outfits in the world. However, back in 1974 the band were in their infancy. At this time, they were fronted by Dave Evans, the original vocalist for the group, before Bon Scott took over the mantle.
Evans remembers the tour and Lou Reed very well. AC/DC had managed to secure the support slot off the back of their first single, ‘Can I Sit Next to You, Girl?’, which earned the group chart success. “We had a hit record immediately, and it just raced up the charts,” recalled Evans, “We were playing to the biggest crowds in Australia, and we also toured with Lou Reed.” Ultimately, though, that last accolade would prove to be more trouble than it was worth.
In 1974, Reed was battling a wealth of inner demons, mostly revolving around a reliance on amphetamines and alcohol. Of course, the ‘Heroin’ songwriter was known for his cavalier attitude towards mind-altering substances, but by 1974, he was seemingly reaching his limit. As Evans testifies, “Lou Reed was pretty out of it. When he toured, it was a bad time for him,” adding, “He was helped on the stage with a person on each arm.”
For a young band to tour with one of the most prolific and influential songwriters of the 20th century must have sounded like a buzz, but for Evans, the reality was much more depressing. “I thought that was just a stage act,” he told The Metal Voice, “but when we had breakfast in the mornings, he had a person on each arm just to get breakfast. Lou was not in good shape, and when he toured, we really couldn’t have a conversation with him.”
In the end, this lacklustre experience touring with Lou Reed made Evans reconsider his position within the group. Rock and roll was taking its toll upon the young singer, and to top it all off, he was skint. Despite all their early success and tireless touring, Evans found that AC/DC still were not earning any money. So, in 1974, shortly after the Sally Can’t Dance tour with Reed, he left the group for good.
