Malcolm Young once named U2’s The Edge as “most boring bloke I’ve ever had the misfortune to witness”
AC/DC have never been part of the rock ‘n’ roll establishment. Despite selling millions of records and performing in stadiums worldwide, they have retained an outsider status. The Australian rock icons prefer to focus on their own lane and leave the showbiz side of the music industry to those who enjoy their place in the limelight.
However, as much as AC/DC would rather keep their heads down between playing shows or making albums, they are occasionally required to attend award shows or appear at ceremonies where they feel wholly uncomfortable. As much as they’d rather stay at home, these are simply an unavoidable part of their obligations as rockstars.
An example of this is when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. Although bands claim not to care about accolades, this is a prized opportunity that only a select few have dared to turn down, and AC/DC proved their worth when they performed in front of the most influential people in the industry.
They were inducted alongside The Clash, The Righteous Brothers, The Police, and Elvis Costello & The Attractions. However, the only issue was AC/DC became hugely irritable before they took to the stage because The Edge from U2 bored them profusely with his lengthy speech while inducting The Clash.
Looking back on the evening with Classic Rock, Malcolm reflected: “When we got there it was like playing in front of a bunch of fucking penguins in a restaurant. The guys from The Clash were up before us, and The Edge of U2 got up to introduce them. Fuck, he made this 40-minute speech [about late Clash guitarist Joe Strummer].”
Young continued: “He was the most boring bloke I’ve ever had the misfortune to witness. We were at the side [of the stage], waiting, and getting madder and madder, even though we had sympathy [for the rest of the Clash].”
Although AC/DC were frustrated before they took to the stage, they used those feelings of rage to enhance their performance. Young added: “So when they said to go, we fuckin’ took off. It was an anger-fuelled performance. We ripped the place apart. They were dancing up in the balconies in their tuxes. It was quite a moment for us. The rest of the bands were pretty mild by comparison.”
While Young and The Edge never saw eye to eye, the U2 guitarist helped AC/DC get in the right headspace to deliver their A-game during the ceremony as they performed thunderous renditions of ‘Highway to Hell’ and ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’. Despite being asked not to wear their trademark shorts for the occasion, AC/DC refused to comply and provided an explosion of true rock ‘n’ roll into the evening, which saw them steal the show.
Watch ‘Highway to Hell’ below.
