Coalisland singer reveals how he nearly became AC/DC frontman
A CO Tyrone musician has revealed he auditioned to become the lead singer for Australian rock band AC/DC, before the role eventually went to Guns ‘N’ Roses star Axl Rose.
Stressing that he wanted to stop some rumours about that time, Coalisland man Phil Conalane (47) posted on his Facebook account that the audition took place in the USA in March 2016, when he was given the rock star treatment and flown out firstclass to Atlanta to meet the band.
AC/DC had been in the middle of their Rock or Bust world tour at the time when former lead singer Brian Johnson stepped down from touring due to hearing loss.
Singing with his band Blackwater Conspiracy, Conalane initially thought the inquiry from the Los Angeles agent of AC/DC was a prank, before being told the band’s guitarist Angus Young wanted to see him rehearse.
Having kept the remarkable story under wraps for years “out of respect for Angus”, Conalane explained that getting the chance to sing with the famous rockers was an “important experience” for him.
“There had been a few rumours circulating again of late about that time,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.
“People were starting to talk again and I wanted to put the record straight on my Facebook page. I never wanted personal gain or publicity from the story.
“For me to get that call from
AC/DC at the time, it was like: ‘Who’s playing the prank here? There’s got to be a joke here somewhere along the line’.
“But when I got the airline tickets through, I knew it wasn’t a joke.”
Conalane was flown first-class from Belfast across to Atlanta, where every wish was catered to and he was set up with the rock star royalty treatment of five-star hotels and limousines.
Rehearsing with the band at the famous Avatar Studios, he described the whole situation as a “surreal experience”.
“I hadn’t been nervous at all up until that point, but when Angus Young comes into the room that is a whole different thing,” he explained.
“He is really down-to-earth. “You get an impression of someone because you see them on stage... but he is just a normal dude and a nice guy.
“While it would have been lovely to get the gig, in the grand scheme of things would that have been beneficial for AC/DC?
“Well I don’t think it would have been. I was just happy to be invited in the first place. It was a fantastic experience, one that you just don’t forget.”