A statue of AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson has been unveiled in Namur, Belgium, where he played his first show with the band on June 29th, 1980.
Johnson would join AC/DC following the tragic passing of singer Bon Scott in February 1980, laying down vocals on what would become the band’s biggest-selling album, Back in Black. Ahead of the LP’s release in July of that year, Johnson made his live debut with the band on the evening of June 29th at the Palais Des Expositions in Namur.
“[Namur is] a very special place for me,” Johnson reflected in a video message. “It was the first might I sang with AC/DC, and I was a very nervous boy. So that memory will stay with me forever, and now that you’ve built this statue. Honestly, I’m not worthy of it. I thank you, and I’ll take it in good grace.”
The project came to fruition via a crowdfunding campaign launched by AC/DC fans Michel Remy, Mike Davister, and Georges Boussingault, with support from Belgian radio station RTBF Classic 21. The statue itself was crafted by Design Stone from Libramont using top-quality Belgian Blue Stone — a natural stone mined in the country that is purportedly between 150 million and 350 million years old. In the video message, Johnson promised to visit Namur to see the statue in person in the coming weeks.
For more on Johnson, fans can pick up his autobiography The Lives of Brian, which was released last year. The revealing memoir sees the singer open up about his career in AC/DC, including the origins of the lyrics on Back in Black and coping with the hearing loss that forced him to leave the band’s tour in 2016.
Meanwhile, AC/DC are set to play their first show in seven years — and first with Johnson back in the band — at the recently announced Power Trip festival this October in Indio, California, where they will share the three-day bill with Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Guns N’ Roses, and Tool. Tickets are available here.
Below you can see Johnson’s video message and footage of the statue in Belgium.
