Watch Phil Rudd return to the stage – with several AC/DC classics and a full orchestra

Former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has returned to the big stage. While his old bandmates are currently on tour in Northern Europe, Rudd was on the other side of the world, performing at a sold-out, 13,000-capacity Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand.

Rudd was the special guest of the Full Metal Orchestra, an outfit that combines the considerable force of a 29-piece classical orchestra with several well-known faces from the New Zealand rock and metal scene. Together, they perform a repertoire of songs by Metallica, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Mötorhead, Tool and more.

The lineup of musicians at the show included Shihad frontman Jon Toogood, Devilskin singer Jennie Skulander and singer EJ Barnes, the daughter of Aussie legend Jimmy Barnes, but the real coup was the involvement of Rudd, who lives in New Zealand.

Rudd joined the band for covers of AC/DC's Thunderstruck and Back In Black and his own solo Head Job, before rejoining the cast for a set-ending It's a Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll), complete with traditional bagpipes. Footage below.

"He was a quietly spoken, pleasant sort of guy with a dry sense of humour, though he became a juggernaut behind the kit," says guitarist Brett Adams, who also plys his trade with country star Tami Neilson, former Crowded House man Tim Finn and just anybody else you care to mention in Kiwi music.

"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!'"

It has not yet been confirmed if the Full Metal Orchestra show was a one-off, or if they (and Rudd, perhaps) will return in the future.