A statue of AC/DC's Brian Johnson has been erected in a park in Belgium

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By ( Classic Rock ) published

"Honestly, I'm not worthy of it" - Brian Johnson

Brian Johnson statue
(Image credit: RTBF Info)

A statue of AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson has been unveiled in Namur, Belgium, a city in the province of Wallonia. 

The statue, which was erected with the help of broadcaster RBTF and local fans, commemorates Johnson's first live performance with AC/DC, which took place at Namur's Palais Des Expositions on June 29, 1980, shortly after the band had finished recording the classic Back In Black. 

In a video sent to RBTF to thank them for the statue, Johnson explains what the city means to him. "It's a very special place for me," he says. "It was the first night 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."

During the show in 1980, AC/DC performed seven songs from the then-unreleased Back In Black, beginning with opener Hells Bells. The set ended with Let There Be Rock, which was the last song Bon Scott had ever sung on stage, at the Gaumont in Southampton, five months earlier on the final date of the Highway To Hell tour.  

Johnson later recalled that his nerves settled when he saw a banner in the crowd raised aloft, on which it was written: ‘R.I.P. Bon Scott. Good Luck Brian.’ 

“That,” Johnson said, “just lifted me.”

Earlier this month it was announced that AC/DC will be headlining the Saturday night of the inaugural Power Trip festival, which will take place at the Empire Polo Club In Indio, California, between October 6 and October 8. It'll be Johnson's first live show with AC/DC since early 2016.   

Tickets for the festival, which also features Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne and Tool, are on sale now. 

Fraser Lewry
Fraser Lewry
Online Editor, Classic Rock

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.