AC/DC tour manager Garry Van Egmond has confirmed to Bay Of Plenty Times that the band's estranged drummer Phil Rudd will not perform with the group when they play Rudd's home country of New Zealand in December. "Chris Slade will be on drums," Van Egmond said. "He replaced Phil when he left the band some years back and he has been playing in the 'Rock Or Bust' tour worldwide." Van Egmond stopped short of saying Rudd was officially out of AC/DC, telling Bay Of Plenty Times that there was "no confirmation that Phil has left the band permanently." He added: "All I can say is that Phil will not be playing in the New Zealand concerts." AC/DC will play two shows in New Zealand: December 12 at Westpac Stadium in Wellington and December 15 at Western Springs in Auckland. Van Egmond did not know if there were any plans for Rudd to attend the concerts or whether the other members of the band would be in contact with the drummer while they were in New Zealand. Rudd in April pleaded guilty to charges of drug possession and one charge of threatening to kill. A second threatening to kill charge was dropped. According to court documents, police found 0.478 grams (0.017 ounces) of methamphetamine and 91 grams (3.21 ounces) of marijuana during a November 6, 2014 raid on Rudd's New Zealand home. The raid was conducted after he was accused of threatening to kill an associate and his daughter during a phone call in September. Prosecutors claimed that Rudd made a phone call on the morning of September 26 and allegedly spoke about "what he wanted done" to an unnamed man who had been working for him for three years. The second call was allegedly to the unnamed man himself, and it was during this call that prosecutors claimed Rudd "threatened to kill him and his daughter." Rudd's lawyer, Craig Tuck, said that the entire matter revolved around "an angry phone call that was it."
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