As I entered ANZ Stadium on this hot summer afternoon with Wolfmother appearing in the breeze, I couldn’t help but feel giddy about the show I was about to witness. When it comes to the legends of Rock n’ Roll, there is none that Australians holds dearer to their hearts. All the while, they’re pretty much the last ones standing – still reigning supreme, having made it all the way to the top by playing some good old fashioned rock and roll.
And when one thinks of bands who will be in the same position 30 years from now, able to sell out ANZ Stadium 3 times over, and tour the world to an estimated 6 BILLION DOLLAR gross (once you include merch), you can’t help but think they’re not only the last ones standing – but the last ones who’ll ever have the same sort of resonance on an international scale.
Much like similar success stories such as The Rolling Stones, AC/DC were born of a time when fans would line the streets for tickets (as some of the more hardcore fans still did this time) or their latest Vinyl release. Meanwhile, they’d get to know each and every song, word for word, as they were blasted on the radio or their record players.
Nowadays people download what they want, buy tickets in their boxers, become passive fans (meaning they only know half the words to half the songs), and chat to their favourite artists via Facebook. The allure of the rock band as it was in the 70s is dead, with the internet taking us a little TOO close to the lives of our favourite artists.
Of course, this doesn’t mean the quality of music itself has lessened (although time hasn’t been as kind to popular music) – it’s simply the nature of the industry; both the fans and bands who come along with it. So to have the opportunity to experience that blast from the past was intensely exciting. As was the fact that it came hand in hand with some fireworks, explosions, an oversized bell, and a train sent from hell.
But before that could begin, Calling All Cars and Wolfmother were given the honour of playing to the sold out crowd. I missed the opening act, but I caught the last few songs of Wolfmother, who I could hear floating through the breeze as I made my long journey into the front of the arena. They had the crowd on their feet, and I was impressed to see AC/DC fans (illuminated devil horns and all) giving them such a warm reception. As expected, their most rousing reponse was to set-closer “Joker and the Thief’” – still sounding as good as it did when it first made waves four (yes, four!) years ago, albiet now with a new lineup. I wouldn’t call them rock and roll’s best hope – but I’d certainly call them a good time.
After a half an hour wait that was comprised of more Mexican waves than I could count (it’s the little things in life that entertain us…) the Angus Young show… ahem, AC/DC, finally made it to the stage, following a hilarious opening animation that showed the rockers arriving on a train sent straight from hell. Pyrotechnics and fire were part of the adventure, and sent us on a remarkable two-hour ride.
The set was full of as many crowd pleasers as one would expect – “Thunderstruck”, for one, came early, and was easily my musical highlight of the night. “Back in Black” was surprisingly the third song of the evening and really got the crowd in the mood to rock, myself included. Of course, their latest album, Black Ice, was a focus of the evening. “Rock n’ Roll Train” appropriately opened the evening, and tracks such as “Big Jack”, “War Machine” and “Black Ice” littered the set.
The blast from the past continued with “She’s Got The Jack”, with plenty of women getting their breasts out around us. “You Shook Me All Night Long” gave us much of the same. “High Voltage” became a somber number, as images of Bon Scott were shown on the screens. And “Whole Lotta Rosie” brought a hilarious, fat, big chested, tattooed woman on to ride the train. Here’s what we’re talking about: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/41/RosieACDC.JPG
The pyrotechnics continued with plenty of fire shooting out of the train during “TNT”, and the encore of “Highway to Hell” and “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” contained a deafening cannon salute to the crowd.
But no pyrotechnics could compare to the on-stage antics of Angus Young; this was his stage, his show. A 20-minute jam which brought Angus onto a platform in the centre of the arena, surrounded by lights and confetti, could have gone on for hours and we would have remained mesmerised. Naturally, he was half naked as well, having taken his clothes off in a strip tease during “She’s Got The Jack”. Of course, his signature “Duck Walk” (originally made famous by Chuck Berry) was thrown in throughout, and I particularly liked the use of the below stage camera to catch this in action on the monitors.
I feel I’ve barely even scratched the surface as to the true splendour of the AC/DC experience, but I think it’s quite clear that it was a once in a lifetime rock ‘n’ roll blast from the past that this reviewer never thought he’d get the chance to experience. From the moment it ended, as I walked out of the arena with fireworks blasting overhead, I knew that it would be one I’d never forget.
