The City of Melbourne has officially started its quest for AC/DC’s re-enactment of their iconic It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock’n’Roll) music video.

This month at the Future Melbourne Committee (FMC) meeting, councillors unanimously voted to begin planning for a raft of high-profile celebrations to coincide with AC/DC’s two massive shows at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

• AC/DC Expand 2025 Australian Tour

Lord Mayor Nick Reece said, “It’s going to be an incredible moment for our city, a moment for us to feel good, and to recognise our greatness as one of the rock and roll capitals of the world. It will be dynamite; it will be T.N.T.”

Councillors green-lighted City of Melbourne management to start shaping these festivities with input from the band and its representatives.

It would collaborate with the Victorian State Government on sharing costs, corporate donors, venue operators and the wider music industry to deliver events around the city.

By August 19, the FMC will be presented with a full report outlining event proposals and budget allocations.

An obvious event site would take place on AC/DC Lane, famous for its street art, selfie-seeking tourists and proximity to the hard rock club, Cherry Bar. In 2004, it took over the name of Corporation Lane, near Swanston Street.

A Melbourne landmark is 6 Lansdowne Road in St. Kilda East. Now an apartment building, it was a share house where AC/DC stayed and rehearsed in the 1970s (and later turned into a wild 24-hour party pad) and wrote many of their early hits.

The corner of Flinders and Spring Street in the CBD was the site of the Hard Rock Café, which was co-owned by promoter Michael Browning. He met them here on October 16, 1974, and signed on to become their manager, relocating them from Sydney for a residency at the club.

Flagship

The flagship of this will be the 50th anniversary recreation of the It’s A Long Way To The Top music video. It was filmed on February 23, 1976, for ABC TV’s Countdown, using an ABC flatbed. 

It was another bright idea of Countdown producer Paul Drane, who, at that early stage, was already experimenting with CGI effects in videos by bands such as Supernaut. 

Drane, cameraman David Olney and a small team assembled at the top of the street. Bon Scott, who’d invited Les Kenfield, Alan Butterworth and Kevin Conlon of the Rats of Tobruk Pipe Band, took them into a pub for a quick drink in case of stage nerves.

In those innocent days, there were no problems from the council or the police. The shoot began casually, at one point passing a tram, and was watched by about 150 lunchtime office workers and fans. It cost $380 to make, or $2,920 in today’s cabbage. By July 2015, it had passed 80.9 million views on YouTube.

A second video was shot at City Square with the band on boxes.

After the shoot, Bon invited the pipers back to his room, and they spent the rest of the afternoon singing traditional Scottish folk songs.

Support

The FMC committee was told the idea has letters of support from Paul Drane and Simon Evans, who drove the flatbed truck.

Similar backing came from Cherry Bar operator James “Hound Dog” Young, former The Age music journalist and Music Victoria CEO Paddy Donovan, Vanessa Pickings, head of Sony Music, and Ian “Molly” Meldrum.

Chris Thrum, musician, busker and heritage building activist, addressed the committee, underlining the importance of celebrating that iconic ride down Swanston Street. “They drove past Town Hall, and Bon Scott winked towards Town Hall.” 

Thrum also led his voice to Melbourne, holding celebrations for AC/DC’s return after a decade.

“It’s very important to recognise that AC/DC are an intrinsic part of the fabric of Melbourne’s rock identity. In Melbourne, we respect rock. 

“City of Melbourne exemplified that when they named a laneway AC/DC Lane. I would like to thank, at this point, Billy Walsh (of Cosmic Psychos), James Young and Paddy Donovan for the immense work that they did to achieve the naming of AC/DC Lane, for the foresight and vision they had to have that occur.

“It’s a known fact that when international bands tour Melbourne, they ask the roadies who’re looking after their equipment, can we go to AC/DC Lane. It’s a rite of passage for bands from overseas to have a pilgrimage to AC/DC Lane.”

Cr. Mark Scott, who recalled the school yard chant, “It’s a long way to the shop if you want a sausage roll” (or “chico roll”) during his school days, envisaged that at the re-enaction, “Melbournians can get dressed up and bring along their air guitar and line the street and be part of the spectacle. 

“Invite schools, community bands, artists [and] industry stakeholders, and really amplify this as a citywide moment.”

He added: “This concept directly aligns with our City of Melbourne strategies, especially our creative strategy, which commits to the activation of public spaces through performance and participation, celebrating local identity and fostering a thriving music and cultural ecosystem.

“It also supports our economic strategy because it will drive visitation and foot traffic, stimulate the hospitality and retail sector in the city, and reaffirm Melbourne’s brand as a music city.” 

Scott called it “a tourism opportunity and a moment of pure joy and collective pride.”

Before the vote, Lord Mayor Reece told other councillors, “This is all about celebrating Australia’s most successful rock band.

“If you’re ever having a bad day or feeling a bit flat, just put on Long Way To The Top and watch AC/DC rolling down Swanston St, right past where we are having this meeting. I promise your spirits will be lifted immeasurably.”

An obstacle to a re-run by AC/DC is that current singer Brian Johnson has refused to sing It’s A Long Way out of respect for Bon Scott, whom he says “completely owned that song”. 

Officially, the last time they played it on stage with Scott was on December 17, 1979, at the Hammersmith Odeon in London before 5,000 fans – just months before the singer’s death.

The Lord Mayor’s response was that a 50th anniversary celebration would be perfect for Johnson to change his mind.

However, there is apparently a Plan B if AC/DC declines. They will be replaced by Akka-Dakka tribute acts and/or high-profile musicians playing that song.

Economic Impact

Either way, the event would have a great economic impact, if the similar Highway To Hell parade in the summer of 2020 as part of Perth Festival is any indication.

It was the 40th celebration of Bon’s funeral in Fremantle, with rows of trucks travelling down 10 km of Canning Highway featuring eight bands playing his songs. 

Official figures put 144,850 lining the highway, adorned with merchandise. For 42 per cent of them, it was the first time they attended a Perth Festival happening.

The Sunday afternoon re-enactment doubled trade for local businesses, made a direct economic impact of $6.1 million and had a flow-on economic benefit to the tune of $17.2 million.

The Raffles Hotel had one of its busiest days ever, its general manager told WA Today, with 4,000 walking through the doors. A pizza restaurant rostered 14 more waiters, and still struggled after selling 700 more coffees than it would on a Sunday afternoon.

Before the truck rolled, over 3,500 air guitarists led by Australian air guitar champion Alex Roberts, aka 'Jinja Assassin,' shredding to Highway To Hell set a new world record for Biggest Air Guitar Gathering.

The Long Way To The Top clip was such a cultural moment that it has been repeated twice.

In 2017, Melbourne outfit The Smith Street Band paid homage in their video for Shine, on the main street of their Footscray neighbourhood, also helmed by Paul Drane.

In 2010, during the famous SLAM (Save Live Australian Music) rally, when a reported 20,000 marched down Swanston Street to protest licensing changes to music venues, the RocKwiz Orchestra played on a truck.