Live Review: AC/DC

Almost nobody paid the slightest bit of attention to Kingswood and The Hives.

That’s not a slight on either band, who both delivered solid sets – The Hives in particular worked hard to pull whatever enthusiasm they could out of the early punters, managing to generate some joy from the crowd that was already pressing against the stage barrier.

The bulk of the crowd, though, were simply marking time until the legendary AC/DC – arguably the greatest rock act that Australia has ever produced. There’s a certain single-mindedness present in the rank and file hardcore Acca Dacca fan: it’s almost as though no other bands exist.

The crowd – an ocean of flashing red devil horns in the darkness – exploded when the AV show kicked in and the venerable pub rockers launched immediately into Rock Or Bust, one of only a few recent tracks to get an airing this go-round.

Singer, Brian Johnson, brought his characteristic high-pitched hard man schtick, but the star of the night was ageing schoolboy, Angus Young, on guitar, resplendent as always in his trademark school uniform. Technically Young is the only original member still touring, following the retirement of Malcolm Young for medical reasons and the 'retirement' of drummer, Phil Rudd, under more straitened circumstances. These days nephew Stevie Young and Chris Slade are now filling their respective slots, and the songs still sound the same.

And what songs! TNT, Whole Lotta Rosie, Thunderstruck, You Shook Me All Night Long, Dirty Deeds and High Voltage all got a look-in, and Hell’s Bells was accompanied by giant church bell lowered from the rigging to hover over the band. The crowd knew every word to every song, of course, and there were times that, even with the full-bore amplification at his command, Johnson struggled to be heard over his fans.

Banter was kept to a minimum, although the changeover periods between songs seemed to get longer as the night proceeded. To be fair, the old soldiers have lost a step or two along the way. Johnson fumbled a lyric or three, and his voice is sounding a touch worse for wear these days, but who cares when you can see Angus solo for 15 minutes at a stretch, as he did on the outro to Let There Be Rock?

The encore saw a blistering rendition of Highway To Hell – apocryphally written, lest we forget, about the mad rush to make it to the Raffles Hotel before the curtain went up – and the now-traditional overblown production of For Those About To Rock, complete with cannonade and fireworks. It was a ball-tearer of a show, proving once again AC/DC sits pride of place in the Australian rock firmament.

Originally Published by X-Press Magazine