AC/DC live at Carling Apollo Hammersmith Tuesday 21st October 2003
AC/DC wrote the rulebook in fact they actually wrote the rules. Any
aspiring young bands in the audience must surely have felt
impossibly small compared to the giant rock nâ roll spectacle on
stage tonight. This is true balls-out rock on a larger-than-life
scale and the thousands of fans who had travelled from all over the
country to see their heroes were certainly not disappointed.
Rumours of Brian Johnson's lung problems were firmly put to rest as
the opening lines to "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be" roared out in
his powerhouse vocal style. What followed was a truly awesome
display of everything that live music should be about: entertaining,
exhilarating, loud, powerful and emotive. AC/DC proved exactly why
they are still as vital and relevant now as they have ever been with
over an hour and a half of back-to-back classics.
"Back In Black", "Stiff Upper Lip" and "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
(including a wicked one-handed solo from Angus) quickly turn the
crowd into a heaving mass with everyone bellowing along, fists
striking the air. With Brian Johnston on top form belting out the
classics back to back and Angus Young prowling the stage in his
trademark school-boy outfit and Gibson SG, the interaction between
the two is an incredible sight. They keep the crowd totally
captivated, playing off each other and joking around all night while
the backline rhythm trio keep the rhythm tight as fuck.
Brian Johnston's onstage charisma and northern sense of humour never
ceases to amuse as he teases the five thousand fans who sold out the
£10 tickets in under four minutes:"it's good to be back home in
front of all you record breakers!". Endearingly he still refers to
his band-mates as "the lads" as if he were still just filling in for
the late Bon Scott and points out to everyone that "these guys make
a noise like no-one else" as if anyone needed told.
The thunderous noise, the likes of which the Carling Apollo
Hammersmith probably hasn't heard since the band last played there
in 1980, just keeps coming as the band tear through the classics.
There's time to breathe when the bluesy drawl of "The Jack" grinds
through with Angus finishing it off in true style, stripping off to
his black shorts, teasing the fans that he's going to bare his arse,
then whipping them off to reveal a pair of union jack boxers.
"Hells Bells" starts off with some classic rock theatrics when a
giant AC/DC bell descends from the ceiling, but apart from that the
show is free of the usual special effects and on stage gimmickry
most stadium-rock sized bands rely on to entertain. Tonight it's
back to basics rock n' roll with a little dry ice, a couple of
spotlights for Brian and Angus and a few banks of coloured lights
apart from the four giant canons which fire off throughout the
finale.
Along with everyone else packed inside the venue, the band are also
loving every minute of it, so much so that Brian Johnston even asks
"Whatâve you been eatin'? Raw meat?" to the crowd's delight after
the incredible reaction to "If You Want Blood". "You Shook Me All
Night Long" gets an overwhelming response and could certainly be the
highlight of the night, that is before the encore of "Whole Lotta
Rosie", "Let There Be Rock" and "Highway To Hell" blows everybody
away.
"For Those About To Rock" ends things off in true style, complete
with the exploding canons and the crowd are still going ballistic
and desperate for more. With their mammoth back catalogue the band
could easily go on for a few more hours, if not days, but you can't
always get what you want and tonight that's a good thing as we're
all left on a total high as the house lights come on.
Legendary.
Bruce Hay
Source: www.carlinglive.com
well they moved on down