LIVE AT DONNINGTON '91 DVD/LONDON PREMIERE REVIEW
Around 70 AC/DC fans descended on the ODEON cinema in Shaftesbury Avenue last night to feast their eyes (more later) and ears on the bands' latest DVD release, Live At Donnington.
However, projector problems - "the first DVD showing" at the 200 seat auditorium, explained a young suit - put paid to viewing opening tracks 'Thunderstruck' (from then current, 'Razors' Edge album) and, more frustratingly for this writer, what sounds like a cracking version of 'Shoot to Thrill'.
Cue one quarter of the disgruntled audience leaving for the tube, another scrambling back up to peek at the projectionist's monitor and the rest of us, well....
Suddenly, there in front.... a bird, a plane? No. Just Angus, a purple-velvet clad shoolboy the size of a building Angus, coming into focus with trusty Gibson SG in hand and belting out those proud familiar powerchords to 'Back In Black' - THERE, quite literally, is a god! Those of us left are Back In Business.
Donnington"DC"(Derbyshire County) is awash with 60,000 faithful, the Mid-August sun has just set and all is right with the world. I am immediately reminded of my previous "DC" Donnington in '84, and how suitable this castle cum racetrack setting is for a band that is both Rock of Ages and musical equivalent of a fine-tuned formula one engine.
Next up, 'Hell ain't...", the first of seven Scott-era tracks here dutifully and powerfully delivered by Brian in trademark flat cap, T-shirt and cat-gut-stitched wranglers. Surely Bon smiles a little from the grave when his Geordie successor is on this sort of form?
The other 'non-original' is interim Rudd-replacement, Chris Slade (ex-The Firm), a grimacing shiny pated tub-thumper who guides the chant-along metal-boogie of 'Heatseeker' with consummate power and precision. Suffice to say, Malcolm and Cliff are tight as the nun's proverbials as they have been for nigh on 30 years to date (see Hammersmith Carling Apollo - 21/10/03 reviews).
'Fire Your Guns' and 'Jaibreak' - two uneccessary fillers in my opinion - follow in quick succession - fast forward finger at the ready. Then we get 'The Jack', the public derision of some poor girl of questionable sexual constitution for want of a better description - cinema joins in en masse - surreal!
Fittingly, Dirty Deeds comes and goes with its tales of the underworld and vice....menacing groove from the three men at the back. Drama in mind, it is worth mentioning that throughout the set, you are treated to some excellent sweeping arial shots of the audience, the extensive site and not least, roving under-views of the band courtesy of a perspex covered camera trench which spanned the stage - come back Girlschool, all is forgiven!
After the dependable but average Moneytalks, the 'Hell's Bell' is slowly lowered from enormous rigging, death-knell sounded and doom-laden riff despatched - good God, this intro (Hell's Bells) never fails to hit me where I live, and this is no different. One of AC/DC's greatest achievements is not to take itself so seriously whilst sounding deadly serious in the act. Angus' classic tortured blues solo is like the howl of a succubate banshee in the night, and again for a moment we are raped of anything constituting religious beleif - little devil.
High Voltage electrocutes, Whole Lotta Rosie sees another 20,000 new fans headbanging in grateful recognition and a gigantic tatoo-ed naked 'Rosie' inflatable appears and disappears on cue for 'You Shook Me All Night Long', which is cool and uplifting, and both crowd and cinema are filled with gladness on hearing the best song the Stones never wrote.
We return to pre-1980 fare with a rousing TNT, crowd(and cinema audience!) "0i-Oi-Oi"ing in time-honoured metronome fashion. LIGHT, SOUND, DRUMS, GUITAR...'Let There Be Rock' is all Bill Hailey, Chuck Berry and AC/DC eg. unf*$!Łed with Rn'R and the stadium choreohgraphy is unchanged, with the younger Young soloing at full pelt from one side of the enormous stage to the other, only stopping short of a dangerously high precipice each time to play call and responce with an adoring Donnington. Camp-fire smoke and dry ice, illuminated by huge red-white beams, fill the cooling night air - this is truly the stuff of legend.
Now 60,00 and five rockers belt out the triumphnant chorus to 'Highway To Hell', a cocky strut beautifully sliced in the verses by a back-beat snare that leaves golden gaps for the genius percussive lyric. This classic positively lives and breathes, studio or live, Bon (preferred, naturally) or Brian.
Now centre-stage, Angus settles himself to ring out a shimmering circular figure, Cliff grooves under menacingly, the rest explode magnificently, Brian screaming a "YEAH-HEH" from Hell across the local countryside (rousing all manner of livestock and hibernating animals from their slumber in the process!) The sonic, friendly battle lines of 'For Those About To Rock(We salute you)' are drawn, and both band and fans join in mutual recognition, and joyful celebration of this liberating thing called rock, punctuated by the familiar salvo of cannonfire launched from atop a barricade of amps.
The ODEON audience applauded as one at the end of the screening, and I think most present were agreed that this DVD is a fine document of an excellent performance, well worth the re-entrance fee.
Report by Odran 'Oddy' Jennings
STOP PRESS: Sony, Kerrang and Odeon Cinemas have to their credit, apologised to all who attended the above screening by email for complications on the night, and offered a free 'Live At Donnington' DVD by way of compensation
well they moved on down