Madison Square garden blooms all the more as AC/DC open with "You shook me all night long" . But nearly everyone in the now-packed house is dumb-founded as Brian Johnson's screechy voice is initially rather too piercing for comfort. Thankfully, his tonsils warm up pretty quickly.

AC/DC has always boasted plenty of bombast in concert, and tonight's no exception. On several tunes, guitarist Angus Young and Brian prance on a long catwalk extending from the stage; Later the singer hangs from a huge bell during the monstrous Hells Bells, only to be topped when Angus rise high on a platform during Let there be rock and flops around like a salmon on a boat deck. Corny but fun. And during the title track from Stiff Upper Lip, a towering statue is unveiled (later during Highway to Hell, it sports red devil horns).

But its the real Angus who steals the show, his blues-based licks and leads cutting like a razor meshing miraculously with brother Malcolm's rhythm guitar.

The rhythm section thuds with power on "Hard as a Rock" - while video footage features tortoises and baboons shagging. But they sound even tighter on the brawny "Shoot to Thrill" and ballsy "Rock n Roll aint a noise pollution". A fan leaps onstage and is quickly muscled off. He can't upstage Angus. Following a bad-ass solo on "Bad boy boogie", the virtuoso breaks into a striptease. Off comes his school-boy coat and then his shirt. After wiggling his diminutive butt, he begins lowering his shorts, only to reveal boxers adorned with stars and stripes.

The only thing to out-bawdy that is a high-voltage "The Jack" or as Brian says "a song about a dirty woman...". Finally, encore "For those about to rock" blasts from the PA while six huge cannons make the whole thing look dam cool. "Fire!" Brian shrieks and we're nearly deafened by booming blanks.

AC/DC, we salute you.

Report by Jeff Perlah , Kerrang Sept 16 2000