Like many of the 70 000 capacity crowd here tonight, this writer has waited a lifetime to see Aussie pub rockers AC/DC in the flesh. After spending years watching beaten up video tapes from the Bon Scott era and watching the band’s incendiary sets at Donnington, it seemed like sadly I wasn’t going to get my wish thanks to the likes of Kurt Cobain doing their best to kill off old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll for good. But now, 15 years on from the Nirvana frontman’s suicide, it seems that you can’t keep a good band down. AC/DC have never been bigger.
Kicking off with the mighty ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Train’ the huge stage rumbles from the riffs emanating from Angus Young’s guitar. Singer Brian Johnson, wearing his trademark flat-cap, is clearly in his element, happily leading us all a merry dance with evergreen anthems like ‘Back In Black,’ ‘TNT’ and ‘Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)’ and swinging on a huge bell for (yep, you’ve guessed it) ‘Hell’s Bells.’ However, what’s most striking about the show isn’t the huge Angus-style skull caps which are perched on top of the roof of the stage that come complete with wiggling devil horns or the large derailed train which hovers ominously above their drummer’s head – it’s the crowd. Tonight’s show has one of the most diverse audiences we’ve ever witnessed with Ugg-boot toting Robbie Williams fans rubbing shoulders with tattooed bikers and families with young kids mixing with drunken old dudes who frankly should know better.
It’s this feeling of community that makes the gig something truly remarkable. Yeah, ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ and ‘Let There Be Rock’ are jaw-droppingly good – but it’s that feeling of camaraderie that helps the likes of tasteless new one ‘War Machine’ go down a little better. There are plenty of highlights tonight, but our pick has to be the fist-in-the-air, balls-to -the-wall rendition of ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’. Never ones to disappoint, the ‘DC have brought their traditional giant inflatable doll with them and she straddles the side of the train as Brian belts the number out like his life depended on it.
Tonight’s encore features a one-two punch of ‘Highway To Hell’ and ‘For Those About To Rock’ and it’s a perfect send-off. They might be in their 60s, but AC/DC still have more energy than bands half their age. Maybe they did sell their souls to Satan after all...