My wife and I brought our 11 year-old, Keith, to his first AC-DC show last night at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. We started the day in Fort Lauderdale where Allison and I had been the last 5 days. Then we flew up--our flight, or course, late and barely made the show! A GREAT time was had by all---pretty much the same as last November when we saw them, but they added another cut from the new album, "War Machine" from 'Black Ice'. They played from 8:45 or so to just before 11. Angus bobs a little less to save his neck muscles and still runs around everywhere! Brian at one point exclaimed "he's got the devil in his fingers!" Seeing them outdoors is easier on the ears--my previous 18 AC-DC excursions have all been indoors!! My son was blown away by the sound though!
Traffic sucks--no better than the old stadium. I despise Foxboro as a venue....sigh, necessary evil....
"Rock N Roll Train”
“Hell Ain’t A Bad Place to Be”
“Back in Black”
“Big Jack”
“Shot Down in Flames”
“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
“Thunderstruck”
“Black Ice”
“The Jack”
“Hells Bells”
“Shoot to Thrill”
“War Machine”
“Dog Eat Dog”
“Anything Goes”
“You Shook Me All Night Long”
“T.N.T.”
“Whole Lotta Rosie”
“Let There Be Rock”
Encore:
“Highway to Hell”
“For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”
Rolling Stone's review-AC/DC Blast “Black Ice,” Classic Riffs as Tour Roars to a Start
7/29/09, 8:23 am EST
“You ever heard of AC/DC?” an older fan was overheard asking a college-aged kid last night on the way into Massachusetts’ Gillette Stadium, site of the group’s Black Ice North American tour opener. “Isn’t that the band that sings only about sex and rock?” was the response. The answer, quite unequivocally — and gloriously — was yes.
Following an enthusiastic set by tireless Canadian rockers — and sudden documentary film stars — Anvil, AC/DC seized the arena on Tuesday night, uniting generations along the way. The stage itself was a black, rectangular monstrosity, with three jumbo screens and a giant set of speakers matching the first level of loge seats in height. As the headliners emerged, around 8:45 p.m., an already-intoxicated crowd of 46,500 rose to its feet and did not sit for the remainder of the night.
If fans wanted subtlety, they needed to go elsewhere. Cartoon images of a train carrying the Australian quintet led to an actual locomotive model crashing onstage, which preceded the band’s performance of “Rock N Roll Train,” the first track off its latest album, Black Ice. “It’s good to see you!” screamed lead singer Brian Johnson. Deafening applause ensued. “You guys are making us feel proud up here!” he continued.
Next came a mix of classic AC/DC cuts (”Back in Black,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”) and tracks from their recent disc, with the latter having slightly less pull. It didn’t really matter, though. New song or old, the audience reacted exactly the same way: with a massive roar, a beach ball or two being tossed through the air, and a determination to keep on standing.
The band dressed in its usual elegiac attire — drummer Phil Rudd in black tee, rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young in black tank, and Johnson in black, sleeveless vest (pulled off remarkably well by the 61-year-old). As always, the wardrobe award went to lead guitarist Angus Young, who wore his traditional black schoolboy uniform only to remove it during an extended striptease midway through “The Jack.” Ironically, while Young’s no-frills, show-within-the-show has become something of a predictable concert event (he stopped at the AC/DC-themed boxer shorts), fans did seem surprised when a cameraman stumbled upon David Spade and Chris Rock sitting side-by-side in the front row.
After a brief lull, Angus took over conducting duties from Johnson and drove the express to its finish. (”That guy’s got the devil in his fingers!” exclaimed the singer.) He didn’t nail every note, but from “You Shook Me All Night Long” forward, he blasted by on sheer force of will. “Let There Be Rock” saw the guitarist run across a walkway leading to the sound booth, re-emerge on its roof, play both lying down and behind his head, then sprint back to the stage for a 10-minute solo jam. Even the pyrotechnics of “Highway to Hell,” the six-cannon salute of “For Those About to Rock,” and the subsequent stadium fireworks felt like afterthoughts in comparison.
The Boston Herald's review--
AC/DC still hell on wheels
By Jim Sullivan | Wednesday, July 29, 2009 |
http://www.bostonherald.com ; | Music News
The animated locomotive, No. 666, roared into Gillette Stadium last night, on the huge screen center-stage. Its pilot was a cartoon version of AC/DC guitarist Angus Young, boasting devil horns and a malicious grin. Also aboard: Hot chicks. Soon, amidst the noise and clatter, the train careened and derailed, pyrotechnics exploded on stage, and a replica of that train emerged, smoking, parked just behind drummer Phil Rudd. And AC/DC was playing “Rock ’n’ Roll Train,” a full-tilt chugging rocker.
We were off to the races and on the highway to hell. AC/DC likes the notion of hell. Consider what they played before 46,500-plus think hell is a destination location. There was “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place,” “Hells Bells” and an encore of “Highway to Hell.” And hell, really, is just a rock ’n ’roll metaphor meaning “live for today.”
Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson wrote the immortal words,- “You’re never too old to rock ’n’ roll if you’re too young to die,” in 1976. That came one year after Aussie upstarts released its debut album “High Voltage.”
More than three decades along that way to the top, they are words AC/DC lives by (not that they’d care to sing them.) They are to hard rock ’n’ boogie what the Ramones were to punk rock. They discovered their strengths early, stuck to ’em through everything and they remain a staple in a world of constant change. Even when Englishman Brian Johnson replaced the late Bon Scott in 1980 on vocals, the machine re-tooled and kept churning.
Angus Young, who always dresses as a schoolboy in disgrace, drops his short pants and shows off his backside, did it again at Foxboro. But this time - in a nod to maturity - he showed not his bare bum, but a pair of AC/DC skivvies during “The Jack.”
There were plenty of sing-along crowd-pleasers: “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and “Back in Black,” to name but three. The regular set closed with Angus on his naked back, spinning around on stage, playing the final licks to “Let There Be Rock.”
AC/DC closed with “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You),” which featured at least a dozen canon explosions and, after the song concluded, a fireworks display.
AC/DC remains about as subtle as a flying mallet. And no worse the wear for flying the flag they know so proudly.
Pages: 1 2
AC DC -- The Next Leg (Read 3,175 times)
