*This is a transcript from my Youtube video concert review*
I am back with another concert review. It's been a while since the last, and this one almost didn't happen. I went to the bookstore last week and a regular there said, “Hey man, are you going to the AC/DC concert?” I'm like, “Yeah, isn't that in a year or something?” and he's replies, “No, it’s this Thursday!” So I had no idea the concert was coming up, so thank you Bob, for reminding me.
My friend Chris that usually goes with me to concerts was, of course, thrilled. He was like, “I can't believe we're going to see AC/DC, but there's just one problem. I have to work that day and they're keeping me after and so I might not be able to get there in time to see the opening act.” I thought, “That’s totally cool. I understand, at least you’ll still get to see the legends.”
The day the show arrives I'm so excited I could barely sleep the night before. I get in my car and GPS takes me through the city in a really weird way, and for some damn reason decides to take me through this protest happening right outside the Walker Art Center. Luckily I still got there in plenty of time so it wasn't really an issue.
I end up splurging a little bit and pay fifty bucks for a really close parking spot. It's the closest I've ever parked to a stadium, literally across the street. So there's just a light rail crossing and then bam, the front doors.
Security at concerts can be kind of random sometimes. The lady’s like, “Okay, can I just see inside your hoodie?” I rip it open and had my razor blade necklace on. It's not a real razor blade, but you would have thought they would have flinched a little bit to that. She's just like, “All right, cool. Go ahead.” By the way, I wear that necklace in this case because of The Razor's Edge, the AC/DC album with Thunderstruck, but I typically wear it in memory of Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell.
If you've ever been to US Bank Stadium (it’s the huge Viking stadium where I saw Metallica not too long ago) you know that there's like these weird liminal space backrooms thing that you have to go through sometimes to get to certain sections. So I’m completely on the wrong side of the stadium and it takes me forever to finally get to my seat. I have to go down all these escalators and there’s one in particular that seems to take forever and a day to get down. It’s like I’m going down into the depths of hell or something. I joked to myself, “You know, this is kind of ironic because I kept thinking it's a long way to the TOP if you want to rock and roll.”
I have to check myself though, and always remember how lucky I am to be going DOWN to get closer to the better seat section because way back in the day I could never afford good seats like this. So I was usually climbing UP stairs to get to the nosebleeds. I finally arrive and realize that my seating area is part of this whole suite section. Look around and there's like fancy lights over the tables, a bar area, food, they have everything right there.
Made me think back to the old days where we'd see shows at the infamous bubble-topped Metrodome and there was nothing like this available. There were basically troughs in the bathroom to pee in and everything was just gray cement, everywhere cement. So that experience has my expectations very low for concerts to this day. This makes U.S. Bank Stadium a freaking castle in comparison, we’re talking the lap of luxury for us older Minnesota residents with decent memories.
I get my usual double jack on the rocks and it was $20 which is way cheaper than The Armory (a nearby venue I frequent) where it’s around $35. At least high booze prices keeps you from being “over-served.” From the lobby you just take this little stairway to your seat, my seat’s literally right there, number one, row six, such a great place to get with last minute tickets. Sometimes you truly luck out. I take my seat and feel like I’m in first class on an airplane since there’s so much legroom. You know, even if somebody did walk in front of you, it's like you didn’t even have to stand up to let them by. This is living!
I look around and see the catwalk and get real excited because all I can do is picture Angus Young doing his, you know, signature moves, marching down the walk in his school-boy uniform.
I look around and just like the Metallica and Taylor Swift concerts, they had extra speakers and lights on the other side of the stadium. So even if you're way out there in the back nose-bleeds, you can still hear and feel everything.
When we saw Metallica and GnR at the Metrodome, it was so echoey for us up in the 3rd level that when Mike Bordin (drummer for Faith No More -the opening band) hit his snare, we didn't hear it till a full second later. It was gross and a bit disorienting.
I get a few texts from my friend who was going to be late, and I kept thinking it was going to be him saying, “Hey man, I'm on my way, I’m almost there,” but he just kept saying, “Still trying to get out of here.”
It’s cool to look around and see everybody wearing their concert shirts. Everybody from pretty much all ages are here. Great to see the whole family-vibe happening for these legendary bands. The merch tables are also selling these Angus Young devil horns that light up red and I keep thinking that it’s going to look pretty cool when the lights go out. And I was right.
I catch the back of one of the t-shirts (by the way, I didn't get one right away because the lines were insane) and I notice that at the top of the list was Minnesota, this very show. I had no idea it was the first show of this leg of the tour. I get excited, but it could be a double-edged sword since it can either mean that the band is really rusty and need a few shows to get into the groove, or it could also mean they're in their best shape because they had all that time off and they could get, you know, pumped up for this one. You never really know what you're going to get on opening day.
Also when it's the band's last show (been to a few of those before too) it’s usually a great performance. You would think the bands would be worn out, but it's almost like they know they're going to get a break after this and just give it their all. It’s amazing the energy rush you can get when you see the finish line.
The opening band is The Pretty Reckless and I've only heard a few of their tracks. The one thing I really know is that the singer Taylor Momsen is actually the little girl from the Grinch, the Cindy Lou Who character, just blew my mind when I learned that. The lights finally go down. The audience is still trickling in. So the seats are only half-filled and there’s still sunlight coming through the top of US Bank stadium, that’s just the price you got to pay when you're the opening band. They have this heartbeat sound effect that keeps speeding up adding to the tension which is sure to be released once they hit that opening chord. It’s quite effective too, making me, and I could tell everybody else, feel like that rush of anticipation.
The band takes the stage wearing all black, followed by Cindy, I..I mean Taylor, to whom our eyes were instantly drawn. Since the band's aesthetic is so dark, her long, flowing blonde hair really set her apart. Also, she's not so hard on the eyes which always helps.
One of the advantages of being the first band of the night is you get the last sound check earlier in the day. So you're going to sound at least as good as you did then, I mean as long as the sound tech didn't mess with anything. So the band already sounds clean and powerful. Yes they could have been a bit louder for my taste, but opening bands typically have to limit their volume as to not out blast the headliner. At least that’s how it’s been for decades.
They kick into Death by Rock and Roll, one of the few songs of theirs I actually know, and I keep thinking, “For a new band, that’s pretty gutsy to come out with one of your bigger hits.” Usually you want to save your more well-known songs towards the end when everyone has already taken their seats. But then I realize later on (thanks Google) that these guys have actually been around since 2009. So they’re NO amateurs, but I still think of them as a new band. I think that happens when I got older. I think of anyone who wasn't from the 80s or 90s as a “new band.”
Judging from many other “newer bands” I kept thinking The Pretty Reckless were going to be just another drop D-tuned, riff-heavy, backing track-using band with female vocals. But no way, there's so much more to this group. I mean, the guitarist (Ben Phillips) uses a semi-hollow body guitar and plays some tasty lines and riffs on it to boot. He’s not all about speed for flash (though he can pull that off too) but instead lifts the songs to a new level with a more old-school, melodic approach. I notice that he even does vibrato like Clapton.
There's just this classic element to this “new” band, if you will. When you look at them, you could tell that the three guys in the group have been around, you know, they're a little bit on the experienced side, which gives the project this mature confidence that you feel when you hear them together. Mark Damon (bass) and Jamie Perkins (drums) hold down a heavy rhythm section, can’t say enough about how well they gel. And then of course Taylor just kind of carries it with the vocals (and her beauty….and her talent as well). Okay, I might have a little crush. Geez.
They keep showing the guitarist on the giant screens above, and every time I look up I think how much he reminds me of Snape from Harry Potter. My brain likes to compare things all the time, but I found out I wasn’t alone in thinking the Snape thing. Many others commented how they totally thought the same thing.
Speaking of comparison, Taylor’s reminding me of a young Blondie, the attitude and just her overall look. Love it. I was also going to say mixed with a little bit of Christina Aguilera, but I feel like Taylor would probably kill me if I did, maybe not though.
They launch into the second song which is (by the way my favorite song by the Pretty Reckless right now) called Since You're Gone. It’s really showcasing the intensity of the rhythm section. The song has this Rage Against the Machine drive to it. Live, there’s a lot more guitar for that main groove, but when I went back and checked out the recording, it’s a lot more just bass and drums. I do prefer the live version with the added guitar, just has this metal hard rock edge to it that I love even more.
One thing that sticks with people, or at least with me, is when the rest of the band is jamming, Taylor doesn't just stand there and watch or play a tambourine or anything like that. She dances, she moves around the stage, and she'll go up by the drummer and do this swanky dance which really holds your attention, not to mention mesmerizes you if you don’t look away every now and again. She rarely leaves the stage during non-singing sections. I think she left just once and that was during Ben’s extended guitar solo.
I keep listening carefully because with a four-piece band, sometimes they'll fill up the sound by adding a backing track of some kind, but there were parts in the songs that would just change tempo so drastically it made me doubt they were following any kind of track. Plus I never heard any sound come out that wasn’t being produced by someone in the band. Once again, a testament to their more classic approach to performing. Everything had a very organic push to it.
Now I have to hand it to Ben for doing that extended guitar solo. Opening for AC/DC, I think I would fall over dead thinking that perhaps Angus was listening to me from backstage. Holy crap the nerves, but that thought didn’t appear to even occur to Ben as his solo is played with relative ease and confidence. He even stands on the little risers on stage and is really getting the crowd into it. Trust me, this was no boring, long-winded solo where everybody starts looking down at their phones or take the opportunity to hit the restrooms. He keeps our attention, which is kind of hard to do for a guitar solo, but he does it. That's when Taylor disappears for a while and then reemerges with a guitar in hand. I didn't even know she played. Well she DOES play during the final song of the set, but it was only three chords, I guess it still counts.
You can tell they were really honored to open for AC/DC. She even takes the time to say something about it between songs which goes over real well with us fans of the boys from Sydney.
The band hits their final chord and the crowd shows them as much appreciation that a 3/4 filled stadium can. I just now realize (because I was so caught up in the show) my friend is still missing in action. I look down and see that I got a text from him earlier. It said, “Sorry, man, how much was my ticket?” I'm like, “Oh, great, that means that he's not going to make the show at all and feels bad so he's going to pay me.” I’m trying to stay calm, but inside I’m thinking, “You know what? Tell that boss that you're going to see AC freaking DC and if he doesn't let you go, you're quitting on the spot!” I’m sure he wants to say all that but just has his hands tied in the matter. Oh well. I go out to try to buy a shirt, but the lines (once again) filled up at light speed. Probably should have went during the Pretty Reckless' set, but I blew it.
By this time, the crew had removed the black sheets that were covering everything that belonged to AC/DC, and all of Pretty Reckless' stuff is already off the stage. All you can see now are amp heads and cabinets lining the stage. I count 21 on each side, plus the huge 8x10 Ampeg bass cabinets, but then there was this tiny drum set, this little DW kit sitting right in the center of the cabinets. I think it’s hilarious that with this kind of setup, you would think there'd be a huge double bass kit with all these toms and cymbals instead, but then I had to remember that this is AC/DC, not Dream Theater. I mean unless it's the Chris Slade era, you know, the Thunderstruck video stuff, I shouldn't expect a giant drum kit.
The lights finally go down and the crowd is buzzing, you could feel it. The lit-up red devil horns are now blanketing the darkness in the rest of the stadium. Almost instantly, they begin playing an intro video comprised of engines roaring and pretty sweet visuals. I thought there'd be a lot more in the intro, but you know, ACDC’s old-school. They're probably just like ”Let's get out there and rock already,” you know?
Typically, I like to guess (or make a bet with my friend WHEN they show up to the gig) of what they're going to play first. I keep thinking it’s going to be Shoot to Thrill, just seems like a killer tune to start with. And I can’t just look up their previous night’s set list because this was the first night of their tour, so everything’s a surprise which is how I prefer it. Looking up the set list is cheating in my eyes.
Well, I’m wrong, they kick it off with If You Want Blood. So when Stevie Young (by the way, he's the rhythm guitar player and Angus and Malcolm's nephew I believe) starts the opening riff, at first I think there’s something wrong because the guitar sounds overly clean and a bit choppy, but that's just how AC/DC does it. You know, they turn the gain down, but they turn their volume up so it has a lot of punch to it. I can feel his riff hitting me in the chest already and the band hasn’t even kicked in yet. But then I see Angus line up right in front of the catwalk and he’s moving like he’s revving himself up. And I just know what’s coming next. As soon as the band does the big hit and Angus hits the A power chord, he starts doing the march down the catwalk. I get chills.
Now, being an old-school KISS fan, I feel like they missed the mark on one thing. It’s that there probably should have been some kind of explosion right when the vocals came in. It just would have been perfect. I may have actually fallen over dead from excitement, but I felt like it’s missing just that little extra hit right there, especially when you find out what happens at the end of the concert, but we'll get there eventually. So I’m live streaming for my subscribers (I always do that with the first and last song) but it kind of takes me out of the moment, so I might stop doing that. I still do get to see a lot of the opening song, but I really can’t focus yet on who’s in the band or many other details.
You know, I knew about Stevie, but then I had to do a little Googling for the rest of the band. It’s Chris Chaney on the bass guitar. It's funny because up on that stage (I think he's in his 50s) he looks like a teenager up there. Could be what he’s wearing and his hair and stuff, but I was fooled. I'm like, “Who's this teeny bopper on stage with AC/DC?” Back on the drums is Matt Laug. Of course, he’s laying it down like you'd expect. If you're playing drums for AC/DC, you have to have that inner swing groove or whatever you want to call it.
I think Brian's voice sounds great for the first tune, but when they kick into Back in Black I get a little bit nervous because I'm like, OK now we're going to start getting up into those crazy Brian Johnson registers. I have to say he does really well through Back in Black, you know considering all the years of singing like that. Really has to take it’s toll on a guy’s vocal cords. Plus the fact that he had to take some time off for some hearing issues so you never really know what you're going to get these days with a lot of the older singers still out giving their all.
He’s masterfully modifying parts, which you have to do at times. Even young guns who attempt to sing Back in Black or Hell's Bells (which I believe is the highest Brian Johnson song to sing) have to do some mods. It’s just a fact of life that as you age you have to either have the band tune down or modify the hard to reach notes. No shame in that as long as you can do it justice. Ann Wilson is really good at doing this too by the way.
You should see the smile on the guy's face. I mean, I don't know if Brian’s always been this way, but he looks like it’s his last show and he’s just so grateful to be on stage one last time. He and Angus have the energy of musicians in their early 30s. You know how people say the camera puts on 10 pounds? I feel like the concert stage takes off decades with these guys and it’s really apparent tonight.
There's just a certain gratitude that older musicians seem to have after they've been rocking out all these years (of course they’ve had some bumps and bruises along the way) but they come back to it and it's got to be the ultimate catharsis. I mean Angus is showing no signs of slowing down. He keeps doing the patented run up to the drums, jump, and then they end the song together routine. Matt has to do a really good job watching him, you know, just to hit it on time, but he always hit it, even when Angus took multiple jumps one time to finally end the song.
Now I'm not going to do what I do for all my reviews and name all the songs these bands play. I'll just put up the set list at the end so you can see for yourself.
After a few songs, they kick into Thunderstruck which is one of my missing friend’s favorite songs of theirs. As soon as it ends I get a text from him saying that he’s finally here and that he’ll get to his seat soon if he doesn’t pass out first from all the rushing and apparently running. The band then plays Have a Drink on Me followed by Hell's Bells. Now Hell’s Bells begins with this giant bell descending from the sky sporting the band’s logo. Pretty epic, but the thing is so loud I can feel my teeth vibrating.
The band kicks in and it's the slow prodding tempo. It occurs to me that the bell hit is off tempo from the music, but I’m not sure if that’s an accident or if it’s actually like that on the album. Anyhow I love it even though, you know, it doesn’t quite sound right to me in the moment. At least it proves that they’re not playing to any sort of click track. I mean, can you imagine AC/DC playing to a click track or backing tracks? It'd be silly and honestly some sort of crime against nature. So the bell hits may be off, but it was loud and awesome, pure rock and roll. And as long as the cannons are in time during for those about to rock, I won’t make another peep about it.
This is the tune I was really worried about for Brian, but he goes down an octave or talks through certain parts and like the seasoned pro that he is, he gets through it. When you're 77 and still powering through a song like Hell’s Bells, well you just got to tip your hat to the guy. I always wondered if Hell’s Bells is one of those songs on the set list that he sees coming up and just dreads. I don't care who you are, every musician has at least one song like that on their list.
My friend finally shows up. He walks up from the stairway and he's just drenched in sweat.I guess he's been lost in the liminal spaces trying to get to his seat.
Oh I forgot to tell you that when they played Demon Fire, I took it as my chance to run out and finally get a shirt. So I'm running up the escalator (I‘m one of those people now) and I ended up getting a shirt that I didn't want because they said they were out of that style in my size. That one had Angus and Brian on the front, just white and black. So I ended up getting my second favorite shirt, which ended up being 50 bucks as well, but I wasn't going to complain, I was just happy to get one at all and it did have Minneapolis on the back and everything.
I love during Highway to Hell when they put the flame filter on all the screens.The whole place looks insane. I mean, we have the fire on the stage, we have the catwalk, and then we have all these people wearing the red horns. It’s just this crazy hellscape, if you will.
The audience is of course chanting along to Dirty Deeds as well as most of the other legendary choruses. Angus then kicks into the solo and goes down the entire length of the catwalk. I keep thinking that even at the age of 70, this guy is moving around like a crazed youngster. Couldn’t help but feel a bit of concern, not exactly for him, but for Brian. Every once in a while he’d be drenched in sweat and would sometimes grab his own chest. But it turns out he just does that all the time, just one of his stage moves…to my relief.
So during Dirty Deeds, I take some pictures and text them to my friends who are HUGE lifelong AC/DC fans. I'm like, “Check it out! I'm at the concert!” almost in a gloating fashion (jokingly of course). I had to bust out laughing when the replies were like, “I'm here too duh, you think I wasn't gonna see my favorite band?” We all kind of have this feeling like it could be our last time to see them. Hopefully not.
Speaking of the stage taking decades off musicians, it also happens in the crowd. The couple that are right in front of us look like they’re on the older side. I hate to call people old, but they have gray hair and their share of miles on their faces. Well, during all the setup, the lady was real calm and everything, but the second AC/DC kicked in, it was like she transformed back into a teenager. The entire time she's dancing, head-banging, throwing her arms up like one of those inflatable tube dancers. I kept thinking, man, I wish I had HER energy. That's the raw power of music though. Like a familiar scent, it brings you right back to an earlier time in life, usually a good time. It's like, if you could put that in a pill, man, you would be rich. Please don't do that though.
I keep looking at Stevie's guitar because I'm like, that looks a lot like Malcolm's guitar. Turns out it was actually gifted to him from Malcolm, his uncle. That has to be pretty incredible to play your uncle's guitar on stage, playing his music in front of this kind of crowd. I know I’d have constant goosebumps.
They keep doing a closeup on Angus's face and I keep thinking how strange it is that he looks a lot like Jimmy Page blended with like David Gilmour. It's just this look that he has now. It's almost like the three legends morphed into one body or something. Sorry, had to mention it.
It isn’t until they play Whole Lotta Rosie that I actually shed a tear. Surprises me getting emotional but, you know, you grow up hearing a certain band your whole life and all of a sudden they're doing it in front of you. You would think that it would be the last song I'd get emotional to (since it’s such a high-paced rocker), but I look at Angus and my mind flashes back to some older footage when he was a lot younger and playing it like even more of a madman. I can’t help but superimpose his younger-self over what I’m seeing right here on stage and realizing that he has dedicated his whole life to doing this. It just got a bit overwhelming and I couldn’t hold back. A real sacred moment if you will. Of course, the Angus of young would fall on the floor and do the circles, whereas that probably wouldn't happen today. Maybe it will. I'm not saying it won't ever happen, the tour is still young, pardon the pun.
Oh man, they kick into Let It Be Rock and I can not believe it. I did a whole video on how hard it is to play that song on drums all the way through. There's live footage, by the way, of Phil Rudd playing that faster than the recording and for a longer time. It's just insane. Chris Slade pulled this off as well. It's just like a drummer’s endurance test. Make it through the song without falling over dead and you got the job!
Thought it was so funny that this is the song that Angus decides to do an extended guitar solo. I keep looking at Matt because he started off really strong, you know, doing the eighth notes and everything and looking very energized. And then after like 10 minutes, I might be exaggerating, but I hear the hi-hat switch to more of a do—do do do—do do pattern, so he’s missing a few of the hits most likely to save his forearm. I do not blame him one bit. First day of the tour and you're playing Let There Be Rock at full speed for like 15 minutes. Have mercy! But the tempo is solid through the whole thing and he makes it to the finish line. So once again (I feel like I'm just kissing everybody's ass) but it was THAT impressive.
Angus takes the catwalk yet again. I think he’s the only one who went down the catwalk (not even Taylor dared), but he goes down and I notice there’s a circle in the middle at the end and there’s a little fencing around it that you had to step over. I'm say to my friend Chris, “Oh, okay, check this out!” cause I have a feeling I know something big was about to happen. It begins to rise up.
I have flashbacks of old KISS concerts where they go so far up I’d worry about the safety of the band members. Now this doesn’t happen here. It only goes up like 10 feet and then it quickly comes back down. But while it was up there, Angus falls to his back while soloing. My earlier prediction was wrong, he DOES fall down and kinda does circles. All of a sudden confetti just explodes everywhere. Quite the sight. The KISS fan in me really wanted to see it go higher and have like, you know, explosions coming off of it, and maybe flames shooting out the sides, but I'm sure that could be a liability.
After all that, Angus does something else quite impressive (if you're older, you know that how hard this can be). He's laying on his back and he gets up to his knees without using his hands and then stands up. Might not sound like much, but try it if you're older and see if you can do it easily, let alone in front of a whole stadium of people on a platform that's actually going downward at the same time.
So the guitar solo continues and suddenly the stage looks different. They put up some visuals of like Marshall stacks and it looked like there was a billion amps on the stage. Angus goes to the top tier behind the drummer and goes nuts, still shredding. He went for such a long time that some people were kind of thinking, “You know, this is a bit much.” *I read this in other reviews the day after the show* But you have to remember that it’s Angus freakin’ Young and it might be the last chance we get to see him do his thing. You never know. Sorry to be so morbid but it’s true.
As far as the encore goes, I thought they were going to come back and play TNT, It’s a Long Way To the Top, and For Those About To Rock.
Well, I was pretty much right, except they did not play It's a Long Way To the Top. I had forgotten that they retired the song after Bon’s death. But they did play the other two songs.
During For Those About To Rock (as expected and anticipated) the cannons come out from the back from seemingly out of nowhere. I recall the video for this song that I saw as a child and never dreamed I’d experience the band, the song, AND the cannons in real life.
Also, I never realized how heavy that song was until hearing it live right here and now. The hairs on my arms are practically singeing. The whole intro is just this filthy, plodding, grungy, sludge rock and we are loving every second. When it really kicks in and Brian shouts, “FIRE” the cannons hit hard, loud, and on time. Incredible.
Now sadly, I don't remember too much of the very, very end because they shot off these fireworks on either side and they just kept going and going. I looked and I couldn't really see the band anymore. So I'm like, “All right, let's head out,” because people were already starting to come down the stairs and I'm like, “The exit’s right there. Let's just go now.” I really wanted to do the “last look back” and see them waving or bowing or something, but my view was filled with exiting spectators. I'll probably regret that moment forever.
So as we're walking out, I see that there's still a t-shirt vendor open and I go up and I ask them if they have any of the shirt I actually wanted in my size. I was just going to buy it. She's like, “Yeah, we have a medium, here you go.” On a whim I asked, “Hey, can I exchange the shirt I have for that one?” She said yes! So remember, you can do that. At least I think you're allowed to at most venues. Don’t quote me though.
The shirt didn’t end up fitting me too well. It's one of those t-shirts that kind of rides up too high in the front and chokes you. So that's a bummer, but once again, I'm not going to complain. I just did though. Okay, time to end this.
It'd be really stupid of me to rate this like something out of 10, but since I was wearing my Spinal Tap Nigel Tufnel skeleton shirt at the concert, I will give this one an 11, obviously. But I'm so grateful once again to Bob for telling me about the show, to get the chance to see this legendary concert, and that my friend eventually made it. At least he saw three quarters of it, which is still totally worth it. And finally I'm grateful for everybody for reading this review. This one was a lot of fun to do.
Since the tour is just starting, there's still time to get tickets if they're coming around. I totally recommend checking them out. And let me know in the comment section if you've ever seen AC/DC live and if you're going to see them this time around because it seems like a lot of people are. See ya! (Set list below) SPOILERS!
Intro
High Voltage
(extended with crowd interaction)Let There Be Rock
(with 20 minute Angus guitar solo & confetti)Encore:
