So yeah, I guess it's about time for the AC/DC Blog!!
First of all, let me say this, and I'm sure it's been said before - for old guys, they sure can rock! I've never been to a concert with such a high energy level, from start to finish. People on their feet from the very begninning, when they kicked things off with "Rock N Roll Train", right through to the grande finale, "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)".
Fireworks. Pyrotechnics. A giant bell that came swinging down for "Hells Bells". A huge inflatable woman that rode the train throughout "Whole Lotta Rosie". A platform in the centre of the arena that Angus Young climbed onto during his amazing, never-ending guitar solo that rose up in the air and then shot sparkling confetti upon the masses. Cannons firing deafeningly.
For fans who've been to AC/DC shows in the past, or watched footage on DVD, perhaps this was all expected AC/DC schtick. But for me, at my first AC/DC concert, and having seen little of my brother's vast DVD collection, it was all new. And it was all pretty frickin' cool.
Fans of all ages sported blinking red devil horns, and when the lights went down at Scotiabank Place, it seemed the entire building was vibrating with red. As I said, they kicked things off right with "Rock N Roll Train", easily the biggest hit of their latest album Black Ice. It was hard to pick a part of the concert that wasn't amazing, but for me, highlights were the standard AC/DC hits - "Thunderstruck", "Back in Black", "Highway to Hell", "Hells Bells", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "You Shook Me All Night Long", and "For Those About to Rock".
But I was also introduced to some AC/DC that I hadn't really paid much attention to before. For instance, the slow sexy build-up in "The Jack" - I loved it. Ah yes, and it was during this song that we were all treated to the infamous Angus striptease. A scrawny 60-year-old man with stringy hair and pale, sweaty skin, baring his spindly body...and the crowd goes wild. If you'd asked me beforehand why, I'd have told you I have no idea. But there, standing amongst the legions of AC/DC fans, I found myself hooting and screaming right along with them.
As for the new songs, they were all pretty decent AC/DC fare. "Big Jack" is already a hit, and the crowd lapped it up. My personal favourite was "Anything Goes". The only one I wished they'd played off the new album was "Money Made".
It truly is incredible to see men their age still churning out shows like this. They never seemed to get tired, never seemed to slow down. Singer Brian Johnson's voice held strong throughout, and considering his style, that's a miracle all on its own. And there was a small part of me that half-expected Angus to crumple to the stage floor and die, but there was no end to his on-stage antics - he ran around and played up to the crowd without fail.
Adding to the experience was the fact that we traveled to and from the show aboard a yellow school bus filled with pumped-up Pontiac AC/DC fans and coolers of booze. Our stop at the McDonald's in Aylmer on the way home is already legendary. I somehow managed to score a free Big Mac meal after the dude working that night forced us to hit the drive-thru on foot, and then when I tried to pay him for my food, he looked at me like I had three heads.
We didn't make it back to the Q until 2 AM, and by that time I was drained and groggy, and desperately needing my bed. But when I tried to fall asleep, it did not come easy, as the ringing from the 21-gun salute was still in my ears and memories of the show would not fade.
It was then that I realized I was sorry it was over already, and I did not want the night to end.
(A heads-up to readers: Before "Johnny Nash" shows up in the comments section and tells you all it was the worst concert he's ever been to and they sucked ass - please be advised that he slept through the show up in his luxury suite after a few too many drinks. He has no idea.)
