ACDC, OLYMPIC PARK, LONDON, 04TH JUNE (LIVE)

It’s hard to introduce a band like this, where does one begin. They’ve dominated the planet for decades with their thunderous Rock and Roll. Releasing innumerable hits and touching the lives of millions across the globe. Creating music that brings people of all shapes and sizes together evoking raw emotive feeling and passion. Their name alone sends shivers down the spines of all who yearn to hear it. We are of course talking about the one and only ACDC. Bless the day lightning struck the shores of Sydney in November 1973 and gave life to the world’s biggest Rock band.

We feel that introduction would sound far more effective being read in Jack Black’s voice. Go back and try that out if you will. Anyway we digress… many moons ago ACDC were formed by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. Throughout their expansive career they’ve been burdened with copious line-up alterations. The brothers have been the only consistent members throughout, up until 2014 when Malcolm was forced to leave the band through illness. They were most volatile to change during the early stages up until the band eventually stabilised with the release of ‘Back in Black’ in 1980, following the tragic death of original vocalist Bon Scott in February that same year. They considered disbanding but, with the support of Scott’s family, decided to continue and audition for a new vocalist. Along came Brian Johnson with his formidable voice and soon enough they had taken the world by storm. Despite your preconceived notions of rock and roll you are, at some point, guaranteed to have heard of ACDC. Not only did their music define an era and give birth to a style but it paved the way for all musicians thereafter. They serve as inspiration for countless bands that will have, in one way or another, learned a trick or two from the Australian rockers. ACDC has also become an identity/ brand over the years. Much like their bluesy counterparts ‘The Rolling Stones’ with their infamous tongue and lips, ACDC’s signature lightning bolt and back in black logo is recognised worldwide. They even have their own canned lager! We could go on and on about the success and shire stature of ACDC as a rock band but nothing in the spectrum of our colloquial capabilities could quite do them justice. To put it plain and simple they are THE face of Rock and Roll!

Rock or Bust was released back in 2014, their first album in 6 years and it certainly proves they are still more than capable of releasing top notch records. Soon after its release they embarked on an album title world tour which ends on 20th September 2016 in Philadelphia. The tour is an expansive one lasting well over year and reaching several continents including North America, Europe and Australasia. After completing a vast portion of the tour fans were struck a devastating blow, with the news that Brian Johnson would no longer be able to continue on the road. He suffered with hearing issues and was advised by experts to refrain from touring with ACDC or risk further damage and potentially even the loss of hearing all together. Heartbreaking news for both fans and Johnson alike, many dates of the tour had to be postponed or cancelled in light of the news with promise of being rescheduled. Then after much deliberation, the decision was made and Brian officially had to hang up his hat. In the face of this terrible news Johnson maintained a positive outlook refusing to let the incident bring him down. In an interview with The Rolling Stone last month Johnson claimed “I've had such a lucky and great life. And I'm just thankful really that I came out of it in one piece. Now I guess I could rest me socks off”. At a grand age of 68 I think we can all surely agree that he has well and truly lived life to the fullest, not many people get to be part of the biggest rock band in history. Whilst this was very much still an open wound, ACDC released a statement in an attempt to provide a silver lining for all involved. They confirmed that the show would go on with a replacement singer. It’s no surprise who the replacement singer is; it’s been plastered all over international news outlets in recent months. Axl Rose from Guns & Roses would take the helm, stepping in for Brian Johnson and flying the flag for ACDC. This piece of news had very mixed reactions, many were ecstatic that another well regarded rockstar would be stepping in as a guest singer, whereas others openly exercised their opinions of the Guns and Roses frontman. Axl Rose’s reputation for being an arrogant man child is no secret. We once stood in a rain soaked crowd for almost 2 hours waiting for him to come out on stage at Reading Festival in 2010. Would this kind of attitude transcend over into his newly appointed stint with ACDC? Would his voice fit the bill? All questions poised on the lips of anxious followers. Countless fans opted for refunds in light of the news, with ticketing outlets being very accommodating and compliant with any requests. After all it’s a considerable change to the experience. A vast part of ACDC’s success is Brian Johnson and his unique vocals, the tickets weren’t cheap and for lots of fans a stand in vocalist just doesn’t quite cut it. We can sympathise with that to some extent of course you want to see ACDC as a full collective, but for us being able to see them live in whatever capacity is what matters and we certainly opted to keep our tickets. Those of you that did cash in on a refund made a huge mistake. Honestly what were you playing at, that has to be one of the biggest regrets of your life right now. Axl Rose absolutely smashed it. He was phenomenal, none of the amateur dramatic rockstar bullshit, just a quality passionate performance. His great high pitch range isn’t too dissimilar to Brian Johnson anyway, making him a worthy candidate to step in. This is the first time we have ever seen ACDC live so we can’t really endorse a comparison but if you stood in that crowd and closed your eyes it wouldn’t sound entirely different to the Vinyl recordings of their songs, absolutely immaculate precision and conviction.

They opened with the title track of their new album ‘Rock or Bust’ to warm the crowd up before bursting into some absolute belters like ‘Shoot to Thrill’, ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’, ‘Thunderstruck’ and ‘Back In Black’. A gig like this is relentless; a band with more classics than Mike Jagger has STI’s. There’s no opportunity to pause for breath as you roar your heart out from start to finish. They played a three song encore of ‘Highway to Hell, ‘Riff Raff’ and ‘For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)’ that was accompanied by a pretty spectacular pyrotechnic display around the newly opened Olympic Park in East London a great way to round off the first concert at the new stadium.

There were two stand out highlights for us over the course of the evening, the first being ‘Hells Bells’. This song opened my eyes to the world of Rock and Roll introducing me to its fruitful goodness so, naturally, hearing it live was a momentous occasion. They pulled out the legendary, larger than life bell and it swung back and forth throughout the song as the iconic riff was blasted around the stadium. It was a moment that sent shivers down my spine and one I’m sure I’ll be able to picture again in years to come. The second was Angus Young’s incredible solo. As the last song came to an end and the band were scheduled to take their brief stint backstage one member remained front and centre. We feel the emphasis of the night was on Angus, being the longest serving member and in the absence of Johnson it was up to the lead guitarist to grab the show by the scruff of the neck. So there he was at the end of their signature stage set up, immersed in the crowd pulling out all the stops as he hurtled into a full throttle guitar solo. Ten minutes of pure Rock and Roll as he engaged with the crowd, pausing his electric fingers to hear the crowd roaring back at him. Like a true showman he threw in the typical theatrics he’s become known for over the years getting on the floor whilst still playing and running round in circles and of course the legendary one footed hop across the stage. This section of the gig could probably go down as one of the most iconic moments in my gigging life to date. I know… that’s a pretty rash statement but honestly guys it sent me into trance, stood still, eyes front, mouth wide open like a gormless buffoon, absolutely incredible. If you are reading this article, yet to go and see ACDC live then please we urge you to get out your pen and put this at the very top of your bucket list! It’s an absolute essential.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZtYThfgRQI