This past Wednesday, an incredible gathering of three hundred seventy-four pipers came together in the heart of Melbourne to play AC/DC's iconic anthem "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock'n'Roll)", establishing a new world record near the famous spot where the original lineup famously played the tune on a moving truck fifty years ago.
This track is the one major hit that AC/DC has retired from concerts, out of respect for the late Bon Scott since his passing in 1980. But its absence is barely felt when the band's live performances are overflowing with fan favorites: an electric excitement rippled through the eighty thousand fans at the MCG as AC/DC kicked off with "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" and immediately launched into "Back in Black". Who else would have the confidence to deliver such a monumental anthem so soon after starting? Yet this band does, treating the crowd to what amounts to a two-hour greatest hits celebration.
Brian Johnson refers to Melbourne AC/DC's 'ancestral homeland'.
It's time to discuss the elephants in the room: indeed, the frontman is seventy-eight years of age and, no, his vocal range doesn't hit the same high notes or sustain as it once did as in the 1980s. He may not scream like he used to on tracks like "High Voltage" or "Highway to Hell", but he surely tries his best with a smile on his face. Johnson was compelled to exit AC/DC's 2016 world tour due to significant hearing issues (a substitute vocalist filled in), but a remedy was discovered and it's clear he's thrilled to be back, laughing with glee during breaks. (AC/DC doesn't engage in stage banter, and no one minds.)
Likewise, Angus Young – who continues to wear his signature schoolboy shorts at seventy – is visibly less rapid on certain early tracks, such as the frenetic opening to "Thunderstruck". But it is still "Thunderstruck", and who cares when a whole stadium is singing so powerfully, that joyfully, as one?
Sporting a shock of white hair and skinny legs emerging from his shorts, Young simultaneously looks like an ancient wizard and oddly youthful; when he returns to the band at the conclusion of a number, he resembles a lost little boy searching for his guardians – until he begins a frenzied solo, his digits moving almost too fast to see. He can even now duckwalk the length of a huge stage, with intense eyes and shaking violently as though he's been electrocuted.
'Young commands the stage while the others recede.'
He slowly loses clothes during the set, going so far as to using his necktie like a violin bow to strum his instrument. By the end, when his top is largely open, he's the main attraction of the entire event.
On "Let There Be Rock", Young embarks on a lengthy, indulgent and immensely enjoyable guitar solo that almost feels like a dare to those who doubted AC/DC weren't still up to it. The rest of the band fade away as Young struts, taking breaks only to revel in the applause before throwing himself on the floor and rolling around like a someone enchanted. "Where did that come from?" Johnson asks afterwards; who could say?
The frontman and guitarist are the ringleaders, but they receive solid backing from rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, who officially came onboard in 2014 following his relative's dementia diagnosis; along with bassist the bass player and percussionist Matt Laug, who plays with the determination of a person aiming to shake the foundations. Listeners' hearing will be forever altered.
Though the tour is titled after the 17th album "Power Up", they only play a single track from it. Rather, the crowd is given the finest selections: "Shoot to Thrill", "High Voltage", "Highway to Hell", "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "TNT" and "Whole Lotta Rosie". There's space included for a surprise addition with "Jailbreak", a song they have not played live since 1991, which is welcomed with huge enthusiasm.
This marks AC/DC's first show in the country in 10 years, and the city is their first stop – after all, it is the group's roots, as Johnson declares, being "the home of Mr Scott". It's hard not to suspect that this may be the final global tour, and perhaps even their final visit to the native land – but what a thrilling spectacle it is for anyone lucky enough to secure entry. They deliver and we applaud them.
- AC/DC will perform at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 16, then the Sydney venue on 21 and 25 November, Adelaide on 30 November, Perth on 4 and 8 December, and the Brisbane dates on December 14 and 18.
