AC/DC - London Review

I have been lucky over the years in the sense that I have been able to catch a vast number of bands live. Whilst there are still bands that I want to see which I have not been able to as of yet, with The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan being a couple of examples, I have seen most of my favourite bands live - at least those which still exist. One band I never thought I would get the chance to see, though, were the Australian hard rock legends AC/DC. The band have played in the UK a number of times since I started paying attention to them, but they always seemed like one of those bands with unobtainable tickets. Their shows, which were often one-offs in London, always sold out instantly with rumours of high ticket prices and an enormous demand - and I have never been a big enough AC/DC fan to want to expel a lot of effort only to be disappointed. Following the conclusion of the Rock or Bust touring cycle in 2016, too, I assumed that the band were essentially over - at least as a live act. The band had finished the tour with only Angus Young (guitar/vocals) and bassist Cliff Williams left from the band's glory years - and Williams announced his retirement at the end of the tour, too, essentially signalling the end. 2020's Power Up (which I reviewed here) was something of a surprise, then. There had been rumours that the band had been working on a new album for a couple of years, but when it dropped during the pandemic it certainly cheered up a lot of rock fans - especially as it featured much of what had become seen over the past couple of decades as the band's classic line-up, albeit without the late Malcolm Young. Williams returned on bass, long-time frontman Brian Johnson seemed to overcome the health issues which forced him to miss much of the Rock or Bust tour, and estranged drummer Phil Rudd was also involved. Angus' and Malcolm's nephew Stevie Young (guitar/vocals), who had played on Rock or Bust in the latter's absence, completed the five-piece. I am not sure that anyone genuinely expected Power Up to be toured - but the album was welcomed nonetheless, and it felt like a bit of a swansong from the legendary band. It was then announced last year that the band would be one of the headliners at the huge Power Trip festival in California - which took place in October 2023. This show was the band's first since 2016, with Williams even returning to the stage, and the reviews were generally good. Rudd was absent, with Matt Laug (drums) in his place, but many hoped that more shows would follow - and when a European tour was announced earlier this year there was much excitement. With two Wembley Stadium shows included, it seemed like it was now or never for me. I ended up getting a ticket for the second night and was pleasantly surprised that it was not hideously expensive (although I did end up with a restricted side view). With Williams not touring with the band, though, and with Chris Chaney (bass guitar/vocals) in his place, it seemed like it would be the Angus and Johnson show rather than truly AC/DC - but I was nevertheless excited.

I got to Wembley Stadium around an hour or so before the action started, after having spent a rainy afternoon in East London - but thankfully the weather for the show itself was pretty decent. As mentioned before, I did not always have a great view of the stage - but mostly this did not matter too much. I watched the place slowly fill up and at around 6:30pm the evening's support band The Pretty Reckless took to the stage. I had been aware of the band for around a decade, and remember seeing the cover of their second album Going to Hell from 2014 a lot around that time, but I had not knowingly heard anything by them before. From what I imagined they would be like, they seemed like an odd fit for an AC/DC tour - but then big stadium tours often end up with odd match-ups when it comes to support acts. I was pleasantly surprised, then, to find that The Pretty Reckless were much less poppy than I had imagined - and were, in fact, a pretty hard rocking bluesy/soulful band with a bit of a post-grunge edge. I had expected everything to be about frontwoman Taylor Momsen, and in some ways it was, but Ben Phillips (guitar/vocals) also impressed with some solid riffing and more than a handful of melodic and expressive guitar solos. The Pretty Reckless are a pretty well-known band in their own right, but they are certainly not stadium fillers. Despite this, though, they really looked at home on the big stage. Momsen covered every inch of it and proved to be an excellent frontwoman - and the band's live sound was surprisingly clear for a support act at a show like this, with her voice sounding strong and the guitars having plenty of bite. They played for just under an hour, too, and I did not really find myself getting bored during that time. Some of the songs did sound quite similar, but generally there was a strong hook somewhere in each track - with the choruses mostly being pretty memorable. Some of the standout tracks for me where the opening Death by Rock and Roll, which made me sit up and take notice, and the riffy Witches Burn - both of which are from the band's latest album from 2021. Other memorable moments included the bluesier Follow Me Down, which came early on, and the heavier Going to Hell which was saved for near the end. There were clearly quite a few fans of the band in attendance, too, as they received much more of a reception than is typical for stadium openers. The place also seemed fuller than is typical for such sets, too, which suggested that more had made the effort to get to the stadium in time to see them. All of these factors added up to ensure that the evening got off to a fine start; and it is clear that The Pretty Reckless are a band I have slept on for too long.

Around 30 minutes after The Pretty Reckless' set finished the big screens flanking the stage burst into life and AC/DC took to the stage. What followed was just over two hours of raw and bluesy hard rock - with very few frills. The stage show was pretty limited compared to what the band have had previously, but this tour was clearly all about the music - and it was very much about Angus and Johnson, with the other three all huddled towards the rear of the stage. Due to where I was sat I could not see Laug at all, and I could only just about Stevie and Chaney when they walked up to their microphones to sing the backing vocals. Thankfully, though, Angus and Johnson covered the rest of the stage throughout - and made liberal use of the wings either side and the catwalk. Due to the compromised line-up and the band's advanced years, I went into the show with tempered expectations - and they were generally met or exceeded. Johnson's voice sounds like it belongs to a man who has been screeching for the band since 1980, but he sounded better than I expected, whilst Angus is still a great showman and consummate guitarist. The setlist was largely a greatest hits exercise, too, which I had no issue with given that I had not seen the band live before - but there were a few newer and deeper cuts. One slightly deeper cut, If You Want Blood (You've Got It), kicked off the show - and it very much set the tone for what was to follow. AC/DC are not known for their variety, but their core sound was very much on display throughout - with a loud and slightly rough sound mix that generally prioritised Angus' guitar playing. Each of his riffs and solos filled the stadium, then, and the atmosphere was generally excellent with everyone into the show - even those high up in the seats like me. The deeper cuts tended to come early in the set, with two new cuts in Demon Fire and Shot in the Dark, another relatively recent piece in Stiff Upper Lip, and the lesser-played album cut Have a Drink on Me all coming in the set's first half. There were still plenty of big hits, though, with Back in Black lighting up the crowd after the opening cut - whilst Thunderstruck a few songs later was the first to really get everyone on their feet. To add to the overall show, a large bell descended to the stage for Hells Bells, but Johnson did not swing from it as he used to (which, at 76, I do not blame him for) - and this was the only prop utilised until much later.

From the halfway point on, though, the hits really came thick and fast. Any pretence at mixing things up was long gone by this point - with the bouncy Shoot to Thrill seeing the band work through the gears. Despite the mix favouring Angus' guitar, Johnson was generally pretty clear, too. There were moments where he was a bit buried, but overall I could mostly hear him pretty clearly. Some songs he struggled a bit with but others he sounded pretty strong during - and he seemed to sound better the further through the set he was. The slower, dirtier blues of Sin City was a song which really suited his aging voice - as, in truth, was the stomping and heavy Dirty Deeds Done Dirty Cheap. His famous screech is not what it was, but he was still full of character - and prowled the stage in his typical manner. Angus was the focal point, though, running around like a man half his age. He does not seem to be hampered by age in any way - and his guitar playing was as cutting, bluesy, and no-nonsense as ever. He was easily the star of the show. There may be better guitarists in the world, but few are as iconic and instantly-recognisable as Angus - and he rocked through every song with real venom, including the tricky rhythms to the off-kilter Riff Raff. You Shook Me All Night Long allowed him to showcase a slightly cleaner guitar style, with the poppy song really getting the crowd going, but this was only a brief change of pace - as the barnstorming riff of Highway to Hell then prompted easily the biggest cheer of the night. Everyone was really rocking by this time, even those who had been dragged to the show by their partners, and the atmosphere was one of the best at a large-scale show I had been a part of. Nearly everyone down on the floor was jumping along and the band were locked in tightly - which only carried on during the snappy riffing of Whole Lotta Rosie and the faster-paced staccato Let There Be Rock - which also featured some of Johnson's strongest vocals of the night. This song closed out the main set, but it was stretched out with a lengthy solo from Angus which, I have to say, dragged. The first few minutes worked well, including him rising up above the crowd on a podium on the catwalk, but this part of the show went on for far too long. He is just not an interesting enough guitarist to solo for well over 10 minutes straight - and it was a strange end to the main set. Thankfully, the two-song encore restored the rock, with T.N.T. and an epic rendition of For Those About to Rock (We Salute You), complete with explosions and fireworks, bringing over two hours of music to a loud close. The setlist was:

If You Want Blood (You've Got It)

Back in Black

Demon Fire

Shot Down in Flames

Thunderstruck

Have a Drink on Me

Hells Bells

Shot in the Dark

Stiff Upper Lip

Shoot to Thrill

Sin City

Rock 'n' Roll Train

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

High Voltage

Riff Raff

You Shook Me All Night Long

Highway to Hell

Whole Lotta Rosie

Let There Be Rock

-

T.N.T.

For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)

Whilst I am sure that this show would not have been as good as seeing AC/DC at the height of their powers, or even 15 or so years ago, I am glad that I finally got to the see the legendary band live. They have never been a real favourite of mine, but they are one of the most iconic hard rock bands going - and there are not likely to be many opportunities left to see them. This tour has not been announced as a farewell tour, but many are assuming that it will probably be the band's last - and it was a treat to get to hear so many of those classic songs live at last.