AC/DC Wembley Stadium 04-07-15
On a thankfully slightly cooler evening than expected the rock masses encamped to Wembley Stadium for AC/DC's only English date in support of new album Rock Or Bust and the follow up to their date at the stadium in 2009.First up we had Los Angeles's Vintage Trouble who call themselves rhythm & blues, soul, rock, blues which was a fair description.
Their 40 minute set had the following songs played
High Times (They Are Coming) Blues Hand Me Down
Total Strangers
If You Loved Me
Angel City California
Run Like The River
Strike Your Light (Right on Me)
All suited and booted and led by the striking vocals and red shirt of Ty Taylor who was a ball of energy stalking the huge stage and imploring the crowd to give more even when he crowd surfed at one point.Ably backed by Nalle Colt on guitar,Rick Barrio Dill on bass and Richard Danielson on drums they hit us with some new tunes from the upcoming 1 Hopeful Road cd due out in August with Angel City California and Run Like The River impressing.
I could have done with out the continual crowd participation including Mexican wave and shouts of AC DC when they could have played at least one more number but all told a decent warm up.Not that the 90000 present needed warming up as the anticipation reached boiling point as the video back drop burst into life.
For 2 hours we were treated to a spectacle few will ever match and here is what the played.
Rock Or Bust
Shoot To Thrill Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be
Back In Black
Play Ball
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Thunderstruck
High Voltage
Rock 'N' Roll Train
Hells Bells
Baptism By Fire
You Shook Me All Night Long
Sin City
Shot Down In Flames
Have A Drink On Me
T.N.T.
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock
Encore:
Highway To Hell
For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
You know what you are going to get with an AC/DC show and over the years little has changed.In fact I read somewhere that when the band played Wembley Arena in 1982 (my first arena show as a 16 year old) that 13 of those songs were also played here 33 years later.
So what has changed since 2009.
Malcolm Young has sadly had to retire due to ill health and has been replaced by cousin Stevie who did a remarkable job in replacing the rock the band are built on and if you closed your eyes you would never have known.
On drums Chris Slade is back for a second stint with the last being 21 years ago replacing the in disposed Phil Rudd and again he has fitted in like a glove with a bit more flair and with Cliff Williams on bass as dependable as ever what a rhythm team!
Angus Young( looking magnificent in red) does end up just in his shorts but we don't have the lengthy strip and the revealing of Union Jack shorts thankfully as he is now in his 60's!
Brian Johnson doesn't swing around on the bottom of the Hells Bells rope as before or carry Angus back on after the Let There Be Rock guitar solo but runs around like a man possessed and with the grin of a man still not quite believing his luck at doing this for a job!!
And Rock N Roll Train mid set hasn't got the same impact as show opener with a full size locomotive bursting out of the set!!
New album Rock Or Bust had 3 songs played the title track,Play Ball and Baptism Of Fire and all fitted in well but let's be honest it is the classics we want and that's what we got.
Back in the set came the much missed (by me) Sin City and for the first time since the 80's Have A Drink On Me which was magnificent.
Shoot To Thrill had Brian getting pretty much the first verse and chorus totally wrong and even adding sorry to the rest of the band!!
Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be and Back In Black were a fine 1-2 with the latter having the huge video screens in a black and white hue for one song only.
Dirty Deeds saw horns and fists in the air and a huge vocal response from the crowd before the roof came off for Thunderstruck with a song that has really captured the fans heart with one of the few Brian era songs we can call a classic.As the evening drew ever darker the enormous light rig was coming into it's own and the sound settled too as earlier with Vintage Trouble it had rattled around the huge venue.
The sound of the bell had hairs raising on the backs of necks as Hells Bells broke the night sky and for me Angus was just getting warmed up and he seemed to duck walk ever faster and skip around the stage like the old days and as always his playing was a joy to hear.
Shot Down In Flames always a personal favourite was immense before TNT had 90000 fists in the air and shouting back Oi!!
Whole Lotta Rosie saw an ample Rosie inflatable at the back of the set as we all yelled Angus on an all time top 10 track for me with Angus's guitar solo just exquisite.
Let There Be Rock was a lengthy set closer although we didn't have to wait forever for Angus to get to the back of stadium platform as on this tour it was at the end of the stage walk way as he was raised ever higher before confetti rained down on us all.
Plenty of Angus histrionics and yes he still falls to the floor and does his dying fly impersonation.
Highway To Hell was perfect stadium fodder as everyone yelled out the chorus while the stage glowed with fire and explosions before the cannons returned for set closer For Those About To Rock that left us wanting more as smoke drifted out over the Wembley arch glowing red for the band.
As the band left I think the realisation hit that we may never see them again as we all get older but I am left with the memories of 10 shows over 33 years with the greatest rock and roll band on the planet.
AC/DC we salute you!!
For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
You know what you are going to get with an AC/DC show and over the years little has changed.In fact I read somewhere that when the band played Wembley Arena in 1982 (my first arena show as a 16 year old) that 13 of those songs were also played here 33 years later.
So what has changed since 2009.
Malcolm Young has sadly had to retire due to ill health and has been replaced by cousin Stevie who did a remarkable job in replacing the rock the band are built on and if you closed your eyes you would never have known.On drums Chris Slade is back for a second stint with the last being 21 years ago replacing the in disposed Phil Rudd and again he has fitted in like a glove with a bit more flair and with Cliff Williams on bass as dependable as ever what a rhythm team!
Angus Young( looking magnificent in red) does end up just in his shorts but we don't have the lengthy strip and the revealing of Union Jack shorts thankfully as he is now in his 60's!
Brian Johnson doesn't swing around on the bottom of the Hells Bells rope as before or carry Angus back on after the Let There Be Rock guitar solo but runs around like a man possessed and with the grin of a man still not quite believing his luck at doing this for a job!!And Rock N Roll Train mid set hasn't got the same impact as show opener with a full size locomotive bursting out of the set!!
New album Rock Or Bust had 3 songs played the title track,Play Ball and Baptism Of Fire and all fitted in well but let's be honest it is the classics we want and that's what we got.Back in the set came the much missed (by me) Sin City and for the first time since the 80's Have A Drink On Me which was magnificent.
Shoot To Thrill had Brian getting pretty much the first verse and chorus totally wrong and even adding sorry to the rest of the band!!
Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be and Back In Black were a fine 1-2 with the latter having the huge video screens in a black and white hue for one song only.
Dirty Deeds saw horns and fists in the air and a huge vocal response from the crowd before the roof came off for Thunderstruck with a song that has really captured the fans heart with one of the few Brian era songs we can call a classic.As the evening drew ever darker the enormous light rig was coming into it's own and the sound settled too as earlier with Vintage Trouble it had rattled around the huge venue.The sound of the bell had hairs raising on the backs of necks as Hells Bells broke the night sky and for me Angus was just getting warmed up and he seemed to duck walk ever faster and skip around the stage like the old days and as always his playing was a joy to hear.
Shot Down In Flames always a personal favourite was immense before TNT had 90000 fists in the air and shouting back Oi!!
Whole Lotta Rosie saw an ample Rosie inflatable at the back of the set as we all yelled Angus on an all time top 10 track for me with Angus's guitar solo just exquisite.
Let There Be Rock was a lengthy set closer although we didn't have to wait forever for Angus to get to the back of stadium platform as on this tour it was at the end of the stage walk way as he was raised ever higher before confetti rained down on us all.
Plenty of Angus histrionics and yes he still falls to the floor and does his dying fly impersonation.Highway To Hell was perfect stadium fodder as everyone yelled out the chorus while the stage glowed with fire and explosions before the cannons returned for set closer For Those About To Rock that left us wanting more as smoke drifted out over the Wembley arch glowing red for the band.
As the band left I think the realisation hit that we may never see them again as we all get older but I am left with the memories of 10 shows over 33 years with the greatest rock and roll band on the planet.
AC/DC we salute you!!
