Opening the show was The Pretty Reckless, a band led by vocalist and former actor Taylor Momsen. It was three songs into the set when Taylor completely seduced the crowd with “Follow Me Down.” “Follow me down to the river,” she sang, luring us into what was certain to be mischief. She knew at that point she had the crowd in her hands and paused, letting the audience understand in that moment that they were hers, before the song returned to its heavier elements. And during “Witches Burn,” she played the crowd like a snake charmer. After that, she got the audience shouting “I’m going to hell,” in honor of AC/DC, and later told the audience she was just like them. “I’m a fan of rock and roll. I’m a huge fan of AC/DC.” Her set ended at 7:53 p.m.
It was a cloudy and cool evening in Los Angeles, and several women wore fur coats against the chill or just for fun, some of bright, electric colors. But mostly what was seen was a sea of black clothing. T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, all black. The most prominent and notable exception to the expanse of black was the light-up devil horns that many folks sported, some flickering, some a solid glow, depending on the setting they chose. The horns were AC/DC merchandise, the band’s name printed on each horn. They were available for sale, but judging from the scene in the parking lot before the show, most people had purchased them at previous concerts. They had come prepared.
Right at 8:30, the scheduled start time, a cheer went up from the crowd. But, no, the house music continued another moment, just to tease everyone. At 8:31 p.m., the screens lit up with an image of a car racing along the streets toward the venue and right to the stage. The entire crowd was on its feet, all those red horns shining in the darkness. The band took the stage and, without any preamble or tuning, launched into “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It),” a song from the band’s Highway To Hell album. Guitarist Angus Young, the one remaining original member who still tours, was in red shorts, a matching red hat and jacket, over a white shirt and tie. Yes, Angus, who turned seventy recently, was still wearing a variation of the outfit he’d chosen decades ago. And while perhaps there is something a bit silly, even risible, about that, I suppose we’d be disappointed if he abandoned his outfit, even at this age, for it was part of the experience, part of the show, just as integral an element as the music itself. I started listening to AC/DC in the late 1970s when I was a child and Bon Scott was the band’s singer. Even then, it was Angus who was the focus. He was the one on the cover of my cassette copy of High Voltage, the first AC/DC album I ever got, a gift from my grandfather when I was six. And he, even in those first few moments of the show, was giving me everything I wanted. And Brian Johnson, who took over on vocals after Bon Scott’s death in 1980, was strutting about the stage like some familiar and friendly hoodlum from the neighborhood. And we all just knew that he could still carry through on that threat, drawing blood. It was a fantastic opener. “How have you been?” Brian asked the crowd after that first song. There wouldn’t be a lot of banter during the show, but there was a bit at the beginning. The band, by the way, in addition to Angus and Brian, was made up of Stevie Young on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Chris Chaney (from Jane’s Addiction) on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Matt Laug on drums.
They followed “If You Want Blood” with “Back In Black” and the crowd erupted the moment it started, both as a way of showing their excitement over hearing that popular song and to announce that they too were back in black. This song was the title track from the band’s 1980 record, the first to feature Brian on vocals. Brian was clearly having a great time, and he and Angus were the focus for the crowd. Angus was dancing up there as if age couldn’t possibly diminish a hard blues rock soul. These guys still rock.
“Demon Fire” was next, with that great guitar lick, like sliding down some underground passageway to hell. This is a song from the Power Up album, the first of only two songs they’d play from it over the course of the show. The band seemed to fly through the number and gave it a big finish. As they began “Shot Down In Flames,” the large screens on either side of the stage showed flames surrounding the band members. And Angus did that special dance of his down the thrust stage. Still so damn good. After that, he took his jacket off, for though it might have been a cool night, it was nothing but fire and electricity on stage. And he began that great opening to “Thunderstruck” on guitar. The crowd chanted “Thunder,” and as the song kicked into gear, the lights came up on the audience for a moment, a way of acknowledging everyone there was a part of this thing. That was followed by “Have A Drink On Me,” another song from Back In Black. Right before the band started that song, a guy came down the aisle, announcing his cold beer for sale, like at a baseball game. But I was pretty sure that it would be us paying for the drinks, not Brian, regardless of what he was singing.
As “Hell’s Bells” began, a large bell was lowered over the stage, with the band’s name in red letters printed on it, the song summoning all sorts of creatures to the festivities. That was followed by “Shot In The Dark,” the second and final number from Power Up, and then “Stiff Upper Lip,” the latter having a cool kind of spoken word delivery of those first lines. While Brian’s voice did struggle at times throughout the concert, it didn’t matter. He and the rest of the band were giving it their all. “I love that song,” a guy near me said after “Stiff Upper Lip.” He was not alone in that. “Highway To Hell” followed, and I was suddenly seven years old again, hearing the song for the first time and completely excited by it. On the song’s title line, the lights shone on the crowd, again indicating we were all on this ride together. And Brian stepped out onto the thrust, among all those glowing horns, while Angus ran around with horns of his own at that point. He was dancing again at the beginning of “Shoot To Thrill,” driving the energy up another level. There was something almost magical about seeing Angus do that dance out on the thrust into the audience, a thrill itself, and “Shoot To Thrill” ended up being a highlight of the set. The song seriously rocks.
“Sin City” followed, it being a song from Powerage. Oh yes, sin always sounds so good, doesn’t it? I’m almost thankful to religion for providing that concept for us to enjoy, for us to play with. There was a great bass line to the song, and Angus began to hunt the crowd, to stalk it. The crowd cheered in response. As the group started “Rock ‘N’ Roll Train,” an AC/DC train appeared on the screens. After that song, Angus stepped off stage for a moment to make a guitar adjustment and then the band ripped into “Dirty Deeds Done Dirty Cheap.” “Call me anytime,” Brian sang, and we in the audience felt that, yes, we could rely on these guys, and on this song. “We’ll have ourselves a ball.” Angus delivered a good guitar solo at the end of that one. That was followed by “High Voltage.” And, truly, it’s all about high voltage rock ‘n’ roll with this band, always has been. And I’m glad I got to experience it in concert. On this song, Brian engaged with the audience, a bit of call and response. This song was a whole lot of fun.
Angus began “Riff Raff” on guitar, the song like a great force rumbling up from the deepest caverns and bursting forth to tear a hole in the fabric of our reality, all done to a delicious driving beat. Where do you go from there? Well, to one of the band’s most popular songs, the crowd-pleasing “You Shook Me All Night Long.” This song was everywhere in 1980. And beyond, for that matter. Who doesn’t love this song? The energy was extremely high at the Rose Bowl at that point. That was followed by “Whole Lotta Rosie,” which has always been one of my personal favorites. It’s so fun, and a perfect choice to follow “You Shook Me.” They wrapped up the set with “Let There Be Rock,” which tells the best creation story. “Let there be drums/And there were drums.” Amen! “And the music was good and the music was loud.” Oh yes, indeed! Here the band jammed, Angus standing at the end of the thrust stage, the rhythm supporting him almost like a mantra or something, and becoming the pulse of the audience. The section of the thrust upon which he was standing began to rise, and confetti burst into the air. But that was not the end. Angus next went up the stairs at the back of the stage and there performed a guitar solo, the screen behind him then showing an image of a stack of Marshall amps. It was one hell of a good guitar solo, and Angus periodically checked in with the audience, who howled out for more. He obliged. All told, the song was twenty-one minutes of rock and roll heaven. Holy moly!
The set ended at 10:31 p.m., and two minutes later the band was back on stage for the encore. “T.N.T.” is the song that started it all for me when I was a kid, and it was a treat to get to see it performed live. That was followed by “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You).” Several cannons were positioned onto the upper level of the stage where Angus had performed his guitar solo. The cannons were aimed at the audience, or, rather, above the audience. And yes, on “Fire,” the cannons fired. And if all that wasn’t enough, there was a fireworks display to top it off. The show ended at 10:45 p.m.
Set List
- If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)
- Back In Black
- Demon Fire
- Shot Down In Flames
- Thunderstruck
- Have A Drink On Me
- Hell’s Bells
- Shot In The Dark
- Stiff Upper Lip
- Highway To Hell
- Shoot To Thrill
- Sin City
- Rock ‘N’ Roll Train
- Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
- High Voltage
- Riff Raff
- You Shook Me All Night Long
- Whole Lotta Rosie
- Let There Be Rock
Encore
- T.N.T.
- For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
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