I first saw AC/DC in 1976 when they came over from Australia and played the Reading festival, and small venues such as Newcastle University Students Union, and Middlesbrough Town Hall. This was, of course, in the days when the original singer Bon Scott led the band alongside brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. They had just released their first album High Voltage which featured classic tracks such as “The Jack”, “TNT”, “It’s a Long Way to the Top… If You Want to Rock ‘n’ Roll” and “She’s Got B**ls”. Not very PC. But this band were lots of fun.
Angus would wear his school uniform complete with cap and satchel and ride on the shoulders of Bon through the audience. I remember touching the pair of them as they wandered through Middlesbrough Town Hall and watching poor Angus get soaked in beer as some idiot decided to throw his pint on the two of them at Newcastle University. Crazy days.
The Young brothers were originally from Glasgow and moved to Australia when they were young, and the UK had a deal whereby you could emigrate to Australia for something like £5. I remember some of my friends going to Australia, never to be seen again. Others decided to return and reappeared many years later. So, AC/DC are usually seen as an Australian band, but their roots lay in the East End of Glasgow. Angus would front the band on lead guitar with, by his side, brother Malcolm on rhythm guitar. Angus was the crazy, manic schoolboy.
The band became a massive favourite at Newcastle Mayfair. They would pack the venue for several nights in a row. I went every time they appeared and saw them there many times. One night, with def Leppard as support, there was a fire in the venue and the concert was cancelled and rescheduled. Again, these were crazy nights. AC/DC were a massive draw yet chose to continue headlining the Mayfair rather than moving on to the larger venues such as the City Hall or Newcastle Odeon. They clearly enjoyed the intimacy, drinking culture and madness of the crowd. Happy days.
And then poor Bon was no more. His hard drinking caught up with him. “Scott died of alcohol poisoning and the other members considered disbanding. However, at the request of Scott’s parents, they continued together.” (From Wikipedia) Then came a surprise. Local lad (local to me, that is) Brian Johnson was announced as the new singer.
I had seen Brian perform many times in local band Geordie at workingman’s clubs and, later, at Sunderland Locarno when they hit the charts with songs such as “Don’t Do That” and “All Because of You”. He had a similar raucous voice to that of Bon’s so you could sort of imagine the logic behind choosing him to replace the irreplaceable.
And thus, I was sitting in Newcastle City Hall in 1980 for the Back in Black tour to promote the album of the same (very appropriate) name. “Their first album with Johnson, Back in Black (1980), was dedicated to Scott’s memory. It became the second best-selling album of all time.” But for me the big question remained. How will Brian cut it live? Could he fill the large shoes left by Bon? As soon as AC/DC took to the stage the answer was clear. I need not have worried. AC/DC were back and as powerful as ever. Brian screamed and screeched those vocals out and was simply tremendous.
AC/DC went on to become international megastars. The introduction of Brian Johnson heralded a new chapter in the career of AC/DC. From then on, I saw AC/DC many times, usually headlining rock festivals, particularly the Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park. The bell came along for “Hells Bells” and became an integral part of the show. Brian, Angus (still a schoolboy) and Malcolm went on to success after success. The last time I saw them perform was at Manchester Arena some time ago with my son, David. They were tremendous and I was hungry to see them again.
Sadly, things changed along the way. “Malcolm Young left AC/DC in mid-2014 to receive treatment for dementia. In September 2014, the band’s management announced that he would be retiring permanently. He died from the effects of dementia on 18 November 2017” (from Wikipedia). A sad loss. To complicate things further, Brian Johnson left the band only to return.
When I saw “Rock legends AC/DC return to Wembley Stadium this summer for two epic concerts with special guests The Pretty Reckless.” I could not wait to buy tickets. In fact, to ensure I secured my place in the crowd I invested in a gold package. Jan, Jackie, and I travelled down to Wembley on the train staying at our usual friendly Premier Inn. Soon we were in the Bobby Moore suite enjoying complimentary food and drink and a magnificent view of the stage. I treated myself to a few drinks and a T-shirt and programme.
The AC/DC site: “We are thrilled to finally announce the ‘POWER UP’ European Tour. Angus, Brian, Stevie, and Matt will be joined by Chris Chaney to carry the torch for Cliff. The tour will see us play shows across Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, England, Slovakia, Belgium, France & Ireland this Summer. We can’t wait to see you all out there.”
I saw a little of support act the Pretty Reckless but was tempted away by the lure of the hospitality. They sounded good, and my friend John who has seen them in their home USA told me just how great they are and admonished me for missing out on them. Soon AC/DC took to the stage, we took our seats which gave us a great view of the proceedings, and away we went on a rollercoaster of classic songs: “Back in Black”, “Hells Bells”, back to the start with “High Voltage” and other familiar territory such as “Highway to Hell” and “Whole lotta Rosie”. They were fantastic and the Brian/Angus pairing was on top form.
But this was very much the Angus Young show. Angus, still dressed as a schoolboy, stole the show with extensive, epic guitar solos. Fantastic. The encore took us back to the start again with “TNT” and then closer “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”. We filed out of the stadium, down Wembley Way, and waited what seemed to be ages for a taxi back to our hotel. Before I knew it, we were on our way home on the train the next day. AC/DC are still magnificent.
Many thanks to Jan and Jackie for the photographs and to Chris for manipulating the site.
Setlist: 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.
Encore: T.N.T.; For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
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