Classic Concerts and Fun Stuff To Do
Hi, (not you?) | Member Center | Sign Out
Posted: 6:48 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008
By Kaedy Kiely
With AC/DC hitting Atlanta for a sold out show 12/16 at Phillips Arena, here's a review of their opening night concert earlier this week with set list...
Rolling Stone -- Walking into the opening night of a new AC/DC tour one expects few surprises. Based on past experience, Angus Young is going to do a strip-tease during "The Jack," Brian Johnson will swing from a giant bell before "Hells Bells" and the whole thing will conclude with "For Those About To Rock, We Salute You," complete with massive firing cannons. Last night's opening gig of their 2008 world tour in Wiles-Barre, Pennsylvania -- their first American tour since 2001 -- was everything fans expected, which is precisely what made it so amazing. AC/DC perfected the rock concert around 1981. Why change it now?
The show began with a cartoon showing demonic, sexy women tying up Angus and hijacking a train. Needless to say, he foiled their plot seconds before the real Angus burst onstage in a maroon schoolboy outfit. They opened with their new single "Rock And Roll Train." From there they went back three decades to the Bon Scott era gem "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be." Brian Johnson quickly assuaged fears that the sixty-one year old chain-smoker's voice had deteriorated during the group's long hiatus. It was as wonderfully grizzled as ever, though it was often hard to make out some of the words, even when he talked to the crowd. Angus, who spent much of the evening shirtless, ran around the stage like a wind-up toy all night. During "Let There Be Rock," a giant hydraulic lift in the middle of the floor carried him far above the crowd for his solo, which concluded with him twirling around on the ground like a dog chasing his tail.
For a group who refuses to release a greatest hits album, they've always been quite keen to play a greatest hits set. "Thunderstruck" was the only song in the set released between 1981 and 2008. While this practice is irritating for groups like the Who (who consistently skip over deep cuts in favor of the upteenth rendition of "Behind Blue Eyes"), many of AC/DC's best songs are their hits. Regardless, nobody was complaining. Five songs off their new album Black Ice -- which came out last week -- were included in the set. They fit in seamlessly with "Back In Black" and "Highway To Hell," even as they (somewhat predictably) inspired mass bathroom breaks.
During "TNT" huge flames shot out of devilish train in the back of the stage, which was surprisingly chintzy by AC/DC standards. Before the next song, "Whole Lotta Rosie," Johnson gave the crowd some bad news: the group's gigantic blow-up, Rosie, had recently bit the dust. "The flames you just saw melted her." He wasn't kidding -- she was on stage for Sunday's rehearsal gig. "We're getting a new one," he said reassuringly. The church-like ritual of an AC/DC concert cannot be disturbed, even when flames destroy an obese inflatable woman. When the group launched their last American tour in the summer of 2000, Al Gore and George W. Bush were neck and neck in the polls. A lot's changed since then, but AC/DC are exactly how we left them.
Set List:
"Rock and Roll Train"
"Hell Ain't a Bad Place To Be"
"Back in Black"
"Big Jack"
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirty Cheap"
"Thunderstruck"
"Black Ice"
"The Jack"
"Hell's Bells"
"War Machine"
"Anything Goes"
"You Shook Me All Night Long"
"TNT"
"Whole Lotta Rosie"
"Let There Be Rock"
Encore:
"Highway to Hell"
"For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)"
© 2013 Cox Media Group. By using this website,
you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices
.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi
Corporation. © 2012 Rovi Corporation
Already have an account? Sign In
{* #registrationForm *} {* traditionalRegistration_displayName *} {* traditionalRegistration_emailAddress *} {* traditionalRegistration_password *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirm *}Already have an account? Sign In
{* #registrationFormBlank *} {* registration_firstName *} {* registration_lastName *} {* traditionalRegistration_displayName *} {* traditionalRegistration_emailAddressBlank *} {* registration_birthday *} {* registration_gender *} {* registration_postalZip *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordBlank *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirmBlank *} {* agreeToTerms *}We have sent you a confirmation email. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account.
We look forward to seeing you frequently. Visit us and sign in to update your profile, receive the latest news and keep up to date with mobile alerts.
Don't worry, it happens. We'll send you a link to create a new password.
{* #forgotPasswordForm *} {* forgotPassword_emailAddress *}We have sent you an email with a link to change your password.
We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed.
To sign in you must verify your email address. Fill out the form below and we'll send you an email to verify.
{* #resendVerificationForm *} {* resendVerification_emailAddress *}Check your email for a link to verify your email address.


You're Almost Done!
Select a display name and password
{* #socialRegistrationForm *} {* socialRegistration_displayName *} {* socialRegistration_emailAddress *} {* traditionalRegistration_password *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirm *}Tell us about yourself
{* registration_firstName *} {* registration_lastName *} {* registration_postalZip *} {* registration_birthday *} {* registration_gender *} {* agreeToTerms *}