14/4/2009 AC/DC @ the O2 Arena

Subject	AC/DC @ the O2 Arena
PostedDate	4/14/2009
	This was always going to be one of the gigs of the year - maybe THE gig of the year? After months of anticipation the big day finally arrived and we found ourselves at the O2 Arena. I was looking forward to seeing The Answer in support - they've come a long way since I saw them supporting Planet Of Women at the tiny Windmill pub in Brixton. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible to get down there in time to see them as I'd been at work earlier and and takes a while to get to Docklands from the extreme northern edge of London. I already knew our seats were up in the gods so I didn't bother taking my camera and you'll have to put up with feeble quality phone pictures. The O2 Arena is the former infamous Millennium Dome and it's big. Very big. The seats right up in the gods are at a very steep angle - I wouldn't recommend it if you suffer from vertigo, and I certainly wouldn't recommend getting pissed up beforehand either as it looks like it would be easy to fall and tumble over rows and rows of steeply inclined seating. The AC/DC show starts with a few minutes of specially shot intro video to get the crowd warmed up. If you heard the band's current 'Black Ice' album and wondered exactly what a 'Rock N Roll Train' actually is, then this explains everything. After this, anticipation is high when the band finally explode onto the stage! The stage set also includes a full size steam locomotive issuing smoke and flame! I wondered beforehand how good the band would (or could) really be with their advancing years? Brian Johnson said recently that this could be his "last shot" as he is now 61 years old. The rest of the band (now back to the classic lineup that recorded 'Back In Black') are no spring chickens either! They were still pretty good when I saw them at Hammersmith Odeon in 2003, but more time has passed since then and their latest album is pretty medium paced. I needn't have worried - AC/DC are still a terrific live act! As you can see, we were a LONG way from the stage and had to rely a lot on the big screens. Fortunately the guys on the cameras and in the production suite were really on the ball and caught some great shots. I was concerned beforehand how much I could enjoy the show from so far away from the stage - would I be able to see much? Would the sound be crap like it usually is in larger venues (as well as many well known small ones)? I ended up very impressed by what must have been a huge effort and a massive amount of money ploughed into this venue to ensure that everyone no matter how far from the stage would still enjoy the show. The big screens worked well, and I think the light show was the best I've ever seen. Much to my surprise, the sound mix and quality was also really good! It must have been very difficult (and expensive) to achieve technically in such a massive venue and with those suspended speakers so far up in the air, but it all works really well. The sound quality was far better than it usually is in London's most famous club venues. The giant stage set was spectacular, and at various points in the show all the usual expected items appear - the giant bell, the massive inflatable 'Rosie' - now more realistic than ever and straddling the huge 'Rock N Roll Train', and of course the cannons! Pretty much everything you could want from an AC/DC show was there - apart from ALL of your favourite songs because obviously they wasn't enough time. The setlist was pretty much what you'd expect - a 'Greatest Hits' set with a few songs from the current album thrown in. However, it was noticable that whenever a song from 'Black Ice' was played that's when a lot of people headed for the bar or toilet. Personally I think two or three songs from the current album would have been enough as I don't think there are that many strong songs on it, but we got about five 'new' songs. I think most people would have happily sacrificed two or three of them for more of the classics instead. Naturally, some of my favourites got left out - but I'm sure it was the same for everyone else in the venue as there is no way you can ever please everyone no matter how hard they try. Most the best known classics got an airing as expected - 'Let There Be Rock' was the highlight for me, but it was a show  full of highlights! In spite of Ian Camfield's later joke on Xfm about Brian having his bus pass in his back pocket, you would never believe the singer was 61 years old! He gave a lively and energetic performance - even swinging in the air from the rope on the giant bell that appeared for 'Hell's Bells'. The rest of the band were rock solid as expected, but the real star of the show was undoubtedly Angus. Even well into his 50's his energy onstage is amazing! It was an electrifying performance and Angus can still shred with the best of them - and he looked like he was still thoroughly enjoying himself too. After seeing aussie young guns Airbourne last year and being totally blown away by their incredible energy I was wondering if an ageing AC/DC could still cut it? The answer is a resounding YES! The Young brothers and their band are still one of the best live acts out there. No question. I wouldn't have thought it was possible for a band to create an 'atmosphere' in a massive venue like this, but AC/DC certainly managed it. Apart from a few classics being left out of the set (which is inevitable) the whole show and the band's performance was so good that it's difficult to find anything to really criticise. There was only one thing that left me slightly disappointed: Last time I saw AC/DC was at Hammersmith Odeon six years ago, and the highlight of that show for me personally was when the massive cannons went off during 'For Those About To Rock...'. In fact that's up there with when Motörhead fly 'The Bomber' as one of my favourite bits of any rock show EVER. But tonight the cannons look much smaller than the mighty weapons that appeared at that last Hammersmith show and I felt just a little cheated. But apart from that personal niggle I can hardly fault tonight's show - it was simply outstanding and I doubt anyone will top it this year. Who can tell if this will be the last AC/DC tour? One thing is for certain, this definitely wasn't a tired old band just going through the motions to earn some extra dosh while they still have the chance - AC/DC still play like they really mean it.