AC/DC
London Greenwich O2 Arena
16th April, 2009

View: within cannon-range

AC/DC’s latest Black Ice is very much trademark fare from the Scots-Aussies, and the quintet’s live show is predictably impressive (though thankfully not as excruciatingly loud as their last tour!) Kicking off after an anime film of babes on a train, the giant loco of the album sleeve ploughed on stage and the pyros were alight. Everyone (including Justin Hawkins) was on their feet, and 110 minutes of scintillating hard rock were underway, Brian Johnson in flat-cap and Angus Young in school shorts and cap leading the flailing masses through Rock’n’Roll Train. Further stops on the journey included Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be, with Angus duck-walking down the catwalk, as it were, before the battery of Back In Black. Highlights came thick and fast, Dirty Deeds seeing Angus crank things up, before the thumping Shot Down In Flames and strobe-lit Thunderstruck. The strident new title track led into the posturing The Jack (with ladies on the big screens) and Brian swang on the rope for Hells Bells. The new War Machine continued the endsbefore- it-begins schtick, rallying the crowd into a frenzy for You Shook Me All Night Long, pyroladen TNT, Whole Lotta Rosie with gyrating inflatable, and Let There Be Rock, with Angus on a riser at the apron. An encore saw out the 19-song set with a singalong Highway To Hell and the final fusillade of For Those About To Rock (We Salute You). We do indeed.

Reviewed by Tim Jones
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