AC/DC-Pulling Out Their Big Guns (2008 Concert Review from Chicago 10/30/08)

AC/DC-Pulling Out Their Big Guns
October, 30, 2008
Allstate Arena-Rosemont, IL
By Anthony Kuzminski
{Photo Credits}

In the creation story according to Genesis, God created the heavens and the Earth in six-days and on the seventh day he rested. My theory is that after a day of rest, God stood up and decided he needed a little boost before he went back to work, so he lifted his hands and said “Let There Be Rock” with Angus and Malcolm Young in mind. AC/DC, aside from the Ramones, may be the most pure and primordial rock n’ roll band the planet has ever seen. Their model is simple, yet inspired; four chords and the truth. They’ve never wavered from their simplistic blues based bad-ass riffs. At one point this appeared to be holding the band back in the mid-80’s, but time has told a different story, ultimately it’s their saving grace as they’ve never jumped the shark or tried to execute something that was not within them. They have never catered to the public’s tastes, the public has followed AC/DC’s cue.

AC/DC rolled into Chicago not having played here in seven-and-a-half years. As I walked inside the arena and found the audience buzzing from the mere thought of these five guys hitting the stage. The energy within the walls of the Allstate was palpable. It was as if this was once and for all a real rock n’ roll show that would put all others to shame. I still love live music and find Chicago to be one of the best cities in the world to catch a live show, but in a day and age where promoters and acts charge upwards of four-figure amounts for the best seats, it leaves a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. However, AC/DC remedied this by making every seat $89.50. Plus, every seat on the floor and lower level was “paperless” and could only be picked up at the arena by the credit card holder; brilliant. Everyone was in their seat ready to rock fifteen-minutes before the band hit the stage because no one wanted to miss a single second. These aren’t stock brokers who overpaid merely to be seen, the show was full of true fans who would sacrifice their first born to just be in the building. All of the fans in attendance were on a level playing ground and when the lights went off, it could be felt.

Over a third of the audience had bought the $15 glow-in-the-dark devils horns they were selling and what a sight it was to behold when the lights went off. A cartoon was projected on the screens and everyone seized their eyes upon it. The rock n’ roll train was boarding and 17,000 inside the Allstate were aboard and ready to rock as a train literally erupted on stage amidst a flurry of pyrotechnics. Drummer Phil Rudd and bassist Cliff Williams were understated yet performed with a highly skilled and dynamic force that steered the train all night while Malcolm Young stood in the background providing his mean and menacing riffs while singer Brian Johnston was up front and center with a gleaming smile…which left the school boy, rock n’ roll’s ultimate bad-boy misfit, Angus Young front and center as he danced, grooved and shook all night long to AC/DC’s always magnificent and vintage riffs. Kicking off with the appropriately titled “Rock N’ Roll Train” noticed was served that there would be no detours over the course of their roaring 105-minute set.

Over the course of the 18-song set the crowd sung, swung and swayed along to every last note. “The Jack” featured Angus stripped down to his AC/DC boxers, but more importantly, he shredded away on his guitar with an incandescent blues riff that could make legends rise out of their graves; the same could be said about his brother Malcolm, who is arguably one of the five-greatest rhythm guitarists in the history of rock n’ roll. “Hells Bells” found Brian Johnson swinging on a rope as the bell summoned roars, “Shoot To Thrill” and “Whole Lotta Rosie” soared out of sleazy riffage and “Thunderstruck” did just that with its unyielding and tight groove. Even on the new material off Black Ice including the title track showed everyone how down and dirty rock n’ roll is done. “War Machine” found Brian Johnson as throaty as ever, “Anything Goes” wore its melodic grooves better in concert while “Big Jack” was a throwback that I bet most in the audience didn’t realize it was a new song. People call them one-note wonders, but the reality they are among a handful of acts whose music truly doesn’t age. Play selected tracks from any of their albums and aside from the different vocalists; you’ll struggle trying to differentiate an era to the music.

“Back in Black” made men hard and women wet by eight simple clicks of Rudd’s cymbals before that slithering riff encompassed the arena in a rare concert moment where the crowd’s roars were louder than the band. The arms-to-the-air “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” had fists flying concurrently during the chorus as if it were the opening of the Beijing Olympics. The opening chords of “You Shook Me All Night Long” provided a euphoric eruption so volcanic I’m not even sure the crowd knew what to do with itself. The reaction to “T.N.T.” was equally cinematic. You know those immense concert performances you see of the band on DVD and on VH-1 Classic where the crowd loses their minds to the sheer power of the performance? Yeah, it was exactly like that as fists flew in sync to the sky. What I loved about this show was it encompassed five-members; no hired hands, backing singers, hidden keyboard players and most importantly, none of the five members looked tired or bored. This was a show that is simultaneously theatrical while maintaining all of the essential and core elements of rock n’ roll and the blues. During the main set closer, “Let There Be Rock”, Angus played the guitar on his head amidst a rising mini stage on the opposite end of the floor. Remember when rock n’ roll used to be this fun?

Most bands would take a breather in the encore, but one forgets the term “power ballad” is not in AC/DC’s vernacular. During the ballistic encore of “Highway to Hell” and “For Those About To Rock We Salute You”, flames, smoke and lights rained down on the audience as AC/DC’s forever youthful riffs and beats rung inside the minds of everyone who witnessed the spectacle of it all.At the night’s conclusion, it made you yearn for bands like Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and the Rolling Stones to take seven years off to make their fans this hungry again. Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.

Amidst a stack of Marshall's AC/DC delivered 105-minutes of pure rock n’ roll ecstasy full of four-chord blues based rock that was completely unrelenting and unpretentious. Rock n’ roll is about making you feel like you belong and this is something missed out on indie bands who stick their noses up at mainstream attention. At its best, music is a communal affair where misfits can stand side-by-side with their nemesis. Rock n’ roll was meant to be a group experience for the masses. Does anyone have any idea how hard it is to connect with this many people? This was one of those nights where everything came together; the band’s performance, the hunger of the crowd, the musical timing, the building and the songs. It was one of those rare concerts where every moment was truly perfect and nothing and no one could steer them off course as AC/DC’s rock n’ roll train was full steam ahead and will be for the foreseeable future. As the crowd ventured out into the night, you can be sure they’ll be talking about it for not just weeks and months…but years to come. I see upwards of fifty-concerts every year from the intimate clubs to the stadiums and they don’t get much better than this. In the end, when God said “Let There Be Rock”…this is exactly what he imagined…I can promise you that.

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.

Show Opening / "Rock N' Roll Train"