AC/DC LIVE REVIEW PERTH AUSTRALIA 2015

With The HIVES and KINGSWOOD

Domain Stadium, Perth November 27 2015

MUSIC REVIEW ARCHIVES

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AC/DC Setlist: Rock or Bust | Shoot to Thrill | Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be | Back in Black | Play Ball | Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap | Thunderstruck | High Voltage | Rock 'n' Roll Train | Hells Bells | Baptism by Fire | You Shook Me All Night Long | Sin City | Shot Down in Flames | Have a Drink on Me | T.N.T. | Whole Lotta Rosie | Let There Be Rock | Highway to Hell | For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

The juggernaut that is AC/DC rolled into Perth on Friday night to a jam packed crowd as part of their ‘Rock Or Bust’ world tour.

While many things remain unchanged within the rocker’s camp including setlists and stage productions, the biggest and most noticeable factor that is different is the inclusion of Chris Slade on drums and Stevie Young on rhythm guitar, both replacing Malcolm Young and Phil Rudd respectively for reasons which you are all probably aware of by now. But despite all that, the show went off without a hitch and gave the Perth fans a truly great experience.

Opening the evening under the clear blue but humid Perth skies, Melbourne rockers Kingswood may have looked a little swamped by the stage and a little nervous, but they sure had the songs to fire up the partisan crowd.

The Hives came out next to a fairly warm reception as they proceeded to give the building audience a bit of modern rock that hints at old school traditions. While it took some time before the band got the crowd going, by the second half of their 40 minute set, singer Howlin' Pelle Almqvist had them eating out of his hand as he used the AC/DC warm up card to play to the fans enthusiasm. Dressed in white suits and playing with a ton of energy, the Swedish rockers showed that while opening for one of the biggest rock bands on the planet is no easy task, it can be done and it can be done well.

What's there to say about the headliners? We last saw them 5 years ago on the ‘Black Ice’ tour and while there's a bit of a change in the lineup, not much has changed since that time. Kicking off with a cool space themed video intro before lead single "Rock Or Bust" entered which sounded even better than the album version, the band were firing on all cylinders. Angus Young as always, running around like a maniac while Brian Johnson screaming his lungs out trying to keep up with the guitarist's youthful energy. "Play Ball" was another new song that made it early in the set but it was all classics outside of that. "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be" was the first song to really get the crowd moving while "Thunderstruck" made a surprise early entrance, a song that I regard as a show closer to be honest. It was nice to see "Rock N' Roll Train" on the set, the band notorious for leaving out previous album's material. And if we want to get into disappointments, no songs from "Ballbreaker" made it onto the set. An album I regard as a highly underrated classic.

But it's the classic hits that people come to see and it's those very songs that bring the crowd to a roar. While a lot of the mid 80's material made its way onto the set, it was songs like "Hells Bells" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" that people responded to the most and dare I say, the ones some people only knew of. (A pretty blasphemous thing for an AC/DC fan if you ask me!) I will say that seeing Chris Slade on the drums was a delight, nothing against Phil who is the timekeeper of AC/DC and always will be, but Chris's power and that extra muscle in his style really bumped the AC/DC sound up a few notches. Maybe it was just me but together with that, the sound was really pushing the edges as it was considerably louder than the last time we saw them. But as the cliché goes, if it's too loud for you, you're too old for it.

Of course "Whole Lotta Rosie" is always a favorite and tonight there is the traditional gigantic ‘blow up doll’ which looked to be a new one, unlike the last tour where ‘Rosie’ looked like she had done a few miles on the road. "Let There Be Rock" is still one of my favorite songs ever and Angus Young's guitar solo that followed, no matter how many times we see it, is always a mind-blowing experience. Topped with the riser at the end of the runway and ending with Angus standing near the top of the stage above the amplifiers, it's always a highlight of an AC/DC show. "Highway To Hell" and "For Those About To Rock” complete with firing cannons and a fireworks show above the stage roof ended another AC/DC experience. And that is essentially what it is; it's an experience and one that we will always enjoy no matter what.  

by Andrew Massie Photos by The Buffman