AC/DC don't play open field gigs this summer

According to a Groningen (Netherlands) city official, AC/DC cancelled an appearance in the City Park in the summer of 2009. Reason not to show up would be that the band doesn't wish to play in an open field. AC/DC prefers to play only big open air stadium concerts (as reflected in the summer tour schedule). This means that the chances for another Belgian gig this summer are rather unlikely. Link to article.
Volgens een stadhouder uit Groningen (Nederland), heeft AC/DC een show geannuleerd deze zomer in het Stadspark. De band zou niet graag optreden op een open vlakte. Daarom spelen ze deze zomer enkel grote open air stadium concerten (zoals je kan merken aan hun tourschema). De kansen op een derde Belgisch optreden in 2009 verkleinen dus aanzienlijk. Link naar het artikel.

Mistress for XMAS and a happy 2009!

Hi! I hope you all secured your tickets to the second European leg of the AC/DC tour. The open air shows sold out pretty easily, but it should still be possible to obtain tickets from the official fanclub. While we Europeans are getting prepared to welcome the band on the continent, ACDC Belgium wishes you a Mistress for Christmas and a most fabulous and happy rock 'n roll year 2009!

Een fijne avond! Ik hoop dat iedereen zich heeft kunnen bedienen van tickets voor het tweede Europese luik van de AC/DC tour. Deze shows waren snel uitverkocht (alle Duitse shows samen in 77 minuten), maar volgens mij is het nog steeds mogelijk om via de officiële fanclub aan (goeie) tickets te geraken. Terwijl we ons hier in Europa verheugen op de komst van de band wenst ACDC Belgium jullie een Mistress for Christmas en een schitterend rock 'n roll jaar 2009!

New open air shows confirmed!!! On Sale soon!

Hello,
AC/DC added the following dates to their tour schedule. Unfortunately, at this time, no extra Belgian show, but plenty of travel possibilities. Presales for some shows start already next Wednesday!

Goed nieuws: de band bevestigde net volgende open air shows op hun officiële website. Voorlopig zit er dus geen nieuwe Belgische (open air) show in de pijplijn, maar nu de diesel weer goedkoper staat is het de moment om een uitstapje te wagen! Deze kalender houdt wellicht ook in dat de band geen tussenstop maakt op Graspop, tenzij ze voor een dagje zouden overvliegen op 27 juni... Opgelet: tickets zullen voor sommige locaties reeds volgende week in voorverkoop gaan (Webley: 17 December).

13 May 2009 Leipzig DE Zentralstadium
15 May 2009 Munich DE Olympic Stadium
17 May 2009 Gelsenkirchen DE Veltins Arena
19 May 2009 Cologne DE Stadion
22 May 2009 Hockenheimring DE Formula 1 Racing Track
24 May 2009 Vienna AT Ernst-Happel Stadium
12 Jun 2009 Paris FR Stade de France
15 Jun 2009 Oslo NO Valle Hovin
17 Jun 2009 Helsinki FI Olympic Stadium
19 Jun 2009 Copenhagen DK Parken
21 Jun 2009 Gothenberg SE Ullevi Stadium
23 Jun 2009 Amsterdam NL Amsterdam Arena
26 Jun 2009 London GB Wembley Stadium
28 Jun 2009 Dublin IE Punchestown Racetrack
30 Jun 2009 Glasgow GB Hampden Park

Bedlam in Belgium (from an eye witness)!

This is the most complete story that I have ever read, covering the events of the 1977 show in Kontich, Belgium in a very detailed way. This show resulted in the creation of the Bedlam in Belgium song, as heard on the Flick of the Switch album. Thanks to an anonymous reader of this blog who posted this as a comment to one of my posts, we can now enjoy a full report what really happened that night. Happy reading!

Worst gig I saw was AC/DC at the "Thier Brau Hof" in Kontich (near Antwerp, Belgium) in October 1977. As openers there should have been a local band called Mothers Of Track, but the word "should" indicates that the lot never showed. On top of the opening act not coming through (cuz their van ran off the road), there was something wrong with the electricity (never gotten to know what exactly). All this meant that the start of the gig was furthermore postponed, so, instead of starting around nine, AC/DC hit the lights at 22.45. A couple of minutes into the show, outside of the venue, some fans who had more beer than common sense in their body, had a wee piss amidst the flowerbed in the front garden of an elderly lady who lived accross the street. The dear old lass phones the coppers because of some long-haired weirdos crawling all over her Petunias. In one go she also complains about the "terrible hells-bells" (she was ahead of her time) coming from the "Thier Brau Hof". Coppers promise to investigate the matter. Coppers arrive at the scene with two units (2 VW-Combi vans with 3 coppers each) and go have a talk with the lady who stands befuddled between rows of broken flowers. Coppers also notice that there's more than just a neighbourhood party going on at the "Thier Brau Hof". Coppers check with the station to see if there was anything out of the ordinary planned at said location. Aside from a Darts contest the next day and a Bar-B-Q, organized by the local fire department the previous day, nothing's on the calendar. Coppers pull-up their pants, sniff loudly and head towards the cauldron of decibels accross the boulevard. Coppers enter the premises through the back door and try to speak with someone in charge. Meanwhile, the second squad, outside the building, get confirmation that whatever is going on inside the "Thier Brau Hof", it is certainly not koosher and certainly has no permission to lift the tiles off the roof, noise-wise. Second squad enter through the main entrance and are greeted with boo-boo-hiss-hiss, a couple of half empty (half full?) beer cups fly in their general direction. Coppers feel threathened, so coppers call for extensive back-up. In the mean time, the first squad is hanging by the side of the stage, half deaf by this time, speaking with the organizer of the gig and asking to turn down the sound, not because there's an infraction, but because they can't understand a bleedin' word that's being said. Back outside, the 2nd squad is joined by a detachement of "Gendarmes" (state police, [gents d'armes: gents = people/men, d'armes = of arms... Gendarmes = Men Of Arms]) who have Barracks just a couple of miles down the boulevard. Smack in the middle of "Let There Be Rock" the Gendarmes and 2nd police squad enter the building through the main entrance, with the sole purpose of stopping the gig, as no-one bothered to ask for a permission to have a party where there would be substantial noise after 22:00Hrs.At approximatively 23:05Hrs, after the Gendarmes have explained what's going on to the organizer, that organizer tries to do the same to the people of AC/DC. The people of AC/DC show toothy grins and a lot of shoulders make shruggin' movements. A passing roadie, the size of a healthy Oak cupboard, knocks off the cap of the copper who's in charge of the first squad, who are getting deafer by the second. The copper, who's hair has the colour of copper, is getting all red-faced til there's no distinguishable border between features and hairline, crawls onto the stage in an attempt to stop the musicians playing on. He is swiftly lifted off the stage by two Australian bodyguards and calmly posted back where he crawled on. The Gendarmes have by now reached the side of the stage, by making a circumventing move along the wall and are just in time to see the copper with the copper top beying gently but firmly removed from the stage. Copper-top spots Gendarmes and is boldly trying to get back on the stage. The Australians, tho still shrugging a lot, are slowly losing their toothy grins as they see the small army of Gendarmes encircling the side of the stage. Elbows are being poked in rib-cages, nods are being shaken in the direction of the Gendarmes. Signs are gesticulated towards Bon Scott, who thinks Hell Ain't a Bad Place To Be. Copper-top is back on the stage and storms towards Angus Young, who happens to be the closest to the copper, as he (Angus) leggylly hopped to the side of the stage, his schoolbag bobbing on his frail back. The two Australian body-guards stop the copper, but this time, instead of gently putting him back off the stage, they simply throw him off, amidst the onlooking gendarmes. The rest of the Australian crew forms a cordon on the side of the stage. Teeth are being gritted, jaws are being squared. Bon Scott, who by means of Angus young, has spotted there's something not quite like it should, informs himself amidst the tattooed army. Scott announces to the public that there's 'some clowns' trying to stop the gig. The crowd applauds and cheers... 'fakkem, we ain't stoppin for nobody' squeals Bonnie, as he starts to take the measurments of a gal named Rosie. Somehow, copper-top has again managed to get his arse back on the stage and this time, he means business. The bloke pulls his service pistol and walking up to Bon Scott, points the barrell to Bon's head. The crowd goes wild, the tattooed army in seconds are all over the poor copper, who's top vanishes in a sea of colourful arms. The music is stopped as Bon and Angus suddenly fail to see the funny side of things. Coppertop is muscled off the stage again, while in the confusion some of the Gendarmes manage to get on the stage. The crowd starts to whistle and scream, some punters also crawl unto the stage... as AC/DC merrilly restart where they've left off and continue their Bad Boy Boogie. The crowd grows a tad calmer, but on the side of the stage there's a small war raging, between punters, security and Australian crewmembers on one side and the coppers and Gendarmes on the other. The arm of the law seems to be outnumbered and a withdrawl is planned. The band stops playing once more, as there's too many people running around among the bandmembers, with fans dancing on-stage and the battle of Gettysburg-minor taking place at the same time. Scott starts cursing in some fiersome Australian dialect, which is totally incomprehensible, but is understood by all... the words "Fakk" "Nuts" and "Piss-off" are among the terms that make sense. Angus and the rest of the gang gather at the other end of the stage and watch the shenanigans with growing amazement. Scott starts humming "I'm Gonna Ride On" into the mike, Angus hesitantly joins in. All of a sudden, the organizer, whom everyone had missed cuz the guy's only just over five foot tall, jumps into the arena and with broad arm movements envites everyone to gather around him. The organizer again vanishes out of sight as he is swallowed by the Gendarmes, AC/DC and security people in true rugby-scramble style. Bon Scott emerges the first and apologizes to the brow-raising audience. The Jack is pulled out of the deck of cards. It is 23:22 and the band plays on. One minute later, the main overhead lights go on. For ten seconds, then go out again... It seems later, that copperhead has found the basement, by following the cables, where the main electricity switch is situated...At 23:24, instead of the lights going on, everything is going out... the side-lights, the stage lights and the PA all fall out...Copperhead has found the Main Switch and pulled it...30 seconds later, power is back on, as copperhead found out that when all electricity is gone, he himself has no light and so is stuck in the basement... not good, so he switched the Mains back on...In the meantime, punters are seriously getting annoyed. We were expecting a small show, with some coloured lights, but certainly not an avant-premiére of Le Cirque Du Soleil. Bon Scott throws away his microphone and walks off the stage, just as copperhead emerges from the basement... for the second time that evening, copperhead pulls his side-arm and points it at Bon Scott. This time, the man is jumped upon and disarmed by his own colleagues. Another small discussion ensues, with lots of pulling of clothes, swearing and the occasional punch is being thrown... after which the overhead lights spring back to life and the concert is declared to be over. The time is 23:33 on October 12th, 1977 and we go home... my left eardrum is permanently off its rocker as I stood about 20 cm (8 inches) from the left main boxes...Six years later, on the album "Flick Of The Switch" a song entitled "Bedlam In Belgium" remembers that dreadful evening...JJ

News on tickets for the Antwerp shows

Hi, some of you have been inquiring about shipment status/availability of tickets for the Antwerp shows. Our friend BlueArmy has received an update from Teleticketservice / GoForMusic, which states : At the request of the Belgian Federal Ministry of Economics and the Economic Inspection services the shipment of the tickets will be postponed for a short while. ... Just like all genuine music fans, these public bodies are worried about the illegal resale of those tickets via different channels, often at extortionate prices. This waiting period will help us and the government to take the necessary action against them.

(Photo copyright Capthowdy, Chicago show 31_10_2008)

Hi, sommige mensen vragen ons waarom de tickets voor de shows in Antwerpen nog niet verstuurd werden. Onze vriend BlueArmy heeft een update gekregen van Teleticketservice / GoForMusic met daarin volgende boodschap: At the request of the Belgian Federal Ministry of Economics and the Economic Inspection services the shipment of the tickets will be postponed for a short while. ... Just like all genuine music fans, these public bodies are worried about the illegal resale of those tickets via different channels, often at extortionate prices. This waiting period will help us and the government to take the necessary action against them. Het zal dus nog even wachten zijn op de werkelijke (of e-) tickets. Maar dat heeft dan ook een goede reden!

Also new Paris show rumored

After the confirmation of more German open air shows this summer, a French AC/DC news site (that, like this blog, also closely operates with the record company) rumors a new show in Paris, somewhere in June at Parc des Princes. A complementary Spanish show is also said to go on sale (according to a Spanish newspaper), but again no confirmation so far. This could be good news for all those who didn't get tickets so far. It would certainly make ticket prices on the black market drop. As soon as there's news about a third Belgian show, I'll update this site!

Na de bevestiging (zie onder) van enkele Duitse open air shows deze zomer, zou AC/DC volgens een Franse AC/DC nieuwssite (die, net als deze site, nauw samenwerkt met de platenfirma) nogmaals in Parijs optreden ergens in Juni (Parc des Princes). Een nieuwe Spaanse show zou volgens een Spaanse krant aangekondigd zijn, maar ook hiervan tot dusver geen bevestiging. Dat zou goed nieuws zijn voor diegenen die tot dusver geen kaartjes konden bemachtigen. Het zou zeker de ticketprijzen op de zwarte markt een serieuze klap geven. Van zodra ik meer weet over een derde show in België hou ik jullie natuurlijk op de hoogte!

German open Air tour: get ready!!!!

No panic for those who couldn't score tickets for the sold out Belgian or German shows. What we heard from different sources, is now officially confirmed: according to an official statement of Sony-BMG, AC/DC will play several big German Open-Air-Events after their stadium tour (European Leg 1). Tour dates are not concrete yet, but fans can already register at Eventim to be informed timely about any presale anouncements. Following cities are quoted (based on the reservations made):
• München
• Dresden
• Hamburg
• Berlin
• Hockenheim
• Köln
• Stuttgart

Will they play any Belgian festival(s)????

Geen paniek voor de mensen die geen ticket konden bemachtigen voor de Belgische of Duitse gigs. De geruchten gingen al een tijd de ronde maar zijn nu officieel bevestigd door Sony-BMG: AC/DC zal op enkele grote Duitse Open-Air events spelen na hun (overdekte) stadiontour. Data zijn nog niet beschikbaar maar fans kunnen zich al registreren bij Eventim om op de hoogte te blijven van de start van de voorverkopen. Volgende locaties worden geciteerd (op basis van de huidige reservaties):

• München
• Dresden
• Hamburg
• Berlin
• Hockenheim
• Köln
• Stuttgart

Zullen ze ook op een Belgisch festival spelen????

And one more picture from the rehearsals....

Just couldn't resist. Thank you RockCarole.

Bedlam in Belgium thanks you!

Thanks for visiting us! Leave a comment to tell me how this feels and where you're from :-)

As you can see on the right hand side of this page, we welcomed 5000 unique visitors coming from 54 different countries since our start end of August. Keeping an eye on the number of pageviews of Bedlam in Belgium, I know that most of you keep coming back frequently. I would like to thank you all for your support. Main aim of these pages is to keep the Belgian fans informed (along with our friends all over the world of course) about their favorite band. More than 2000 Belgians visit the site regularly. I hope you are able to find what you need. Feel free to leave comments on what can be improved, suggestions.

More to come soon of course: CHEERS!

Bedankt om ons te bezoeken! Laat zeker een comment achter om me te vertellen hoe dat voelt en waar je vandaan komt :-).

Zoals jullie kunnen zien hebben we reeds 5000 unieke bezoekers mogen verwelkomen uit 54 verschillende landen sinds onze start eind augustus. Als ik naar het aantal pageviews op Bedlam in Belgium kijk, dan weet ik dat verschillende onder jullie regelmatig terugkomen. Ik wil jullie bedanken voor de support. Dé grote bestaansreden van deze site is de Belgische fans (samen met onze internationale vrienden) op de hoogte te houden van hun favoriete band. Meer dan 2000 Belgen hebben de site al regelmatig bezocht. Ik hoop dat jullie dan ook vinden waar jullie naar op zoek zijn. Suggesties of zaken ter verbetering mogen zeker in een comment toegevoegd worden. More to come soon of course: CHEERS!

Positive reactions on first show yesterday

Yesterday, AC/DC kicked off the first leg of their Black Ice tour in Wilkes-Barre, USA with a private show, for thousands of lucky fans from all over the world. The setlist was rather short but is expected to be longer for the future shows (as on the picture from yesterday below). Songs from the new album are R'nR Train, Black Ice, Anything Goes, Big Jack and War Machine.

Gisteren is de Black Ice tour van start gegaan in de Verenigde Staten met een exclusieve show voor de fans. De setlist gisteren was eerder kort, maar voor de volgende shows kunnen volgende tracks verwacht worden (zie foto van de playlist onder). Uit het nieuwe album worden R'nR Train, Black Ice, Anything Goes, Big Jack en War Machine geplukt:

View some of the first YouTube fan videos of last nights show here (bombastic opening with R'nR Train) and here (Back in Black)!

Meanwhile you can download the first video clip in Microsoft Office Excel ever here. This is extremely cool, unfortunately it's not the entire R'nR Train video. Make sure you enable all macros on your computer.

Hier kan je de eerste video clip ooit in Excel downloaden. Zorg wel dat je PC de macro's accepteert.

Q ROCK 100

Last year, AC/DC's Thunderstruck was voted #1 in Q Music's Rock 100. Make sure that even more AC/DC songs are in that list and that the lads keep position on #1!!!!

Vote here! By the way: AC/DC's Black Ice entered the Belgian Ultratop charts on #1!

Vorig jaar stond Thunderstruck nummer één in de Rock 100 van Q Music. Als je er zeker van wil zijn dat AC/DC weer op 1 staat of als je denkt dat AC/DC meerdere keren in de lijst moet voorkomen, stem dan hier. Oh ja, Black Ice is in de Ultratop album chart binnengekomen op #1!!!!

Must see Brian Johnson interview!

Good evening! The great Marc Ysaye from Belgian radio station Classic21 managed to speak to Brian Johnson in what I'd like to call the best interview in years. Brian speaks openly about recording the album. Some things are really funny, like the tits on Phil Rudds drum kit. Others are deeply from the heart like when he's speaking about his first gig with AC/DC ever (in Belgium!!) in Namur 1980. Must see (see indeed because it's a movie clip)! Click here to go to the Classic21 website. Thanks Marc!

Een fijne avond! De one&only Marc Ysaye van de franstalige zender Classic21 is erin geslaagd om een tijdje terug Brian Johnson te interviewen. Brian spreekt openlijk over de opnames van Black Ice. Sommige verhaaltjes zijn om te bescheuren van het lachen, zoals de tieten op de drumkit van Phil Rudd. Andere zijn straight from the heart, zoals wanneer hij spreekt over zijn allereerste optreden met AC/DC ooit (leuk om te noteren dat dit in België -Namen- was) in 1980. Een absolute aanrader: klik hier om de videoclip te bekijken op de Classic21 website. Merci Marc!

NEWS NEWS NEWS......

A lot of news, published throughout different media, reaching an all time peak with the Black Ice album finally released and all tour dates nearly sold out. I try to bundle some of the most interesting bits on this Bedlam in Belgium Blog.

First of all, the launch of the new album has been commemorated throughout the world. In Belgium, Angus Young clones were noticed around central train stations to hand out stickers for the Black Ice release. In Antwerp, a handful lucky fans could prelisten the album and witnessed a nice show of AC/DC coverband Action In DC (more details about this evening later). In Rome, the band's logo was projected onto the famous Colosseum for one night. In Paris, fans could go on a treasure hunt to score tickets for the warm up concert in New York (source: H2ACDC-France).

On http://www.acdcrocks.de/air/ you can download a new application that installs an Angus desktop icon on your screen with all bits of the new album.

On the other hand we receive surprising news via the USA Today. In an interview with the newspaper, Brian Johnson announces that this could be his last tour (!??!): "At 61, this could be my last shot," Johnson says, but he adds that the run-throughs (red.: the band is currently rehearsing for the tour in Philadelphia) "have been smooth as a gravy sandwich." Enough for fans to speculate about this Black Ice tour being the very last tour. No worries as for now, because concerning the 18 month tour, we can almost tell for sure that there will be a second leg in Europe (open air and small club gigs during summer?) and in the US. 2008-2009 promisess to be an interesting year for AC/DC fans all over the world!

Listen to the Black Ice album ONLINE!

To pre-listen the entire album track by track online: go visit http://acdc.com/acdc101/ !

Enjoy!

New album available in Belgium (on CD and LP)

I went to Saturn for my Black Ice albums yesterday evening (both vinyl and limited edition CD ). As you should already know, the CD comes in three versions (red, yellow and white AC/DC lettering) and a limited edition blue iced version (see picture). The difference between the latter and the 3 color editions seems to be that the limited edition has a thougher cardboard sleeve and a booklet (with lyrics). Nice to know for you guys that were present on the Rock and Roll train video recording: some of the inner sleeve pictures seem to come from that night in London.

To my surprise, the vinyl version has a gatefolded sleeve (Leidseplein pressing) with nice inners, but no lyrics. Knowing that the Ballbreaker and the SUL album versions on vinyl were rather rare, I hurried to secure my copy. What are you waiting for?

Back in Business

Hi! It seemed that I planned the most unfortunate 2-week holidays in my life. Being deprived from nearly all daily modern communication means while I was in Cuba, the boys felt the need to shout about their tour dates in Europe!!!!!
This is the status on ticket sales when I arrived back in Belgium a couple of hours ago:

18 Feb 2009 Oslo NO Telenor Arena Sold Out
20 Feb 2009 Stockholm SE The Globe Sold Out
22 Feb 2009 Stockholm SE The Globe Sold Out
25 Feb 2009 Paris FR Bercy Sold Out
27 Feb 2009 Paris FR Bercy Sold Out
01 Mar 2009 Antwerp BE Sportpaleis Sold Out
03 Mar 2009 Antwerp BE Sportpaleis Sold Out
05 Mar 2009 Leipzig DE Halle 1 Sold Out
07 Mar 2009 Dusseldorf DE ISS Dome Sold Out
09 Mar 2009 Oberhausen DE KoPi Arena Sold Out
11 Mar 2009 Bremen DE AWD Dome Sold Out
13 Mar 2009 Rotterdam NL Ahoy ON SALE NOW
15 Mar 2009 Dortmund DE Westfallenhalle Sold Out
17 Mar 2009 Prague CZ O2 Arena Sold Out
19 Mar 2009 Milan IT Datch Forum Sold Out
21 Mar 2009 Milan IT Datch Forum Sold Out
23 Mar 2009 Budapest HU Papp László Budapest Sportarena Sold Out
25 Mar 2009 Frankfurt DE Festhalle Sold Out
27 Mar 2009 Munich DE Olympiahalle Sold Out
29 Mar 2009 Zurich CH Hallenstadion Sold Out
31 Mar 2009 Barcelona ES Sant Jordi ON SALE 2008-10-21
02 Apr 2009 Madrid ES Palacio de los Deportes ON SALE 2008-10-21
14 Apr 2009 London GB O2 Arena Sold Out
16 Apr 2009 London GB O2 Arena Sold Out
18 Apr 2009 Dublin IE O2 Arena Sold Out
21 Apr 2009 Manchester GB MEN Sold Out
23 Apr 2009 Birmingham GB NEC Sold Out


Only few dates are available for sale. I hope some (smaller ?) club shows will be added soon.
To all blog readers: I am sorry for not keeping you posted the past 2 weeks. I hope you all got the opportunity to grasp some tickets! Adding a second show for Antwerp proves that some of you got them! Sorry again, but get ready for new updates soon!

Contest closed!

Just to let you know that the contest to win tickets for the launch event on this Bedlam in Belgium Blog has now closed. Thanks for the massive response! Winners will be notified soon. Correct answers were of course Wilkes-Barre and 1977. None of the entrants actually missed that!!! :o) In the meantime you can surf and have fun with the Q magazine minisite on AC/DC! Cheers!

Hi, de wedstrijd om op deze Bedlam in Belgium Blog kaarten voor de launch party te winnen is nu afgesloten. Bedankt voor de massale inzendingen! De winnaars krijgen snel bericht van ons en kunnen dan met hun partner een avondje gaan genieten in Antwerpen. Ik stel voor dat tenminste iemand verslag uitbrengt over de avond! De juiste antwoorden? Wilkes-Barre en 1977 natuurlijk. Niemand die dat fout had!!! :o) Ondertussen kunnen jullie een kijkje gaan nemen op de Q magazine minisite over AC/DC! Cheers!

AC/DC announce more US-CAN dates!!!

The band announced 16 (!!) more tour dates for the North American leg earlier today. For the initial dates (sold out!) take a look at a few posts back.

20 December Ft. Lauderdale, FL

21 December Tampa, FL

5 January Cleveland, OH

7 January Pittsburgh, PA

9 January Toronto, ONT

11 January Cincinnati, OH

13 January St. Louis, MO

15 January Omaha, NE

17 January Fargo, ND

19 January Minneapolis, MN

21 January Kansas City, MO

23 January Dallas, TX

26 January Tulsa, OK on my birthday :o)

28 January Little Rock, AR

30 January Memphis, TN

31 January Nashville, TN

It looks like European dates are fare out of sight... or maybe not? The French fansite 2ACDC.COM announced that the band will play Paris at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy on 25 and 27 February 2009! Cancel that ski trip!!!!!

Furthermore, there's only 1 day left for the entries to the competition on this blog to win an audio premiere of the new album (see below). Send in your answers! Also, the recruitment for the Belgium Angus Army has come to an end. AC/DC recruits should have been contacted by now...

You can also still vote AC/DC on #1 in De Afrekening. Please do so here.

AC/DC heeft 16 bovenstaande Noord-Amerikaanse data toegevoegd aan zijn eerder uitverkochte tournee deze herfst-winter. Het ziet er naar uit dat Europese data nog ver weg lijken, of misschien niet? Volgens de Franse fansite 2ACDC.COM heeft de groep 2 data vastgelegd voor Parijs, namelijk op 25 en 27 februari 2009! Cancel jullie skitrips!!!

Verder hebben jullie morgen de laatste kans om in aanmerking te komen om het nieuwe album in absolute primeur te horen! Instructies voor deze wedstrijd in een eerdere post hieronder. Ook zijn de aanwervingen voor het Angus Army stopgezet. AC/DC recruits zouden nu ongeveer moeten gecontacteerd zijn geworden....

AC/DC op 1 stemmen in De Afrekening kan ook nog altijd, en dat doe je hier.

Your chance to hear Black Ice before its release - Win Win Win Win!

Good evening fellow AC/DC fans!

5x2 lucky belgian fans will get the opportunity to hear the entire new AC/DC album FOR FREE on the evening of 15 October in a secret location in Antwerp city, 1 day before the Dutch and German release event and 2 days before its official release date!!!! On top of that, the Dutch cover band Action in DC (HELL YEAH) will be giving a concert! To win a pair of tickets (5 available), answer both questions (correctly of course):

a) Which US city will host the first concert of the American leg of the Black Ice tour on 28 October?

b) The song "Bedlam in Belgium" (from the album Flick of the Switch) refers to a Belgian AC/DC concert involving a severe police intervention a couple of years before the song was written. When was that? Just give the year.

Mail your answer to moc.liamg@muiglebcdca (I reversed all letters of the gmail address to mislead search bots, so 1st character is last character of the mail address and so on) before 1 October. Oh, yeah: here's the official rules: winners will be selected amongst all entries with correct answers on both questions below. Each winner will be awarded two entry tickets. Competition valid only for Belgian residents, but entries from neighbouring countries might be considered.

Hi!

5X2 Belgische fans zullen dankzij deze blog en de platenfirma de kans krijgen om het volledige nieuwe AC/DC album Black Ice GRATIS in première te beluisteren op een exclusieve launch party in Antwerpen op 15 oktober 2008. Dat is een dag voor de Nederlanders en de Duitsers deze kans krijgen en twee dagen vóór de officiële release van het album. Sterker nog: de nederlandse AC/DC coverband Action in DC (HELL YEAH) zal de avond afsluiten met een concert!! Als je kans wil maken op één van de 5 felbegeerde duo-tickets, geef dan een correct antwoord op volgende twee vragen:

a) Geef de naam van de Amerikaanse stad waar AC/DC's Black Ice tour van start gaat op 28 oktober.

b) Het nummer "Bedlam in Belgium" (uit het album "Flick of the Switch") refereert naar een Belgisch AC/DC concert -een paar jaar eerder- waar de politie tussenbeide moest komen. In welk jaartal speelden deze feiten zich af?

Stuur de juiste antwoorden vóór woensdag 1 oktober naar volgend email-adres: moc.liamg@muiglebcdca (ik heb het gmail-adres achterstevoren geschreven om zoekbots te omzeilen, dus eerste letter is eigenlijk de laatste letter enzoverder) en wie weet ben jij uitgenodigd!! Good luck!

A cool plan failed....

Found this article on the web about some 20 unfortunate chaps that wanted to see AC/DC's show in Vancouver. The fans would have chartered a private jet to fly to the Vancouver show, that to their bad luck sold out in a couple of minutes.
I wonder if they would have jumped out of the plane by parachute into their seats or just park the vehicle front of venue.
Entire article on
My deepest sympathy....

Een tragisch artikel over 20 vrienden die AC/DC wilden zien in Vancouver. De fans zouden een private jet gaan huren om naar de show te vliegen. De show was helaas uitverkocht in een paar minuten. Zouden ze met een parachute uit het vliegtuig, recht in hun stoel gesprongen zijn of gewoon de jet aan de ingang van het stadion geparkeerd hebben?
Lees het artikel hier.
Oprechte deelneming...

Another single released! WAR MACHINE (#5)

Hi folks! Much much much much going on! New information on our favorite band keeps rolling in like a rock 'n roll train on speed!!
On the band's official MySpace page, you can listen to WAR MACHINE, yet another track (#5) of the new Black Ice album: "Watch your back and cover your tracks!" Hell YEAH
Tickets for the first shows on the N. American leg have also gone on sale as from today. I can't wait to hear about European dates...... THIS TOUR WILL GO CRAZY!

Er valt veel nieuws te rapen over onze favoriete band: de nieuwtjes rollen per rock 'n roll trein binnen aan waanzinnige snelheden!!!
Op de officiële MySpace van de band kan je nu al exclusief luisteren naar WAR MACHINE, track #5 van de nieuwe Black Ice CD: "Watch your back and cover your tracks!" HELL YEAH
De ticketverkoop van de eerste Noord-Amerikaanse shows is ook vandaag van start gegaan. Ik wacht met jullie vol ongeduld op de europese dates. DEZE TOUR WORDT EEN FEESTJE!!!!

More band pics + Video premiere

Hi! Here's more band pics! I wonder who that hotsome is next to Mal (and I don't mean Angus).
Bye the way: live video premiere of the new video clip on midnight US time!!! ENJOY!

The ANGUS ARMY needs you!

Exclusive: Join the Belgian Angus army and get rewarded! AC/DC's record company is currenlty looking for enthusiastic AC/DC fans to promote the new album. You need to be available on 17 October, the day of the new album launch. After your Dirty Deeds, you will be rewarded with an AC/DC surprise! Recruting Belgian fans only, I'm afraid.

Exclusief: sluit je aan bij het Belgische Angus Leger en wordt ervoor beloond! De platenfirma van AC/DC is op zoek naar enthousiaste AC/DC fans die het nieuwe album willen promoten. Je moet ervoor vrij zijn op 17 oktober (zeker in de voormiddag), de dag van de lancering van het nieuwe album. Voor enkele Dirty Deeds zal je beloond worden met een AC/DC verrassing! Geïnteresseerd? Stuur een email naar dit adres met je naam, telefoonnummer, en leeftijd: moc.liamg@muiglebcdca (het adres staat achterstevoren om de spamfilters te omzeilen). We nemen dan contact met je op. Vrienden altijd welkom.

It's a long way to the top of De Afrekening?

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock & roll! AC/DC jumps 10 places today to #11 in De Afrekening, a Belgian alternative music hotlist. You can still cast your votes for AC/DC clicking here. Simply give your top 3 singles of the moment and add AC/DC on #1 of course!

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock & roll! AC/DC springt 10 plaatsen vooruit in De Afrekening tot op de elfde plaats. Kan hoger volgende week als je't mij vraagt... Vul hier je top 3 in voor volgende week!

Black Ice album Review

MusicRadar posted a very promising Black Ice album Review on the web:

You can read the full review on: MusicRadar

Here's what he thinks about War Machine: "Whoa…it's getting ominous. The chord progression of the verse and chorus are in the same vein as Givin' The Dog A Bone, only more sinister. But if any band has a right to nick from themselves, it's AC/DC. Freaking hot solo, natch."
I wonder where MusicRadar had the opportunity to hear the album.....

MusicRadar heeft op zijn website een veelbelovende review geschreven over het nieuwe Black Ice album. Je kan de volledige review hier nalezen: MusicRadar

RNRT Video footage posted!

Hello.... this is quite a nice gift for a Sunday evening: a teaser video of the Rock N Roll Train clip has been posted on Youtube! Promising!

Watch it here/Bekijk het hier

Dit is een plezante afsluiter van een zonnige zondag: een teaser filmpje van de Rock N Roll Train videoclip werd net gepost op Youtube! Veelbelovend!

New picture available!

Good evening, it seems to me that Brian and Ang are doing all the promo work lately.... Both soundbites I posted earlier, the Howard Stern appearance, now this picture. I wonder where Mal and Cliff are, or what Phil is up to? Brian and Angus are well concentrated on promoting the upcoming tour kick off in the US.

Een fijne avond iedereen! Het lijkt er op dat Brian en Angus al het promowerk met z'n tweetjes klaren. De twee soundbites die ik eerder heb gepost, het interview met Howard Stern en nu deze foto. Ik vraag me af wat de rest van de band aan het uitspoken is? Brian en Angus promoten duidelijk de start van de tour in de VS.

First tour dates announced!

Billboard has announced the first tour dates of the new AC/DC world tour, kicking of with a North American legg. Tickets will go on sale as from 20 September:
Oct. 28 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - Wachovia Arena
Oct. 30 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena
Nov. 03 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse
Nov. 05 - Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
Nov. 07 - Toronto, ONT - Rogers Centre
Nov. 09 - Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Garden
Nov. 12-13 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
Nov. 15 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
Nov. 17 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
Nov. 19 - East Rutherford, NJ - IZOD Center
Nov. 21 - Columbus, OH - Schottenstein Center
Nov. 23 - Minneapolis, MN - Xcel Energy Center
Nov. 25 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
Nov. 28 - Vancouver, BC - General Motors Place
Nov. 29 - Seattle, WA - KeyArena
Nov. 30 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
Dec. 02 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
Dec. 06 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
Dec. 10 - Phoenix, AZ - US Airways Center
Dec. 12 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
Dec. 14 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
Dec. 16 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
Dec. 18 - Charlotte, NC - Time Warner Cable Arena

Vote AC/DC in De Afrekening (II)

Hey! Great news! Thanks to your support AC/DC entered #21 in "De Afrekening", an important Belgian alternative music chart. This even without a hardcopy single released! This week, you can vote again to push the song even higher! You can still vote here on your favorite top 3.

Hi! Fantastisch nieuws! Dankzij jullie support kwam AC/DC op nr. 21 binnen in De Afrekening. En dat zonder dat er een hardcopy single in de winkel ligt! Stemmen voor je favoriete top 3 (met Rock & Roll Train op 1) kan nog altijd hier.

Angus & Brian with Howard Stern

Howard Stern welcomed Brian and Angus earlier this week in his radio studios. The boys are talking about the new album, their deal with Walmart (guaranteeing sales of 3 million albums at a low price, thus making the Black Ice album affordable for a broad audience), smoking, Jerry Springer's house, Aston Martins, tobacco spray and much more.

Apart from Howard Stern's silly questions and interventions (this guy is clearly in some pre-Freudian phallus phase), it is funny to hear how US politics don't seem to bother them. On the other hand Brian, living in Florida, suggests to use "She's got balls" as an anthem for Hillary Clinton's campaigns. This Howard keeps interupting the guys all the time. If I had them in my Bedlam in Belgium studio, I'd rather ask something more about the new album.... In part 5 you can hear them singing along to the Rock & Roll Train song!

Listen to the interview on Youtube:
part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6

Op Youtube kan je nu luisteren naar een Howard Stern sessie met Brian en Angus. Beide bandleden spreken voluit over hun deal met Walmart (waardoor ze in één pennentrek 3 miljoen albums verkopen en tegelijkertijd hun muziek aan een zachte prijs aan Joe Sixpack verkopen), roken, het huis van Jerry Springer, de Auston Martins van Brian, en tabakspray.
Howard Stern stelt de hele tijd gigantisch belachelijke vragen (de man zit duidelijk in een Freudiaanse fallusfase). Het is leuk om te horen hoe de boys niet echt wakker liggen van de Amerikaanse presidentsverkiezingen, maar Brian suggereert wel dat Hillary tijdens haar campagnes "She's got Balls" als anthem had moeten gebruiken. Moest AC/DC in de Bedlam in Belgium studio binnenwandelen zou ik gegarandeerd meer vragen gesteld hebben over het nieuwe album... In het vijfde deel zingen ze mee met Rock & Roll Train!

Vote AC/DC in de Afrekening!

Vote here to get AC/DC's Rock&Roll Train in "De Afrekening" charts on Studio Brussel, the hottest alternative music charts in Belgium. Fill out the top 3 and don't forget to put AC/DC on #1! If you forgot how the song sounds: visit ACDCROCKS.COM and rock your heart out!

Good night!

Vul hier je favoriete top 3 in om Rock&Roll Train van AC/DC in De Afrekening te stemmen. Vergeet niet om AC/DC op #1 te zetten! Als je vergeten bent hoe de song klinkt: go to ACDCROCKS.COM en rock your heart out!

AC/DC Release Party

Hello! Good news for Belgian AC/DC fans! Not only the album will available as from 17 October already, Sony-BMG plans a release party for the new Black Ice album and the No Bull -The directors cut- DVD somewhere mid October.
No tickets will go on sale for this event, but this blog will announce how to win tickets for this exclusive event.
Dutch fans can also expect an explosive release party in Utrecht (16 October at Stairway to Heaven) with a performance of Dutch AC/DC coverband Action in DC!

Goed nieuws voor Belgische AC/DC fans! Het nieuwe album zal niet enkel al vanaf 17 oktober in de winkel liggen, Sony-BMG plant ook een release party voor het nieuwe Black Ice album en de No Bull - The directors cut- DVD ergens midden oktober.
Tickets voor dit event zullen niet te koop worden aangeboden, maar op deze blog zal aangekondigd worden hoe je tickets kan winnen om dit exclusieve event bij te wonen.
Nederlandse fans kunnen ook een explosieve release party verwachten op 16 oktober in Utrecht (Stairway to Heaven) met een optreden van de Nederlandse AC/DC coverband Action in DC!

Angus and Brian on the new album

Exclusive!!! EXCLUSIEF!!!!

Listen to Angus Young and Brian Johnson on the new Black Ice album (soundbites):

http://rapidshare.com/files/141067411/Angus_Young_on_Black_Ice_1_1.mp3.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/141067412/Brian_Johnson_On_Black_Ice_1_2.mp3.html

Luister naar Angus Young en Brian Johnson over het nieuwe album (soundbites).

No Belgian show on 20 March....

Nearly stonedeaf after listening to the new song over and over again, new rumours still manage to reach our ears.
A Belgian show is rumoured on a Belgian concert blog to be scheduled on 20 March 2009! Venue would be the Sports Palace in Antwerp. Usually it is difficult to get an overall good sound -without to much echo - in this place, but that shouldn't be too much of a burden with AC/DC's solid and loud riffs.
To my knowledge, it would be the first time AC/DC ever plays this venue.
You'll get an update if this news gets confirmation.

Update: (sooner than expected: that day a silly Dutch Crooner sings at the venue)


Ik ben bijna zo doof als een pier door het grijsdraaien (wat een nostalgische uitdrukking voor een digitale geluids'drager') van de nieuwe single. Desondanks vangen onze grote oren hier een daar toch nog een gerucht op: er zou een Belgische show komen op 20 Maart 2009! Plaats van afspraak zou het Sportpaleis in Antwerpen zijn, een zaal waar goed overall geluid vaak een utopie is maar waar AC/DC met zijn strakke en luide riffs geen problemen zal hebben om daar voor te zorgen. Voor zover ik weet zou het de eerste keer zijn dat AC/DC daar optreedt. U natuurlijk een update als dit bevestigd wordt.

Update: (sneller dan verwacht) die dag vult Marco Borsato het Sportpaleis.....
We blijven in blijde verwachting.

New band space on YouTube

Visit the bands YouTube page to enjoy some cool videos of AC/DC's performances. You can listen to the full length ROCK N ROLL TRAIN song on the AC/DC official website.

Phil

Rock & Roll Train

Good evening! An exciting morning it will be....
Listen to the first airing of the new single on these Belgian radiostations:

Classic 21: from 07 AM http://www.classic21.be/
Studio Brussel: between 07u30 en 8 AM http://www.stubru.be/
Radio Donna: between 4 and 7 PM http://www.donna.be/
Q Music: between 5 and 6 PM http://www.qmusic.be/

Sorry: for the moment there won't be any hardcopy release or online release (iTunes). The band continues to resist online distribution.
ENJOY!
Phil

Een fijne avond: luister morgen naar volgende radiostations voor de radio release van de nieuwe AC/DC single!

Classic 21: vanaf 07u ‘s ochtends http://www.classic21.be/
Studio Brussel: tussen 07u30 en 8u http://www.stubru.be/
Radio Donna: tussen 16u en 19u http://www.donna.be/
Q Music: tussen 17u en 18u http://www.qmusic.be/

Het is jammer maar er zal voorlopig van deze single geen hardcopy release komen en ook geen online distributie via iTunes. De band weerstaat vooralsnog aan de lokroep om hun muziek online te verdelen.
ENJOY!
Phil

30 seconds fragment

It seems that the band has removed the 30 second fragment from its MySpace. It is however still available through YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmOsTKLdows
Het lijkt erop dat de band het fragment van de nieuwe track van zijn MySpace website heeft gehaald. Het fragment is op YouTube nog te vinden: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmOsTKLdows

Black Ice

Hello! Some news today: the artwork of AC/DC 's new album Black Ice will be released in 3 colour versions of the bands logo. Apart from the different logo colours, they seem to have a different album cover artwork. Take a look at Jon Talismans Blog for a first glimpse!

For people like myself who are more interested in the music rather than the package, here's the tracklisting for the Black Ice album:
1. Rock ’n Roll Train (1st single: radio release 28 August)
2. Skies On Fire
3. Big Jack
4. Anything Goes
5. War Machine
6. Smash N Grab
7. Spoilin’ For A Fight
8. Wheels
9. Decibel
10. Stormy May Day
11. She Likes Rock N Roll
12. Money Made
13. Rock N Roll Dream
14. Rocking All The Way
15. Black Ice

There is a 30 sec fragment available on the bands official MySpace website. It's probably taken from Rock 'n Roll Train, but we will know for sure soon enough: this Thursday! Greetz!!!

Hi! Meer nieuws vandaag over het nieuwe album: Black Ice zal gereleased worden in 3 verschillende albumcovers. Het AC/DC logo zal in zilvergrijs, geel en rood beschikbaar zijn. Los daarvan lijkt het artwork van de volledige album cover ook verschillend te zijn. Neem een kijkje op de blog van Jon Talisman voor een afbeelding van de drie covers.

Voor mensen zoals ik die eerder kicken op de muziek dan op de packaging, zie hier de track listing van Black Ice:
1. Rock ’n Roll Train
2. Skies On Fire
3. Big Jack
4. Anything Goes
5. War Machine
6. Smash N Grab
7. Spoilin’ For A Fight
8. Wheels 9. Decibel
10. Stormy May Day
11. She Likes Rock N Roll
12. Money Made
13. Rock N Roll Dream
14. Rocking All The Way
15. Black Ice

Van één van deze 15 songs is deze track op de officiële AC/DC MySpace een 30 sec fragment. Naar alle waarschijnlijkheid komt dit uit Rock 'n Roll Train, we zullen het deze donderdag weten!!! Greetz!!

Bedlam in Kontich 1977

"Stage was stage, Cops enraged, Crying for more, It was war, war, war"

The above is an excerpt from the lyrics to the song Bedlam in Belgium on the Flick of the Switch album (August 1983). The song defininately marked Belgium as an (infamous) spot onto the AC/DC World Map! For the last day of the EU leg of the Let There Be Rock-tour (9 October 1977), AC/DC was scheduled in Dancing Thierbrau in Kontich, Belgium. Kontich had a strict 11 p.m. noise curfew, but the band was still performing. A small riot broke out when the local police tried to prevent the band from playing. Cops followed Angus, who had jumped off stage duckwalking, into the crowd and hit him. The song also suggests fire arms being shown to enforce silence.
Who could tell me more about this show in Kontich? It would be nice to have an eyewitnes of this Bedlam in Belgium. Please leave a comment. Cheers!

Bovenstaand fragment is afkomstig uit de song Bedlam in Belgium (zoveel als Beroering in België - What's new?) van het album Flick of the Switch (Augustus 1983). Met deze track heeft België zich nogal schaamtelijk op de AC/DC wereldkaart gezet! Op de laatste dag van het Europese luik van de Let There Be Rock-tour (1977), stond AC/DC geprogrammeerd in Dancing Thierbrau te Kontich, waar het op dat moment na 11 uur 's avonds muisstil moest zijn. Dat was natuurlijk buiten de band gerekend: die wilde plichtsbewust de show afmaken. Het kwam tot een opstootje wanneer de lokale politie het optreden probeerde stil te leggen. Eén agent ging Angus achterna, die van het podium al duckwalkend door het publiek probeerde te ontsnappen, en verkocht hem een lap. De song maakt verder ook melding van agenten die met hun pistool zwaaien om een einde te maken aan het nachtlawaai.
Wie kan er meer vertellen over deze show in Kontich? Het zou fijn zijn om een ooggetuige van deze Bedlam in Belgium aan het woord te laten. Post gerust een comment. Cheers!

Welcome to Bedlam in Belgium!!!

Good evening, in case you accidentally landed on this new AC/DC blog.
I called it Bedlam in Belgium, in honour of a song the band wrote after a heavy concert night in Kontich city, near Antwerp, Belgium. I will come back to you with the story behind... don't worry.

Also more is to be expected on the forthcoming album "Black Ice", to be released by 20th October. I can tell you that the album might be already in-store on Friday 17th or Saturday 18th.

Please tell your friends, bookmark and come back for regular updates on the band, the new album and of course a brand new TOUR! I didn't sort out yet if the blog should be in English only or also in Dutch. Truth is that my first objective is to inform the Belgian fanbase. I think they deserve the right to be informed!

Rock on! Phil

Een fijne avond gewenst aan de toevallige voorbijganger die op deze blog belandde. U bent verzeild geraakt op een nieuwe Belgische blog over AC/DC. Ik heb de blog "Bedlam in Belgium" genoemd, naar een song die de band geschreven heeft na een zwaar feestje in Kontich, nabij Antwerpen. Daarover vertel ik u graag later meer.

Ook over het langverwachte nieuwe album "Black Ice" zal op deze blog weldra meer informatie te vinden zijn. Het album wordt wereldwijd gereleased op 20 oktober, maar ik kan jullie alvast vertellen dat jullie waarschijnlijk al op vrijdag 17 of zaterdag 18 naar de winkel kunnen hollen om het te gaan kopen.

Men zegge het voort, bookmark deze blog en kom zeker eens kijken want het is de bedoeling dat hij vaak wordt geupdate met het heetste van de naald over de band, het album en de TOUR. Ik ben er nog niet uit of de blog ook in het Engels moet. Het is alleszins wel de bedoeling om de Belgische fans te geven waar ze recht op hebben.

Rock on! Phil