Hells Jingle Bells anounce: another ride in Europe!

Great news! Prepare yourselves for another devastating round of high voltage Rock 'n Roll!!! Following European shows have been officially announced. Most of them go on sale this week.

16 May 2010 Bucharest RO Piata Constitutiei

19 May 2010 Udine IT Stadio Friuli

22 May 2010 Wels AT Air Field (Flugplatz Wels)

25 May 2010 Hannover DE Messe

13 Jun 2010 Stuttgart DE Cannstatter Wasen

15 Jun 2010 Nice FR Parc des Sports Charles Ehrmann

18 Jun 2010 Paris FR Stade De France

20 Jun 2010 Dresden DE Ostrahege

22 Jun 2010 Berlin DE Olympic Stadium

New AC/DC live DVD to be recorded this week in Argentina!

According to 10Music.com, the band will record a live DVD with the crazy Argentina crowd on the 2, 4 and 6 of December, when they will be performing at the River Plate Stadium. On the 5th of December, some stage shots will be recorded without audience. This is similar to what happened for the recording of the Anything Goes video earlier this year. The DVD release will be unfortunately somewhat after Christmas....
Volgens 10Music.com, zal AC/DC de komende dagen een live DVD opnemen in het bijzijn van een paar duizend Argentijnen. De DVD wordt opgenomen tijdens hun concerten in het River Plate Stadion op 2, 4 en 6 december. Op 5 december zullen enkele stageshots zonder publiek opgenomen worden, net zoals dat het geval was voor de opnames van de Anything Goes video eerder dit jaar. De DVD release zal helaas voor na de kerstperiode zijn....

New Gibson SG Angus Young custom

This beauty cutie will soon be available on a limited run of 200 copies... Available from Gibson's custom shop with thunder inlay on mahogany. Rrrrrrrrrraw!

Watch fans from all over the world discover Backtracks!

Win tickets for the Live at Circus Krone screening!

Via de site van VT4 maak je kans om op vrijdag 6 november de (éénmalige!) screening van “AC/DC Live at Circus Krone 2003” bij te wonen in Kinepolis Brussel (20u). SMS nu ACDC naar 6654 (1 euro/sms, max 4 berichten/deelname) en maak kans op een duoticket!
Verwacht je binnenkort aan een reportage over deze box!

I will post soon a movie clip showing Angus opening the box! Watch out.... Here's already a teaser. Now stick this in your fusebox:

PLUG INTO AC/DC BACKTRACKS!

AC/DC Backtracks out 10 November!

Here are the images of the well kept secret new AC/DC box set (details on the content in the message of 21 September below). The box looks really exciting and is already on presale on acdcbacktracks.com

AC/DC reschedule 6 tour dates

AC/DC.com reports the following: lead singer Brian Johnson recently underwent a medical procedure and at the advice of his doctor is taking some time to rest.
AC/DC's Black Ice World Tour, which was set to hit Phoenix, AZ on October 1, will be postponed to a later date. Subsequent shows in Las Vegas, Louisville, Kansas City, Des Moines and Milwaukee will also be rescheduled. The tour will resume on October 16 in Washington, DC.

In the meantime, for the promotion of the new box set, ACDCROCKS.com finally added a Belgian/Dutch section and a brand new promo page has been launched: ACDCBackTracks.com . Make sure you click that page a couple of times before the big announcement on 29th September: rare movie clips alter!

Op de officiële AC/DC website wordt vermeld dat Brian Johnson's dokter hem rust hebben voorgeschreven, na een recent medisch onderzoek. De tour zal verder gaan op 16 oktober in Washington DC, maar de 6 US data tot dan zullen naar een latere datum verplaatst worden.
Ondertussen heeft ACDCROCKS.com eindelijk een Belgisch/Nederlands luik en werd er een gloednieuwe promopagina gecreëerd (ACDCBackTracks.com) naar aanloop van de big announcement op 29 september. Ga af en toe een kijkje nemen want de zeldzame filmpjes op deze site wisselen!

15 million fingers, learning how to play

It looks like AC/DC is ready to reinforce this 1977 credo by launching a brand new exclusive boxset in the shape of a real guitar amp this October, distributed solely through http://www.acdcrocks.com/. This gem would be a 3 CD - 2 DVD and 1 vinyl (plus loads of extras and goodies) masterpiece of rarities. It would be presented in an amp shaped pack, an amp that is actually working! This would make AC/DC once more a band that stimulates youngsters to pick up the guitar and play rock and roll music, as the prophecy in their 1977 Let There Be Rock song.
There will be a CD of studio rarities, two CDs featuring live rarities, a DVD disc of Family Jewels Part 3 (1992-2009 with hopefully live footage!) and a DVD disc featuring a live show from 2003 in Circus Krone, Germany. The vinyl album will have all the studio rarities. The lot will be accompanied by a 164-page book, plus loads of extras, such as three black-and-white lithographs of unpublished photos of the band in Alberts Studio in 1977, a flyer for the 1976 Lock Up Your Daughters UK tour and a poster from the 1977 European Let There Be Rock Tour.
More details and official confirmation hopefully added soon!

Het ziet ernaar uit dat AC/DC het credo uit 1977 nieuw leven wil inblazen met de lancering van een nieuwe boxset in de vorm van een gitaarversterker in oktober. De box zou alleen te verkrijgen zijn op http://www.acdcrocks.com/. De box zou 3 CD's - 2 DVD's en 1 vinyl album bevatten, plus een heleboel extra's. Het geheel verpakt in de vorm van een versterker, die daarenboven echt zou werken. Op deze manier werkt de band aan de opdracht om jongeren ertoe aan te zetten gitaar te leren spelen en rock 'n roll te maken, zoals in hun profetie "Let there be rock" uit 1977. Er komt een CD en vinyl LP met moeilijk te vinden studiomateriaal, één met onuitgegeven live materiaal, een DVD met deel 3 uit de Family Jewels collectie (1992-2009 met hopelijk live footage!) en een live DVD met de show uit 2003 in Circus Krone. Een boek van 164 pagina's maakt het helemaal af, samen met een hoop extra's zoals zwartwit litho's uit de Albert Studio 1977, een flyer van de Lock Up Your Daughters UK tour en een poster van de Let There Be Rock Tour. Hopelijk snel meer info en officiële bevestiging van deze release!

Amsterdamnation

I hope you had a superblast last night in Amsterdam!

Here's some eye candy for those about to rock, but couldn't make it to Amsterdam. Or also for those who just like to relive it - from another angle:

Photos (Prettydisorder)
Article (RTL)
Article (Parool)

Stubru (audio)

Rock 'n Roll Train + Intro (Youtube)
Thunderstruck (High Quality!)

Have fun in Amsterdam tonight!

I hope you all have a blast and a real Amsterdamnation tonight (and a safe trip home)! Post your reviews!

AC/DC Stade de France Paris!

Last night, the Stade de France in Paris was the scene for 80.000 crazy AC/DC fans to witness the band perform in France for the 4th time this year. ACDC Belgium had to be there after all the testimonials we heard about the energetic enthusiasm of the French crowds at previous shows. See some nice footage from around the Stade here (incredibbly hilarious - as from 1min40). The closer we got to Paris, the more AC/DC fans we could spot. Arrival at the stadium was very friendly and warm, Angus look-a-likes were shaking hands and taking pictures, drinking beers and some of them were stuffing themselves with hamburgers to secure a certain level of calory intake.

I must admit that things litterally heated up already during the course of the afternoon when a 25°C heat wave sucked the water out of our bodies while waiting for the gates to open and storm the "pelouse d'or" (fancy French name for the standing fanclub pit upfront). Technical difficulties during the sound check did not help when gates finally opened about an hour behind on schedule. Ordering beers was rather difficult, but their size (50cl) largely compensated that. It makes me laugh when I think that our neighbours in the south offer (sell with a higher margin is actually a better way to describe it: 6 € per pint) larger pints while our neighbours in the north (the Netherlands) sell much smaller ones than in Belgium. That underlines the typical Belgian compromise philosophy, I guess. Not too many spectators present yet for the first band: Café Bertrand, a typical (?) french hardrock band.

I missed most of The Answer, while I was queueing for both toilets and beer, but they started of energetic as always with lots of "merci beacoups". When halfway a sound technician messed with the volume, it became clear that their show would have been loads better at louder volume. During the break the Stade was portraying commercials for the AC/DC show, anounced by the sound of the Hell's Bell. Everytime this would make the crowd cheer.

Outside temperature in the meantime came down a bit with the sun being hid behind the Stade's walls. That drastically changed when the Rock 'n Roll train video hit the huge video screen. The band in great shape as most of the other times and particularly into pleasing the French crowd. It is true that the crowd was heavier than anywhere else. Holding tight to the mojo barrier beside us (Mal's side against cat walk) and trying to breath normally, a weird heating effect was playing: barrier right temperature was about 23°C and from barrier left an everlasting heat wave (must have been 40°C+) tried to escape from the pit. No wonder that after 6 songs a thunderstorm emerged, marked with the occasional Thunderstruck. No changes in the setlist (while everyone was silently hoping that Ride On would be added), but it was the first time that I heard Dog Eat Dog live: Brian is doing this track with impeccable brio and incredible voice!

Instead of rocking all the way during Let There Be Rock, this time I had to stay focussed on survival. Very nice show and atmosphere, thousands € worth of devil horned lighting, friendly crowd and excellent well deserved hotel afterwards! We salute you Paris!

More nice pictures: here.

Ac/Dc fan packs now available in Belgium

De volgende 4 geremasterde AC/DC albums zijn nu verkrijgbaar als limited edition box set: For Those About to Rock, Back in Black, Highway to Hell en High Voltage. Bij de aanblik van de mooie cardboard doosjes, kreeg in last van een klein gevoel van nostalgie: het doosje (met daarin een cd, key ring, gitaar pick, een sticker en een tijdelijke tattoo) heeft erg veel weg van een mini uitvoering van de op vinyl verschenen 3 LP box met daarin Dirty Deeds, Powerage en High Voltage. Het concept is niet nieuw dus, maar het ziet er wel leuk uit - en betaalbaar! Een aanrader voor wie de muziek nog niet op CD heeft! Ook de Live at Donnington DVD is nu opnieuw beschikbaar als limited edition.

The following 4 remastered AC/DC albums are available as limited edition box seg: For Those About to Rock, Back in Black, Highway to Hell and High Voltage. I became rather nostalgic when opening this beautiful cardboard box: it looks a lot like the boxed LP set with Dirty Deeds, Powerage and High Voltage from the early 80's. This one has also some accessories: a key chain, guitar pick, a sticker and a temporary tattoo. So the concept isn't new, but it has a nice (affordable) touch to it. Ideal pick up for those who don't have these on CD yet. The Live at Donnington DVD has also been reissued as a limited edition.

1 on 40 Australians plan to see AC/DC's Black Ice tour!

Ongeveer 1 op 40 Australiërs is van plan om AC/DC's Black Ice tour bij te wonen begin volgend jaar. Volgens de organisatie werden een half miljoen tickets in no time verkocht. Dat maakt de Black Ice tour de snelst verkopende tour ooit in het land van de kangeroes. Er werden twee extra concerten ingelegd in Sydney en Melbourne nadat de eerste show uitverkocht in 10 minuten. Perth en Brisbane hebben allebei ook een tweede show uitverkocht. Perth was zelfs uitverkocht in 7 minuten tijd!

About one in every 40 Australians plan to see rock legends AC/DC when their Black Ice tour comes Down Under early next year. Promoters say about 500,000 tickets were sold in no time. That makes it the fastest-selling concert tour ever offered in Australia. Two extra concerts have been added in both Sydney and Melbourne after the first sold out within 10 minutes. Perth and Brisbane have each sold out a second concert. Fans in Perth bought all the tickets for the first concert in just seven minutes.

Drive Like Maria opening for AC/DC in Amsterdam

According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Belgian/Dutch band Drive Like Maria will be opening up for The Answer and AC/DC in a sold out Amsterdam Arena on 23 June.

Volgens de krant De Telegraaf speelt de Belgisch-Nederlandse band Drive Like Maria op dinsdag 23 juni in het voorprogramma van The Answer en AC/DC in de uitverkochte Amsterdam Arena.
Drive Like Maria stond in maart al in een uitverkocht Rotown in Rotterdam en Paradiso in Amsterdam om het album Elmwood in Nederland uit te brengen. In 2005 won de band de Global Battle of the Bands. Hij eindigden als tweede in de internationale GBOB-finale in het Londense Astoria. De band greep net naast de hoofdprijs van ruim 67.000 euro, maar haalde wel een aantal optredens in Amerika en Mexico en een platendeal bij PIAS binnen.

New song added in Leipzig

Tonight Leipzig had a 50.000 crowd listening to AC/DC playing the familiar setlist, with one cool extra song: Dog Eat Dog! The setlist now has 20 songs. Curious to see it evolve in the next couple of shows!

De 50.000 fans in Leipzig kregen vanavond één extra nummer bovenop de gebruikelijke Black Ice setlist: Dog Eat Dog! Er staan nu 20 songs op de setlist. Benieuwd hoe dit de komende shows zal evolueren!

Thin Lizzy opening up for AC/DC in the UK/Eire

I promised you, I would post some due news:
The Irish rock band THIN LIZZY will be supporting AC/DC during the following upcoming UK and Ireland shows:

26 June: London - Wembley Stadium
28 June: Dublin - Punchestown Racetrack
30 June: Glasgow - Hampden Park

Please scroll down for more recent news.

Tijdens bovenstaande shows in de UK en Ierland zal THIN LIZZY openen voor AC/DC!
Ondertussen heb ik al zoveel updates gedaan dat er nog een hele resem recent nieuws onderaan staat. Please scroll down. Greetz!

First shots of the Stadium tour stage!

Courtesy of our friends @ AC/DC Abruzzo are these first shots from what the stage of this new leg of the Black Ice tour might look like. Apart from some Rock 'n Roll Train elements, there are some similarities with the Stiff Upper Lip show in Paris. These images come from a try-out setup of the stage in Munich. WARNING: DON'T LOOK IF YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO RESIST!!!!! Now that's mean, isn't it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicobill/3518497673/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicobill/3518507117/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicobill/3518515607//
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicobill/3518498363/

Onze vrienden van AC/DC Abruzzo hebben de hand kunnen leggen op enkele long distance shots van de podium look voor de stadionshows. De foto's zijn afkomstig van een try-out stage setup in Munchen. WARNING: DON'T LOOK IF YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO RESIST!!!!! Tempting hè?

Kick off Stadium tours nearby! Get it hot!

Tomorrow, AC/DC will kick off their European stadium tour in Leipzig, Germany. After a short break - to get used again to the food on the continent - the band will play 5 shows in Germany, before touring again to Spain, France, Scandinavia,..., and also for some (un)lucky Belgians the long anticipated Amsterdam show in the Netherlands.
I've been taking a short break as well (heavy duty at work) but am dedicated to post you the AC/DC world news highlights that you might have missed in the meantime.

Let's start building the atmosphere with some touching stories from and about real fans from over the pond to get you warmed up for the next chapter of the tour. Feel the heat and pass it on: here's the next 5 jivin' episodes from ACDCFANNATION.COM:

AC/DC Rock n Roll Fannation - Episode 3 from AC/DC Rock n Roll Fannation on Vimeo.

AC/DC Rock n Roll Fannation - Episode 4 from AC/DC Rock n Roll Fannation on Vimeo.

AC/DC Rock n Roll Fannation - Episode 5 from AC/DC Rock n Roll Fannation on Vimeo.

AC/DC Rock n Roll Fannation - Episode 6 from AC/DC Rock n Roll Fannation on Vimeo.

Morgen start de Europese stadion tour in Leipzig, Duitsland. Na een korte break - om terug te wennen aan de keuken op het vasteland - speelt AC/DC 5 shows in Duitsland, vooraleer ze weer spelen in Spanje, Frankrijk, Scandinavië,..., en ook voor sommige (on)gefortuneerde Belgen in Amsterdam. Het geduldige wachten zal zeker beloond worden! Ikzelf heb ook even een break genomen van de blog (heavy duty at work) maar ik beloof jullie dat ik alle AC/DC world news highlights die jullie misschien gemist hebben nog zal posten. Als uitsmijter: een paar fimpjes met aangrijpende verhalen van echte fans aan de andere kant van de oceaan. Feel the heat, pass it on en maak dat je klaar bent voor het volgende hoofdstuk van de tour!

Aussie rockers finally announce tour down under!

These are the (unconfirmed) dates for the Australian/New Zealand leg of the tour:
Hier volgend de (onbevestigde) data voor het Australische/Nieuw Zeelandse luik van de meer dan 18 maanden durende tour:

Jan. 30 - Wellington, New Zealand - TBA
Feb. 06 - Auckland, New Zealand - TBA
Feb. 11 - Melbourne, Australia - Etihad Stadium TBA
Feb. 18 - Sydney, Australia - ANZ Stadium TBA
Feb. 25 - Brisbane, Australia - Nathan Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre TBA
Mar. 02 - Adelaide, Australia - Adelaide Oval TBA
Mar. 06 - Perth, Australia - Subiaco TBA (most likely to be attended by Bon's mother)

In celebration of the band turning back to their heimat, I'm posting a rare track (IALWTTTIYWRR) from December 4, 1976 Apollo Stadium, Adelaide!



Dates aren't officially confirmed yet by the official AC/DC website.
Support act for this tour would be Wolfmother (I thought they splitted? - Click on the link to download their new song and make a donation to the Red Cross) and tickets will be available for AUD99 to AUD149.90. In the meantime, the former announced date of 4 Sep (Los Angeles) had been put on hold. Probably there is not yet an agreement with the venue.

Deze data werden nog niet bevestigd op de officiële AC/DC website, maar verschillende Australische media brengen het nieuws. Support act in Australische is het bijzonder geestige Wolfmother (waarvan ik dacht dat ze gesplit waren - klik op de link om hun nieuwe track te downloaden en een gift te doen aan het Rode Kruis, zeker als je geen stickers hebt geshopt) en tickets zullen te koop zijn tussen 99 en 149 AUD. Ondertussen werd 4 september (Los Angeles) voorlopig uit het lijstje gehaald. Waarschijnlijk is er nog geen contract met het stadion.

New US tour dates

And the boys head back to the United States! What a ride...

Jul 28, 2009 Foxborough MA US Gillette Stadium
Jul 31, 2009 E. Rutherford NJ US Giants Stadium
Aug 16, 2009 Detroit MI US Palace of Auburn Hills
Aug 18, 2009 Grand Rapids MI US Van Andel Arena
Aug 22, 2009 Winnipeg MB CA Canad Inns Stadium
Aug 24, 2009 Regina SK CA Mosaic Stadium - Taylor Field
Aug 26, 2009 Edmonton AB CA Commonwealth Stadium
Aug 29, 2009 Vancouver BC CA BC Place
Aug 30, 2009 Tacoma WA US Tacoma Dome
Sep 02, 2009 San Jose CA US HP Pavillion
Sep 04, 2009 Los Angeles CA US Staples Center
Sep 06, 2009 San Diego CA US Sports Arena
Sep 08, 2009 Anaheim CA US Honda Center April 25

More info on tickets and fanclub presales: http//tickets.acdc.com

Making of Anything Goes

We're flooded this weekend with new video material. Now here's a link to the making of the Anything Goes video in France. Enjoy!


Exklusiv: AC/DC - Anything Goes (Making Of)

acdc.com launches Fannation!

ACDC.com just released the first 2 episodes of 7 fan documentaries, featuring notorious fans from around the globe. Watch them here or on http://acdcfannation.com/


AC/DC Rock n Roll Fannation - Episode 2 from AC/DC Rock n Roll Fannation on Vimeo.


AC/DC Rock n Roll Fannation - Episode 1 from AC/DC Rock n Roll Fannation on Vimeo.

Zurich gig tonight postponed (update)

Tonight's show in Zurich got cancelled. The show will be postponed due to "technical difficulties that are not related to the venue". The new date has been confirmed now: 6 April. Tickets remain valid. To cheer you up, here's a funny video where Brian sings a Tina Turner song:

De show van vanavond in Zurich werd afgelast door "technische moeilijkheden die niet te wijten zijn aan de zaal". De nieuwe datum is nu bekend: 6 april. Tickets blijven geldig. Om de onfortuinlijken op te vrolijken heb ik deze video gepost waarin Brian een Tina Turner song covert.

NEW Anything Goes video clip: here!

Watch the new video clip of Anything Goes HERE!

The clip, shot in Bercy, was partially recorded in the afternoon of 27 February, just before the second show. Another part of it got recorded during the show that evening to include live audience footage. That is also the reason why they advanced the song in the setlist: Angus would still be wearing his complete outfit. The video was directed by David Mallet (known from the Live at Donnington, Thunderstruck and Who Made Who). To be shown here very soon...

De nieuwe videoclip van Anything Goes . Deze video, die werd gedraaid in Bercy, werd deels opgenomen in de namiddag van 27 februari, net voor de show. Een ander deel werd opgenomen tijdens het optreden om live publieksbeelden te kunnen toevoegen. Dat is meteen ook de reden waarom de song naar voor werd gehaald in de setlist: op die manier zou Angus -eerder nog onbezweet - zijn complete outfit nog dragen. De regisseur van de video is David Mallet (die we kennen van de Live at Donnington show, Thunderstruck en Who Made Who). Hier te bekijken binnen afzienbare tijd...

Rotterdamnation on Friday 13th! (update)

The ACDC Belgium team made a small excursion to Rotterdam yesterday to see the band perform in a packed venue, similar to the Antwerp Sportpaleis, but with a smaller capacity of around 10000 people. Dutch people are generally way ahead of us in terms of organising crowds, but this time they got all weird. Cueueing up, the masses were divided in cages (between nadars and red tape) against incidents. Once in, they would first fill Cliffs' side of stage and then only Malcolm's, when Cliff's side was complete (duh!). Of course that system didn't hold waterproof for a long time, so we could actually run up front rather quickly.

Show and setlist were comparable to what we had seen in Antwerp, with some slight changes. At least some details were different to what had escaped to our eyes in Antwerp. Brian painfully twisting and squeezing his balls to reach the higher end notes (I think at the end of Anything Goes) and the Rock 'n Roll train being pulled backwards to make room for Rosie. Usually Rosie's riding the train. Again the band was in extremely good shape with visibly Brian and Angus having great fun on stage. The mojo barriers along the catwalk were placed conservately far away from the catwalk, so shaking hands with Brian became a balancing act for both handshaking parties, or should I say fingertip shaking?

Online news reports:

- NU.nl
- Algemeen Dagblad

Brian is back in good shape!

Good news for the fans in our neighbouring countries: Brian Johnson seems to be up and running again, as we are reading the reports from past shows after Brian's flu attack. I guess we were just very unlucky in Belgium. I will choose the cash back option, I still have doubts if people will be able to receive similar tickets, as Amsterdam Arena is a real big venue compared to the Sportpaleis. If you exchanged your tickets successfully for good places, let me know! Fact: grab the opportunity to see them perform this tour! It's a must see.

So the band continues its European tour schedule and played already Leipzig, Düsseldorf and tonigh Oberhausen. Reports can be found on our Italian friend's website.

Goed nieuws voor de fans in onze buurlanden: Brian Johnson lijkt volledig genezen van de griep, dat lezen we althans in de verslagen van de voorbije optredens. We hebben echt pech gehad in Antwerpen. Ik kies trouwens voor de geld terug optie, want ik twijfel hoe men voor gelijkwaardige tickets kan wisselen in een groot stadion als de Amsterdam Arena. Als jij fantastische tickets in de plaats hebt gekregen, laat het me dan zeker weten! Feit is wel: het blijft een absolute aanrader om ze toch nog aan het werk te zien deze tour.

Ondertussen bolt de tourtrein verder en heeft hij volgende haltes reeds aangedaan: Leipzig, Düsseldorf en vanavond Oberhausen. Op de site van onze Italiaanse vrienden kan je trouwens een paar verslagjes vinden.

Update: exchange tickets Antwerp as from 15h00 to 20 March

Fans will be compensated with either a refund or tickets to the band’s June 23rd show at Amsterdam Arena (at no extra cost). More information to follow as from 3 p.m. on www.sportpaleis.be. You will have to make your final choice on this website, using all original order information and barcodes. You will have to make your choice before 20 March.

De fans die een kaartje voor het geannuleerde concert op zak hadden, kunnen ofwel hun ticket laten terugbetalen ofwel naar het concert van AC/DC in de Amsterdam Arena op dinsdag 23 juni. De ticketprijzen voor het concert in Amsterdam zijn hoger dan degene die geldend waren voor de Sportpaleis-concerten. De groep heeft echter beslist dat, wie dit wenst, het Sportpaleis-ticket van het afgelaste concert zonder enige extra kost kan omruilen voor een gelijkwaardig ticket in de Arena. Belangrijk is, zowel in het geval van terugbetaling als van omruiling van het ticket, dat de juiste procedures daartoe worden gevolgd. Via www.sportpaleis.be zal vanaf 15 uur een speciale pagina beschikbaar zijn voor de tickethouders. Na ingave van, onder andere, het unieke barcodenummer en het reservatienummer, maakt de tickethouder de keuze het ticket terug te laten betalen of om naar Amsterdam te gaan op dinsdag 23 juni. De ticketkopers dienen voor vrijdag 20 maart hun keuze door te geven aan Tele Ticket Service. Daarna zal er, na controle van alle gegevens, overgegaan worden tot terugbetaling van kaarten of verzending van de tickets voor het concert in Amsterdam. Er zal ook busvervoer naar Amsterdam worden georganiseerd. Daarover meer op de webpagina in kwestie. Let wel, enkel de originele ticketkoper kan aanvraag tot terugbetaling of omwisseling tickets indienen. Tele Ticket Service zal alle tickethouders ook persoonlijk, via mail of brief, op de hoogte brengen van de te volgen procedure.

Media coverage:
- Deredactie.be (with our friends from AC/DC Abruzzo)
- De Standaard
- Nieuwsblad
- GVA

2nd Antwerp show cancelled (Flu on the Wall): next steps

Last Sunday we announced that Brian had a soar throat after the Paris gigs. Unfortunately that was only the herald of what appears to be the sad reality today.

Here's the official statement from ACDC.COM: "March 3, 2009, Antwerp, Belgium -- Tonight's AC/DC Black Ice show at Sportpaleis in Antwerp, Belgium is cancelled due to the sudden illness of singer Brian Johnson. Johnson is suffering from a serious case of the flu and will be unable to perform. Fans will be compensated with either a refund or tickets to the band's June 23rd show at Amsterdam Arena. Johnson plans to perform on the band's next scheduled concert date in Leipzig on March 5th at Messehalle 1." Get well Brian! I know you did your best to make it tonight. Take a rest and recover well!

Enkele dagen geleden meldden we al op deze blog dat Brian last had met de stem/keel na 2 zware nachten in Parijs. Dat bleek enkel de voorbode geweest te zijn van de bittere realiteit vandaag...

Eerder op de avond gaven Teleticket en LiveNation de volgende boodschap mee: "Het concert van AC/DC vanavond in het Antwerps Sportpaleis kan niet plaatsvinden. Eén van de bandleden is ziek.Op dit ogenblik hebben we niet meer informatie. Zodra we meer weten, zal u het vernemen via e-mail en onze website www.sportpaleis.be/nl.Onze excuses voor het ongemak ten gevolge van deze overmachtsituatie."

Op de officiële website van de band lezen we ondertussen een gelijkaardige boodschap en een alternatief. "De fans zullen ofwel hun geld voor de show terugkrijgen ofwel tickets kunnen ruilen voor de show in de Amsterdam Arena op 23 juni. Brian probeert wel de afspraak voor de volgende show in Leipzig (5 maart) niet te missen." We weten dat Brian zijn best heeft gedaan om het vandaag toch nog te halen - vandaar de late annulatie- en wensen hem het allerbeste.

Rock 'n Roll Train hits Antwerp! (update III)

... or how history repeats itself. In 1908, a tragic train disaster happened in Kontich, Antwerp. Now about century later, AC/DC's Rock and Roll train hits the Antwerp Sportpaleis in a head-on collision. This time fortunately without any victims.

What an amazing night! AC/DC kicked off the first Antwerp show with an energetic level of High Voltage rock and roll. The band is back (after the Stiff Upper Lip tour) and they sure want us to know. At 9 o'clock their Rock 'n Roll Train hits the grounds of the Antwerp Sportpaleis. No tough controls of the ministry for economical affairs outside, at least not for the regular fan cueueing for entrance. 35 ticket scalpers have been identified and questioned. I can only encourage these kind of actions to put an end to the abuse of the regular concert goers.

Just before the show, the band received a platinum award in recognition of the sales of 60.000 albums in Belgium. Brian didn't assist the handover since he was trying to keep quiet and let his sore throat rest for a while (what do you want... after 2 nights in Paris).

The band was in extremely good shape and, I must admit, the sound at the Sportpaleis was EXCELLENT. This made the first Antwerp show one of a kind. Brian's voice ("I see Rock and Roll out here... I can even smell it") was a rolling thunder and the whole sound powerstation was just spot on, with Malcolm, Phil and Cliff keeping the heavy rhythm section up to pace and being the ever solid backbone of AC/DC.

The crowd hardly stopped cheering and went nuts when classic songs like Whole Lotta Rosie, Thunderstruck and Highway to Hell were performed. The pounding shouts during TNT made the Sportpaleis' rooftop go up and down.

No changes on the (regular, but otherwise SOLID) setlist:

1. Rock'n'roll Train
2. Hell ain't a bad place to be
3. Back in Black
4. Big Jack
5. Dirty Deeds
6. Shot Down in Flames
7. Thunderstruck
8. Black Ice
9. The Jack
10. Hell's Bells
11. Shoot to Thrill
12. War Machine
13. Anything Goes
14. You Shook Me All Night Long
15. TNT
16. Whole Lotta Rosie
17. Let there be Rock
18. Highway to Hell
19. For Those About to Rock

It was cool to meet some of the international fans too. Fans with stories from Paris were largely present. We also met ACDC-Abruzzo from Italy and some real nice people from the UK. Thanks guys for being with us!

Various media covered the event:
- VTM News (coverage around 9"50. If you watch closely, you'll even be able to spot your servant.... )

- Gazet Van Antwerpen (with picture of ACDC Abruzzo and ACDC Belgium!)
- Het Nieuwsblad
- De Standaard
- ATV News
- Le Soir
- Le Soir (splendid photo site!)
- Rudy De Donker (pictures available soon, to be uploaded)

- Imparato (more pictures)

- Radio 1 (Stories on the Bedlam in Belgium story)
- Focus Knack

On Youtube, a wide variety of clips is already available. I picked some of the best:
- Highway to Hell

- The Jack (strip)

- TNT

That's it for now, I am getting ready for tomorrow's show.

Over 1000 tickets will be invalid

Teleticketservice, the ticket provider for both Antwerp Black Ice shows, is sending out a warning via news agency Belga: over 1000 individuals who bought their tickets via private parties (Ebay, others) won't be admitted on Sunday and Tuesday. These measures have been announced with the distribution of the tickets. I am glad that the economic inspection finally seems to take ticket scalping practices seriously. On the other hand, I am concerned about those who bought their tickets in good faith from friends or family. Will they still be admitted and how will malicious tickets be singled out? I guess tomorrow will tell.

Teleticketservice waarschuwt via het nieuwsagentschap Belga dat meer dan 1000 mensen die hun kaarten voor de Antwerpse Black Ice shows van particulieren kochten (via Ebay of andere), niet zullen toegelaten worden op zondag en dinsdag. Deze maatregelen werden reeds aangekondigd met de verzending van de tickets. Ik ben blij dat de economische inspectie eindelijk het probleem van de woekeraars ernstig lijkt te nemen. Aan de andere kant ben ik vooral bezorgd voor de mensen die hun ticket ter goeder trouw hebben gekocht/gekregen van vrienden of familie. Zal ook hen de toegang ontzegd worden en hoe worden de frauduleuze tickets eruit gehaald? We zullen het morgen weten.

Maaike Cafmeyer warming up for AC/DC on Humo's Pop Poll!

Last Sunday, Belgian's best actress (according to myself and most of the Humo Magazine readers) performed Rock 'n Roll Train live in the Antwerp Sportpaleis, where AC/DC will actually open the first of both Antwerp gigs exactly one week later. Maaike Cafmeyer basically does an impressive job (and so does the band) altough she appears to have unlocked the wrong dressing lockers. In a sexy Madonna outfit, rather than in schoolboy uniform, she gave it all she got. Be a witness here. HELL YEAH!

Onze eigenste beste actrice nationaal (volgens mezelf en de meeste Humolezers) heeft Rock 'n Roll Train live ten berde gebracht op de uitreiking van de Humo's Pop Poll vorige zondag. Exact één week later zal AC/DC's dreunende rock 'n rolltrein Antwerpen Dam Station binnenrijden. Maaike Cafmeyer en de band geven het beste van zichzelf, hoewel het erop lijkt dat ze de verkeerde kleerkast heeft opengetrokken: in sexy Madonna outfit, in plaats van schoolboy uniform, zet ze best een puike prestatie neer. Wees er hier getuige van. HELL YEAH!

Black Ice double platina in Belgium

4 months after its release, Black Ice has reached official double platina status with 60.000 albums sold. This makes Black Ice more popular than the Stiff Upper Lip album in 2000. Earlier this week, IFPI announced that Black Ice was the second best selling album 2008 in the world after Coldplay, outsmartening the Mama Mia soundtrack and Metallica's Death Magnetic.
In the meantime the band is 'playing' Stockholm for the second time tomorrow. Yesterday they added Shot Down in Flames to the playlist! Still praying here for Livewire and Bedlam in Belgium to be added...

4 maanden na de release heeft Black Ice officieel de dubbel platina status bereikt met een verkoop van meer dan 60.000 albums. Daarmee doet Black Ice het nog beter dan het Stiff Upper Lip album in 2000. Eerder deze week maakte IFPI bekend dat Black Ice het tweede best verkochte album 2008 wereldwijd werd, na Coldplay. Zelfs de soundtrack van Mama Mia deed het beter dan GNR's Chinese Democracy. Morgen speelt AC/DC voor de tweede keer in Stockholm. Gisteren voegden ze Shot Down in Flames toe op de setlist. Ik hoop dat ze tegen hun doortocht in Antwerpen ook Livewire en Bedlam in Belgium toevoegen...

Black Ice tour hits EUROPE!!

(c) oslopuls 2009

Last night AC/DC opened the first leg of its European tour in Oslo, at the Telenor Arena for a 23.000 crowd. All this in what appeared to be a slight chaos because of the first massive concrete test of this new venue. Especially the traffic jams to the venue had been horrible. The setlist was exactly the same as all shows in the US. Hopefully we'll get a couple of 'new' songs in it as we go. Our current poll (on the right) indicates a lot of interest from your side for the "Bedlam in Belgium" song! Hopefully the band reads this!

Next 2 shows will be at the Globe in Stockholm. I hope they turned on the heating already, unless they'll put Highway to Hell and its great balls of fire up front on the setlist....

(c) oslopuls 2009

Gisteren ging in de nieuwe Telenor Arena in Oslo het eerste Europese deel van de Black Ice tour in première voor een 23.000 koppig publiek. Aan de show ging blijkbaar de nodige chaos vooraf: het verkeer naar en de organisatie in de arena vertoonden duidelijk nog een paar kinderziekten. Het was de eerste keer dat deze zaal een echte vuurdoop kreeg met een groot evenement als de Black Ice Tour. De setlist was dezelfde als tijdens alle US shows. Hopelijk krijgen we een aantal 'nieuwe' songs voorgeschoteld naarmate de tour vordert. In huidige poll (zie rechts) tonen jullie duidelijk interesse in de "Bedlam in Belgium" song! Hopelijk leest de band mee!

Volgende 2 shows zijn in Stockholm. Ik hoop dat ze de verwarming opzetten. Of ze moesten Highway to Hell en de vuurballen vooraan in de setlist zetten....

NEW SINGLE: Anything Goes + Big Jack

The newest singles from the Black Ice album are Anything Goes and Big Jack. Anything goes sounds a bit different from everything else AC/DC has been doing, so it's certainly an ear opener. You can also hear that producer Brendan O'Brian spent some quality time with Bruce Springsteen before. Big Jack on the other hand is going to be the chant of the year after AC/DC will have passed the Antwerp Sportpaleis on 1 and 3 March. Der countdown lauft...

Voting both songs in our local charts is a real challenge but you can always help to vote here: DE AFREKENING.

Anything Goes en Big Jack zijn de nieuwste singles uit het Black Ice album. Anything Goes klinkt een beetje anders van wat we van AC/DC gewend zijn. Het klinkt zelfs alsof Jan Van Eyken en de Kreuners even op de koffie kwamen tijdens de opnames. Verder is perfect te horen dat Bruce Springsteen een stevige stempel heeft gedrukt op producer Brendan O'Brien. Big Jack is de stadiumvloerstamper die tot chant-of-the-year zal gebombardeerd worden na het bezoek van de band aan het Antwerpse Sportpaleis op 1 en 3 maart. Der countdown lauft....

Het zal een echte challenge worden om beide songs in de Afrekening te krijgen, maar we kunnen het proberen. Stemmen gaat als vanzelf hier: DE AFREKENING.

Essential AC/DC photo exhibition at Proud Galleries, London

5th February – 31st May 2009, London

A must see for those who live near or travel to London as from 5 February! Proud Camden holds a photographic portrait of a band so prolific their sales figures rank second only to the Beatles. This exhibition will take place to coincide with the UK culmination of the arena tour, and marks the anniversary of the original singer Bon Scott’s untimely death. The exhibition will look at a young AC/DC, a band who themselves could not have predicted the phenomenal worldwide success they were to achieve.
Shot through the lens of celebrated rock photographer Philip Morris, this collection shines new light on members of the original line-up, including unseen images of the late Bon Scott alongside his iconic band mates. This will be the first time these images are showcased in the UK and includes images not previously seen anywhere in the world. An absolute must for fans of AC/DC old and new, this is the only chance to see the definitive exhibition of a band whose influence is unwavering at a time of huge importance to both the band and their followers.

Openting times: 11am – 5.30 daily
Entry: Free
Where: Proud Camden, The Horse Hospital, The Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, London W1 8AH, http://www.proud.co.uk/

!!WIN WIN WIN!! an invitation for the opening event

Do you live near London and want your name on the guest list? 5x2 AC/DC Bedlam in Belgium Blog readers will have the opportunity to attend the Launch Evening on 4th February 2009. Just answer following question and send your answer to acdcbelgium (at) gmail (dot) com

Question: In what year has the above picture by Philip Morris been taken? a)1975 b)1976 c)1977 Lucky winners will be contacted by mail.

02-02-2009: contest is now closed. Winners have been notified. Have fun and tell us if it was worth it!

R.I.P. RON ASHETON (Stooges)

The Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton has been found dead at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Asheton, 60, was an original member of the rock band fronted by Iggy Pop in the late 1960s and early 1970s. His riffing featured on hits including I Wanna Be Your Dog, No Fun and Down On The Street. Police sergeant Brad Hill said there were no signs of foul play, and the musician's death appeared to be from natural causes. The band - which also included Asheton's brother Scott on drums and the late Dave Alexander on bass - are on the shortlist to enter the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this April.

ROCK IN PEACE, Ron and thanks for last summer's party.