Münchner Hell - 2nd show in Munich

 

Second show day in München, in absolute perfect weather conditions, especially compared to the shower show a few days earlier.  Before going into the details of the concert, let's mention the AC/DC Dive Bar for a second.  Despite its remote location, this one felt more comfortable.  As to the overall sensation of space in Munich, it was a much bigger place than in Gelsenkirchen.  It's well worth the pilgrimage and some did the trail even twice (any resemblance to actual person or event is purely coincidental, ha!).  The Dive Bars are a fine initiative of the Band and host a series of cool classic AC/DC scenery.  If you go, don't forget to pick up the remastered vinyl versions of High Voltage and T.N.T.. These albums have been recreated with the greatest level of detail from the original Australian releases, including the initial misprinted track order on T.N.T.  Both records, pressed in the Netherlands (in Angus' secret basement?) sound louder and more dynamic than the original ones.

Highlight is the backdrop with "In Rock We Trust" we remember from Rock or Bust, propped with a real SG and Malcolm signature Gretsch for fans to pay a duckwalking tribute to the genious Young brothers.  Another great mural depicting the historical lineup, shows Brian and Angus in a pose they haven't changed for a millimeter in all those years.

       

 

The rhythm section works really well, and plays really tight, while visibly having fun.  Result of meticulous preparations and rehearsals.  Another tight phenomenon at the time of the concert was beer supply.  Very difficult to get your hands on a cold reputed Bavarian brew in the Golden circle.  It appeared a generalized issue, after roughly 200.000 Scottish football enthusiasts succeeded the somewhat 120.000 AC/DC fans spread over the two Munich shows.  Today, the traditional Münchner Hell was supplied by AC/DC.

 

 

This gig was the best I have seen in years, a rollercoaster setlist, with Brian back on vocals and Angus on fire, supported by Stevie (eating away guitar picks - 4 to 5 during Whole Lotta Rosie!!!!), Matt (apologies, it's tough to get you on camera front of stage right) and Chris (happy belated birthday!).  Brian sung his lungs and heart out, less bothered by the in-ear monitor, and improvises chants on High Voltage.   
Angus is visibly more comfortable now the tour is going, fiddling and dancing like only he can, fooling around again with his scarf, and extending solos to the point where Let There Be Rock seems the soundtrack of the full length Godfather trilogy: a regular workout for Angus, a real marathon for the "young" ones Chris, Matt and yeah Stevie is a Young too.  Unparalleled and amazing energy! 

       

 

A visibly impressed Belgian delegation in full glory after the show

 

  

Angus fast as lightning (hence the blur), yet a little too late,
after an enthusiastic DDDC solo - "enough to drive you nuts"

Forever YOUNG ! Gelsenkirchen 17 May 2024

 

 

Last Friday, AC/DC kicked off its European leg for its 2024 PWR/UP world tour.

 

The new touring party set sail for 24 shows in 17 European cities. After Powertrip in the US desert it's now finally time to celebrate the latest opus PWR/UP, kicking it off in Gelsenkirchen Germany.  

 

 

 

It had been 8 years since my last AC/DC show, only to witness that AC/DC keeps rising from the ashes, whatever life throws at them.   Brian Johnson is back in the kitchen, after being immortalized in Belgian blue stone, harder than a rock.  We're missing Phil and for the first time Cliff, enjoying retirement after his brief comeback in the Californian desert.  Yet Angus recruted decent wingmen to pick up the gear and rock once more below the firmament from which his beloved brother Malcolm's approvingly smiles.  Americans Chris Chaney, on bass, and Matt Laug on drums now ensure the stomping backbone with Stevie Young again on rhythm guitar.  Lots of respect for these guys, just like for Chris Slade, Axl, without whom the AC/DC LIVE experience would have been simply over.  Thank you, thank you!  

A real pleasure to meet a reborn Brian tonight.  The hearing aid seems to help him a lot, though it required real time adjustments throughout the evening, yet without derailing Brian's vocal rolling thunder train.  

 

  

More than once, the crowd could measure Brian's emotions being back, from cheeky interactions with Angus to shouts and fists of pure enjoyment, or simply taking revenge on the feelings of despair he must have faced, knocking them out with a well-minted uppercut.

 

 

The real Monster of Rock tonight?  Mister Angus Young, about time he gets knighted by both the Commonwealth King, the Queen of Holland and William Wallace.  Visibly very concentrated, but determined to raise hell and deliver a state of the art tour start.  A well studied act of mastery, meticulously delivered.  When writing these impressions, and after seeing video footage from the second night, Angus was clearly more relaxed, undone from the initial stress on opening night.  Really promising for the shows to come!  Shake a leg!

 

 

They're back.  And forever YOUNG.  It's going to be a red hot summer.

 

Gelsenkirchen Setlist

 

Usual Suspects 1

 

Usual Suspects 2

 

This one's for Mal

We're nearing the holiday season, and POWER UP hit number one straight away in most countries, 1 month after AC/DC brought it to the world. I haven't been very active on the blog, because the most important messages are out there already, through a tremendous communication plan from the band (yeah! Zoom!) on the one hand, and laudatory reviews from fans on the other.  They were all right.  This (almost) was 2020 and the release of this album by my favorite band is about all I want to remember from it.

About souvenirs, November also marked the remembering of Malcolm.   I'd like to share this one thing, fan made, but straight from and to the heart.  Mal would have been proud.

Enjoy the holiday season - with Through The Mists Of Time as a soundtrack, and bang into the new year with the rest of the album.  Long live AC/DC.

#PWRUP the World !

Now the word is finally out, it's barely believable but we will get what we have been looking out for a very long time! 

• There will be a new AC/DC record!  With Power UP, AC/DC rises again from the ashes like a rock n roll phoenix, in a tribute to Malcolm, just like Black in Black, released 40 years ago was a tribute to Bon Scott.  Malcolm is in spirit all over the album as Angus recycled some of the many riffs he and Malcolm had put 'in a box'.
  
• Out 13 November, just in time to save the year! Angus' "Magic Cure"!
  
• Recorded in Vancouver at Brian Adam's Warehouse Studios
• Counting 12 tracks around 4 minutes each with already classic AC/DC titles - non of which have the word ROCK in the title:

            01. Realize    
            02. Rejection
            03. Shot In The Dark
            04. Through The Mists Of Time
            05. Kick You When You’re Down
            06. Witch’s Spell
            07. Demon Fire
            08. Wild Reputation
            09. No Man’s Land
            10. Systems Down
            11. Money Shot
            12. Code Red  

• First single is Shot in the Dark and was released this Wednesday (at 6 o'clock for Europeans.... of course, it needs to be dark still)!

1.  The classic lineup is back on the roll: Brian is back, Phil is back,  Cliff un-retired (how cool is that!), Stevie and Angus.  Well, Angus never left. 

2. Malcolm was always present but won't be heard playing on the album, according to Mike Fraser in a radio interview earlier today.  Angus returned to Australia, took a long break and then began poring through an extensive backlog of unreleased songs he’d written over the years with Malcolm. The majority of them come from the period preparing Black Ice in 2008 - when not playing video games. “There was a lot of great song ideas from that time,” Angus says. “At that time he said to me, ‘We’ll leave these songs for now. If we keep going, we’ll be overboard. We’ll get them on the next one.’ That always stuck with me. When I went through and listened to them, I said, ‘If I do anything in my life, I have to get these tracks down and get these tracks out.'”   So Malcolm's spirit keeps inspiring Angus.  What else!? Stevie does a great job, really, as he's able to get so close to Malcolm's signature style.

2. The first track from the album is called Shot in the Dark, as given away early by the hashtag creation on Twitter.  We got 30 seconds of the song and it hits you like a hammer.  The track will be released on Wednesday 6 am CET (for the early birds!) According to this car brand, track duration of Shot in the Dark is 4:20 (second 9 of this commercial):

3. After posters popping up worldwide (even in front of Angus's former shool in Sydney), a giant neon sign popped up today riverside London. It got removed 24h later.