AC/DC kick off their tour at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. photo by Jim Gavenus
by Michael LelloWeekender Editor
WILKES-BARRE TWP. — An AC/DC concert is the opposite of Forrest Gump’s famous box of chocolates — you know exactly what you’re going to get.
During “Hell’s Bells,” a humungous bell will be lowered to the stage, lead singer Brian Johnson swinging from a rope. Guitarist Angus Young, in his schoolboy outfit, will strip down to his boxers during “The Jack.” And cannons will thunder while the band plays “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).”
Predictable, however, does not mean boring or misguided. Kicking off its first world tour in seven years, AC/DC played a brash, earsplittingly loud and entertaining set of 16 songs Tuesday night at the Wachovia Arena, making a strong case for the band’s decision to change so little over 35 years. With Johnson’s trademark power rasp remarkably intact and a sold-out crowd of 9,000 ($92 a pop), many wearing flashing plastic devil horns ($10), the marketplace has certainly dictated that AC/DC’s brand of metallic hard rock is still a lucrative venture, talk of economic downturn and bailouts notwithstanding.
After an amusing animated video introduction involving Young, a threesome and a train, a flash of pyrotechnics greeted the entrance of the band — Johnson, from Scotland, and the Australians Young, his brother Malcolm Young (rhythm guitar), Phil Rudd (drums) and Cliff Williams (bass) — and a gargantuan locomotive engine prop burst onto the stage to the opening riffs or “Rock N Roll Train.” “Rock N Roll Train,” from the band’s new album “Black Ice,” was one of several new songs played Tuesday, and to AC/DC’s credit, none of them were bathroom-break fare as is often the case at classic rock shows; the new material was vital and well-received.
Up next was “Hell Ain’t A Bad Place to Be,” one of the few relative obscurities of the evening; adding “Given the Dog a Bone,” “The Razors Edge,” “Big Balls,” “Heatseeker” or hits like “Who Made Who” or “Moneytalks” to the set would’ve been a treat. “Back In Black” was unexpected in the third slot but seemed to miss a certain zing, which is to be expected on the first night of the tour, despite the band and crew’s several-day rehearsals at the arena and a warm-up show there Sunday for fan-club members and contest winners.
AC/DC, however, was taut from thereon out, with Johnson’s simple, likable stage presence and Angus’ maniacal antics doing much of the visual work while the other members contentedly played background roles. Johnson, as he frequently did Tuesday, checked a setlist taped to the front of the drum riser before the band plowed into “Big Jack,” also from “Black Ice,” telling the crowd afterwards, “Remember, you heard it here first.” Tooth-rattling bass and drums launched knife-sharp “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” Angus getting his first true chance to shine on lead guitar, tapping out a one-handed fretboard solo. Strobe lights flashed in time to the opening salvo of “Thunderstruck,” and Angus put his pants back on but remained shirtless after “The Jack.”
The sinister “Hell’s Bells” was expertly delivered, as was another new tune, “War Machine.” Angus switched to a black-and-white guitar for “You Shook Me All Night Long,” and even the fans in the nosebleed seats were on their feet. “T.N.T.” was punctuated with pyro during the chorus, the reason one longtime AC/DC stage prop, a giant blowup doll for “Whole Lotta Rosie,” was missing. “Rosie couldn’t make it,” Johnson said. “Those flames you saw melted her yesterday.”
“Let There Be Rock,” epic by AC/DC’s short-and-sweet standards, found Angus running the length of a catwalk that extended half the length of the venue’s floor, before a platform at the path’s end raised him as he played a lightning-quick solo. He finished the solo, and the set proper, on another platform behind the drum kit.
Johnson thanked the audience for “sharing this special night with us” before the quintet emerged for encores of “Highway to Hell” and “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You),” a song that, lyrically, makes more sense opening than closing. But this is AC/DC; searching for deep messages is not advised. Three cannons on either side of the stage detonated as Johnson screamed “For those about to rock. Fire!” during each chorus, bringing the night to a solid and hot conclusion.
Most of the fans were already in their seats for the opening act, which is rather rare, where they were treated to an energetic yet overly derivative and repetitive performance of rehashed ’70s metal by Northern Ireland’s The Answer.
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