Monday, December 14, 2015

AC/DC NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2016

Here's the rumoured concert dates for the AC/DC 2016 North American Tour!

Shows will probably be confirmed in the next few hours.

02/02 – Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA
05/02 – MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV

08/02 – Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
11/02 – Fargo Dome, Fargo, ND
14/02 – Xcel Energy Center, Paul, MN
17/02 – United Center, Chicago, IL
20/02 – Scottrade Center, St Louis, MO
23/02 – American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
26/02 – Toyota Center, Houston, TX
29/02 – Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
08/03 – Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
11/03 – BB&T Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
14/03 – Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
17/03 – Verizon Center, Washington, DC
20/03 – The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI
23/03 – Nationwide Arena, Columbus, OH
26/03 – Quincken Loans Center, Cleveland, OH
29/03 – First Niagara Center, Buffalo, NY
01/04 – Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
04/04 – Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Thursday, October 15, 2015

WE ARE BACK!!! + ORANGUS' 100th SHOW|

Up to my neck in AC/DC - Spurky and Abruzzo

We are finally back!! Sorry to our readers for the black out!!

Matteo Abruzzo has been out of the game for a while due to the consequences of a pretty bad neck injury after the Canadian tour (but now things are going well). Stefano was stopped in London dealing with some Gordon Ramsey wine issues and Orangus was too busy traveling from a city to another in North America (he is not able to update a blog anyway!). Hence, the absence of posts for more than a month. We will publish his travel diary while waiting for Australia!

And speaking of Orangus:


CONGRATULATIONS TO HIM FOR HIS 100th AC/DC CONCERT! And Los Angeles 28 September 2015 was his 42nd consecutive AC/DC gigs!

Orangus - Now a member of the Elite club of +100 AC/DC show fans! (c) photo Gayte85.net



Thursday, September 3, 2015

Stade Olympique, Montreal, Canada 31 August 2015 - ON THE ROAD REPORT

Stoic Brian 

1. Rock or Bust
2. Shoot to Thrill
3. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
4. Back in Black
5. Play Ball
6. Dirty Deeds
7. Thunderstruck
8. High Voltage
9. Rock 'n' Roll Train
10. Hells Bells
11. Baptism By Fire
12. Shook Me
13. Sin City
14. Have a Drink on Me
15. Shot Down in Flames
16. TNT
17. Rosie
18. Let There Be rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock

Montreal Stade Olympique was probably one of the worst venues of the entire tour. An indoor stadium with terrible acoustics. (Some of our Canadian friends actually said it was much better than in the past... )Again, the show was all reserved seating, another contradiction in terms for a rock'n'roll show, especially when you think that there are 60-70 year old rockers on stage jumping like crazy on stage while the crowd is standing religiously in their spot with security nagging at you constantly. The crowd was pretty loud though.

The performance was again excellent. Angus (back in his blue suit) was maybe a bit tired in the first half. Brian was very professional and accurate. Apparently, he had some technical problems (as usual).

We are getting late for the Ottawa show so for the moment enjoy our exclusive AC/DC photos. Life on the road in North America has been quite challenging :)









Canada - Abruzzo - Switzerland 

Thoughtful Orangus (90 AC/DC shows under his belt)

Canada - Abruzzo - Switzerland Part 2




Monday, August 31, 2015

Plains of Abraham, Quebec City, Canada 28 August 2015

Angus in trance

1. Rock or Bust
2. Shoot to Thrill
3. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
4. Back in Black
5. Play Ball
6. Dirty Deeds
7. Thunderstruck
8. High Voltage
9. Rock 'n' Roll Train
10. Hells Bells
11. Baptism By Fire
12. Shook Me
13. Sin City
14. Have a Drink on Me
15. Shot Down in Flames
16. TNT
17. Rosie
18. Let There Be rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock

First Canadian show and back to the GA, European style with another great audience and another great performance of AC/DC.

Plains of Abraham is a huge historic park in the middle of Quebec City, the French speaking capital of Quebec. Great venue for an open air concert (apparently its capacity can go up to 300,000 people like for the free McCartney concert a couple of years ago). The front of stage section was the biggest one of the whole tour (15,000 people out of 65,000). The Quebecois crowd was pretty cool and disciplined (it was the first time that we saw beer sold in aluminum cans at an ACDC concert). Nice shiny moon in the sky.

Angus was wearing the brown suit with green tie and green hat. He was pretty playful during the show, especially when he decided to wear the AC/DC's devils horns which were thrown on stage by fans. However, he never loses his concentration and it's difficult to spot any mistake in his performance. He is also very passionate and intense. We just love when he sings lines of songs while duckwalking (especially the Sin City line "Bring on the dancin' girls and put the Champagne on ice"). High Voltage, which was slightly changed by Brian, together with Sin City and Have a Drink of Me are still our favorite songs in the setlist.

Brian is actually getting better show by show. He was also quite playful, very energetic, he mentioned Malcolm again and also replaced the words "Sin City" with "Quebec City".

The intro to Highway to Hell was much longer than usual as the elevator didn't work and Angus could not come out from hell as usual. :)

For the record, "Uncensored" hard core fan Carole from Canada got on the big screens during You Shook Me All Night Long just like she used to do during The Jack in the Black Ice Tour. The audience loved it!

Next stop MONTREAL!


Playful Angus

Happy Angus

Spinning Angus 1

Running Angus

Spinning Angus 2





Friday, August 28, 2015

Live at Metlife Stadium East Rutherford 26 Aug 2015 - FULL REPORT

Back in New Jersey!

During this tour Ac/Dc sold out the biggest stadiums and concert venues in the world and the majestic Metlife Stadium, one of the biggest stadiums in North America, was no exception. For some unknown reason the promoter decided to have a GA front of stage section which was quite unusual for the US. Obviously the American audience didn't know how to make the best use of a GA section at an Ac/Dc concert and everybody stood pretty still and quite. At least it was possible to move around and always be pretty close to the stage or change position, unlike Foxboro where it seemed to be at a theatre with everybody having a reserved seat.

Sound was not as good as in Foxboro but still it was much better than many venues in Europe.  The band was in great shape after 4 days of rest. Play Ball was again played faster than usual and now it really sounds great. Angus was unstoppable, as usual. Brian's performance was also excellent although we could see he was a bit fatigued, looking at the teleprompter also during old songs. We think we should all be extremely grateful for his efforts as it shouldn't be east to jump like crazy every night at his age. We are not sure the tour is going to continue in 2016 but we are very happy for all we got so far.

Angus, again in a red suit, two nights in a row, changed his guitar before High Voltage. We got the impression his second guitar sound was even louder... Pure bliss for our ears! Chris Slade sounds much better than before and many of his Donington 91 moves and faces have come back. Stevie also looks and sounds very precise and accurate, a great tribute to his uncle Malcolm whose name was mentioned again during High Voltage (check out our video here).

After the show, again, we were impressed by the efficiency of the traffic management. After only 30 minutes we were back on the highway to NYC. Another thing that struck us, beside the unbelievably high security levels which included metal detectors, "no backpack policy" and police in uniforms handcuffing people during the shows (which we had never seen before) was the improvised barbecues that American organized in the parking lots before the show with grilled meat and beers... When in Rome.... :O

Today first Canadian show in Quebec City! A bientot!

Unstoppable Angus


There were 15 million fingers 
Thunderstruck

The stiff upper lip

"I'm doing it for my uncle" - Stevie told us

Brian's new magical beverage

For Those About to Eat

Metlife Stadium

Porterhouse Steak

Abruzzo Friends




Thursday, August 27, 2015

Live at Metlife Stadium East Rutherford 26 Aug 2015 - NIGHT REPORT





1. Rock or Bust
2. Shoot to Thrill
3. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
4. Back in Black
5. Play Ball
6. Dirty Deeds
7. Thunderstruck
8. High Voltage
9. Rock 'n' Roll Train
10. Hells Bells
11. Baptism By Fire
12. Shook Me
13. Sin City
14. Have a Drink on Me
15. Shot Down in Flames
16. TNT
17. Rosie
18. Let There Be rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock

We just came back from the Metlife Stadium! What a fantastic show! Much bigger crowd than the Gillette Stadium. Excellent performance by the band. We'll write a full report tomorrow on our way to Canada. In the meantime enjoy our exclusive videos!















Sunday, August 23, 2015

Gillette Stadium, Live in Foxboro, USA 22 August 2015 - NIGHT REPORT



1. Rock or Bust
2. Shoot to Thrill
3. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
4. Back in Black
5. Play Ball
6. Dirty Deeds
7. Thunderstruck
8. High Voltage
9. Rock 'n' Roll Train
10. Hells Bells
11. Baptism By Fire
12. Shook Me
13. Sin City
14. Have a Drink on Me
15. Shot Down in Flames
16. TNT
17. Rosie
18. Let There Be rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock

AC/DC are back in the USA! And they started their with their first killer show in Foxboro, MA!

The biggest surprise of then night was the acoustics in the stadium. The sound was probably the best of the entire tour maybe because of the fact that the Stadium was opened at the back, opposite the stage. Another surprise was the audience. Despite the reserved seating policy in the entire stadium, including the floor, the crowd was extremely loud, especially from TNT until the end. To us being forced to remain in your seat/spot for the entire show seems to be a contradiction in terms for a rock show. However, the American crowd seemed to be ok with it and everybody was very disciplined. But they screamed pretty loud for the entire show.

The organization was also surprisingly good. Almost impeccable. Just like the traffic management system after the show, which didn't leave stuck in the traffic for hours as it happened in several countries in Europe. We noticed this in Coachella. We experienced it again in Foxboro.

What was no surprise was the setlist and the excellent performance of the band. In particular, Angus. From Play Ball onwards the band really changed pace. High Voltage, Sin City, TNT were the highlights of the night. LTBR solo was changed a bit. Brian seemed to be in much better shape than Europe, probably thanks to the one month break!

Next stop, new Jersey. Salute!

EXCLUSIVE VIDEOS HERE






Saturday, August 22, 2015

AC/DC BACK IN THE USA!



Foxboro Stadium yesterday (pic from Facebook)
AC/DC will start their 2015 North American tour tonight at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. AC/DC Abruzzo will be there tonight together with other friends from Italy, including special envoy Orangus, who was reportedly seen in Boston Common at about 10pm yesterday...

The band went to the Gillette Stadium yesterday for soundcheck around 1pm and came back to Boston at around 5pm. We briefly met Angus who looked in great shape.

We'll see if the band will change the setlist. Our guess is there will be at least one change...

ARE YOU READY!?

URGENT Orangus just texted us today saying he needs a ride back to Boston after show? If you can help us pls email us at acdcabruzzo@gmail.com

Foxboro Stadium backstage yesterday (pic from Facebook)
Gillette Stadium outside yesterday





Friday, August 7, 2015

A CIGARETTE WITH ANGUS YOUNG IN ZURICH!

Angus Young with fans (talking about Imola and the 2016 tour)

After attending 30 shows out of 30 played by AC/DC during their Rock or Bust World Tour), travelling for tens of thousand of miles, from Coachella to Europe and while waiting for the kickoff of the North American Tour on 22 August, we want to share the story of one of our last meetings with legendary Angus Young...

Despite the huge success of the last AC/DC tours, Angus Young has remained humble, very kind and (almost) always available and accessible to fans, especially those who showed loyalty to the band and to AC/DC in the past. And believe us, he's got an amazing memory to remember fans and small details!

We witnessed his extremely friendly attitude with all fans asking for a photo or an autograph on many occasions. Every meeting with him is unforgettable but hat happened in Zurich was unique, even for us who met him several times, from Brussels to Sydney, from London to Imola.

After the cigarette in Perth in 2010 and in London in 2014 we were blessed with another incredible opportunity to spend time with this Rock’n’Roll legend, during one of his frequent "cigarette breaks".

Special gift to Abruzzo
A CIGARETTE WITH ANGUS IN ZURICH! 4 June 2015

Angus spent more than 30 minutes outside his hotel, signing autographs and chatting with us and another half dozen fans. He was very cool, true rocker attitude and seemed to enjoy talking about life, music, food, AC/DC. Everything! What was even more striking was his asking many questions to us!

(After signing and chatting the cigarette was lit…)

Matteo Abruzzo: Angus, thanks again for this tour. It’s been amazing so far. We started in Coachella and came all the way to Zurich. We cannot stop!

Angus Young: Yes, Coachella. I think I saw your flag there too…

Matteo Abruzzo: LOL It was important for us to be there on your official come back, after 5 years and after all the challenges you and AC/DC had to overcome… In may case I had to fly for 16 hours but it was totally worth…

Angus Young: 16 hours?!

Matteo Abruzzo: By the way Italy is waiting for you! Apparently the concert in Imola will be the biggest AC/DC concert in Italy ever. They claim they have sold more than 90,000 tickets…

Angus Young: That's good! (Angus puffs on his cigarette) But I wanted to ask you, what is Imola? Is it a racetrack?

Matteo Abruzzo: Yes, it is! Just like Hockenheim.

Angus Young: I wonder... Is it long or wide?

Matteo Abruzzo: It should be long. Generally it’s long, it’s not very wide. But they change the venue. They sold out all tickets in one week and there are lots of people still looking for tickets. You should play two concerts… ... Maybe next year…

Angus Young: (Everybody laughs. Angus giggles) You should talk to Brian… You know I play the guitar but Brian has his voice as musical instrument… And he likes it is at its best…

Matteo Abruzzo: Brian already said no! He told us several times he’s too old and can’t go on. He started in Stockholm in 2009! But maybe he will change his mind... He likes to complain and be dramatic. It must be his Italian DNA...

Angus Young: (giggles)

Matteo Abruzzo: But this tour my impression is that even his voice is great. Not as good as at the beginning of the Black Ice Tour but still excellent.

Angus Young: Yes, its very good!

Matteo Abruzzo: Angus, it’s important that you explain to him that he has to go on because it’s important to us, as fans. Not only for AC/DC and for the music, but also for the fans!

Angus Young: Absolutely.

Matteo Abruzzo: We will tell him later on. We have a bottle of one of his favorite wines from his selection of wines (pointing his finger at Stefano)

Stefano d’Abruzzo:Yes! Barolo from my personal cellar!

Angus Young: Barolo... But tell him “don’t drink it on work day! Not before singing” (Angus giggles)

(everybody laughs)

Another cigarette with Angus

German fan: What do you think of playing stadiums? Do you feel the energy of such large crowds?

Angus Young: Of course! And when I don’t feel it enough I do like this (Angus does the typical “I can’t hear” gesture)

(everybody laughs)

Matteo Abruzzo: I think one of the best crowds was in Paris.

Angus Young: It was very big on the Saturday night (23 May) And the last show in Madrid too. It was very powerful! Even before we came on stage!

Matteo Abruzzo: But we also need you to go in Argentina again. So we have the excuse to go there! We missed Argentina during the Black Ice tour!

Angus Young: Oh, you missed Argentina?! (Angus giggles)

Matteo Abruzzo: Oh yes, we were already in Sydney preparing the Australian tour. We did 11 shows in Australia! All of them!

Angus Young: I would play everywhere they tell me to play. I would love to go back to Argentina...

Matteo Abruzzo: Yes, the audience is crazy there. They jump like crazy during the show. In Europe is different, especially in countries such as Germany...

Angus Young: Yes, and they hold their phones. I was talking to Ellen about all those lights I can see from the stage while playing. What are they? Are they glowsticks? And she told me, no Angus, they are mobile phones... (Angus giggles) ... There were many in Paris and I see all these lights... (Angus giggles) ... In Madrid there were less...  It's actually a great sight from the stage...

Matteo Abruzzo: And maybe after you can come to Abruzzo and play a show there too (playfully said)

(everybody laughs)

Angus Young: Abruzzo is in the South of Italy, isn't it? Do you have the sea?

Matteo Abruzzo: Of course! We have the Adriatic sea there! Lots of beautiful beaches!

Angus Young: Well, that's a plus. I like water... After this tour is over... I might go...

Matteo Abruzzo: We have great food. Nature, people. Also some mafia and crooked politicians...

(everybody laughs)

Angus Young: eh eh... I stay away from them... (he puffs on his cigarette)... I always wanted to play the guitar. I never got involved in any politics... .... ...

At this point Angus starts talking about politics, rock'n'roll and the early days... Honestly, we get distracted by looking at this minute man talking and smoking realizing he happens to be one of the greatest living legends in the history of rock'n'roll.... Despite playing in front of hundreds of thousands of people he still remains humble and down to earth making feel each fan special. A great man!

After other photos, signatures etc. Angus lights another cigarette and spends more time with us talking about everything, from the Champions League final to next Australian tour. He thens joins his wife and says bye bye. We cheer him clapping hands. Another memorable story to remember!


 Sons of a devil


Our photo book signed by Angus
BUY YOUR COPY HERE:
 www.acdcphotobook.com


Monday, July 27, 2015

Warsaw, POLAND – Stadion Narodowy 25 July 2015 - PART 2

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap


THE ORANGUS' TRAVEL DIARY - WARSAW PART 2 - UPDATE

Yesterday I was so euphoric for my record that I forgot to mention that the band actually changed the setlist and played Have a Drink on Me before Shot Down in Flames. Maybe it was a mistake like they made in Dessel when they played Sin City before YSMANL, or maybe it was planned. Who knows? Anyway, different setlist!

Some other technical points. Although, I became almost deaf because of so many AC/DC shows, I could still notice that acoustics in the front of stage area were a disaster. In the Warsaw Stadium there was a sort of roof (made of some soft material, apparently) which probably made the sound even worse. I decided to move to the left during Back in Black. Brian was clearly tired but it is difficult for me to assess his performance due to the bad sound. The band played better towards the end. I didn't like the first part of the Angus solo in LTBR as much as the other days but the second part was incredible! The audience was better than in Scandinavia.

I had back pain for almost 2 days and it was difficult for me even to stand. But when the music starts, I get healed, forget everything, and it's groundhog rock'n'roll day all over again!

See you in Foxborough! 

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Warsaw, POL – Stadion Narodowy - ORANGUS' RECORD! 25 July 2015

AC/DC Abruzzo's Special Envoy Orangus made it to Warsaw - 28 AC/DC concerts in a row!


Warsaw, POLAND – Stadion Narodowy 25 July 2015

1. Rock or Bust
2. Shoot to Thrill
3. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
4. Back in Black
5. Play Ball
6. Dirty Deeds
7. Thunderstruck
8. High Voltage
9. Rock 'n' Roll Train
10. Hells Bells
11. Baptism By Fire
12. Shook Me
13. Sin City
14. Have a Drink on Me 
15. Shot Down in Flames
16. TNT
17. Rosie
18. Let There Be rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock


THE ORANGUS' TRAVEL DIARY

I HAVE MADE IT! 28 AC/DC CONCERTS IN A ROW! 86 AC/DC CONCERTS IN TOTAL!!! I only skipped Coachella. Crappy audience. .. Too many girls there! A place for Matteo Abruzzo, not for me! 17 European capitals! Plus Glasgow, Barcelona etc etc.

Humid and rainy day but another great performance of the band. I got soaking wet, almost like after the second show in Zurich. The band played another killer show. 

Anyway I'm too busy looking for flight tickets for the USA. In a month I'll be in America for more AC/DC show with the rest of the crew! What do I do for a living? I follow AC/DC on tour.

Thank you AC/DC Abruzzo and the rest of the crew for supporting me on this crazy tour. 

PS I broke up with my girlfriend as soon as I got back to Italy after seeing a picture of her wearing an Aerosmith t-shirt... I can't stand Aerosmith... F**K THEM!




Back to Warsaw!

Let There Be Rock

Sin City

Orangus' ex girlfriend 





Friday, July 24, 2015

Hämeenlinna, FIN - Kantolan tapahtumapuisto 22 July 2015

Back in Finland

1. Rock or Bust
2. Shoot to Thrill
3. Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
4. Back in Black
5. Play Ball
6. Dirty Deeds
7. Thunderstruck
8. High Voltage
9. Rock 'n' Roll Train
10. Hells Bells
11. Baptism By Fire
12. Shook Me
13. Sin City
14. Shot Down in Flames
15. Have a Drink on Me
16. TNT
17. Rosie
18. Let There Be rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock


THE ORANGUS' TRAVEL DIARY

The last train number I took in Finland was Number 999 and it was marked as going to HELL-SINKI. How can't you love Finland?

It was a great show but it was clear that the band really needs a rest. During Sin City, Brian gesticulated showing the usual "technical problems" with earphones etc. 
Angus changed the LTBR solo again. Magnificent!

Concert started at 9.30 instead of 9. I missed my train but managed to take one at 1.30.
In the morning I woke up and went straight to my first Finnish sauna. Unfortunately, it was for men only. They say there are also mixed saunas with naked women as it is scientifically proven that at that high temperature it is virtually impossible to get sexually aroused.. Mhm... Anyway, Finnish sauna was nothing special. Actually, I sweat more at an AC/DC concert. 

In Helsinki I went to another concert: a Japanese pianist in a church. The following day my flight to Warsaw as making a stopover in Riga. I took the opportunity to visit the old town, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage...

Angus on fire


Classical Music


Rock'n'Roll Train