Saturday, June 15, 2024

AC/DC Live at Olympiastadion, Munich 12 June 2024


AC/DC Live at Olympiastadion, Munich 12 June 2024

You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)

Back in Black

Demon Fire

Shot Down in Flames

Thunderstruck

Have a Drink on Me

Hells Bells

Shot in the Dark

Stiff Upper Lip

Shoot to Thrill

Sin City

Rock ‘n’ Roll Train

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

High Voltage

Riff Raff

You Shook Me All Night Long

Highway to Hell

Whole Lotta Rosie

Let There Be Rock

T.N.T.

For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) 

Report by Stefano, the AC/DC ABRUZZO Secretary General

Beautiful day, with Orangus forecasting sunshine. The city is already full of Scots in kilts, invading local breweries from the early hours of the morning.

I arrived at Olympiapark just after 5 PM. The atmosphere was convivial, with all the outdoor dining areas filled with Germans in their colorful denim jackets adorned with commemorative patches. The Golden Circle section was quite full by 6 PM, a mixed crowd with many families and children. There were fewer attempts at the OLA and chanting compared to Sunday’s concert and fewer young people. I positioned myself on the right as usual, but closer to the barrier. Some people were complaining about the lack of space in the pitch. I advised them to buy Seat tickets next time.

The show started promptly at 8:30 PM. Angus was back in blue, and it was great to see him so close during "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)," played with precision and power. A couple of times when he came to the right corner of the stage, I enjoyed the moment without taking photos or videos—pure bliss. It’s incredible how, at his age, he still has an insatiable hunger for rock 'n' roll.

In the first part of the concert, the band seemed a bit more tired compared to Sunday. Angus did less duckwalking, and Brian performed his duties with professionalism. His voice sounded clean to me. From "Sin City" onwards, the band started to grind out some great rock. Brian was in "wide-eyed screaming mode" very ofter (as Phil the Belgian put it), and at times reminded me of the energy and moves from the Black Ice tour. The band seems to enjoy themselves on stage and gains confidence with each concert. Certainly, an extra day of rest makes a difference, and in my opinion, Munich 1 was better than today. But who cares!

Best Songs of the Night

"Sin City," "High Voltage," and "Highway to Hell" were highlights, but I also really enjoyed "Rock 'n' Roll Train." The crowd appreciated Angus’s solo on the catwalk and platform during "Let There Be Rock." It was great when he challenged the audience to be louder. Any attempts at a mosh pit were quickly suppressed by ladies more focused on protecting their space than having fun. The Colombian/Swedish fans from the previous concert mini moshpit were desperate and looked for my help on several occasions.

Overall, it was a solid concert. It started a bit slow, but they picked up in the second half.

Other Points to Mention:

- The playful interaction between Brian and Angus during "Dirty Deeds." with two vocals contributian by Angus as you can see in my video

- Brian not screaming at the end of "Highway to Hell" and touching his throat.

- Angus not dropping to the ground at the end of "Let There Be Rock just like on Sunday

- Orangus celebrating his 140th concert, standing right next to me.

- A kid jumping throughout the entire concert often annoyed Orangus who is less into jumping than previous tours...

In conclusion, Munich delivered another fantastic night of rock 'n' roll. The band continues to prove why they are legends, and I’m grateful to be part of this incredible journey. Now, on to the next one!

Rock on,

Stefano, Secretary General











Wednesday, June 12, 2024

100 SHOWS UNDER OUR BELT!

In Munich, we proudly joined the small and exclusive club of fans with over 100 AC/DC shows under their belts—a club with maybe a couple of hundred members worldwide... who knows... 

Achieving this milestone wasn't easy, especially considering we are from the "Stiff Upper Lip" generation, but it feels incredible to be part of such a dedicated group and celebrate it with such an unforgettable show.

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK WE SALUTE YOU!

 




Tuesday, June 11, 2024

AC/DC Live at Olympiastadion, Munich 9 June 2024

 


If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)
Back in Black
Demon Fire
Shot Down in Flames
Thunderstruck
Have a Drink on Me
Hells Bells
Shot in the Dark
Stiff Upper Lip
Shoot to Thrill
Sin City
Rock ‘n’ Roll Train
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
High Voltage
Riff Raff
You Shook Me All Night Long
Highway to Hell
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock
T.N.T.
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) 

 

Meine Damen und Herren
Das kann nur eins heissen
AC/DC


What we experienced in Munich was another great night of rock 'n' roll where the past and present of AC/DC intertwined, creating something unique and dreamlike for us hardcore fans. The Power Up Tour is a tour where we constantly have to pinch ourselves. It’s really too good to be true.

Just a couple of years ago, in 2021 or 2022, we would have never believed we could hear “Stiff Upper Lip” live again at Munich Olympiastadion, where the iconic 2001 DVD was recorded—a DVD we watched over and over, maybe thousands of times. And there we were, jumping and screaming with Brian and Angus, “And I shoot from the hip,” with Angus performing his solo on the catwalk...

Munich’s Olympiastadion is one of our favorite venues in Europe, known for its great crowd and iconic history. Despite the heavy rain for several hours, the atmosphere was electric. Probably, the majority of people didn’t like the rain, but for us, watching AC/DC perform under the rain always is something special—bringing back memories from Brisbane 2010, Nice 2010 and Munich 2015. A raw, authentic rock 'n' roll show!

You would expect the band to slow down at their age, especially with such adverse weather conditions. It had been raining since 6 PM. Backstage, the managers and some people in the audience, including us, were nervous. Can the show really take place? Is it safe?

But Angus and Brian made all doubts disappear! Angus played as if to prove they were not scared of the rain, the cold weather, or the slippery stage. He was super motivated on stage to put on the ultimate performance, rain or shine. To show the old guard of fans, as well as new kids in their teens and twenties who had never seen them, how an authentic rock 'n' roll show should be.

We were lucky enough to be close to the stage, in our usual spot on the right, where we could get the sound from the stage amps. Maybe not ideal for audiophiles, but we love to listen to that raw sound from Angus’s guitar. Some people complained about distortion and nas acoustics on the seats and other sections but for us it was just fine.

We expected the audience to be still and “sleepy,” as it sometimes happens in Germany. On the contrary, we were close to some young people from Sweden and Germany who were really there to rock hard, moshpit style. Some of them knew us from our past tours and blog, so we ended up having a great time jumping like crazy during “If You Want Blood,” “Back in Black,” and “Thunderstruck,” till the final crescendo of “Rosie” and “Let There Be Rock.” Those around us weren’t annoyed; they seemed rather pleased with their hiperactive neighbors.

The highlight of the night was “Riff Raff”—tight and nasty under the rain! It looked and sounded like the perfect epitome of the AC/DC live rockers philosophy from the Bon Scott era. The solo in “Let There Be Rock” was much longer than usual. It seemed like Angus didn’t want to stop under the rain. Watch our videos below to get a small taste of the power of this tour.

Brian continues to amaze us! Strong and solid as a rock. His voice is just fantastic. Sometimes, if you pay attention to YouTube videos or if you are at the venue simply to analyze the show, you might notice some inaccuracies or small issues. But when you are at the show, in the Golden Circle, you really get caught up in the moment of rock 'n' roll, and that’s when you realize and feel that when AC/DC are playing live, there is no better place to be.

The truth is that despite AC/DC being a corporation making hundreds of millions and having thousands of people working around them, you can still feel the raw rock 'n' roll of the early days when you see a show like this one... And this is the most important message of the night: Rock'n'Roll is still alive!








 

 

Sunday, June 9, 2024

AC/DC Live at Johan Cruijff Arena , Amsterdam 5 June 2024


If you Want Blood (You’ve Got It)
Back in Black
Demon Fire
Shot Down in Flames
Thunderstruck
Have a Drink on Me
Hells Bells
Shot in the Dark
Stiff Upper Lip
Shoot to Thrill
Sin City
Rock ‘n’ Roll Train
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
High Voltage
Riff Raff
You Shook Me All Night Long
Highway to Hell
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock
T.N.T.
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)



Considering no US tour has been announced yet, and maybe never will, we decided to see as many shows as possible for us in Europe and so, after Seville, we went to Amsterdam. And we witnessed the AC/DC’s electrifying performance at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, and what a night it was!

We arrived at the arena early enough to meet some of our German friends we’ve known since the London 2003 and Black Ice tour. It was fantastic to reconnect and share our mutual excitement for the show. For the first time on this tour, we decided to position ourselves in front of the sound mixer to fully appreciate the power of AC/DC’s sound, in full stereo.

The atmosphere in the pitch was lively, with a noticeable level of alcohol consumption among the fans. Drinks were being thrown around before and during the show, and we even spotted some fights and “funny interactions” among the crowd during the opening band. You can check out some of these "friendly fights" on our social media. It reminded us of the rowdy English crowds, and we’re curious to see if London will bring similar vibes like in the past despite the use of smartphones.

The show started on time, and AC/DC kicked off strong and powerful. Brian Johnson was amazing, both in terms of movements on stage and vocals. His voice sounded so good on some songs that it was almost unbelievable. There were moments we joked about the possibility of backing tracks, but knowing AC/DC, it’s all raw and real. We just watched, enjoyed, and thanked again the Gods of rock for the gift of seeing AC/DC back on stage.

“Back in Black” and “Shoot to Thrill” were particular highlights, despite some minor sound distortion, which still made it more authentic for us. The acoustics in the stadium were generally great, especially where we were positioned. We had heard that the sound in this stadium might not be ideal for rock concerts, but our experience was fantastic. Listening to AC/DC in stereo like this was a dream, even though it’s hard for us to wear ear protection and miss out on the mighty rock 'n' roll sound of AC/DC.

“Stiff Upper Lip” was another standout performance. We know from Matt that it was his idea to include it in the set before PowerTrip, and the band approved it. Thanks, Matt! Angus Young was on fire, especially during the first part of the show. He duckwalked and moved energetically, also during Back in Black, though he seemed to slow down a bit during the end of the show; “Let There Be Rock” solo was short comparing to previous shows. In contrast, Brian kept growing stronger as the night went on. And for the encores he even had to change his t-shirt (we noticed as the color was dark blue instead of black).

The rest of the band did a fantastic job. There was a small mistake at the beginning of “T.N.T.” (apparently Stevie started with Dirty Deeds) but it was barely noticeable and again we love such small imperfections that make each live performance unique.

The crowd exceeded our expectations. The lack of division on the floor perhaps contributed to more interaction and energy, even if there was a bit too much alcohol involved. The crowd’s enthusiasm and the band’s performance made for an unforgettable night.

And now, we look forward to Munich! Stay tuned for more updates from the road. Until then, keep rocking!