Antwerp, BE Sportpaleis March 1, 2009

Antwerp, BE Sportpaleis,
March 01, 2009

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

AC/DC ABRUZZO OFFICIAL REPORT

As many of our readers already know AC/DC Abruzzo had originally decided to conclude the first leg of its tour after Paris. But after experiencing such a huge dose of pure AC/DC rock'n'roll in Bercy we decided that we could not stop and that we had to carry on with our rock'n'roll mission. We therefore ended up in
Antwerp, Belgium which definitely looks like a small province town if compared to Paris. But we don't mind as long as we get to see AC/DC!!

Outside the Sportpaleis the atmosphere was much more relaxed than in Bercy. We met Phil and his friends from AC/DC Bedlam in Belgium blog who were very kind to us! They rock! We also met lots of other fans outside the venue who recognised us through the blog and the Facebook group and thanked us for our job. We salute them all and thank you for your support!

There was just one entrance to the venue so you can imagine the chaos when they opened the gates. Also in Belgium they had this paperless tickets policy that made everything more complicated, in our opinion... Anyway, we managed to get tickets in the end and we decided to follow our first AC/DC show in Europe from seats and not in the GA standing. We deserved some rest after the Paris gigs (5 shows in a row)...Seeing AC/DC from a seat, for us, goes against the entire idea of rock'n'roll but it was Force Majeure this time. Too tired...

Anyway, the show was great. They went back to the old, solid, tight setlist with the original order. First thing we noticed in Sportpaleis was that the standing section was filled to the brim, probably even against safety regulations. Secondly the acoustics were impressively good. Maybe because we were right behind the soundboard, I don't know...Some other people got the same impression...

The highlight of the night was HIGHWAY TO HELL. Despite the fact that there was some technical problem and nothing was projected on the screens after Rosie the Audience went totally wild during this song. It was very cool when Brian grabbed a "Satanic Trident" from the audience during the song screaming "WE'RE ON A HIGHWAY TO HELL!" along with the audience. As for Angus, we're still trying to figure out how he can do what he does every night... Thank God he exists.

From our new position we also appreciated the silent leader role of Malcolm, especially when Brian made a small mistake during Dirty Deeds. His background vocals were there to put everything in order. Bottomline, it was a great show again. We, in AC/DC Abruzzo, are glad we've come to Belgium to see these 2 extra gigs. Sometimes, in life, you really have to understand when it's time to seize an opportinity. And having AC/DC playing Europe in such small venues and with such warm crowds it's an opportunity we can't miss!

Tonight, God willing, AC/DC Abruzzo will be again in the pit!! OI! OI! OI! OI!

NEWS FROM ANTWERP

AC/DC Abruzzo has just come back from the Sportpaleis of Antwerp for the first concert here in Belgium. Excellent performance of the band, once again, and great crowd, although not as wild as Paris. No changes in the setlist (same as Paris 1st night). A couple of technical hitches (no screens from Let There Be Rock on...).
This time we decided to go for seats instead of GA so we had a different perspective. Report and videos coming soon... Buonanotte from Antwerp

With our friends from AC/DC BEDLAM in BELGIUM blog

PARIS, FR FEB 27, 2009

Paris, FR Bercy, 
February 27, 2009 

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. Anything Goes 

7. Shot Down in Flames

8. Thunderstruck

9. Black Ice

10. The Jack

11. Hell's Bells

12. Shoot to Thrill

13. War Machine

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

AC/DC ABRUZZO Official Review

AC/DC Abruzzo has just arrived in Antwerp after a long journey on a very expensive and very delayed Thalys train. We feel exhausted, tired, our back hurts and we even have some bruises (last time we had bruises because of AC/DC was in Milton Keynes in 2001, we think) …  But we feel very happy. Yesterday’s show really rocked! 

We spent the last 5 days in Paris eating good local food (we’ll post some photos soon), meeting new and old friends and trying to recover our energies from the exhausting previous week spent on the road (and I'll tell you folks it's harder than it looks!).

Before the show outside the Arena we bumped into a fan from Italy, Lorenzo who was desperately looking for a standing ticket while riding his bike (he goes to concerts with his car and bike!!).  You might not believe this but he was the one who gave Matteo of AC/DC Abruzzo his extra ticket for the Hammersmith show in 2003!! And no news from him since that day in October 2003!!! It’s such a small world, isn’t it? We know that he finally managed to find a ticket for the Paris show and we’ll meet him again in Antwerp.

Once inside the Arena we immediately noticed the extra camera over the audience. We had heard about those rumours about Dave Mallet being in Paris and we knew about the band being in Bercy to film something in the afternoon, so we did the math and we came to the conclusion that the French audience and AC/DC Abruzzo will probably be included in the next videoclip!!! The crowd was probably even more excited because of the filming (or maybe because it was Friday night… We don't know. )Anyway the beginning of show was amazing again! The crowd went wild since the very first guitar lick! And we, in our usual spots on the right, in front of Angus, we just had a real good time jumping and screaming as the previous night... Brian pointed at our flag several times during the show (normally he waves at us just during RnR Train or Hell Aint aBad Place to Be). We must admit that we were very "hyperactive” during the show…

As for the setlist, there was just a minor change in the order of the songs. Actually, we were almost dying when Brian at a certain point said "We’ve got a special song for Paris”. But he was just introducing Dirty Deeds...

For AC/DC Abruzzo the best song of the night was TNT. It was just pure bliss for a AC/DC fan to hear such a nasty OI OI OI from the audience singing along with Angus. During that song in the area where we were standing some people starting some pretty violent  “Pimball Pogo" along with some crowd surfing. Everybody looked like they were having the time of their life. Including us. From TNT on, there was a real CRESCENDO… After an incredibly powerful version of Whole Lotta Rosie Let There Be Rock started. At that point we really felt rock’n’roll taking over our body and mind! In this Rock’n’Roll trance we just felt it was the right moment to improvise a Bon Fire feat: Stefano jumped on Matteo's shoulders showing the flag to the entire French audience for several minutes of pure rock’n’roll ecstasy. What a great feeling... We had several cameras pointed at us so you might see us on TV soon.... AH AH AH

To conclude, we want to underline the professional job done by the security guys that never interfered with the audience, they let us have a good time and were always helpful giving us water during and after the show. We salute them!

Bottom line, I think Paris 2009 will be a milestone for AC/DC fans. We’re sure they really enjoyed playing there as much as we did!

And tomorrow it will be BEDLAM IN BELGIUM!!

AC/DC ABRUZZO salutes you!

PHOTO GALLERY

The President while inspecting a bottle of local Belgian beer

AC/DC Abruzzo headquarters in Antwerp

PARIS FEBRUARY 27, 2009

HAIL HAIL TO THE GOOD TIMES
COS ROCK HAS GOT THE RIGHT OF WAY!

What a fantastic night for Rock'n'Roll!! Once again AC/DC just put on a magnificent show in Bercy with an incredible crowd. AC/DC Abruzzo was again part of this historic rock event which was apparently filmed by the crew with some extra cameras for a DVD/Videoclip (probably Anything Goes).

AD/DC Abruzzo wishes to thank Yann of http://www.highwaytoacdc.com/ for his warm hospitality and help in Paris during our stay! We salute you!

So far the Paris shows were definitely the best we've been to in this European Tour. This is the 5th show in a row for Ac/DC Abruzzo. And despite the difficulties of our life on the road, we unanimously decided, after a meeting of our steering committee, to follow the band for the two shows in Antwerp, Belgium. WE CAN'T STOP NOW! WE'RE GONNA RIDE ON!!!

Ciao from the road.

AC/DC Abruzzo Staff

FULL REVIEW AND EXCLUSIVE PICS COMING SOON!

ROCCO 'N' ROLLO! TRUE ABRUZZESE ROCKER!!!!

IL ROCKER DI COCULLO

LA CHITARRA GRANITICA DEL GRAN SASSO 

L'ULULATO DEL PARCO NAZIONALE D'ABRUZZO

ROCCO'N'ROLLO!!! FROM ABRUZZO!!

AH AH AH AH AH AH

Grazie a Marco F per la segnalazione!!!

WAR MACHINE IN STOCKHOLM!

From our friend's YOUTUBE channel AC/DC Italia On Tour here's a cool video from Stockholm second night of one of our favourite songs.

AC/DC ABRUZZO CELEBRATES WITH THE GERMAN FANS IN PARIS!!

AC/DC Abruzzo took part tonight in a special event near the Latin Quarter in Paris organised by hardcore German fans to celebrate AC/DC's come back in Europe! The Germans really know how to party! Especially AC/DC fans! We had a blast!!! Here's some pictures and videos for you!

The fans

With Ratz from Bavaria!

NOTTI MAGICHE IN STOCKHOLM!

During its journey throughout Europe AC/DC Abruzzo bumped into these German fans outside the Globen in Stockholm. These AC/DC - Gianna Nannini's fans supposedly flew to America to see AC/DC live in Florida in December (driving from New York?!?!?). Anyway, when they saw our Italian flag they couldn't resist and after pointing out the resemblance of AC/DC Abruzzo's President with soccer player Luca Toni they started to sing "Notti Magiche" very loudly! Here's an excerpt of this unexpexted performance of one of Italians' favourite song by these crazy German fans!

Actually Italy is still the WORLD CHAMPION. Watch this video to refresh your memory, girls!

And by the way, FABIO GROSSO, the soccer player who scored the first goal against Germany in the semifinal and then the final penalty kick in the final against France is ABRUZZESE and started his career in CITTA' S. ANGELO, hometown of AC/DC Abruzzo Vice President Andrea!!!!!

PARIS, FR FEB 25, 2009

Paris, FR Bercy,
February 25, 2009

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

What a rock show!! This was what we had been waiting for after the Hammersmith gig in 2003... Obviously it was not quite like it but at least we rocked with a real rocking crowd!! No doubt the French can really rock and AC/DC Abruzzo was more than happy to take part in this historic rock event! Paris, Bercy was definetely the best show so far, considering the energy of this crowd. We really "smelled" rock'n'roll, as Brian put it during the show, especially in the "Fosse Debout" section!

This time there were a lot more people in the standing area, more mature and ready to rock! We actually saw the old genearation of fans as well as the new and everybody was there to have a good time together. A lot of jumping and pushing, always with respect and fun, and even some good old school CROWD SURFING!!! Yes, CROWD SURFING!! AC/DC Abruzzo salutes the French crowd!

In the standing section this time it was pretty difficult to stand in your spot so we were just bouncing from left to the right, especially in the first few songs... How to describe those feelings of excitement during Hell'Ain't a Bad Place to Be, Dirty Deeds or Thunderstruck while jumping and screaming just a couple of metres from Angus and Brian!!We had been waiting for that for 7 years... You have to be there to understand!

As for the show, everything was perfect as usual. I mean, some people might complain about the setlist but AC/DC Abruzzo believes that we should be grateful to the boys to be on tour and play small covered arenas and not only stadiums. The setlist is tight. Maybe we expected Stiff Upper Lip for the European tour. But why changing it after all? We personally should thank the Gods of rock for this. Being so close to Brian and Angus rocking so hard is just a gift to us European fans...

This is AC/DC Abruzzo's fourth show in a row and we start actually noticing all the details. For example we saw Brian smoking a cigarette during the Let there be rock solo of Angus in the middle of the audience which was pretty cool... And then you see the colour of Angus' uniform and tie, the moment in which he decides to drop his cap, where and when he decides to duckwalk, the small differences in Let There Be rock's solo ...

After the show we saw several fans from different countries that came and greeted us thanking for our reports and our blog. We salute them! Especially our fellow country men from SULMONA ABRUZZO!!! They came to Paris just for the show. ABRUZZO ROCKS!!!

MORE PICTURES SOON!!!!

NEW PHOTOS FROM OSLO ON AC/DC ITALIA

More exclusive AC/DC Abruzzo pictures from the opening night of the European tour in Oslo can be found on our friends' website ACDC ITALIA. CIAO!!
CLICK HERE

AC/DC WHOLE LOTTA ROSIE Globen Stockholm, Sweden 22 February 2009

AC/DC ABRUZZO IN PARIS!!

AC/DC Abruzzo has just arrived in Paris. Just in time to eat the first "baguette campagnarde" sandwich with tarte aux framboise... Delicious! We're currently working to create our French menus for the next few days.
A +

STOCKHOLM 22 FEB 2009

Stockholm, SE Globen Arena

February 22, 2009

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

          

AC/DC ABRUZZO'S OFFICIAL REVIEW

First of all AC/DC Abruzzo wishes to say GRAZIE MILLE to Brian and Cliff for the great saturday afternoon that they spent with us and with our good friends of AC/DC Italia. We really had a wonderful time together. Brian and Cliff told us lots of stories and anecdotes about AC/DC and their lives: music, fast cars, women and, surprisingly, a lot about food and wine! Especially Brian who confessed that he absolutely loves Italian food (Italian food from Italy, not the one you get abroad!!!). As for Cliff, this guy is just a pure rocker! Non only music-wise... Cliff and Brian are quintessentially FREGNI (Abruzzese word which could be translated with "Cool")! AC/DC Abruzzo will post more details and photos about this amazing meeting very soon!

THE SHOW

So, in the end, on Sunday we got snow in Stockholm too! The area around the Globen was all white and it was freezing cold, like in Oslo. Inside the arena we managed to access the GA standing section again, the only area where we think, in our humble opinion, that an AC/DC concert can be fully appreciated.  

Again the boys looked in excellent shape but we noticed that Angus, was again the most energetic one, even more than the previous night. Our impression is that Angus' performances get better as time goes by,  show after show... During the gig he spent a bit more time than usual on the catwalk, especially at the beginning. The setlist was again the same to the previous night but, to us, there is no reason to complain.  Seeing the boys back in Europe, in small covered arenas such as the Globe (with excellent acoustics), with such a great album out and in such good shape, makes us feel totally content and satisfied.

Again Let there be rock stood out of the setlist! But the song of the day for AC/DC Abruzzo was Whole Lotta Rosie which was played with incredible energy. Of course we also particularly enjoyed Shot Down in Flames, Shoot To Thrill again and For Those About to Rock.

The crowd in the Standing Section where we were was again very young. It started slow but then when BIB began it went crazy. During TNT I finally saw people going totally wild, like pushing and jumping like fools. In Italy we call it "POGO". But honestly I was really waiting for this "pinball" effect at an AC/DC concert! The last time I saw that was in the Hammersmith Theatre in London in 2003 in the so called "Stalls section"... Good memories... (BTW We also saw Patrick from Finland who was with us at the Hammy soundcheck!)

AC/DC Abruzzo is now getting ready for Paris... We are certain that the French Crowd will do justice to AC/DC real well. We can't wait to be in Bercy, one of our favourite arenas in Europe. The atmosphere will be unique there!! And maybe an extra song will be played by the boys!!

A Bientot!

AC/DC ABRUZZO STAFF salutes you

QUANTE CE PIASCE LI ESI' DISI'!!!!!

PHOTO GALLERY

Some of the most hard-core AC/DC fans of the world!

   

Meeting with AC/DC Italia in the AC/DC Abruzzo headquarters in Stockholm

STOCKHOLM DAY 4

AC/DC Abruzzo has just come back from the second show at the Globen. Another great performance by the band! Full review and pictures tomorrow.

The next few hours will be spent deciding the strategies for the next months on the road with our fellow colleagues of AC/DC Italia who are presently with us in our Stockholm headquarters. 

LET DER B ROC

AC/DC ABRUZZO MEETS BRIAN AND CLIFF!

Today AC/DC ABRUZZO, together with our fellow colleagues of AC/DC ITALIA, spent two unforgettable hours with Brian and Cliff in Stockholm. We drank good Mersault 2006 while chatting about a variety of interesting subjects, from the Black Ice World Tour to regional italian recipes (e.g. Spaghetti alla chitarra). During the meeting Brian surprisingly showed an indisputable Abruzzese attitude with us ("Forte e gentile") and so did Cliff. These boys are just AMAZING! AC/DC Abruzzo offered a bottle of special Italian wine to Brian brought specifically to Stockholm to express our gratitude to the band for the Black Ice album and the European Tour.
FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK WE SALUTE YOU!

SHOT DOWN IN FLAMES Clip from Stockholm

NEWS FROM THE ROAD: STOCKHOLM, DAY 2

20 February 2009

Stockholm, SE Globen Arena


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

From the AC/DC Abruzzo Stockholm Headquarters.

After a tasty and healthy breakfast with mouth-watering raw fish and delicious Swedish meatballs with French croissants and pancakes AC/DC Abruzzo is ready to offer you the full review of yesterday's show at the Globen Arena of Stockholm.


Getting a standing ticket for the show this time was not an easy task, even for AC/DC Abruzzo and even after befriending all the dozens of ticket "brokers" outside the arena. But thanks to our Abruzzese charming attitude, we finally managed to get 2 standing tickets for one fifth of the market price from other AC/DC fans who understood our mission. AC/DC Abruzzo salutes them!


Inside the Globen it was immediately clear to us that it was going to be a different show if compared to Oslo. This historic spherical arena is one of those venues ideal for a rock show with a very small GA standing section (audience very close to the stage). Two interesting things: 1st the standing section was half empty, probably they sold a limited amount of tickets for security reasons. 2nd the average age of the people in the standing section must have been 18-19. No kidding! I had never seen so many teenagers at a concert since I took my little sister to see Red Hot Chili Peppers!


Anyway, the show started again at 8.30 like in Oslo, even if many seats were still empty. And this time when RNRT started the crowd went really wild! Those young kids were just pushing and screaming and jumping like they were possessed. I mean it's not what I expect for the shows in the Mediterranean countries (Italy, France, Spain etc) but it was pretty wild and exciting. Brian looked very happy to see such a responsive crowd and was moving around the stage and chatting much more than in Oslo. As for Angus… oh my God! He looks so focused and concentrated when he plays... It still seems like he plays as if his life depended on it! What a gift to Rock!!! He wore a dark blue uniform this time instead of the red one of Oslo. We noticed that his hair is longer... Our impression is that he looks more like the SUL tour. Maybe even better. And he definitely duckwalks more! Phil, Malcolm and Cliff were impeccable as usual.


When Brian said "here's a song we haven't done in a while" we understood that the moment of Shot Down in Flames had arrived. And what a performance!!! Especially Angus! We'll have to post a video to show you what the schoolboy did. Then Thunderstruck (again a lot of tireless Angus duckwalking). The setlist was basically the same for the rest of the show. But you could actually tell the boys really put more energy when they are in front of a warm crowd. We personally love WAR MACHINE each time more. It's a great song and live it's amazing. Tough, mean old school rock'n'roll. On the contrary Anything Goes sounded a bit weak, although theguitar solo is great.


If we keep Shot Down in Flames aside, which we've actually been humming every single day since Feb 17 when we heard it outside the Telenor Arena, AC/DC Abruzzo unanimously chooses Let There Be Rock as best song of the show. The rock peak was reached during Angus Solo on the top part of the stage when he got in one of those rock’n’roll trance and improvised a lot more than usual. His fingers move so fast!


Overall, we understood that Oslo was just a warm up gig if compared to Stockholm. And we're sure that it's gonna be better once the band heads for Southern Europe...


AC/DC Abruzzo salutes you all!

STOCKHOLM 20 FEB 2009

AC/DC Abruzzo Staff have just come back from the AC/DC concert at the Globen. Amazing performance by the boys. Shot Down in Flames was played for a warmer crowd as expected. The Swedish audience deserved it. Full review and pictures tomorrow.

MOCEJOM ADDURME' CHE SHTOM STRACC