THE EMPEROR OF ROCK'N'ROLL HAS SPOKEN!!

AC/DC Abruzzo and AC/DC Italia got ANGUS YOUNG'S thumbs up during LET THERE BE ROCK in Barcelona!!!!! The Emperor of Rock'n'Roll gave us his seal of approval in front of 40,000 people after seeing our Italian flag!!!

AVE ANGUS, ROCKITURI TE SALUTANT!!!!

Watch it here (4 min 07 sec and 4 min 015 in)!!



Still no news about our correspondants. According to witnesses they were spotted together in the Marseille Velodrome partying with local groupies and French diehard fans. AC/DC Abruzzo strongly condemns their unprofessional behaviour.

AC/DC BLACK ICE WORLD TOUR PHOTO BOOK - OUT NOW

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

www.acdcphotobook.com

In the last 18 months hundreds of AC/DC fans around the world wrote to thank us for our blog, our reports and especially our photos from the Black Ice World Tour. Thank you all for your support!

So we decided to create a special collection of our best photos of the tour: from the private show in Wilkes Barre in October 2008 to the Grand Finale in Bilbao in June 2010. The BLACK ICE WORLD TOUR PHOTO BOOK features more than 250 exclusive photographs of the band performing live on stage.

This deluxe photo book includes:

-Introduction by ARNAUD DURIEUX (co-author of "AC/DC: Maximum Rock'n'Roll")

-Exclusive "on the road" stories by Matteo Abruzzo
-More than 250 among our best exclusive photos of the band performing live on stage during the Black Ice World tour (with many large format photos and close-ups)
-Photos from 46 shows around the world including special sections for the private show in Wilkes Barre, October 26, 2008, O2 Arena London April 2009, Sydney, February 2010, and the Italian show in Udine, May 19 2010

-Special section of photos with the fans "Rock'n'Roll Fannation Around the World"
-Professionally printed on a very limited number of copies
-Hardcover
-Large Format 30x25 cm (12"x10")
-184 pages
-Strictly limited edition - Collector's item - available ONLY online

The book will include pictures from the following shows:

26 Oct. 2008 Wilkes-Barre, PA - Wachovia Arena
28 Oct. 2008 Wilkes-Barre, PA - Wachovia Arena
30 Oct. 2008 Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena
01 Nov. 2008 Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena
03 Nov. 2008 Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse
13 Nov. 2008 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
25 Feb. 2009 Paris, FR - POB Bercy
27 Feb. 2009 Paris, FR - POB Bercy
01 Mar. 2009 Antwerp, BE - Sportpaleis
07 Mar. 2009 Dusseldorf, DE - ISS Dome
09 Mar. 2009 Oberhausen, DE - KoPi Arena
19 Mar. 2009 Milan, IT - Datch Forum
21 Mar. 2009 Milan, IT - Datch Forum
31 Mar. 2009 Barcelona, ES - Sant Jordi
14 Apr. 2009 London, GB - O2 Arena
16 Apr. 2009 London, GB - O2 Arena
15 May. 2009 Munich, DE - Olympic Stadium
7 Jun. 2009 Barcelona, ES - Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
28 Jun. 2009 Dublin, IR - Punchstown Racecourse
30 Jun. 2009 Glasgow, UK - Hampden Park
02 Dec. 2009 Buenos Aires, AR - River Plate Stadium
11 Feb. 2010 Melbourne, AU - Etihad Stadium
13 Feb. 2010 Melbourne, AU - Etihad Stadium
15 Feb. 2010 Melbourne, AU - Etihad Stadium
18 Feb. 2010 Sydney, AU - ANZ Stadium
20 Feb. 2010 Sydney, AU - ANZ Stadium
22 Feb. 2010 Sydney, AU - ANZ Stadium
25 Feb. 2010 Brisbane, AU - QSAC
02 Mar. 2010 Adelaide, AU - Adelaide Oval
06 Mar. 2010 Perth, AU - Subiaco Oval
08 Mar. 2010 Perth, AU - Subiaco Oval
12 Mar. 2010 Tokyo, Japan - Saitama Super Arena
14 Mar. 2010 Tokyo, Japan - Saitama Super Arena

and these shows from the EUROPEAN TOUR 2010:

16 May Bucharest, RO - Piata Constitutiei
19 May Udine, IT - Stadio Friuli
27 May Warsaw, PL - Bemowo Airport
30 May Oslo, Norway - Valle Hovin Stadium
01 Jun. Tampere, FI - Ratina Stadium
03 Jun. Stockholm, SE - Olympic Stadium
05 Jun. Horsens, DK CASA - Arena Horsens
11 Jun. Donington, UK - Donington Park
15 Jun. Nice, FR - Stade Charles-Ehrmann
18 Jun. Paris, FR - Stade De France
22 Jun. Berlin, DE - Olympic Stadium
26 Jun. Seville, ES - Olympic Stadium
28 Jun. Bilbao, ES - San Mames Stadium

You can order and secure a copy of this LIMITED EDITION book for only 65 euros (instead of 70) + s/h. Keep in mind that you will not find it in bookstores!

Shipping and Handling:

10 euros Italy

12 euros European Union

17 euros Rest of Europe (Norway, Switzerland etc.), USA & Canada

18 euros Australia and Rest of World

EXPRESS DELIVERY: 5-10 days for Europe / 7-12 days for Rest of World

Don't miss this opportunity and order your copy of this unique collector's item from the Black Ice World tour 2008-2010.

PAYMENT VIA BANK WIRE AND PAYPAL (Please use the BUY NOW button below).

For further information do not hesitate to contact us.

acdcabruzzo@gmail.com




Select the area where you want the book to be delivered from the drop-down menu (Pre-ordering)

"And if you're looking for satisfaction... IT'S SATISFACTION GUARANTEED"

REFUND POLICY. 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. We want everybody to be happy with the purchase of this book. If you are not 100% satisfied just let us know. You will be able to send us back the book via registered mail (it has to have a tracking number) with the original packaging and a note on why you didn't like it and we will refund the ENTIRE AMOUNT PAID INCLUDING SHIPPING AND HANDLING. For more information please contact us.

THE BLACK ICE WORLD TOUR PHOTO BOOK ON THE AC/DC OFFICIAL WEBSITE!!!

Click here for the US version

Cliccare qui per la versione italiana

TRAILERS

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO from Barcelona!

Unfortunately we lost contact again with our correspondants from the road. Apparently, they are already on the road to Marseille, maybe together. The last message we got was: "Hotel Motel, make you wanna cry"... 

The backdoor man managed to send us this amazing video from the pit of Whole lotta Rosie showing how the boys were in excellent shape the other night. And look at Angus! Enjoy!

BARCELONA! CAMPEONES DEL ROCK!!!

This just in from our special correspondants:

Backdoor man: "Amazing show! After having seen so many indoor shows I wouldn't have never believed I could see Angus playing with such energy in a stadium too! The show was much better than in Germany. Crazy crowd. Very good sound. But the band!? Oh my God! It actually remembered me of the show in Palau St.Jordi in March, when Brian was totally on fire and Angus played like the destiny of the planet depended on it! The first 2 songs he used the catwalk immediately and you could see from his face he was really serious about giving the audience the best performance he could. Brian got so carried away by the power of rock'n'roll that at a certain point during the encores he JUMPED OFF the stage, while wearing a Barcelona FC shirt and started to interact with the audience (see photo) like the great rocker he is. Just Amazing!! We felt rock'n'roll!!"

Complete report, pics and videos from the Backdoor Man exclusively for AC/DC Abruzzo coming soon... More exclusive material will be sent to ACDC-Italia.com.

Orangus: "Really bad acoustics again. Definitely not one of their best concert! By the way the other day quotation about the bocce (who also means boobs in Italian) was by Toscanini not Paganini! Ignorants..,"

CRAZY AUDIENCE

BRAIANNO ON FIRE

Brian "Lu Mattarill"

MADRID, JUNE 5 2009 Estadio Vicente Calderón

From our correspondant:

Worst concert of the open air tour. Concert starts after 10pm. Problems with the PA system during the entire show. Angus' guitar not audible at times. A lot of rain and wind. Awful acoustics. The Great Musician Niccolo Paganini, aka the Devil's Violin, used to say: "Open air is good only for playing bocce"! The Spanish audience didn't care and went crazy anyways. Nice girls on the screens during The Jack but unfortunately no boobs flashing this time. Ciao

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. Dog Eat Dog
14. Anything Goes
15. You Shook Me All Night Long
16. TNT
17. Whole Lotta Rosie
18. Let there be Rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock

UPDATE!!! 

From "Enthusiastic" AlexMadrid

I don't agree in any way with this review. If this has been the worst show, I can't imagine how can it be the best. I was in the pit on the left side and there wasn't any PA problem. In fact, the sound was far better than I expected being an open air stadium. The "lot of rain" has been a bit of light but constant rain during Thunderstruck to The Jack. And that was all. 50.000 souls filled the third biggest spanish stadium to the top. The Highway to Hell chorus must have been heared in the other side of the city. Highlights was Shot Down In Flames,You Shook Me All Night Long and TNT. In the bad side, Black Ice songs gets the audience very cold, leaving apart Anything Goes. Particullary Black Ice must be removed from the set-list as soon as possible. Apart form this, everybody left the show extremely happy.

ORANGUS' JAILBREAK!!!

BREAKING NEWS!!! We received a text message from our correspondant Orangus saying that he managed to escape from his kidnappers! He's now safe and sound near the Calderon Stadium in Madrid and he will attend tonight's show for us!!! We deny all allegations of having paid any ransom or complied with the kidnappers' requests.

Tonight we will celebrate Orangus' Jailbreak with a big plate of GUITAR SPAGHETTI (Spaghetti alla chitarra) while waiting for the new setlist to arrive. GUITAR SPAGHETTI is the most delicious Rock'n'Roll food specialty from Abruzzo (together with ARROSTICINI). Brian would be proud of us! 

Lisbon Alvalade Stadium June 3, 2009

AC/DC Abruzzo had several friends and friends of friends attending this gig in Portugal yesterday night. But instead of contacting them after the show we preferred to practice our extrasensory perception skills and tried to guess the complete setlist and .

Here are the results of this ESP exercise:

Amazing show! The band is in excellent shape. Especially Angus. Red uniform and tie for him! Highlight of the night: Rosie, Highway to Hell and TNT. Great venue (about 40,000 people). The Portuguese audience was probably one of the warmest audience of the entire open air tour (together with the Athens one). 

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. Dog Eat Dog
14. Anything Goes
15. You Shook Me All Night Long
16. TNT
17. Whole Lotta Rosie
18. Let there be Rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock

ABRUZZO GIG CANCELLED!!!

Unbelievable!! The Abruzzo secrete private gig in Città Sant'Angelo was officially cancelled because of "technical difficulties". No more explanation! Just like the Zurich show!! Reportedly, the promoters, who allegedly booked the band for this special event, had to fly to Israel (joining the Rumanian scammers) to avoid the fury of the people who were prepared to see the band play like at the Stadio Comunale!!

However, it's our duty to report that this secret-private gig might just be the result of a collective hallucination due to the stress caused by AC/DC's repetitive setlist to diehard fans...

Anyway, AC/DC Abruzzo decided to seek help and comfort by visiting our spiritual rock'n'roll guide: Rocco 'n' Rollo, the quintessential Abruzzo rocker, who was headlining a rock festival in Silvi Paese the same night (CABAROCK Festival-May 31 and June 1). Unfortunately, his show was also cancelled because of the heavy rains that ravaged the Abruzzo coast that night! It's true: sometimes when it rains, it pours.

But we kept our positive attitude and then decided to go for a wild "RUSTELLATA" (an overdose of ARROSTICINI, the most famous Abruzzo's specialty) to ease the pain and forget this negative chain of events. We had nightmares the whole night (arrosticini are pretty heavy and not easy to digest, just like Malcolm's decision not to change the setlist).

The really positive thing about the night was that we managed to meet the mysterious "backdoor man" who was allegedly the one responsible for the disappearance of Lorenzo aka Orangus. He proved his innocence and showed his genuine and sincere passion for rock'n'roll. We like him. After tough negiotiations we managed to ink a deal with him: he will be our exclusive correspondent for 3 shows (Barcelona, Marseille and Paris). As for Orangus, if you read this please get in touch! We are seriously worried!

Last but not least AC/DC Abruzzo wants to thank Stonebreaker for the beautiful pics he sent us from the German shows. We knew Stonebreaker from Hammersmith 2003. The amazing photos that have been circulating in the internet in the last few years from that memorable night were taken by him. AC/DC Abruzzo salutes you!

Arpurtetem a uilches barres...

ANGUS IN LONDON IN 2003!

GERMANY 2009

More pics here:

For Hockenheim:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/t-klick/sets/72157618736842538/

For Gelsenkirchen:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/t-klick/sets/72157618920472877/

SCOOP!!! ANGUS AND MALCOLM TALKING ABOUT THE SETLIST!!!!

AC/DC Abruzzo has found a short but very interesting video in our archives showing a short conversation between the Brothers Young on stage in Munich (May 15) before Dog Eat Dog. Thanks to AC/DC Abruzzo's cutting edge technology and expertise we managed to decode Angus and Malcolm's body language and lips movements and we are now able to reveal the content of this shocking conversation. 

 

WE ARE UNDER SHOCK!!! Considering Malcolm's attitude the possibilities of any setlist change for this tour seem very slim... Umbelievable... Our experts are still working on other possible interpretations of this video. We'll keep you posted!|

Happy Birthday to Andrea, vice president and co-founder of the AC/DC Abruzzo project and now also member of AC/DC Italia staff. BUON COMPLEANNO!

AND NOW OFF TO THE PRIVATE GIG!! YEAH!!!

INTERVIEW WITH THE FANS: PHILLO

As you know AC/DC ABRUZZO decided to create the "Interviews with the Hardcore Fans" series. We met many of them during our international rock'n'roll journey, from Wilkes Barre, USA to the Open Air Summer tour in Europe and we have been impressed by their dedication, passion and energy. But the most interesting thing for us, from Wilkes Barres onwards, was to have met those hardcore fans who had been confined in a limbo that lasted for 5 years (or 8 if they didn't attend any European show in 2003) before having the chance to see the band on stage again. Some of them are legendary figures who travelled almost anywhere to see the band, even since the Bon Scott era, others are just regular forum posters who had never seen the band live before this tour. What they have in common is their genuine passion for AC/DC and their willingness and commitment to see them live in concert as many times as possible during the BLACK ICE World Tour.
Enjoy!

PHIL (for us: Phillo)

AC/DC Abruzzo: Today, we're with one of the greatest AC/DC Belgian fans that AC/DC Abruzzo had the pleasure to meet in Antwerp. Phil is our special guest for today. Phil, your blog Bedlam in Belgium (acdcbelgium.blogspot.com/) is definitely one of the reference points for all the Belgian fans as well as for some international die hard crazy fans like us. Can you tell us when and why you decided to create a blog?

Hi Abruzzesi! I created my blog in August 2008, in great anticipation of the long awaited new world tour. Last encounter was the Hammersmith gig in 2003, after the amazing shows with the Rolling Stones in Germany. I was browsing the internet for my favourite band and found out that the only existing Belgian fan site (http://www.ac-dc.cc/) hadn’t been updated since 2006. Belgian fans sure had both the need and right to remain up to date about their number 1 band! That’s when the idea of creating a Bedlam in Belgium blog came about. I was surprised by the massive interest from fans all over the world: at first I hoped to reach an audience of some hundred die hard fans and now already more than 5000 unique Belgian visitors came to check the site: incredible!

But you’re also very active on other boards?

Yes, of course: you can find me posting around on the official AC/DC forum and on ACDCROCKS.com.

We met in Antwerp for the 6th gig of the indoor tour. From what you were wearing it looked like either you had played truant that day or you had been preparing yourself for a long time for that concert?

Hèhè… indeed, I was wearing my schoolboy uniform, neatly unpacked and ironed, ready to hit the road and see some AC/DC shows. I was wearing it on the public transport in the Antwerp city center, where most elder ladies were in complete shock but I reassured them humming the following phrase: “don’t you struggle, don’t you fight, don’t you worry, ‘cause it’s your turn tonight”. Then the bus driver wanted to report me to the school’s headmaster. But I told him “My friends are gonna be there too”. I also brought my inflatable SG (very convenient when travelling by public transport: instantly inflatable and ready for action) to duckwalk all the way to the front row

And by the way you ended up on the big screens during TNT. Do you think that was the reason why the screens stopped working after a few minutes?? AH AH AH

All of a sudden I heard a lot of girls scream. That’s when I realised that I was on the big screen. Seriously, if I would also have flashed my sixpack to the camera, the screens would have instantly stopped working.

As we all remember the second show in Antwerp didn’t take place, unfortunately. We were surprised about how calm and relaxed the Belgians were when they learned the news of Brian having the flu. Had this happened in Paris they would have probably brought back to action the guillottine. Not to mention Italy...

Yeah, this was a very unfortunate night. The concert organisation managed fairly well to alert fans that were already on the road by messages on traffic signs, radio stations and internet. I was disappointed myself, but Brian had told us that he had a soar throat the day before the 1st show. We had witnessed that first show and I was blown away by the amount of energy he could put into that show (as all the boys did). I understood that going that deep would not facilitate speedy recovery. And I knew from the Hammersmith gig in 2003 that even when Brian would be seriously ill (he just came out of hospital the day of the show), he would still get on stage. I am convinced that the band has tried to get on until the very last moment. Hence probably the late announcement at the venue. My buddies (together we are called the 3 Angi – from the latin plural of 1 Angus) and myself went for a cool pool party instead, and indeed comforted ourselves with some delicious Belgian beers and loud music. The Rotterdam show 1 week later made us totally forget. And the other fans: they get a new chance to see them in Amstedam! Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win.

So I understand you met and talked to Brian the day before the show. Congratulations! Did you also meet the other boys?

Yes, we managed to meet the band briefly the day before the show and of course it was a surreal eye to eye encounter! We thanked Angus and the boys politely for being such a great and influential musicians. Their down to earth approach of the boys was most striking: I believe that's totally rock&roll and deserves eternal respect.

Unfortunately our paths didn't cross again after Antwerp. But you met other fans! Tell us something about the other shows you saw and the diehard fans you met

I was able to meet with Wildheart from the AC/DC forum at the Antwerp gig and we also met Carole from Canada in Holland, along with some crazy Dutch fans. It is übercool to meet like-minded folks from around the globe. I hope to meet some more folks on the next gigs.
Thanks guys for your continuous flow of in depth field reporting from all over Europe! Next stop: Paris, France! Hope to see you there up front! POWA!!!
Ciao!

Thank you Phillo. It was a real pleasure having you here with us. See you soon on the road and keep on rockin'!

And now, after the interview series, last but not least, the setlist from Athens!!!!! You thought we were going to skip that.... Eh eh eh eh... NO F*£$IN' WAY!

Athens, OAKA Stadium May 28, 2009

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. Dog Eat Dog
14. Anything Goes
15. You Shook Me All Night Long
16. TNT
17. Whole Lotta Rosie
18. Let there be Rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock

BELGRADE, Partizan Stadium, May 26, 2009

AC/DC Abruzzo waited more than usual before posting the SETLIST from the last show because we had to make sure that the rumours AC/DC had played Touch Too Much, Riff Raff and Live Wire after being threatened by some angry diehard fans were totally false. Still no news about our lost correspondant...

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. Dog Eat Dog
14. Anything Goes
15. You Shook Me All Night Long
16. TNT
17. Whole Lotta Rosie
18. Let there be Rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock

ABRUZZO PROVERB OF THE MONTH

"Li cos' allungh divent' scirp..."

ITA. "Le cose lunghe diventano serpenti"

ENG. (litteral translation) "Long things become snakes"

Here's another modern abruzzese version of the "Carpe Diem" (Seize the day) philosohy. However in this proverb the stress is put on the negative consequences that excessive procrastination can have on the pursuit of people's objectives in life.

Vienna, Ernst-Happel Stadium, May 24, 2009

Unfortunately, AC/DC Abruzzo has lost contact with his correspondent from the road. The last message received from him was from the Munich HIGHEND trade fair, special event for audiophiles which Lorenzo (aka Orangus) was attending in Germany 2 days ago. Reportedly, the last thing that he was seen doing was listenening to a copy of Black Ice with a 350,000 Euros HI-FI equipment... A reward is offered to anyone who provide information to help us find him. We need his reports for the rest of the open air leg!

Although we don't have any inside info about yesterday's show in Vienna, for some unknown reason we feel quite confident about the fact that AC/DC kept the same setlist of the previous shows... If we get some extra info you'll be the first to know.

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. Dog Eat Dog
14. Anything Goes
15. You Shook Me All Night Long
16. TNT
17. Whole Lotta Rosie
18. Let there be Rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock

Hockenheimring, Formula 1 Racing Track, May 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. Dog Eat Dog
14. Anything Goes
15. You Shook Me All Night Long
16. TNT
17. Whole Lotta Rosie
18. Let there be Rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock

Report by Lorenzo, AC/DC Abruzzo's correspondant on the road.
Again the band seemed to get better in the second half of the concert. Best version of Dog Eat Dog so far. YSMANL and TNT highlights of the night. The crowd was really loud during TNT. Great version of Let There Be Rock. Bad acoustics in the Hockenheimring, bu we knew that from the 2003 show with the Stones. During The Jack no "boob flashing" like in the Cologne show, During Rosie Brian let the crowd sing several parts of the song. Lots of people tried to jump over the barriers dividing the crowd but most of them were caught by the staff...
Ciao.

INTRO + ROCK'N'ROLL TRAIN



IF YOU WANT BLOOD



Ooops, that was in 2003! :-(

AMARCORD: STOCKHOLM

AMARCORD meas "I remember" in several Italian dialects, including the Abruzzese! We will use the title of this Fellini's movie for a new series of entries regarding the cities we've visited, the people we've met and the things that we've seen during our AC/DC European tour! We hope you enjoy this retrospective rock'n'roll journey through Europe with AC/DC and AC/DC Abruzzo!!!

AC/DC Abruzzo Amarcord series continues with Stockholm, Sweden. The second city of the 2009 European tour.

STOCKHOLM FEBRUARY 19-25, 2009



This was the first city of the European tour where AC/DC would play 2 concerts in a row. As some of you already know the two shows in Stockholm were not originally in our agenda. Mainly because we couldn't get any tickets during the presale. They just sold out too fast (11 minutes I think). Obviously, this did not stop us and the fact that AC/DC were playing the Globe Arena, one the best European venues, motivated us to fly to Sweden from Norway to make an attempt to find tickets. The weather was again very unfriendly (-6 °C) and we found snow all over the place. The first night, Feb 20, was even colder than Oslo! The ticket hunt under the snow, which lasted several hours, was one of the most difficult of the entire tour. But we were very lucky and we found a way to get tickets for both shows without paying ridiculous prices and without dealing with scalpers.

We spent 5 days in the Scandinavian capital. Obviously, the highlight of our Swedish adventure was the 2-hour meet and greet with Brian and Cliff. What happened during the M&G might provide enough material to write an entire book (maybe we'll write it one day)! Brian and Cliff are incredible persons with such a profound humanity that would amaze anyone. We will treasure this experience for the rest of our lives. We shared this unforgettable evening with Marco and Gabriele of AC/DC Italia with whom we had teamworked very effectively since the Wilkes Barre show. It was a pity we could not do more shows together during the indoor tour but unfortunately they had work commitments to respect. Besides, they already did 9 dates in the US.

The shows were great. Shot Down in flames was played for the first time and we met lots of fans as well as new and old friends. You'll find the reports in the February entries of our blog.



STOCKHOLM - Tourist Information by AC/DC Abruzzo

Stockholm is one of the most interesting capitals the Secretary General and the President have visited during their world travels. Apart from the polar weather, which is probably the main problem in winter, the city gave us the impression to offer a very good lifestyle, even for Italians who have very high standards (maybe too high!). Great public services, good food (especially seafood and salmon), lively nightlife, very friendly and sociable people. We hang out mainly in the Stureplan area, between Norrmalm and Östermalm with lots of nice bars and clubs. Check out Riche (nice supper club), Cafe Opera, Spy Bar (especially during the weekend). People dress really well in bars and clubs, almost like in Italy or France. Interestingly, we saw many people sitting outside bars, chatting and drinking with blankets on them (with freezing cold weather!!). Unthinkable in other countries! A lot of alcohol is consumed here like in Oslo, but people seem to be not "stoned" like in Norway. Chewing tobacco is very popular. We also loved the architecture and the countless varieties of Viking's horns that we saw while walking in the streets!

According to the local people we talked to, Stockholm is wonderful in summer when the weather is good. It definitely goes on the top 5 of AC/DC Abruzzo list of "Best European cities".

Cologne Stadion, 19 May 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. Dog Eat Dog
14. Anything Goes
15. You Shook Me All Night Long
16. TNT
17. Whole Lotta Rosie
18. Let there be Rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock

This just in (from AC/DC Abruzzo's correspondant on the road). The Cologne gig was apparently the best show so far of the stadium tour. It rained for several hours but that didn't stop the band at all. Several banners in the audience to wish Phil a happy birthday. Still a lot of confusion with FOS tickets. Access to the FOS was at staff's dicretion. Brian skipped the first verse of Shoot To Thrill. Highlight of the night was the Jack, also thanks to two ladies who flashed their boobs when they were on the big screens! More to come. See you in Hockenheim.

Nice video from Gelsenkirchen

TICKETS FOR MARSEILLE AND PARIS ON SALE AGAIN

Some more tickets were released for sale for the French shows. Including Pelouse or. Here's the link:

http://billetterie.gdp.fr/index2.php

The French shows will kick ass! So don't miss them!!

Gelsenkirchen, Veltins Arena 17 May, 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. Dog Eat Dog
14. Anything Goes
15. You Shook Me All Night Long
16. TNT
17. Whole Lotta Rosie
18. Let there be Rock
19. Highway to Hell
20. For Those About to Rock

We just talked briefly on the phone with our correspondant from Germany Lorenzo (more than 20 shows under his belt on this tour) who was at the concert in Gelsenkirchen tonight. He told us that Shot Down In Flames was replaced with Rock'n'Roll Damnation. Obviously it was only a joke.  Very funny... AH ... AH ... AH... :-(

The Veltins arena is a covered stadium so no problems with the rain. The fan club FOS tickets proved totally useless. Who gets there first gets the best spots. Highlights: great performance of Whole Lotta Rosie (despite some hesitation by Angus at the end) and Let There Be Rock. 

Ciao to the Calabrese boys Gino and Luigi who were with us in Dusseldorf and Oberhausen and attended the show too. We'll keep you posted if we get more details.