AC/DC ABRUZZO BLOG - BLACK ICE TOUR - PROVERB OF THE MONTH

"Addò c'è gguste, nen g'è pperdènze." (Dove c'è gusto non c'è perdenza)

Translation:"Where there is enjoyment there is no loss." The enjoyment of something (e.g. a sport, hobby, music etc.) is its own reward regardless of whether it leads to money, success, fame etc.

HARD AS A ROCCO!!! By AC/DC ABRUZZO BLOG

“Her hot potatoes will elevate you.
Her bad behavior will leave you standing proud”

HARD AS A ROCCO!!!!

We know it's HARD to believe!! But it's true! Among our world tour adventures and amazing meetings, Matteo and Stefano of AC/DC Abruzzo had the privilege to meet one of the most charismatic and iconic Italian movie stars in the world... ROCCO SIFFREDI!!!

As most of you know, Rocco has gained worldwide fame thanks to his stunning 20-year career in the adult film industry collaborating with more than 5000 "business partners", starring in more than 1500 movies and becoming undoubtedly THE BEST in his field. Now that he has retired as an actor he works as a producer. A.lways keeping his STIFF... STIFF UPPER LIP!

However, most of you probably don't know that Rocco is from the ABRUZZO region, just like AC/DC Abruzzo staff!!

AC/DC Abruzzo met him during the world tour and had the opportunity to have a nice friendly chat with him about a wide range of subjects... from XXX to AC/DC.



Here's an excerpt of AC/DC Abruzzo's exclusive interview with ROCCO SIFFREDI!

Hello Rocco, thanks for being with us. We are from Roseto, Abruzzo just a few kilometres from your hometown Ortona. And since we are here in Budapest following the band we wanted to express our respect and admiration by meeting and offering you a special bottle of wine selected by our sommelier!

Thank you guys! It's very nice of you. And thank you for the bottle. Next time you're in town give me a call and we'll meet in a nice restaurant.

Rocco, as you know we are on very tight schedule due to AC/DC world tour. But it meant a lot to us to be here to thank you in person, even briefly, for all your work which we admire a lot. Especially the early days... Above all, you proved that the "strong and gentle" attitude combined with the stubbornness of people from Abruzzo can lead to success and excellence, in any fields.

Yes it's true, but I was also lucky... If I didn't go to Paris when I was 20, despite my big talent and strong character, I would have probably ended up in Pescara repairing public telephone booths with my uncle as you can read in my autobiography. Life is about seizing the opportunity at the right time, but you also have to put yourself in the right place. This goes for everything in life.
But you guys are really touring Europe with AC/DC? You must be crazy HARD CORE fans! Don't you guys have a job??

Rocco, we just love to combine business and pleasure, just like you! AH AH AH AH

You're funny guys! And I like your flag... Let me sign it.

Thanks Rocco! What do you think of AC/DC? Are you going to the concert?

I love AC/DC and I'd love to go to their concert but unfortunately I have a very important film casting to supervise in these days. Being a movie producer is really a HARD job! Do you guys want to COME to the casting by the way?

WOW! We’re flattered, Rocco. But this time we’ll have to pass. We must go to the show! There are rumours that AC/DC are going to change the setlist tonight…

As you want! CIAO to AC/DC Abruzzo fans.

Sì ragazzi! E' proprio lui! Rocco Siffredi! Uno degli abruzzesi di maggiore successo, tra i più ammirati e invidiati del mondo! Il Rocco nazionale, icona del MADE IN ABRUZZO. AC/DC Abruzzo ha avuto l'opportunità e il privilegio di incontrare Rocco e di parlare con lui di diversi argomenti: dalla musica degli AC/DC (che conosce e apprezza) fino alla sua recente autobiografia, fonte di ispirazione anche per il tour di AC/DC Abruzzo. Venuto a conoscenza del nostro progetto Rocco si è mostrato molto incuriosito ed è stato subito lieto di apparire in foto con noi per il nostro blog. Il suo carisma "forte e gentile" e la sua energia contagiosa ci hanno dato un ulteriore impulso nel proseguio del nostro tour. Ringraziamo di nuovo Rocco e gli auguriamo un in bocca al lupo per il proseguio della sua carriera di produttore!

Thanks to Istiboy&co for intelligence and logistics and to The KOSP for external consulting.

AC/DC ABRUZZO BLOG - BLACK ICE TOUR AMARCORD SERIES

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!

GERMANY March 2009! Dusseldorf-Oberhausen (7-9 March)

As you probably remember AC/DC Abruzzo Stirring Committee added these 2 dates last minute to our European Indoor Tour. The official reason was the cancellation of the second Antwerp tour. The real reason is you never get enough of AC/DC live!! 

So the President ended up in the Northwestern part of Germany. An industrial-working class area that has always had a strong passion for AC/DC since the early European tours. Lots of Dutch fans had also the opportunity to join the party. According to the news received from Orangus, Brian was back in action, full throttle in Leipzig, so we were happy to be part of AC/DC come back to Germany after the legendary 2003 gigs. The expectations were incredible. Needless to say that getting tickets outside the venue for these shows was pretty tough, despite the announcement of the summer stadium tours. AC/DC Abruzzo Vice President and the other guys from the AC/DC Italia crew were also there for the show. Unfortunately, the Secretary General was unable to make it.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

The shows were just perfect! Orangus and I still agree that Oberhausen and Dusseldorf were some of the best performances of the band in indorr arenas (but the audience was too weak in both cases). In Oberhausen, in particular, the band seemed to master the stage perfectly providing an amazing performance, technically and artistically. Brian's voice was still sounding extremely powerful, almost like for the first US leg of the tour. Angus looked in perfect shape, very accurate and more energetic than before. It would be interesting if there is a video bootleg around.... Unfortunately, as said before, the crowd was really disappointing... Coming from Paris or even Antwerp you could tell the difference.

During these 5 days we met some interesting historic fans who had lots of stories to tell us, from the Bon Scott era, to the '80s to the Ballbreaker and SUL tour. We had some real fun together. Being a bit disappointed with the nightlife of the cities (Dusseldorf and Oberhausen are really small cities, especially Oberhausen which could be compared to Pescara! Can you imagine AC/DC live in Pescara! AH AH AH) Orangus and the President headed to Cologne for a quick tour of the city including a stop in some renowned Italian restaurants. The Italian community here is huge, especially the Calabrese community and it is probably easier to find people speaking Italian than English, which is quite unusual for Germany. We also interacted with the local people, sometimes using the body language like in the video below (where some Germans underline the resemblance between football player Luca Toni and AC/DC Abruzzo's President). The magic word was "Campioni del mondo!"

Last but not least HAPPY BIRTHDAY To Brian!!! CIN CIN!

THE ROCK'N'ROLL NONNO!!!

Today AC/DC Abruzzo is glad to be with a legendary fan who’s been following the band for ages. He’s a piece of history of AC/DC and you will find his name even in books such as AC/DC Maximum Rock’n’Roll. In the last year we met him several times on the road, from the R'n'R Train video shoot in London to the Open air Stadium Tour and he's a good friend of ours. His name is Alan but AC/DC Abruzzo likes to call him Alano or ... ROCK'N'ROLL NONNO!

The President, Alan and the Secretary General in Dublin last April

1-Hi Alan, it’s a pleasure to be with you again. Last time we met was in Paris after the Stade de France show. How are you?

Hi guys, how are you both? It seems a long time since Hampden Park, I don't know why we didn't catch up in either Wembley or Dublin... I am fine and in good health, enjoying the rest of the summer and going up to Manchester to see my beloved UNITED and also doing lots of gardening and decorating to earn some 'pocket money' and really looking forward to my trip to Australia for another 11 shows, they will take me up to 47 for this tour!

2- WOW! GRANDE ALANO! If we remember correctly, we met for the first time in the lobby of our hotel in Wilkes Barres, PA last October just one day before the secret/private show, 5 years after AC/DC’s last gig in London. We were both checking in in the hotel. We remember the levels of excitement for the historic come back of AC/DC and for the world tour. What are your memories of that wonderful experience in that small Pennsylvania town in the middle of nowhere?

My first memories of Wilkes Barre (after meeting you fine italians) is rain, rain and more rain. As you know I was with Michel and although we were drowned we laughed. I will tell you about our trip to Mcdonalds later. The afternoon of the show, meeting up with old friends and making new ones was great. The actual rehersal show was not one of the most memorable but still great to see the guys again.

Alano in Wilkes Barres

Yes, it did rain a lot the day before the show. Then sun and the following day, snow! At least for those who were coming from NY... After Wilkes Barre, you continued for a mini tour in the States and you met several times with the Vice President Andrea and Marco from AC/DC Italia. How many shows did you attend? How was to see AC/DC back in action after so much time? And what was your favorite show in the US?

I was travelling with Michel (another huge fan from Belgium) at the time, on to Chicago and then I continued onto New York on my own. Flying some of the time and Greyhound the others. Indianapolis was great as it was really warm there and there was also an American football game in town the day before the concert and the town was full of football fans from both teams--with NO trouble-. I saw 9 shows on this leg of the tour and it was great to see the guys again as they began to get into their stride as the tour progressed. I think my favourite show was the first show at the Garden, not only for the show, but meeting up with Arnaud (Durieux), Alex and Brian after. As you know we had a good time again lots of laughs.

Great! Going back to the AC/DC come back last year. Our Secretary General Stephano reported your presence also at the video shoot in London back in August, for the first public appearance of the band. You are everywhere! If AC/DC is doing something important somewhere in the world prepare to see Alan!! How did it go in London?

London was a bit of a panic at first because we didn't know if we were going to get 'tickets' but then we managed to be put on the guest list so all was well in the end. It was so good to see the boys and the set, but a disappointment not to be able to get to see the boys during takes. I guess we were spoilt at the ' Hard as a rock ' video shoot when we spent about 12 hours there and the guys were happy to sign autographs between takes all day. But things have changed for sure, so we have to change with them.

Then the European indoor tour began and we met again in Stockholm last February (you had skipped the opening date in Oslo!). Like us, you are a big fan of indoor shows as opposed to Stadium shows (much more intimate). As you know the best shows for AC/DC Abruzzo were, in order: Paris Bercy, Milan and Dublin O2 Arena. Which were the best shows of the indoor tour for you and why?

Stockholm was great, all that snow, as where I live in England I hadn't seen as much snow as that for about 30 years. My favourite shows in Europe (excluding UK and Ireland) would have to be Madrid, Bilbao and Milan. for me the fans were really into it and the band respond to the crowd so I must hand it to the fans.

Going back to your “career” as a AC/DC fan. How many shows did you roughly see? Which tour is your favorite? Any interesting/funny stories from the road and/or with the band members you can tell us?

I have now seen over 100 Ac/Dc shows, going back to 1978. My favourite show was in New York at Roseland (!!!!!!) when they were in town for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. Again went over with no tickets and didn't know i was going to get one until the morning of the show. That afternoon we went down to the theatre to see if we could catch any of sound check. Tickets were changing hands for hundreds of dollars and I realised how lucky was I. When the boys arrived they stopped for a chat and as with Brian, a hug. Also with Ellen, which I will tell you about one day.

One really funny thing happened in Wilkes Barre. After the show myself and Michel were alking back to the hotel and were extremely hungry, to our surprise only Mcdonalds was still open so we walked round to there, as you know all of about 50 metres only to be told that we could only be served at the drive thro' as we were not in a car they wouldn't serve us. No way. We walked back to the hotel still hungry and moaning about the service. As we got to the entrance a taxi dropped a couple of guys off. I asked the cabbie if he was free, 'sure guys- where to' -- 'Could you take us to Mcdonalds' explaining our predicament. 'No problem guys in you jump' so off we go to get our Mcdonalds 50 metres away. This guy was a life saver and didn't want to charge us for the privilege. And i bet he still tells the story, as we do. There are many more to tell, but not right now as they take too long....

That's AMERICA! During the last European tour we remember we were on the same early morning flight from Milan to Budapest. You were with Michel who made you confess that you actually saw the Stones and Jimi Hendrix live back in the SIXTIES! We hadn’t slept the previous night so our recollections might be wrong? Is that actually true?

On that flight from Milan to Budapest you were in a coma I think... ah ah ah. (After 2 Milan shows in the pit with that crowd and no sleep you bet we were!) But, yes it is true that i saw Jimi Hendrix and the Stones in the 60's, so many more, Cream, 'Little Stevie Wonder', the Who, the Kinks, all the English groups along with the touring american bands on the 'stax tour' even Otis Redding and he was expensive, if I remember it was 10 shillings to see him, that's 50 pence now!! Wilson Pickett, Lee Dorsey there were so many... Remember that all these were shows where you stood and people would be dancing whilst they played. But Hendrix was special, he done things with a guitar that we hadn't seen before, I'd never seen anyone set fire to one up until then. It's not all bad being 60!

WOW! You a are a lucky man! Your biggest passions are rock music, AC/DC and football. And we know you’re a Manchester Utd fan. Last year was not very succesful, was it?

Yes I am a Man United fan and last year was not so good we only won the Premier league for the third year on the trot and also the league cup and as you are hinting at, I think , is losing in the final of the Champions League. I have had two season tickets for about 15 years now and still go to nearly every home game-560 kms round trip. We are looking forward to playing an Italian team in the final this year unless we knock them out before.

Mhm... Not so sure.... Anyway, in Manchester, after the shows you showed pictures of your grandchildren? You’re proud of them, although you told us they’re not into rock music. Tell us something about them.

My four grandchildren are a real treat to me. Three girls and a boy. 10,11,12 and 13 years old. My eldest grandaughter is a good footballer and i try to see her play whenever i can, unfortunately she is a Norwich fan. They help to keep me young and give me a lot of pleasure.

Grazie mille, Alan. Hopefully our paths will cross again at an AC/DC show. Probably in the Southern Hemisphere…

Looking forward to seeing you guys in OZ in 2010!

Alano, Michel and the Italian bosses

GET WELL BRIAN!

AC/DC Abruzzo learned about the postponing of 6 October shows in US (Las Vegas, Louisville, Kansas City, Des Moines and Milwaukee ) due to Brian being hospitalised. Reportedly, he will get a 15-day break to get some rest before he gets back on stage for the continuation of the World Tour. From Abruzzo "Auguri di pronta guarigione a Brian".

MALCOLM SPEAKING ABOUT THE SETLIST

Many of you have been asking AC/DC Abruzzo about the setlist problem and about mentioning it to Malcolm... On the very few occasions we met with him we discreetly tackled the subject, also with Brian, and despite our polite requests we understood that changing the setlist and playing rare songs was not a priority of the band. The most important thing was to carry on with this ambitious 2-year world tour, filling up stadiums and reaching as many people as possible around the globe. AMEN.

Here's a recent video (apparently genuine) of a fan chatting with Malcolm about the setlist, next album/CD release etc. 

SHTATEVEBBON.

Thanks to Marcom from BS.

NEW FACEBOOK PROFILE

While waiting for the continuation of the tour AC/DC Abruzzo has created a new FACEBOOK profile with more exclusive content directly from the President's secret archives. Join in!!

Matteo Acdc Abruzzo

Create Your Badge

GIGGI FROM NAPLES IN CALIFORNIA

AC/DC Abruzzo's good friend Gigggi, from Naples couldn't resist the temptation and went to California to see the boys again. Last time we met him was last March in Milan for the 2 legendary indoor shows at the Forum Assago.

A lot of water under the bridge since then...

Giggi loved the show and sent us some pics and a short report. He's been advised to save money for next year summer tour in Europe...

ANAHEIM September 8, 2009

My frst lady and I got to Anaheim around 6pm, after driving for 60km on the jammed freeways from Venice Beach to the venue. The first thing you notice in the States is the perfect organization. Maybe a bit excessive... Especially compared to Italy. Relax guys!!!! Inside the Honda Centre there was even air conditioning! Umbelievable!!!But AC/DC got up on stage and it was hot as hell again!!!We got the same setlist as in Europe, with Dog eat dog. The boys are in great shape, not tired at all despite being on tour for so long. The Jack was the highlight of the night with a lot of playing around of Brian and Angus. As for Brian, it's a surprise how much energy he puts into the show... It's hard to believe that he really wants to quit after this tour... How can we live without AC/DC?

Ciao a susfaccimme de esidisiabbruzz..

AC/DC ABRUZZO BACK IN PARIS IN 2010!!!

AC/DC Abruzzo is glad to announce that AC/DC will be back in Europe in 2010!! Although it has not been officially announced by the band, yesterday night we received the confirmation from very reliable sources that AC/DC have signed a deal to play Paris Stade De France again in 2010! This probably means there will be an entire European leg (according to rumours, Eastern Europe)!!

AC/DC Abruzzo staff is now back to work after a well deserved break. Get ready for more surprises and exclusive material from the road! The Black Ice tour GOES ON!!!

AC/DC ABRUZZO's HOLIDAY

Roseto Degli Abruzzi

Last week was holiday week for AC/DC Abruzzo's team ...  

The Secretary General Stefano spent his summer holiday in London working in his luxury Italian restaurant to make enough money to fund Project Japan 2010 (dates TBC).  The President Matteo applied for a couple of Visas in different countries around the world while trying to resuscitate his career and taking care of his suntan on the wonderful Abruzzo's sandy beaches. The Vice President Andrea also spent his holidays working hard in the City of St. Angel, in Abruzzo. His conflict of interest became even more clear since he's been holding secret daily meetings with a member of AC/DC Italia's staff who also chose Abruzzo as the destination of his summer holidays. Orangus touched base with us yesterday after two weeks into hiding in the US. We'll post the last episode of his adventures soon.

Last but not least, Happy Birthday to the President who turned 30 today!

ONE YEAR ON THE ROCK'N'ROLL TRAIN!!!

The most hard core fans around the world will surely remember what happened exactly one year ago in London...

Only a few hundred fans were granted the privilege to attend the shoot of the first AC/DC video since 2001. The long journey around the world of the ROCK'N'ROLL TRAIN had started... 

Although there was no official announcement by Sony or the band on the album release that was a clear sign that AC/DC were finally back after 5 long years!

THE STAGE

Contract

AC/DC ABRUZZO Secretary General (Old School Rebel) in the video 

THE ADVENTURES OF ORANGUS IN AMERICA III

Albany August 2, 2009 Times Union Center

Hi guys, I’m really sad you missed this. I now you’re not jealous people so I’ll tell you that probably this was the best AC/DC concert of my life (as you know I saw more than 40 shows. Maybe the Circus Crowne's 2003 setlist was slightly better).

Late in the afternoon I bought a ground floor ticket at the box office. I specifically asked that the seat was near the aisle (sector 5, row a, seat 14). When I entered the venue, by my surprise, I found out that it was a very small section, almost half of the forum of Assago in Milan. My spot was just one seat away from the catwalk. Once the concert started Brian came straight to me and shook my hand! (I'm sure he remembers me from our meeting in Paris when we tried to convince him to play Ride On again). The sound was just perfect. Really, I couldn’t get a better seat than this.

The audience was great this time (even if they didn't sing Rosie at all). After the show everybody was cheering and screaming like crazy. I actually thought there was some special event or aftershow party outside. In fact people were just amazingly happy because of the show.

I also managed to meet and talk to some guys who attended the legendary Roseland Ballroom show in 2003 in NYC. Great stories. Although they really loved tonight's show obviously that concert was just in another league…

THE ADVENTURES OF ORANGUS IN AMERICA II

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ Giants Stadium July 31, 2009

Ciao guys,

Yesterday I arrived in my the hotel at 4am and didn’t have the time to write anything, so sorry about that. I almost met Francesca (one of AC/DC Abruzzo's groupie LOL) but there was a last minute problem. By the way, I saw and talked to a Mariah Carey lookalike in the NYC metro today.

I arrived to the Giants Stadium at the very last minute, just like I did for most of the 30 shows I did in Europe. No Ground floor tickets were available so I had to buy a seated ticket for 11$ from a nice guy who actually wanted to give it to me for free. I tried to get to the floor area by using my Italian charm and other AC/DC Abruzzo fieldtested techniques but they didn't work.

Basically, I ended up on the most central spot of the first level of seats. I really felt like Nero the Emperor in the Coliseum. Really a nice feeling although there was no Gladiators show or Hail Caesar added to the setlist. The audience was much colder than the one in Boston but the concert was just great. Excellent acoustics in the stadium, I would say that the sound was one of the best of the entire open air tour. The boys were on fire. I'm sorry you guys were not there. I’m sure some of you might have had something to say about the audience, maybe a bit cold. Before Thunderstruck Brian said something like “Here’s a song from the last album” and then “oops, a little mistake”.

For the record, I heard rumours saying that Rudolf Giuliani and Arnold Schwartznegger are working on a bill in building an AC/DC Memorial in Washington, DC and replace Statue of Liberty with the Angus Statue.

Today I went to eat in Little Italy. There, I met Phil who told me that Italy didn't deserve to win the World Cup in 2006, So a fight broke out. Thanks to the help of some local “wiseguys” and “friends of ours” and we beat him up for good. Just kidding...

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

AC/DC Abruzzo experienced undefined-not to be revealed technical problems in the last few days, (similarly to AC/DC in Zurich last March). For this reason the blog updates were temporarily discontinued. We apologize for the inconvenient.. We will be back very soon with the next chapters of the Orangus' journal.

THE ADVENTURES OF ORANGUS IN AMERICA

From Orangus' Journal - My first trip in the USA

AC/DC Abruzzo declines all responsabilities for any politically incorrect statement, comment or action made by Orangus. 

FIRST SHOW - Gillette Stadium July 28, 2009

Boston July 29, 2009

(...)

So I solved the ticket problem very easily and found a floor ticket at the box office of the Gillette Stadium. The crowd was not too bad and I easily adapted myself to the reserved seating policy they have here in the States... Yes, they really have chairs in the front of stage section!! Incredible! I managed to move and stand in the corridor anyways... 

Great show and great performance. Especially the Let There Be Rock solo... The funniest thing of the show was Brian hanging from the Hell's Bell with the bell oscillating without making any noise... So he kept hanging waiting for something to happen but after a few extra seconds of silence he came down and waited for the beginning of the song. As far as the setlist is concerned, as you already know, the boys played all the classic hits we love such as Touch too Much, If you want Blood, RnR Dannation, Ride on, Down payment Blues etc... 

Unfortunately, I  didn't manage to meet the band but I talked to a guy who told me that the previous day Phil had said a nice "vafangool" to a fan asking for an autograph... We love Phil! 

The public transportation to and from the Stadium seemed to be of a third world country. There was no shuttle bus, special train from Boston so I went by train to a small village not far from the Stadium. There was no taxi there so I, an Irish guy and 3 Americans paid another American guy for a ride (10$ each). There were 6 people in the car. A nightmare. And the parking lot cost 40$!! I even saw a person getting arrested by the Police for jumping over a barrier. 

After the show nobody, neither the Police nor the security personnel, could give me any accurate information about public transportation to go back to Boston. No taxis at all. So after waiting enough time to miss all the trains and busses I decided to hitchhike. After 30 seconds a woman stops:

-Where do you have to go?
-Boston
-Are you crazy?
- Yes
-Ok I get you, where are you from?
-Italian

At this point she started to hug me and kiss me. She wasn't that bad... Maybe a bit mature but she actually looked like Rosie... Her friend, on the contrary, was really ugly. But who cares? Then she told me she helped because she liked my legs (I love jogging and cycling!)... She was hitting on me so intensely that we actually got lost in the parking lot...

TO BE CONTINUED.

BOUGHT MYSELF A CADILLAC...

So here's Brian speaking about his real passion: race cars. And, as you can see, he can actually drive pretty fast!

The story about him pissing on the Sputnik in Russia was told to us in Stockholm by Brian in person. Hilarious. He also told us a couple of other cool stories about rock'n'roll and race cars. One, very interesting, was about Cliff and Brian driving on a circuit and having some unexpected problems... You'll find the details on Brian's forthcoming book.

AC/DC Abruzzo's correspondant Orangus touched base with us a few hours ago. Despite a few problems at the US customs office he managed to get to America safe and sound. If he doesn't get lost or kidnapped again he will be attending the Massachussets show tomorrow...

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Even if the meeting took place not too far from Hollywood last year it's not a casting for a remake of one of the best movies by Sergio Leone (although these faces would be perfect for a Spaghetti Western! AH AH AH). Thanks to Kosp for sending this cool picture.

For the record, we just learned that AC/DC Abruzzo's correspondant Orangus, aka Belfagor, is currently on an ALITALIA flight heading to New York JFK...  Good luck for this new adventure!

AC/DC ABRUZZO TUTORIALS: HOW TO TAKE A PHOTO WITH PHIL "TERMINATOR" RUDD

"VENI, VIDI, VICI"

("I came, I saw, I conquered")

Julius Caesar

Taking a look at our friends' profiles on Facebook and at the pictures with the band members posted on the Internet by other fans around the world we noticed a pattern. Most hard core fans only managed to take photos with Angus, Brian, Cliff and Malcolm during the last tour. But why is Phil "Terminator" Rudd so rarely found next to a fan in a picture? There are many theories circulating but we will not focus on them this time. Nevertheless, it is a fact that only a very small group of fans can boast a photo with one of the meanest and coolest drummers of the history of rock'n'roll.

AC/DC Abruzzo Stirring Committee is gladly part of this small group of privileged fans. But how was this possible? Here's our secret techniques revealed exclusively for AC/DC Abruzzo blog readers!

AC/DC ABRUZZO TUTORIALS: HOW TO TAKE A PHOTO WITH PHIL "TERMINATOR" RUDD

First of all, you have to embrace AC/DC Abruzzo's philosophy and believe in our core principle (i.e."Impossible is nothing"). Then, you have to prepare yourself to work pretty hard.

To start, there are a few books that must be read attentively to obtain the necessary theoretical background and understand the psychology of the target. These preparatory readings are:

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides

Maximum Rock 'n' Roll by Arnaud Durieux, Murray Engleheart

The Game by Neil Strauss

Playboy: 50 Years: The Photographs by James R. Petersen

While understanding and learning warfare techniques, AC/DC history, pickup strategies and the inspirational qualities of big breasts it is also essential to train actively in the gym. Several sessions are required to improve your physical strength, responsiveness and stamina.

AC/DC Abruzzo working out before the Milan shows in March

Then, you will have to focus on your target. Gather personal information and anecdotes about Phil from reliable sources. Watch as many interviews as possible, such as this one:



Once the preparation and the training are complete you MUST go in the field. At least a dozen AC/DC shows must be attended and Phil must be observed carefully. Especially, pay particular attention to the final "horns gesture" he does to greet the fans after the end of FTATR. If he raises his hand high waiving at the audience it means he enjoyed playing there (this happened in only in Paris Bercy, Milan Forum, Dublin 02 and a few others). This is a sign showing that Phil will have a more "flexible attitude" with fans the following day. Prepare to attack.

AC/DC Abruzzo decided to make the decisive move in Dublin, in April after a few months of observation and training (and two failed attempts in Paris and Milan which resulted only in autographs).

Once we spotted the target, we immediately identified the weak points linked to location, presence of bodyguards, possible escape lines etc. After assessing quickly all these factors we decided to implement the classical PINCER MOVEMENT technique.


The President approached the target from the front and said "Hello Phil, we are two fans from Italy, would it be possible to take a quick photo with you?". In the meantime the Secretary General had taken position in the rear closing all paths to escape. The potential obstacles had been all disarmed previously. The target looked around for a few seconds then understood he had to surrender. "Sure, my dear!", he replied. Victory was ours. We took our trophy photos. "Thank you very much, Phil. Great show yesterday by the way!".

The first student to reap the fruits of AC/DC Abruzzo's tutorial was Mathieu from Marseille, an apprentice and good friend of ours, who managed to take this picture with Phil on Les Champs Elysées in Paris last June thanks to our assistance and guidelines.