MISSION #1 ACCOMPLISHED!

AC/DC Abruzzo once again kept the word and delivered a prestigious bottle of Brunello di Montalcino selected by our Secretary General and Official Sommelier Stefano to Cliff as a sign of gratitude for his kindness in Stockholm. Cliff showed his appreciation for our gesture and looked happy to see us and our flag in Spain.



AC/DC Abruzzo also had the opportunity to meet Angus again. In this occasion we offered him a small present: a selection of fine Japanese and Chinese Tea purchased in a famous tea shop in the center of Milan. With this present we intended to thank him for the two amazing shows in Italy and wish you happy birthday. At the moment of the meeting Angus looked pleasantly surprised. He told us with his unique Rock'n'roll voice: "You brought me Tea from Italy?!? You have Tea in Italy?? " Then he laughed for a few seconds. Even when taking the photo with the AC/DC Abruzzo Staff he kept making comments about the "Italian" tea. Finally, he greeted us with a big smile saying with his inimitable rock'n'roll attitude: "I hope this ITALIAN TEA is good!" And he bursted into a typical Angus Young laugh while looking at us which will be engraved in our minds for a long time!




Unfortunately, we could not meet and thank Brian but we are confident that in London the opportunity will present itself. However, we did send our regards through Cliff.

Salute a tutti!

ABRUZZO's CULTURE and HISTORY NOTE

It is a common habit in Abruzzo and in Southern Italy to show respect and gratitude to family members and dear friends, as well as to people worth of admiration, by offering gifts consisting of food products and fruits of the earth. This longstanding tradition dates back to the Ancient Greece colonies of the Magna Graecia and it has been handed on from father to son throughout the centuries. It is still an integral part of all Abruzzeses' cultural background, even if living far from the fatherland like us.

AUTOPISTA HACIA EL ENFIERNO. Second Exit: Madrid!

MADRID, PALACIO DE LOS DEPORTES April 2, 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

We had been waiting for years to see AC/DC live in Madrid. Basically, since the very first time we saw NO BULL on DVD. And finally the dream came true!

AC/DC Abruzzo had a very good time in Madrid. A lot of action, sweat and rock'n'roll! Another "cathartic" rock show, definetely one of the best of the European tour.

We must however confess that we were a bit disappointed with the venue. The Palacio de los Deportes is not the ideal place for a rock show. Too big and with bad acoustics. At times we even had the impression that the audience was not screaming loud enough during TNT, Rosie or Thunderstruck especially if compared with venues such as Paris Bercy, Milan Assago or Barcelona Palau St Jordi. But the crowd was moving a lot in the standing section (where we were, same spot as usual!). Bottom line you can't compare the Plaza de Toros crowd of 1996 with the other night's one. The songs we liked the most were probably Shoot To Thrill and Shot Down in Flames again. When we wake up in the morning these are the songs that we tend to have in our head... We also enjoyed the few seconds when the Brothers took some time to tune their guitars before YSMANL. It was an intimate moment of true rock'n'roll improvisation...

Obviously, after seeing so many shows in different countries we tend to notice even the small differences of each single venue and crowd. The first thing that caught our attention was the huge quantity of marjuana smoked in the arena before and during the show. Also, this was the first show that we attend in which we skip the entire set of the Answer due to the Tapas tour we embarked on before the show with other Spanish fans. But hey, when in Rome we do as the Romans do!!! :-)

CIAO from the frontline!

AUTOPISTA HACIA EL INFIERNO - First Exit: Barcelona!

BARCELONA, PALAU ST. JORDI March 31, 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

Despite the serious "technical difficulties" experienced by AC/DC Abruzzo in the past two weeks, we finally made it to Barcelona, Spain to witness one of the best shows of the European tour. Stefano and Matteo were in very good company yesterday night. Andrea from Città Sant'Angelo (The City of Angels of Abruzzo), Vice President and new member of the AC/DC Italia staff, was in the Palau Jordi with us. We salute him!!

The Barcelona crowd was wonderful. "Strong but gentle". Probably the best audience after Milan and Paris so far (we are eager to see what happens in Madrid!). The band was in brilliant shape after the 4 day break due to the postponing of the Zurich show. All of them. Angus seemed not to care much about celebrating his birthday on stage. He just wanted to give the audience a great night of rock'n'roll. And he did it. But the highlight of the night for AC/DC Abruzzo was the superperformance of Brian Johnson. Never seen anything like it. And never imagined we could see anything like it. He was running, jumping and screaming like he was possessed by the Demons of Rock'n'roll. Something we got to see on some video bootlegs from the 80's. He must have swallen one of those magic Hammersmith 2003 pills. Or maybe just ate some good paella and/or jamòn iberico... Overall this was the best performance of the band after Milan and Dussendolf.

We can't wait for tomorrow's night. And now we go out for some bocadillos and cerveza... 

Ciao from Madrid!

ZURICH SHOW CANCELLED/POSTPONED!

We learned that the Zurich show has been cancelled/postponed  due to technical difficulties. Thank you to Marco, Andrea, Gabriele and Fabien for letting us know.

UPDATE:

from AC/DC.com

PLEASE NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, the March 29, 2009 show with AC/DC at Hallenstadion in Zurich has been postponed. The new Zurich show date will be announced shortly. All tickets will remain valid and cannot be refunded.
We apologize for the short notice.

Short notice????????

SPECIALE MIT EN GRIT CON ROCCO 'N' ROLLO !!!!

Rocco 'n' Rollo è indiscutibilmente una delle maggiori guide spirituali e ispiratrici del progetto di AC/DC Abruzzo. E' un'icona dello spirito abruzzese verace abbinato alla chitarra (sia elettrica che con le pallottine!!!)

Lo staff al completo ha avuto l'onore di incontrare lo storico rocker di Cocullo, dal cuore forte e gentile, dalla tempra granitica e dal carattere abbruzzesissimo al concerto degli AC/DC (Assiddissì, in losangelino) di Milano del 21 marzo. Questo incredibile ed imprevisto evento ci ha rinvigoriti nel cuore e nello spirito e ci ha dato un nuovo slancio nel nostro proposito di essere forieri nel mondo del vero spirito abruzzese, utilizzando il rock'n'roll come strumento privilegiato per raggiungere questo obiettivo!

Ecco in esclusiva per voi le foto esclusive e il video del mit en grit storico di AC/DC Abruzzo con Rocco 'n' Rollo!!! 

PAUAAAA!

Rocco con il Presidente Matteo e il Segretario Generale Stefano (ex-inviato speciale) di AC/DC Abruzzo prima del concerto degli ASSIDDISSI' a Milano il 21 marzo 2009

Rocco con il consulente informatico Gianni e il Vicepresidente Andrea

VIDEO ESCLUSIVO PER AC/DC ABRUZZO!!! 

FROM OUR BUDAPEST BUNKER

AC/DC Abruzzo has spent most of the last 48 hours in its Budapest post-sovietic bunker sorting out hundreds of photos, videos and planning the strategy for the 3 shows before the break. It's definitely not an easy job but someone has to do it. The accounting situation was another delicate issue on AC/DC's Abruzzo agenda. The recession forced us to skip the 2 German shows and left us in this Hungarian "limbo". We are struggling to find a way out.

Yesterday night, we visited an old friend of ours, Isti, met in England in 2001. We ended up drinking local Hungarian wines (and liquors) with other friends while watching this video about this WW2 tank on display that was unexpectedly started by protestors during a demonstration a few years ago.

Apparently, young Hungarians really get excited watching this.  Much more than watching porn, which is supposed to be one of the main products of Hungary. Porn has probably lost all its appeal due to the fact that you can find porn dvds, wrapped in red plastic, even in supermarkets here in Budapest.

Some of you asked why we listed the Abruzzese hit "Vola Vola" in our poll on the songs you would like to hear live. The reason is that some people claim that if you play certain parts of some specific Black Ice tracks backwards you get to hear this song. Apparently it is a tribute to Abruzzo by Angus and co. We don't know if this is true but 11% of respondents would like to hear AC/DC playing this song! Here's a classic version of Vola Vola for those who don't know it with a promotional clip of our beloved Abruzzo!

It ain't easy

Livin' like a gypsy

Tell ya honey how i feel

I've been dreamin'

Floatin' down the streamin'

Losin' touch with all that's real

(Steven Tyler - MAMA KIN - 1973)

Finally, Happy Birthday from AC/DC Abruzzo to Steven Tyler, personal friend of Brian and of the band, who celebrates his 61st birthday today!

OUR FIRST TIME WITH ANGUS AND MALCOLM!

I was shakin' at the knees
Could I come again, please?

As some of you already know AC/DC Abruzzo met Angus and Malcolm several times during the European tour. And each time was unique and special. But the most intense was definetely our first time. In Bruxelles, Belgium twenty days ago....

When we first spotted Angus we immediately experienced sudden tachycardia. Angus was extremely kind and polite with us. He signed our AC/DC Abruzzo Official flag and took pictures with us. He listened to every word we had to tell him. We thanked him heartedly for this European tour which we are following with dedication. He looked happy for us. Unfortunately, on our first encounter, there was no opportunity to give Angus a present from Abruzzo like we did for Brian but this will be arranged later on.

Malcolm was also very friendly and took pictures with us. We talked a little bit more with him and told him how much we missed them in the last 5 years. He replied that they missed us too. We mentioned the 2003 Hammersmith gig, an epiphany for us, which he remembered and commented briefly. Malcolm looks very professional and concentrated even when he meets fans. At times he looks a bit intimidating but he's always very friendly and kind.

Beside that this is what we felt after the meeting with Angus: the President's legs started shaking when Angus was seen approaching us and kept shaking for 5 more minutes after he left. On the other hand, the Special Envoy felt like crying while hugging him before the photo, intensely but gently, like a child would do with his favourite and beloved Teddy bear.

Meeting the Young brothers for the first time is a unique experience. Especially Angus who has been always an icon! Just thinking of what he has done for music and rock'n'roll for the past 35 years gives you goosebumps. But when you shake his hand and talk to him, for the first time, looking at him in the eye you really feel something special and indescribable. You feel Rock'n'Roll!

PAUA!!!!

THE ITALIAN FANS SALUTE AC/DC

Last Saturday before the second show in Milan AC/DC ITALIA's Staff Gabriele and Marco awarded AC/DC with a commemorative plate on behalf of all Italian fans. AC/DC Abruzzo's Vice President Andrea was also present at the historic event.
This gesture summarizes the Italian passion and gratitude for AC/DC's music and live tours.

THE AWARD CEREMONY ON AC/DC ITALIA.COM