AUTOPISTA HACIA EL ENFIERNO. Last Exit: Bilbao!

FROM AC/DC ABRUZZO SECRETARY GENERAL'S PRIVATE JOURNAL:

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

Today's show was unusually scheduled for 10pm, not because of “technical problems” or delay. It was just the official kick-off time. We made the healthy decision to skip the “Answer” by  proudly flying our flag outside the venue more than usual for the pleasure of the Basque, who seemed to appreciate it a lot. Many asked to take a photo with us amazed by our dedication which took us from Italy to Bilbao “only” for the concert.

Brian was in excellent shape. He sang several songs with a red bandana, which was thrown by someone in the audience, on his shoulders.

Angus was fantastic tonight. Black uniform. You could see he really enjoys having all those fans having such a great time. When the lights went down at the end of Dirty Deeds he kicked his cap, which he had lost during the solo, in such a professional but natural way that I felt the black sensations of rock’n’roll down my spine again. It's the first time we see him doing it. We have become particularly fond of these little details…

Malcom and Cliff were impeccable as usual and Phil was beating the drums with his “prehensile” left arm like nobody else can do.

NOVITA'!! During Whole Lotta Rosie another Rosie appeared on stage. Very similar to the Donington’s one, lying between Phil and the Rock'n'Roll Train. Instead of licking her tits the way she did in a couple of shows before Bilbao tonight she was touching herself somewhere else with her left hand, full of shiny baroque rings. Although the air pressure used might be the real cause of these funny moves we still like to believe that Rosie gets particularly horny in certain occasions. And in Bilbao it was the horniest Rosie of the entire tour! WLR was the song of the night. The crowd went totally crazy! (soon we’ll post a video!)

The BEC (Bilbao Exhibition Centre) is a huge complex, designed for conferences more than rock shows. I was sitting to the right, Cliff's side.... in the same area where we were supposed to sit in Stockholm, before making our way to the standing section.

The Basque smoked a lot. The security staff was not strict at all, like in Madrid. The standing area was really crowded, maybe too much. The people there seemed to enjoy more jumping vertically than doing some “pogo pushing” like in Italy or France. No crowd surfing at all. There were several flags. Unfortunately, due to forces beyond our control, our flag could not fly in the same spot as usual and was showed from the seats where we were.

We met other fans who become our companions on this long journey such Alano, Remyno, Indylo and others…

We also met two lads from a Spanish magazine called "this is rock". They recognised us thanks to our dirty-stinky rock'n'roll flag. The expressed their admiration for what we are doing and at the end of the concert they asked for AC/DC Abruzzo's official opinion on the show. It looks like we have become probably the most authoritative source of comparative opinions on this European tour, considering the number of shows we have attended so far (15).  

BILBAO (TOURIST INFO)

Bilbao is a small city.. But there’s a river that flows into the ocean.

I got there from Madrid after 5 hours on an rather uncomfortable bus. While I was on a taxi to the hotel I saw a few people in a sort of Ku Klux Klan uniform. Pretty creepy. The taxi driver, a huge Pink Floyd fan told me (in Spanish) that they were there for the Easter festivity. Freeek't

The Basque people really don’t like speaking English. I had some pretty serious communication problems during the day. Well, at least until I made the wise decision to use our Abruzzese dialect. But they are all very kind and they often underline the fact that they are not Spanish.

The Guggenheim Museum looks amazing from outside. It has something which reminds me of Futurism. I can’t tell you much about what’s inside because due to the tight schedule I only had time to take a piss in their comfortable (and futuristic) bathrooms.

And now off to London.

PAUA'

"SIAMO VIVI"

"We are still alive" said an old lady to a TV reporter yesterday. This is a sentence full of hope and determination, typical characteristics of the Abruzzo People, although it's the only certainty that many have at the moment.
After a few days of reflection we finally made the decision that AC/DC Abruzzo has to continue with its arena tour in Europe following AC/DC. We want to thank again all our friends from all over the world who sent us messages of support and solidarity asking us to keep going.
Touring Europe with AC/DC was a dream we have cultivated since Hammersmith 2003. When the European dates were announced we made the commitment to take our flag from Oslo to Birmingham. It has been a rewarding but difficult journey so far. We are determined to continue to pursue our dream.
AC/DC Abruzzo will RIDE ON!

ABRUZZO NEEDS HELP

The aftermath of the earthquake in Abruzzo is devastating: 289 dead (22 children) and about 40.000 evacuees. Most of the people in the area of l'Aquila have lost everything. For those who wish to help here are the information on how to send money from abroad. Thank you.

AC/DC Abruzzo

"Un aiuto subito" - “Un aiuto subito”, an appeal on behalf of communities affected by the Abruzzo earthquake, was launched within hours of the disaster by the Corriere della Sera, Corriere.it, the Gazzetta dello Sport, Gazzetta.it and City. WHAT TO DO – Anyone wishing to make a donation to help victims in the earthquake zone can do so by bank transfer or by credit card. BANK TRANSFER: Intesa-San Paolo, ABI 3069, CAB 05061, account number 1000/144, account name: “Un aiuto subito – Terremoto dell’Abruzzo”. IBAN: IT 03 B 03069 05061 100000000144 CREDIT CARD DONATIONS (CartaSi, MasterCard, Visa, American Express) CartaSi Freephone: 800 317800 (from some mobiles, dial 12 followed by the number) Calls from abroad: +39 02 34980235. Have your credit card ready and follow the recorded instructions.

SAD DAY FOR ABRUZZO.

AC/DC Abruzzo ha appreso questa mattina la terribile notizia del forte terremoto che ha avuto il suo epicentro nei pressi del L'Aquila e che ha devastato gran parte di questa zona. A parte una gran paura nessuno dei familiari e degli amici dello staff è rimasto coinvolto in maniera grave nelle conseguenze nefaste del sisma. Ringraziamo tutti coloro che ci hanno contattati per chiedere notizie ed esprimere la propria solidarietà. Purtroppo molti dei nostri corregionali non hanno avuto la nostra stessa fortuna. Per questo pubblichiamo ora una serie di informazioni utili per poter aiutare le popolazioni colpite da questo terribile disastro.

AC/DC Abruzzo was devastated to learn this morning that our beloved region was hit by a powerful earthquake (magnitude 6.3). Many were injured and killed. Thousands lost their house.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/04/06/italy.quake/index.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7985958.stm

AC/DC Abruzzo wishes to express our condolences to the families of the victims and invite everybody to give help and support. We will soon provide all the details on how to help.

Conti correnti

La Caritas diocesana di Roma ha istituito un fondo di solidarietà promuovendo una colletta per aiutare la popolazione abruzzese. La Caritas di Roma informa che, in queste ore, la donazione economica è l'unico modo utile per esprimere solidarietà alle persone colpite.

È possibile contribuire alla colletta di solidarietà con: Versamenti c/c postale - numero di conto corrente postale 82881004 (IBAN: IT77K0760103200000082881004) intestato a Caritas diocesana di Roma, specificando nella causale «Terremoto Abruzzo»; Bonifico bancario - IBAN: IT13R0306905032000009188568, specificando nella causale "Terremoto Abruzzo".

Anche la Caritas Ambrosiana, che fa capo alla Diocesi di Milano, ha avviato una raccolta fondi aprendo un conto corrente. E' possibile sin d'ora esprimere concreta solidarietà partecipando alla "raccolta fondi - causale Terremoto Abruzzo 2009 - donazione diretta presso l'Ufficio raccolta fondi di Caritas Ambrosiana, via San Bernardino 4, Milano (orari: dal lunedì al giovedì dalle ore 9.30 alle ore 12.30 e dalle ore 14.30 alle ore 17.30 e il venerdì dalle ore 9.30 alle ore 12.30)- conto corrente postale n. 13576228 intestato a caritas ambrosiana onlus - conto corrente bancario n. 578 - cin p, abi 03512, cab 01602 presso l'agenzia 1 di milano del credito artigiano e intestato a caritas ambrosiana onlus iban: it16p0351201602000000000578. Oppure donazione telefonica tramite carte di credito chiamando il numero 02.76.037.324 in orari di ufficio.

Si possono fare donazioni anche alla Croce Rossa attraverso il sito internet specificando la causale del versamento.

http://www.cri.it/donazioni/index.php?mode=form

Soccorsi

Da tutto il Lazio circa 40 squadre con più 200 volontari hanno raggiunto le zone di ammassamento in Abruzzo e sono a disposizione della Protezione civile nazionale per le operazioni di soccorso. Altrettante sono state allertate e sono pronte a operare. La Protezione civile regionale ha messo a disposizione dei soccorsi tre elicotteri regionali normalmente utilizzati per la lotta agli incendi, mentre i volontari della Protezione civile del Lazio hanno già portato in Abruzzo centinaia di tende per ospitare persone, 3 cucine da campo, mezzi per il movimento terra come ruspe, bobcat ed escavatori, oltre a torri faro per garantire con le fotoelettriche i soccorsi anche dopo il tramonto. Intervenute anche squadre di volontari con unità cinofile. La Protezione civile ribadisce l'appello a non improvvisarsi soccorritori: "Le operazioni di soccorso vanno effettuate da coloro che sono in grado di farlo. Ci sono centinaia di uomini sia delle componenti istituzionali che volontari della Protezione civile ma comunque si tratta di professionisti".

La Protezione civile Abruzzo ha messo a disposizione un numero attivo 24 ore su 24 per richiedere informazioni: 80.35.55

I capi scout dell'Agesci (Associazione guide e scout italiani) sono stati autorizzati dalla Protezione civile a partecipare alle operazioni di soccorso. L'organizzazione degli scout sta preparando, come sempre in casi di emergenza, in tutte le regioni le schede di partecipazione per i capi scout che vorranno prendere parte alle operazioni. La Croce Rossa è già arrivata nella Regione con attrezzature sanitarie, tra cui un Posto medico avanzato e le unità cinofile e gli ospedali romani sono stati tempestivamente posti in stato di allerta per l’eventuale accoglienza di feriti gravi provenienti dalle zone colpite dal sisma. Croce Rossa Italiana sta organizzando anche una raccolta a livello nazionale per far confluire tutto il necessario nell’area colpita dal terremoto.

I consigli

Il Dipartimento della Protezione Civile raccomanda di:

- non mettersi in viaggio verso i luoghi colpiti dal terremoto;

- limitare al massimo l'uso del telefono, per agevolare tutte le operazioni di soccorso e lasciare libere le linee agli operatori, evitando sovraccarichi di rete.

Aiuti

Coperte, vestiti, pannolini, latte in polvere, casse d'acqua e tutti i beni di prima necessità che possono servire alle popolazioni gravemente colpite dal terremoto di questa notte in Abruzzo verranno raccolti a Bologna da CasaPound mette a disposizione la propria sede di Piazza di Porta Castiglione 12, 24 ore su 24. Il numero di riferimento per eventuali contatti è il 328 1903595. L'associazione ambientalista "Fare ambiente" sta coordinando la raccolta di materiali di prima necessita presso la propria sede di Roma, in Via Nazionale, 243, tel. 06 48029924.

Anche Legacoop Nazionale e Legacoop Abruzzo si sono attivate distribuire generi di prima necessità, e in particolare acqua e latte, in coordinamento con la Croce Rossa.Ulteriori e più articolate iniziative di solidarietà e di sostegno alla popolazione dei centri colpiti dal sisma saranno definite nelle prossime ore, per rispondere alle esigenze che si manifesteranno ed in linea con le indicazioni che verranno fornite dalla protezione civile.

Donazione di sangue

Il presidente della Regione Abruzzo Gianni Chiodi chiede che vengano sospese le donazioni di sangue. "Abbiamo sangue a sufficienza e ringraziamo tutti coloro che lo hanno donato", ha precisato Chiodi.

Appelli per la donazione di sangue erano stati lanciati nelle prime ore di questa mattina sia dal ministro del Welfare, Maurizio Sacconi, che dal presidente della Regione Lazio, Piero Marrazzo.

Cosa fare in caso di terremoto:

- Cercate riparo all'interno di un vano di una porta inserita sotto un muro portante o sotto una trave: se rimanete al centro della stanza, infatti, potreste essere feriti dalla caduta di vetri, intonaco o altro materiale.

- Non precipitatevi per le scale: dopo una scossa sismica sono la parte più debole di un edificio. Per lo stesso motivo non usate l’ascensore che potrebbe bloccarsi.

- Alla fine della scossa ricordatevi, prima di uscire di casa, di chiudere gli interruttori generali del gas e della corrente elettrica per evitare di innescare incendi e deflagrazioni.

- Da ultimo vi ricordiamo di non bloccare le strade con le auto: lasciatele libere per i mezzi di soccorso.

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????????