A CIGARETTE WITH ANGUS YOUNG - London 2014

Matteo Abruzzo and Angus with AC/DC Fantography

If you are a reader of the AC/DC Abruzzo blog you know that we managed to meet Angus many times in the last few years. And for each time we have special and unique memories, which we tried to describe in our blog posts. 

Well, we had the privilege to meet Angus again during the Rock or Bust promotional tour in London. And this time we spent about 20 minutes with Angus, namely the time for two cigarettes and a long chat about a variety of topics... From the London Hammersmith 2003 show to the Abruzzo 2009 earthquake. And of course we talked about the new Rock or Bust album and next tour.

We also managed to finally show the second photobook published by AC/DC Abruzzo on the Black Ice Tour (with German fan Stonebreaker): AC/DC FANTOGRAPHY "From Hammersmith to Bilbao 2003-2010".

A CIGARETTE WITH ANGUS - LONDON 2014
 

Angus' cigarette

Matteo Abruzzo: Hey Angus! Thank you very much. We missed you a lot in the last years. It means a lot to us that you came back with an album. It must have been tough without Malcolm but we fans really appreciate it...

Angus: Thank you!

Matteo Abruzzo: Last time we met with you was here in London in 2011, for the launch of the Live at River Plate DVD.

Angus: Yes, I remember... 

Matteo Abruzzo: But the last time we had a cigarette together was in Australia... In Sydney...

Angus: Mhm ... (Angus thinks...) Not in Perth? Outside the hotel...

Matteo Abruzzo: Oh yes, it was in Perth! Wow! You remember better than us. But now I moved to Dubai.

Angus: Dubai?!? (puzzled Angus)

Matteo Abruzzo: Yes, Angus. I need to make the money to afford the next tour especially now that the situation is so bad in Italy.

Angus: I remember you are from Abruzzo. How is it going there? I remember there was an earthquake some time ago. Did they fix everything?

Matteo Abruzzo: Well, not really. It was a catastrophe for the area. They are rebuilding it slowly. Of course there were some corruption and some mafias involved, as usual... 

Angus: Mafias? (Angus giggles)

Matteo Abruzzo: Typical of Italy... But in the end both of us don't live there anymore. I live in Dubai and Stefano lives here. He works in that restaurant over there.

Angus: Oh really? (interested Angus). You work as a chef?

Stefano D'Abruzzo: No... I work with wines...

Angus: You work with wines? ... Like you are a somm... A wine taster!

Stefano D'Abruzzo: A sommelier...

Angus: yes yes... I can't never pronounce it correctly... a wine taster... They pay you to drink expensive wine (Angus laughs)

Everybody laughs - First cigarette almost finished

Matteo Abruzzo: Hey Angus, can we show you our second book about the Black Ice tour. We did over 85 shows, we travelled all over the world and we told the story in a book...

SHOWING THE BOOK TO ANGUS - Second cigarette is lighted

Showing the Hammersmith 2003 photos to Angus

Rock and Roll selfie

Angus: Oh there is a section on Hammersmith show... I remember that one...

Matteo Abruzzo: Yes, that was an incredible show...

Matteo Abruzzo: We are looking forward to the next tour. According to some rumours it will start in March.

Angus: March?!? That's a bit too early. We need more time to plan and organize everything... No, not March...

Matteo Abruzzo: Will it be a long tour like Black Ice? Brian said it will be only 40 shows, or so...

Angus: He said that? Well it all depends on how strong is the album etc. Then Brian also won't be able to do a long tour like Black Ice... I have my guitar, but with his voice is different...

Matteo Abruzzo: Yes, he told us several time during the Black Ice tour that it will be tough for him. But we are glad that you came back. By the way you are in a fantastic shape Angus!

Angus: Me, I wish... (Angus giggling)

Matteo Abruzzo: Will you start in May?

Angus: Well, it all depends. But we'll be on tour soon. For all the fans... 

Matteo Abruzzo: Thank you Angus, always a honor!

http://www.acdcphotobook.com/abruzzostonebreaker/

Last cigarette of the legendary Australian tour with Angus in Perth, February 2010

NEWS ABOUT THE TOUR:

The following cities in Germany seem to be confirmed: 

Munich, Hockenheim, Cologne, Gelsenkirchen, Hannover and Berlin.

Paris, Wien, Italy, Spain and some cities in the UK and Northern Europe should follow. This at least for the European leg this summer. We still believe it will be a much shorter tour than the Black Ice one. Still no news about the new drummer.

ROCK OR BUST OFFICIAL VIDEO + The Phil Rudd Mystery (Part 5)

The long awaited new AC/DC Rock or Bust video is finally out! And what a MASTERPIECE! This time Dave Mallet really delivered a great piece of work. Maybe we are partial considering that 2/3 of the AC/DC Abruzzo staff are in it but, we have to say that after the "green screen debacle" of the Play Ball video we finally get to watch a really good old school AC/DC rock'n'roll video which captures the full essence of AC/DC and it's in line with the "live performance" videoclip tradition of the band. Happy!

AC/DC and some of their hard core fans

We love every bit of it, from the brown cap of Angus to the circular stage which, in fact, might also confirm the rumors that the layout of the AC/DC concerts of the forthcoming tour will be different. Yes, we know that Malcolm and Phil were not there, but AC/DC were and they are ready for another world tour!

As for us fans it was incredible to see the band so close perform the new song 6 times. We already watched the video about 100 times focusing not only the band members but also on the crowd, very attentively. ;D We are now part of the videography history of the band.

And this is just the beginning: the official come back of the greatest rock band in the world...


The Phil Rudd Mystery (Part 5)

Phil Rudd: Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap...

The first statements by Angus &co on the Phil Rudd situation during the interviews for the promotional tour clearly confirm that there will be another drummer for the next AC/DC tour.

It's not easy to imagine AC/DC having to wait for Phil to come to Vancouver to complete the recording of the new album or even worse Angus falling off the bed when hearing about Phil's...

Apparently the drummer going on tour with the band won't be Bob Richards, who, however, did a very good job on the Play Ball and Rock or Bust videos. Who is it going to be? Maybe another drummer from previous line-ups? Time will tell, soon.

Anyway Phil will appear in court in three days. In the mean time he was spotted playing guitar for about an hour with a fan in front of his house in Tauranga, New Zealand. (?!?!?!?)

Phil Rudd: once a rocker, always a rocker.

PLAY BALL VIDEO - THE CRAZIEST AC/DC FANS

The new AC/DC video for Play Ball has been out for a few days and we are still trying to understand this "original and artistic" use of the green screens by Dave Mallet... Some websites and blogs were not that kind and talked about "the worst use of green screen in a music video ever". Well, the video is not the best video of AC/DC but we wouldn't go that far. Anyways, the boys are in great shape and this is what really counts. What we really liked of the video were Brian Johnson with all his classic moves, and Angus, especially when he throws away the cap before the duckwalking. We just loved it.

We are sure the second video will be completely different thanks to the presence of the fans.

Talking about the AC/DC fans, after AC/DC Abruzzo's post on the craziest fans who came to London for the video shoot Sony published a short "Making of" for the video Rock or Bust. We can see some familiar faces in it...

We wonder who was that crazy guy who came all the way from Dubai... :)

The infamous London green screens

Meet and Greet with Angus

The Phil Rudd Mystery - Part 4 - Rock or Busted

Phil and his genuine rockstar attitude

As you know charges against Phil Rudd have been dropped according to a press release from his lawyer. You can read the full details on ac-dc.net:

http://www.ac-dc.net/news/news.php?news_id=382

However,  probably this will not change the decision of leaving the drummer out of the band for the AC/DC 2015 World Tour which was hinted by the official note made by the band yesterday on their official website:

We've only become aware of Phil's arrest as the news was breaking. We have no further comment. Phil’s absence will not affect the release of our new album Rock or Bust and upcoming tour next year.

We've always loved Phil but the truth of the matter is that such unstable and umpredictable behavior will not be compatible with the professionalism required for a huge world tour like the coming one. And Malcolm Young, who appeared to be the only one who could make "Hard Core Genuine Rocker Phil Rudd" behave, is no longer there, unfortunately. Phil will be a liability and this is the last thing AC/DC need at the present time.

AC/DC yesterday on BBC news yesterday

The Phil Rudd Mystery Part 3 - The End

Phil Rudd in court

Well, it has now became evident that Phil Rudd will not be on tour with AC/DC next year. Being charged with attempt to procure murder and possession of drugs (again) he appeared before a New Zealand court. Of course he will not be able to travel abroad very easily after this...

The reason to leave Phil out of the video shoot and of the first official band picture for the Rock Or Bust album now seems to have been a calculated choice by the band. Probably because of Phil's recent unstable and umpredicatable behavior...

Who will be the next AC/DC drummer? Most probably Bob Richards, who took part in the Rock or Bust video shoot in London. Other come backs such as Chris Slade seem to be unlikely to happen.

We are going to miss Phil during this tour...

NEW AC/DC VIDEO TO BE RELEASED NEXT WEEK

According to rumors the new AC/DC promotional video will be released next week. In the meantime here's a clip of the making of...

AC/DC!! AC/DC!! AC/DC!! AC/DC!! AC/DC!! AC/DC!! AC/DC!! AC/DC!! AC/DC!! AC/DC!!

THE PHILL RUDD MYSTERY - Part 2

First Rock or Bust Promotional Photo - Fans Edited Version, the way it SHOULD be!

As you all know Phil Rudd didn't show up in London for the AC/DC Rock or Bust video shoot. Officially he had to go back to New Zealand due to some undisclosed family matters... Well, apparently, Phil was not in London for the first day of the video shoot either.

Is Phil really out of the band and some historic/hard core fans think? We don't know. A source inside Sony says he will be back for the tour but, unfortunately, for obvious reasons, Sony cannot be trusted on this.

These are the facts:

1- Phil was in Vancouver for the recording of the "Rock or Bust" album. (He was seen in the hotel)
2- Phil was not in London for the video shoot.
3- Bob Richards, his "substitute", didn't use a SONOR drum kit which proves that in the video editing process they will not try to include him "digitally", most probably.
4-The first official new AC/DC promotional photo does not include any drummer

After Malcolm's retirement, losing another pillar such as Phil Rudd will not make fans happy, especially those who have been following the band for decades. But we must be realistic. There majority of the fans will go to concerts to see Angus and Brian and listen to Highway to Hell or Thunderstruck. And let's not forget there is a new generation of fans ready to buy concert tickets anyway... Lots of concert tickets...

THE CRAZIEST AC/DC FANS IN LONDON - TOUR WARM UP

AC/DC Pre Tour Warm up Party in London 4 October 2014 (courtesy of Christian Rnafg Spurk and Atze Datze

If you've been following the AC/DC Abruzzo blog in the last few years you had a taste of the excesses that AC/DC fans can reach.

During our 20 month trip around the world following AC/DC we've told you lots of stories about fans,  each one with a different story and each one with his/her own peculiar way to show their love for AC/DC. Some of these hard core fans of course were in London for the Rock or Bust video shoot on the 4 October 2014.

Now, you know the AC/DC Abruzzo philosophy and attitude and you know that we've travelled the world sleeping in airports, train stations, cheap hostels, cars, most of the times without a ticket to the concert (because the shows were sold out) etc. But we were not the only ones! Also in London... And we have decided to create a top 5 list of the "Craziest AC/DC fans" of the London 2014 video shoot and pre-tour warm up party.

So with this post we don't intend to say that crazy fans are better fans than "normal". They are just "crazier" and, generally speaking, it's a lot fun to hang around them. ;)

So here we go.

#5 The German Fans

The German fans show up everywhere there is an AC/DC show/event. You will recognize them immediately thanks to their blue jeans jackets covered with AC/DC patches, autographs and "live memorabilia"...

They bring their AC/DC passion around the world and combine it with their love for beer and stadiums chanting. Great company and great fun! A large group of German fans corageously came to the London shoot without ticket and their faith was rewarded as they all managed to get in. Hat's off.

Some of the ticketless German fans

#4 Carole from Canada

Carole was spotted at many AC/DC shows during the Black Ice Tour: from Dublin 2009 to Sydney 2010 and all around Europe. Originally from Canada AC/DC is her number one priority. And she's got lots of AC/DC stories to tell... Apparently, she also came to London without a ticket but managed to find one.

Carole

#3 Jean Philippe and Vincent "Dirty Shoes"

These two characters from France have proven their loyalty to AC/DC in the most hard core way during the Black Ice Tour and they rank, with only a few others, in the +50 Black Ice concerts league. From waiting outside the Stockholm hotel of the band at - 10 °C in February 2009 to coming to London in 2014 for the video shoot 3 days before, just to have chance to meet again the band. From what we witnessed during the Black Ice World Tour, taking a photo with Jean Philippe outside the band's hotel was one of Angus' daily routines... No joke. Of course they were in London, apparently without Sony invitation either (but this was not officially confirmed)...

Dirty Shoes in London with Cliff

Angus super-happy to meet Jean Philippe again after 3 years

#2 Matthew Nagra (representing the Nagra clan from Vancouver)

We met Matthew and his dad Mark for the first time in Wilkes Barres for the Dress Rehearsals private show in 2008. Since then we have been meeting them all around the globe, from Glasgow, Scotland to Perth, Australia. Matthew bought his flight from Vancouver to London 48 hours before the video shoot and, of course, he came to London ticketless.

Matthew Nagra, Brian Johnson and Mark Nagra in Vancouver

#1 Christian from Buenos Aires, Argentina

The first time we met Christian was in Sofia, Bulgaria the day before the show. He told us that he had gotten a loan from his bank in order to follow the band in Europe. He came with us to Bucharest, Romania (by night train) and then we helped him with tickets in Udine, Italy. Hard core stuff. He also ended up in the official AC/DC DVD Live at River Plate.

For the video shoot in London he came directly from Buenos Aires, Argentina, booking a very expensive flight, of course without any ticket/invitation for the shoot (but he managed to get in anyway). A real lesson of Rock'n'Roll attitude and unconditional love for AC/DC!

Christian and Matthew in London just after receiving the confirmation there were extra tickets for the video shoot