Date: Saturday, February 20, 2016
City: St. Louis, MO
Venue: Scottrade Center
Opening act(s): Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown
Headlining act: AC/DC
Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown Setlist:
Criminal Imagination
House On Fire
Downtown Tonight
Weak & Weepin’
Got My Mojo Working
Loaded Dice & Buried Money
Lipstick Wonder Woman
House That Jack Built
Wash Me Holy
AC/DC Setlist:
Rock Or Bust
Shoot To Thrill
Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be
Back In Black
Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Thunderstruck
High Voltage
Rock N Roll Train
Hells Bells
Given The Dog A Bone
Sin City
You Shook Me All Night Long
Shot Down In Flames
Have A Drink On Me
T.N.T.
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock
———————
Highway To Hell
For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
Notes:
- First time seeing AC/DC.
- Fourth to last show featuring vocalist Brian Johnson.
- Show #6 at this venue; first since May 14, 2015.
Videos:
Review:
It was chaos around the Scottrade Center since the AC/DC show sold out within hours of going on sale.
Once inside, we quickly made our way up to the top level to take our seats. I didn’t splurge on the show, but tickets were still more than $100 a piece after fees. But AC/DC is another band on my Bucket List of bands I must see before they call it a day, so I didn’t mind. After missing out on them on their last few tours, time is quickly running out. It’s unfortunate that Malcolm couldn’t take part, and disappointing that drummer Phil Rudd lost his goddamn mind… But bringing Chris Slade and Stevie Young back into the mix was the next best thing.
The place filled in quickly and there were flashing red devil horns everywhere you looked.
Before the show, there was no word of an opening band… But that was too good to be true, as another band’s equipment could be seen on the guitar-shaped stage.
The opening band was Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown. They were a four piece from Nashville, and they were better than expected.
They played for about 40 minutes, and then the stage was cleaned up for the headliner… AC/DC.
AC/DC is one of the first bands I started listening to after I started branching out from Def Leppard. Even before I started really getting into Aerosmith, I started listening to AC/DC. I had stolen my dad’s Back In Black CD, and then they released their new album Stiff Upper Lip. Which I still feel is an underrated album.
Around 9:00, the arena went dark, an intro video played, sparks and flames erupted from the stage, and Angus Young ran on stage and kicked it all off with the intro riff of “Rock Or Bust,” the title track off the band’s most recent album released in 2014.
Back In Black staple “Shoot To Thrill” followed before they dipped into the Bon Scott era for the first time with “Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be.”
The crowd when crazy when “Back In Black” came next. The second, and surprisingly final, new song of the night, “Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder” followed. It sounded great, and I would have been happy to see more new songs in the set. Especially “Dogs Of War.”
One of my favorite AC/DC tunes came next: “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.”
The crowd was already going insane, and following that up with “Thunderstuck” only made them louder. Which is really something considering how loud the band was. This was my 81st concert, and was by far the loudest.
AC/DC provided a nice contrast of past and (more) present, by performing 1975’s “High Voltage” and 2008’s “Rock N Roll Train” back to back.
Another piece of the legend that is AC/DC was lowered over the stage: the bell. It rang, and Angus began strumming the immortal riff of “Hells Bells.”
Then the band dug deeper into Back In Black, dusting off one of my favorites: “Given The Dog A Bone.” I love the riff and energy of this one, and it certainly disappoint live.
“Sin City” and one of the most overplayed songs of all time, “You Shook Me All Night Long,” followed. I don’t even have the latter on my iPod because I can’t stand hearing it these days. I was able to enjoy it a little live, but I cringe every time I hear the studio version anywhere. Since it gets played everywhere.
The show got back on track with another classic, “Show Down In Flames,” and another Back In Black cut, “Have A Drink On Me.”
The home stretch was up next and featured several songs I’ve seen covered by other bands.
The first was “T.N.T.” which I saw covered by Hillbilly Herald on May 25, 2013 and Like A Storm on December 16, 2014. Both were opening for Steel Panther, incidentally.
Nothing beats seeing the original artist though.
Another piece of AC/DC lore made an appearance as Rosie herself popped up from behind the stage in time for “Whole Lotta Rosie,” which was as heavy and fast as ever.
The facemelting “Let There Be Rock” would close out the main set. Yet another song I’ve seen covered before, just last year when Foo Fighters closed their show with it on August 19, 2015.
As always, the song was extended to allow Angus to play an extended solo from the end of the catwalk, which lifted him up into the air. He did his laying-down-running-in-circles thing thing, during which confetti shot out of a couple of cannons.
Even after the song ended, he continued with a guitar solo from on top of the amps.
After a brief encore, flames began erupting from above the amps again, and Angus rose from the center of the stage wearing his own devil horns. That, of course, led to “Highway To Hell.” Another song I’ve seen covered by other artists (Steel Panther featuring Hillbilly Herald on May 25, 2013).
AC/DC wasted no time in starting their perennial closer, “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You).” The canons rose from behind the stage and somehow managed to be louder than the band.
The two hours were over in a flash, and despite the band being in their 43rd year, they sounded as good as ever. It was one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen, which is certainly saying something with this being number 81.
Media Review:
Unstoppable AC/DC is rock solid at Scottrade
With a spate of recent high-profile deaths, the classic rock game is starting seem like a war of attrition.
In rock, as in the real thing, though, the story isn’t told by those who have fallen, but rather those left standing.
AC/DC found that out a long time ago, with the passing of its seemingly inimitable lead singer Bon Scott. Replacing him with Brian Johnson, whose vocals, like Scott’s, are all gravel and glass shards, the Aussie group didn’t just survive, but thrived.
Returning to St. Louis nearly 36 years to the day after Scott’s death, and seven years since its last appearance here, AC/DC has suffered more recent losses. Cofounding rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young retired from the band in 2014 after being diagnosed with dementia, and drummer Phil Rudd was booted after being charged with drug possession and perpetrating a murder-for-hire plot.
That is more intrigue and tragedy than most bands could take. Yet, judging by its appearance Saturday night before a sold-out Scottrade Center, AC/DC simply can’t be stopped.
That’s mostly due to two factors: the ongoing presence of lead guitarist Angus Young, who at age 60 looks equal parts ridiculous and gloriously defiant as he hurls himself around the stage wearing his trademark schoolboy’s uniform; and AC/DC’s catalog of hard rocking, defiantly un-PC songs, most of them instantly identifiable by their opening guitar riffs.
For the lion’s share of the nearly two-hour show, the band stuck to the tried-and-true. More than half the set list reprised material performed here in 2009. Even the props were the same, from the giant inflatable doll that illustrated “Whole Lotta Rosie” to the fusillade of cannons accompanying “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” to the devil horns Young sported while playing “Highway to Hell.”
Johnson, dressed in street clothes and a newsboy’s cap, still seems like the affable (but possibly dangerously excitable) geezer down at the pub. He and Young patrolled the stage’s wings and long catwalk, keeping the crowd involved, though Johnson’s between-song patter was mostly limited to “Yeah!” and “Woo!”
Rhythm guitarist Stevie Young (Angus and Malcolm’s nephew) and bassist Cliff Williams were content to hang back alongside drummer Chris Slade. The trio was a non-factor in terms of showmanship, but remained rock solid musically.
The group performed a couple songs from its recent album “Rock or Bust,” which gave the tour its name, but hits and favorites such as “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” “Back in Black,” “Hells Bells” and “You Shook Me All Night Long” — still obviously the draw — were reliably delivered.
Throughout the set, Angus Young fired off chunky riffs and shredding solos, including a long solo turn at the end of the show that was an endurance test (for him and for audience alike) compared to the short, sharp songs that preceded it.
But Young deserves as much time in the spotlight as he desires. So long as he remains, AC/DC’s long and storied legacy lives on.
By Daniel Durchholz @ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 2016
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