Artists: AC/DC, The Pretty Reckless
Venue: London, Wembley Stadium
Date: 3rd July 2024
"I don’t think that there were many in attendance tonight, who left feeling short-changed; instead, being royally entertained by one of the greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll bands of all time."
I have to say when it was first announced that AC/DC were going on tour, I did not take much notice, especially when I saw that they were only playing Wembley Stadium, midweek. However, I was sitting in the Royal Northern College of Music waiting for Joanne Shaw Taylor to take to the stage when I received a text from my niece, Sarah, asking if I and Aunty Carol wanted to see AC/DC in July? It didn’t take me too long to decide; however, Carol decided to gift her ticket to my sister, Tina, as a fiftieth birthday present.
The morning of the show arrived, and Carol asked me if I was excited, to which I sadly replied, “No.” I think it was the prospect of the six hours in the car and no guarantee how good the show would be; I’ve been to half-a-dozen stadium shows over the years and they have been hit-and-miss to say the least. Anyway, we had a great drive down, my first visit to the capital in almost exactly twelve years when I last visited to see Kiss at HMV Forum. Once out the car and around the outside concourse of Wembley, I felt the excitement start to build in what only can be described as a carnival-like atmosphere. I have to say I’ve never seen as many band T-shirts worn by the fans; nine out of ten people were dressed in AC/DC memorabilia, and despite the excessive prices, there were large queues around the merchandise stands.
This was my first trip to the new Wembley, a big improvement on the old one. A word on the staff, who were all magnificent, helpful and friendly. This was my niece’s first stadium show, and the first time my sister and I had seen AC/DC together since the ‘Fly On The Wall’ tour back in 1986, when she was just 12-years old.
The Pretty Reckless
Support this evening came from The Pretty Reckless, an American Hard Rock band from New York City, fronted by Taylor Momsen (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), with Ben Phillips (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mark Damon (bass), and Jamie Perkins (drums). They were afforded an hour-long, ten-song set, and put on a fine performance, although for most, they were a simple distraction whilst we waited for the main event. Momsen had a powerful voice, and despite being provided with a good sound and the use of the large video screens, the four-piece did look a little lost on such a large stage. At this time, looking around, Wembley only appeared to be two-thirds full.
Setlist
AC/DC
At 8.15pm, the video screens changed to a CGI image of a car racing to Wembley Stadium. The already great atmosphere cranked up several levels, as rhythm guitarist Stevie Young (nephew to Angus), drummer Matt Laug, and bassist Chris Chaney took to the stage, but the noise when guitarist Angus Young and singer Brian Johnson arrived is one of the loudest I’ve ever heard in my forty-two years of concert-going. I think it was a mixture of excitement, relief, and realisation that AC/DC were actually back for one last hurrah. It was one of those surreal moments where I actually felt myself welling up, casting myself back to my first-ever concert back in 1982, AC/DC!
The sound was incredibly loud and filled the large stadium and was very good for an event of this size; and what a way to begin, with an opening salvo of ‘If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)’ followed by the ‘Back In Black’, when the crowd noise levels went up a further notch. There was no loss of momentum with new track ‘Demon Fire’, and whilst ‘Shot Down In Flames’ exhibited some of the fragilities in Johnson’s vocals, no one seemed to care, least of all the amiable Geordie, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. I did read a review in The Independent, which said that the vocals were inaudible, and Angus’ guitar was too low in the mix; not from where we were sat, two-thirds of the way back in the stands. Indeed, the opening riffs from all the songs played were instantly recognisable and received huge ovations, none more so than ‘Thunderstruck’, which must be one the ultimate stadium anthems. From the get-go to the final note, the fans in the VIP area at the front were going wild, as were many just behind, in the standing area; indeed, looking round there were people rocking out all over the place, all with beaming smiles across their faces. This was one of the largest demographics I’ve ever witnessed at a concert, not only in terms of ages (young children to fans in their seventies and eighties), but also sex and ethnicity. It’s true, everybody loves AC/DC.
A deep cut from ‘Back In Black’ (sic), ‘Have A Drink on Me’ kept up the party atmosphere before the bell descended for ‘Hells Bells’, my favourite ‘DC track as a teenager. ‘Shot In The Dark’ and ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ saw the band hit cruise control before switching on the afterburners for ‘Shoot To Thrill’ and ‘Sin City’. ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Train’ did not have the same impact as it did as set opener on the ‘Black Ice’ tour, but was once again met with a huge ovation, as was the lyrically tongue-in-cheek ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’, followed by the title-track of their first internationally released album, 1976’s ‘High Voltage’.
The last time I saw the band was on the ‘Rock Or Bust’ tour back in 2016, when Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose took lead vocals, and the band resurrected my all-time favourite track ‘Riff Raff’. I was pleased that it got an airing tonight, and although Rose’s version was better, in my humble opinion, Johnson more than made up for it, for what is arguably his finest moment ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’. Nearly an hour-an-half in and the crowd were showing no sign of wearying. It was a good job that the roof was open on the stadium as it would have been blown off with the audience reaction to ‘Highway To Hell’. There must have been in excess of 30,000 Devil’s horns illuminated as the darkness descended on London. This was one of at least ten songs played tonight that was worth the ticket price alone. 80,000 people singing in unison, ‘Highway To Hell’, at the top of their voices is something that you had to be there to experience and truly appreciate and is one of those moments that will live with you forever.
So, where do you go after that? ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’, naturally, followed by the epic ‘Let There Be Rock’ complete with ten-minute guitar solo by the ever-youthful, sixty-nine-years-old Angus Young, still skipping around non-stop in his trademark schoolboy’s uniform; his energy levels are just phenomenal.
The band briefly left the stage before returning for a deserved two-song encore of ‘T.N.T.’ before their set closer since late 1981, ‘For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)’. They say, “don’t bring a knife to a gun fight”, AC/DC bring cannons, “for a twenty-one-gun salute”, which also ended with fireworks.
I’d made the mistake of watching a YouTube show of one of the earlier performances filmed on a camera phone. I’d anticipated a lukewarm performance with a couple of highlights; schoolboy error, as nothing quite prepares you for the actual experience of being there live in the flesh. Those who think that this was simple cash-grab, think again, this was a band saying a final farewell, and although not quite as good as they once were, still the ultimate Kings of Stadium Rock. There are a few artists/bands that can fill stadiums across the globe, but there even fewer who actually have the songs truly befitting of such large venues, AC/DC have bucket loads of these anthems. I don’t think that there were many in attendance tonight, who left feeling short-changed; instead, being royally entertained by one of the greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll bands of all time.
Setlist
Review: Mark Donnelly
Location:
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