AC/DC Live at River Plate DVD
I indulged my inner bogan a little while ago and went to see AC/DC play when they were in Wellington, as part of the Black Ice tour. I expected to enjoy the show, because I've always been a big fan, but I've seen enough old heroes in concert recently to know sometimes it's impossible for them to live up to nostalgic expectations. Well that show ended up being the best one I've ever seen. And I say that even though I prefer Bon Scott-era AC/DC to Brian Johnson-era. Sadly, Bon was unavailable again (RIP, Bon!) but Johnson did an excellent job of filling in, and their new stuff absolutely rocks in a live setting.
So when they announced a DVD I thought it would be a good memento of that experience. Once again they exceeded my expectations! I've never seen such an impressive concert DVD. Not only is the crowd enormous, they are ALL going absolutely nuts! Kinda different from the reserved nature of a Kiwi crowd...
And the AC/DC stage show is chock full of rock tropes and big-budget effects - just the kind of stuff that gets a stadium going.
Honestly, if you know someone who likes rock and doesn't get into AC/DC, you should show them this video. If they can get past Johnson's screech and the excessive lad-ism, and appreciate the solid groove of Rudd, Williams, Young and Young, they'll be a convert. Or at the very least they'll be blown away by the Argentinian crowd!
It was great that the people who put the package together managed to give sonic space to both Young brothers. I've long been a fan of Malcolm - and Angus as well, of course! But Malcolm is my role model for rhythm guitar playing. So it's great to still be able to hear him even though Angus is mixed to the forefront. Malcolm and Angus play in sync so well they wisely have been panned, one left and one right, so you can hear them both.
When I was in my early teens, some kids at school were learning music, and they would put down bands like AC/DC because they were so musically simple. But I know that 'simple' doesn't equal 'easy'. I really appreciate the way that Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams make rock-solid groove look effortless. Well, OK, Rudd looks like he's hammering nails into a piece of wood, but you get my drift. And to keep up that kind of effort for the length of an AC/DC gig is quite an achievement.
So, twelve stars out of eleven for
this DVD.
Click the link at the top to see it at MightyApe.co.nz, or below for Region 1 styles.
Heaven & Hell: Neon Knights Live at Wacken
A few weeks after that bogan warm-up, I happened to hear a few minutes of the CD of Heaven & Hell live at Wacken. It seemed to be the kind of stuff I like to listen to, so I bought the DVD so I could see what the band was like onstage.
I have all the Ozzy-era Black Sabbath albums on vinyl, but for some reason I never ventured into the Dio stuff. Being late to all the cool discoveries, I finally realised what Dio brought to the band: a little more showmanship, a more ballad-based kind of singing, and heaps of swords-and-sorcery style lyrics. All of the stuff I like, in short.
Added to Iommi's classic riffery and Geezer's grinding basslines, it's good old-fashioned headbangery. Nice.
Vinnie Appice seems like a great drummer, but building yourself a cage of toms has the potential to make you look like a bit of a dick, frankly. Still, if I had the opportunity, I suspect I would do it too. A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a roadie for? As the old saying goes.
I've always loved Geezer Butler's bass tone, his distinctive attack, and of course let's not forget, this is the guy who wrote most of early Sabbath's doom-laden lyrics. Great to see him paired up with Iommi again, doing the old business.
I had to reset my expectations for this after watching the AC/DC DVD, because apart from Dio's onstage capering, the only showmanship on display is the odd raised arm from Tony Iommi, and Appice's over-the-top drum solo, which, as mentioned, might not be the kind of thing that floats your boat.
Also, compared to the River Plate crowd, the Wacken one seemed positively restrained. Luckily, after leaving it for a week or so, I was able to re-watch it with fresh eyes and see that the crowd was actually pretty massive, and very enthusiastic. As with the AC/DC video, the producers of the Heaven & Hell one take the opportunity to show the crowd quite a lot. In both cases, you still see enough of the band, and the crowd shots help to convey the excitement of being there. With both DVDs, you get some good closeups of the band so that trainspotters like me can try to figure out the chords to the cool parts, and try to imagine what the lead guitarist is thinking as he looks out at thousands of crazed punters waiting for him to blow their minds...
Because I've seen interviews with Tony Iommi before, it's hard not to imagine him playing a heinously downtuned powerchord through a wall of Laneys, and thinking "cor blimey, this is good fun." He looks as though he appreciates how far he has come, and the fact that he gets to rock for a living. I like that.
Recommended.
Eleven stars out of ten.
See it at Mightyape.co.nz
here, or Amazon below.
Keep it rowdy.
Bing
