AC/DC Wembley London 2024, Review by Dawn Osborne

There’s a sense of excitement in the air. Everyone is aware that there were more chances to see AC/DC in the past than there will be in the future and everyone is grateful to see Brian back, because whilst Axl and Angus were wild, most people did not really see that as AC/DC. The band are shooting a video tonight, so no photo passes are issued, our photos were taken from the audience by Neil Jones. But I have a pretty good view from Angus’ side of the stage and that’s all I need for the serious business of rockin’.

When dealing with such a behemoth any support band would have a difficult time of it and coupled with the fact that the audience are not really The Pretty Reckless’ fans, reaction to them is a bit muted. Taylor Momsen does everything she can to seduce the audience and just as she starts to warm them up the band are coming to the end of the set. I am sure it sounded like a good idea on paper for AC/DC to have a strong woman as support and to show that they are down with the kids, but in reality it just underlined the differences. Personally I would have preferred to see a band like the Answer or Halestorm support, something a little more in the AC/DC camp which would have complimented each other more. Taylor was winning the fight by the end of her set, but a more natural choice would have had an easier time of it.

So people are more than ready for AC/DC and, at the mere flicker of stage lights and sound, a huge cheer goes up. Following a cartoon video of a car hurtling along motorways to get to a venue with large AC/DC branded trucks, Brian and Angus come on stage. Angus is wearing a soft Royal Blue velvet jacket and short trouser suit over his schoolboy shirt and red tie matching a red baseball cap with a large A on it which he sets jauntily on one side of his head, giving him a rakish naughty look. Brian’s in his trade mark black t-shirt and flat cap. As they launch into ‘If You Want Blood’ it’s almost as if nothing has changed. Angus is rockin forward and backwards and running down the ego ramp. Brian is pointing and engaging the front row. Brian has always been everyone’s favourite rock n roll grandad from up north and has always dad danced before it was as thing. If anything Angus looks more impressive with white hair. His trembling knee act suits an older gentleman Benny Hill style and since he jumped in the air at the end of literally every song, there were no signs of him physically slowing down. His trade mark hop along is undiminished. But more importantly they sound amazing. That alone would be enough. Do they have the greatest songs ever?.. The audience tonight believe! Those standing are already pogoing making the audience look like a giant undulating sea. The people sitting stand up straight away. One does not simply sit for AC/DC.

Brian does almost no talking tonight and Angus none, but Brian stops briefly to say it’s good to see everyone and it’s time to pick up where we left off before the intensity of riffs that is ‘Back In Black’ seizes everyone’s attention. Next up is ‘Demon’s Fire’ the only track from the new album, apart from ‘Shot In The Dark’, however this band have so many classics they make the smart choice to keep the greatest hits in the set.

Angus appears in hell like flames on screen for ‘Shot Down In Flames’. Brian has both arms up ringleading the crowd to chant in ‘Thunderstruck’. He appears ringed by lightning on the screens. The weather forecasted real lightning, but the rock n roll gods are with us and while the band are on stage it doesn’t even rain. When Brian and Angus stand at the front together it looks intimate and like old mates, they are completely comfortable together in front of thousands.

Angus’ white hair blows in the wind like something otherworldly in ‘Have A Drink On Me’. There’s a bit of a moment when a huge AC/DC branded bell descends from the skies with the distinctive deep peals signifying ‘Hell’s Bells’. Angus can still really play and, as well as the monster riffs, he delivers masterful bluesy licks and solos, the roll to the rock that Keith Richards always talks about. The solo in ‘High Voltage’ was absolutely searing for example. In some ways Angus is underrated as a guitar player, dwarved by the enormity of his image and the monster songs.

The crowd sing ‘Upper Lip’ on cue for ‘Stiff Upper Lip’. If anyone let the side down tonight it was the audience, who were noisy, but not really as noisy as you should be for the biggest band on the planet. Brian encourages the audience for example leading them in with a mad face and ‘high’ to elicit the response ‘VOLTAGE!’ but most of the time he just lets the crowd react as they will. They have nothing to prove. Brian and Angus just stand and deliver, no explanations, no unnecessary words, the ultimately blokes ‘take that!’.

Angus takes his jacket and hat off making things even more simply about the music which speaks for itself. ‘Shoot To Thrill’ sounds just like the record. Angus makes a lassoing movement, everything is under control.  He makes exaggerated motions to his ear and gets the crowd to roar.

In ‘Sin City’ I pause to consider Brian’s voice. Gravelly it is, but he can be heard clearly over the loudest band in the universe. As Bon Scott was, Brian would be almost impossible to replace. He won everyone over as the new singer of AC/DC by just doing the job, no airs and graces, he just gets the job done as if he were simply having a pint at the pub. His utter naturalness has always suited the down to earth Australians and always will.

Two blow up dolls are being tossed around the audience for ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Train’. It is one of the only hints towards the bands spit and sawdust past. Today the audience is full of women and kids as well as men, all very much in the classic rock vein, but AC/DC have been here long enough to be an institution and with that comes a certain amount of respectability as well as respect.

Angus sings a couple of the lines of the verse of ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ with a weird kind of demonic voice, not too much of an Australian accent in there. Married to a Dutch woman and living internationally he’s probably more of an international citizen these days.

It’s amazing how many bands don’t enjoy playing songs again and again every night, but on ‘Riff Raff’ it’s noticeable just how much Angus still enjoys what he does. He doesn’t need to work for a living anymore, so he’s there because he loves it. He delivers another superb solo for ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’. The crowd finally start chanting “Angus” when they hear the unmistakeable riff for ‘Highway to Hell’. About half of the crowd appears to be wearing the flashing Red Devil horns merch and, as it starts to get darker they show up more around the stadium. Two other people have enormous inflatable red devil’s pitchforks and proceed to have a battle with them right by the stage. Angus himself wears a little pair of non flashing metal horns for another trip down the ego ramp. There have been drones flying overhead all night and we get to see what this looks like from high above. Quite frankly the extended stage ramp looks mightily phallic, what else for the apotheosis of cock rock. And appropriately enough we get ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ next. No giant inflatable here, it’s a virtual reality version looking a bit like Liza Minelli in a top hat and lying sideways with one leg up (if she had a 60 inch chest, yes I know its 42 in the song, but the image is somewhat more ample albeit a bit more dignified than the inflatable version). “One guitar, so much noise” I find myself thinking in the best possible way. Angus is finger tapping and screaming mouth open to the crowd. I cannot be alone for thinking “this is the greatest Rock n Roll Band ever” during ‘Let There Be Rock’. In an extended solo Angus suddenly jumped on the floor and did the cycling round horizontal hop at the end of the extended stage. The circular end of the stage went up like a wedding cake taking Young high into the air.

The encore is ‘TNT’ and more big riffs and a blistering solo, the crowd cannot get enough. The finale is, of course, ‘For Those About To Rock’ with a wall of cannons and fireworks on the roof of the stage for a literally explosive finish.

AC/DC is now very much the Brian and Angus show, but apart from the Bon Scott era it probably always was and their legendary status can still carry the band. They showed up and they rocked in an epic way that made a massive impression on everyone present. The greatest anti-ageist argument ever.. Young by name, young by nature. Phenomenal doesn’t even touch it.

Dawn Osborne

Photos from Neil Jones