Fan Reviews - 2003

• Volker
  

• What a concert!!! With only 3500 "die hard" AC/DC fans the Columbiahalle in Berlin was packed. And the people got what they wanted. Or rather: They did their share to create a unique AC/DC evening. In this little place the atmosphere was so intense, the music went right into your guts, the band was so close to the fans. A true club concert.

  It was an unusual night - already in the way the band came on stage. They just walked in from the right side, so cool, so relaxed, Brian still smoking, Angus with his cap deep in his face, while the crowd went mad.
  
  And they brought some surprises: They played old songs like "Gone shootin'" and "If you want blood, you've got it". And for the first time ever they played "What's next to the moon" from the "Power Age" album. The song was perfect for the place. Like "Gone shootin'" it's very Blues like.

  But whoever thought that the band would just pop round to do a warm up for their big gigs with the Stones was wrong. They were in for the whole thing: "Shoot to thrill", "Let there be rock", "The Jack"...They played them all and they even brought four cannons to play "For those about to rock".

  Compared to the big shows, the band was more visible as a group of five. On this little stage you could see more interaction between them. Brian talking to Cliff. Angus, Phil and Malcolm counting down from four to one... And Angus was not outperforming the others as much as during big shows when he has extra space to run around. It was more like a family inviting a few friends over for tea. And the tea was hot and well served!

  A fantastic AC/DC night!

• Marc Wüstenhagen
  

• The Show was simply outstanding! After the support band the "Cosmic Girls" left the band entered the stage. The crowed was the loudest one I've ever experienced on a concert. All 3000 people were singing every line of the lyrics together with Brian. It was an unforgettable atmosphere! The Setlist was almost the same as in New York. There were three more songs compared to the Roseland gig. There were "Bad Boy Boogie", "Let There Be Rock" (actually the last song) and "For Those About To Rock" at the very end." It was really great to hear Brian do "Rock And Roll Damnation" and "If You Want Blood". For a live performance of these songs I am waiting until I am a AC/DC Fan. GREAT!!! Of course "Gone Shootin'" And "What's Next To The Moon"(great one) were cool too.

  THE SETLIST!:
  -Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be
  -Back in Black
  -Stiff Upper Lip
  -Gone Shootin
  -Thunderstruck
  -Rock And Roll Damnation
  -What's Next To The Moon
  -Hard As A Rock
  -Bad Boy Boogie (Angus strips *g*)
  -The Jack
  -If You Want Blood
  -Hells Bells
  -Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
  -Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
  -Shoot To Thrill
  -T.N.T.
  -Highway To Hell
  -Whole Lotta Rosie
  -You Shook Me All Night Long
  -Let There Be Rock
  ENCORE:
  -For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

  For the next time I am hoping for "It's A Long Way To The Top", maybe the play it on the next tour live again, last time 1974 or so.

• Maik
  
• Hallo guys,
  this was the concert I've been waiting for twenty years. The band was awesome, the crowd went crazy and you could see every detail on stage if you had the time to do so. No gimmicks just pure rock'n'roll were given and the band had fun. So they played almost two hours and an unexpected song like 'If you want blood'. And you could see and feel that most of the fans were real AC-DC lovers. They knew every song and sang every word with Brian. So I hope that this small venue gig wasn't the last, because every fan who was interested to see the band in the Columbiahalle had the chance to do so.
  So take care and have fun
  

Oberhausen, Ger (O.Vision Zukunftspark) 13 Jun. 2003

• tomScotland
  

• The O-visions Zukunfstpark was a bitch to find. Oberhausen itself is a fairly anonymous looking town, and the venue itself was really just a huge gravel pit behind a disused factory in an industrial estate!
  However, we got there early on the day of the gig (me (tomScotland), Cam, Bjorn (JD) and Johan) as I had a ticket to sell. We killed some time by sitting around enjoying the sun and the vast amount of people walking around sporting DC shirts.
  The highlight of the early afternoon was undoubtedly hearing the soundcheck. Initially we thought it was the crew/guitar techs but then they rocked into IYWB and HTH (Brian sang HTH perfectly, and ended it very well indeed, quietly and quite Bon-like in fact, it suits his style this way!) But we were not prepared for what was to follow - they soundchecked Walk All Over You!!!!.
  We mused briefly that it may find its way into the set, but predictably enough it didn't.

  On to the gig itself, and I'm pleased to say I really enjoyed the Cranberries set (I've always had a bit of a thing for delores). They were tight, loud, and were treated to a good sound.
  With anticipation building we made our way forward for AC/DC, getting quite near to the front. There were vast amounts of AC/DC fans in the crowd and I think some of the older Stones fans felt a bit threatened!
  When the show began AC/DC simply strolled out, gave a wave and launched into HAABPTB, Angus' cap staying on for about 3.5 seconds as usual! I knew immediately we were witnessing a top-drawer performance. By now you'll know the setlist, 14 songs, 1.5 hours, no surprises but the tightest performance imaginable.
  ANGUS PLAYED HIS HEART OUT. He was rolling, duckwalking, running like a teenager - he was on fire! Brian was feeling the strain a bit, but his vocals were pretty much spot on. It was nice to see the band play in daylight, you could see things you don't normally, like the band talking, and Brian waiting by the side of the stage during the BBB strip and Angus' solo part in LTBR. The Bell made a nice appearance, going UP into the gantry, and it was a nice change to see the old Cannons (From the Cannon and bell Tour era). The show was brilliant, I mean REALLY BRILLIANT and if the Stones were not so reliant on huge video screens and a billion dollar lightshow they simply could not have followed that, no way.
  The Stones were pretty robotic, measured and reserved and I left well before the end. (In fact I left so bloody early I missed Rock Me Baby!)
  Anyway, another 10/10 for AC/DC and another concert memory for me. I was totally knackered by the time I got home as I'd just come from the SwedenRock Festival (Motorhead were sensational as always).

• Kevin Chalmet
  

• AC/DC vs. The Rolling Stones or was it visa versa?
  After a 4 hour drive from Belgium to Germany, and a 1 hour walk to the 'stadion' I have enjoyed the meeting between two of the biggest r&r bands in the world. But I have noticed that more people had AC/DC shirts on than Stones! And ones AC/DC started the crowd where gone mad, for more than an hour AC/DC played Oberhausen straight to hell. With just a small take of the biggest songs. The striptease of Angus on Bad Boy Boogie was great (shorts with AC/DC, instead of a German flag printed on it). A real relaxed Brain, that played with the people like he has never done before. Even the Bell of hells bells was present, and 4 canons for the final bis number For Those....
  Than it was time for The Stones, the people where taking in a deep sleep, the show was great but the stones,...
  The first and only time the people were having fun, singing, clapping and enjoying was when The Young Brothers where on stage for 1 song, together with the Stones. Angus took in 5 sec. the attention of the public and left the Stones behind in the shade. I've expected the other members on stage to, to do a second AC/DC concert that night, and sending the Stones to sleep. But that didn't happen.
  So the next time: Let the Stones play first and let AC/DC closing the concert.

• Jul'
  

• 19h30 : AC/DC !!!!! Le groupe entre on ne peut plus calmement sur scène ! Quelle surprise ! Angus se marre. Il fait encore jour, et on croit revoir des images des années 78-79 lorsque le groupe jouait en première partie : derrière la scène, derrière le groupe domine le ciel bleu, le soleil qui se couche. C’est de toute beauté !! Pas de lumières spécifiques (on ne les voit presque pas), les roadies sont juste sur le côté de la scène, aucun décor ne les cache… EXCELLENT !!!!

  Set list habituelle (dommage) :

  - Hell ain’t (arrivée « 2 de tension »…)
  - Back in black
  - Dirty deeds
  - Thunderstruck
  - Bad boy boogie (une tuerie. Angus en caleçon « ac/dc »)
  - If you want blood (la seule véritable surprise du concert)
  - Hells bells (la cloche sort de derrière le décor)
  - The Jack
  - TNT
  - Highway to hell
  - You shook me
  - Whole lotta Rosie
  - Let there be rock (changement de guitare pour Mal’)

  Rappel :
  - For those about to rock (4 canons format mini… mais déflagration maximale !)

  Le groupe me semble en pleine forme. A l’image d’un Brian toujours aussi marrant et heureux ! Le groupe reste fidèle à lui-même. Petit problème de guitare sur Let there be rock pour Malcolm (il doit changer de Gretsch). Ce concert tranche avec les prestations de 2000-2001 parce que le groupe semble chercher quelle chanson il va jouer. Entre chaque morceau, le groupe marque de vraies pauses et ne fait pas dans le style coulé, show huilé et ultra répété. Mention spéciale à Bad boy boogie qui cloue les fans des Stones sur place. De même pour Let there be rock ! Quelle puissance !… surtout que le morceau ne se prolonge pas pendant 20 minutes… AC/DC a donné vendredi soir l’essentiel. Certes Angus ne bouge pas comme un dingue (il est même plutôt statique…), mais le groupe apparaît heureux et serein. Une expression m’a touché : à la fin de For those about to rock, Phil Rudd quitte sa batterie et laisse éclater sa tension, ses sentiments par un cri, une attitude de détermination et de rage ! (un peu comme Angus sur TNT « Oïe ! »). Ça tranche du Phil calme que l’on connaît.
  Autre chose : A la fin de For those, le technicien qui s’occupe de Mal’ tenait la Gretsch du frère Young et faisait signe aux roadies qui venaient débarrasser de faire demi-tour… (sous-entendu : le groupe doit revenir jouer un morceau, cassez-vous). Malheureusement le nombre croissant de techniciens l’a fait renoncer à sa louable initiative !! Question : A-t-il fait une erreur en croyant que le groupe revenait sur scène ou le groupe a-t-il mal fait passer l’information quant au morceau qui devait clore le gig ? On aurait bien voulu un petit rappel…

  les Stones entrent sur scène un peu après ac/dc. Respect. Ils en mettent plein la vue. Ecran géant, Jagger se tort comme un serpent, Keith prend des allures de… Keith, Charlie est une sorte de double « Ruddien », et par contre, Ron Wood semble chercher son style en pompant les attitudes de Keith et Mick. Plus que tous, Keith dégage quelque chose de spécial et inspire au respect. C’est une légende vivante ! Quelle gueule, quelle classe, quel jeu !
  Et puis, au bout de 30 minutes… Angus et Mal’ se pointent sur scène pour reprendre le vieux blues de BB King déjà repris en fevrier à Sydney. Mal’, Angus, Keith, Ron, Mick tous ensemble… ça y’est, je me meurs… Inimaginable. Angus a (me semble-t-il) une ES 335 Custom appartenant à Keith. On croit rêver. Surtout que le morceau dure… et qu’Angus se lance dans un solo final bientôt rejoint par Keith ! GEANTISSIME. Tout le monde se sert la main. Mick invite les Young à s’avancer sur le devant de la scène. Les frères s’exécutent (non sans mal ! Ron devra pousser Malcolm !).
  Le show stonien reprend de plus belle et nous gratifie du beau best of. On comprend alors pourquoi sur l’affiche du concert il est noté : « The greatest rockn’roll show ever » !
  LET THERE BE AC/DC !!

• Stefan Burchert

• I hurried after work from Hamburg to Oberhausen, not to miss AC/DC. And I arrived by the right time. And then AC/DC came onto the stage. I was nervous, and the band seemed to be a bit nervous, too, because they played in front of many Rolling Stones fans for the first time. And I think, each AC/DC Fan fought for his band, like me. After three songs it was clear, it was a Rock´n Roll crowd. It looked, as if everybody of the 65.000 was rocking, from the front to the back. AC/DC is so good, that also the Stones Fans were rocking, stunning, and smiling of course a bit, because Angus and the band were rocking like boys. You could see in some faces around in the crowd, that they haven´t seen AC/DC so far. And it was a great show for this people. Their first real Rock´n Roll show. "If you want blood" was a good track this evening, and it was the first time I heard it live at a concert. It took the role of "Shoot to thrill" a bit. It was the first concert (of 32 I saw, since 1986), that AC/DC didn't play "Shoot to thrill", where the whole crowd puts the hands in the air. I was really happy to see the band again since the last tour in 2001.
  A lucky thing came, when the Rolling Stones started their show. There were not many hands in the air. The people had rocked with AC/DC so much. They didn´t have real power any more. And of course, AC/DC was so good. But after some songs of the Stones the crowd became more active again. And everybody turned the switch to the flick/ flipped the switch, when Malcolm and Angus entered the stage and played a blues session with the Rolling Stones. Malcolm really had fun and Angus played great solo parts in change with Keith Richards. Yeah, it was a great mood. And new, at the end of the songs Malcolm (!) went to the front of the stage with the others. It was a great show.
  Well, at the next week I went to Leipzig, too. But bad luck, I was late, there was so much traffic in Hamburg, that I missed the train. I arrived later. A kind Taximan drove me to the Festwiese. He brought me through all barriers (he was allowed to). But I arrived, when "Let there be rock was played". I just could hear it from the outside of the place. When you miss an AC/DC concert, you really feel what it means to be a part of a concert. Well, never the less, I saw the session with the Rolling Stones. They extended it a bit. So I had a bit time to enjoy this evening. I´m looking forward to the next album and tour.

• Justin
  

• What can I add? Slightly disappointed with the set list AC/DC played. I know it was a support slot and they should play the most popular ones, but I would have love to have heard Whats next to the moon or gone shootin that have been cropping up in setlists as of late.
  The show was fantastic. The band as ever were so tight. Brian's vocals were superb. I was extremely worried after the Cranberries as I thought their sound was bad but when AC/DC came on, the sound was brilliant. The highlight of the night was Malcolm and Angus joining the stones on stage. Truly and amazing evening and well worth the traveling time.
  Justin - Ireland

• Jo Hoftijzer
  

• This old broad went to Oberhausen to finally see the Stones. But I learned about the concert from Angus Young's family, and figured it was a great 'two-fer'.

  It was more than that! It was going to rock heaven! And the best part was seeing Angus perform and finally 'getting' AC/DC! I've known Angus thu his wife's family for years, but always thought his music was heavy metal. Was I wrong or what! I just went nuts and figure I got to see a bit of rare rock and roll history as Angus and Keith went riff for riff in a guest moment during the Stones gig.

  Can't wait for the next AC/DC tour. In the meantime I've borrowed all the 'stuff' Angus's nephews have to really get into their music. They rock, they roll, and now I get why AC/DC will go down in rock history as one of the greatest ever!

  I was in Oberhausen and I saw and heard it. More people were there to see ACDC than the Stones. I and others ran into people from the British Isles who'd come to Oberhausen for a dose of AC/DC in a year when they're not officially on tour. So did my Dutch neighbors, always AC/DC fans. On a perfect night under a full moon, we all were treated to the best a real rocker could ever dream of.
  

Munich, Ger (Circus Krone) 17 Jun. 2003

• Jul'
  

• 20h50 : La salle est prête à recevoir AC/DC. Tout est en place. La première partie n’a duré que 30-35 minutes (si ma mémoire est bonne). J’ai la trouille. Je stresse comme un fou de savoir qu’un de mes rêves va se réaliser dans quelques minutes…

  20h56 : Les lumières s’éteignent. Comme à Berlin, le groupe rentre calmement sur scène, une cigarette à la bouche. Angus nous lance un petit regard malicieux… BOOM le rouleau compresseur se met en marche. A chaque fois que je vois ac/dc live, il y a toujours un petit goût, un petit parfum singulier, et là ce soir, pour mon 12ème concert d’ac/dc, je sens que ça va donner !!

  1 Hell ain’t a bad place to be
  2 Back in black
  3 Stiff upper lip
  4 Shoot to thrill
  5 Thunderstruck
  6 Rockn’roll damnation (Waouw ! le son !)
  7 What’s next to the moon (idem)
  8 Hard as a rock
  9 Bad boy boogie
  10 The jack
  11 If you want blood
  12 Hells bells
  13 Dirty deeds done dirt cheap
  14 Rockn’roll ain’t noise pollution
  15 TNT
  16 Let there be rock
  17 Highway to hell
  18 For those about to rock
  19 Whole lotta Rosie

  Entre les chansons, le public hurle à qui veut l’entendre « Harder than a stone ». ça fait marrer Brian.
  Le groupe est vraiment en grande forme. Est-ce pour les caméras qui filment le show ? peut-être… mais quoiqu’il en soit, le groupe ne semble pas se forcer ! Il vit ses chansons sans réfléchir donnant le meilleur. Angus est démonstratif et arpente la scène en faisant son fidèle duckwalk ! Pas un détail ne nous est épargné. Les gouttes de sueur qu’il envoie en secouant la tête percent les faisceaux colorés des lights. Pareil pour les autres qui ruissellent littéralement. Le groupe est en plein climax. Sérieux, j’ai jamais vu ça ! Il faut essuyer les guitares, changer de t-shirt régulièrement, boire beaucoup… beaucoup boire, surtout pour nous qui crevons de soif. Les gars de la sécurité nous donnent quelques gobelets ou nous versent de l’eau sur la tête… et pendant ce temps, le groupe déroule sa playlist, pur bijou de condensé et de force. L’essence d’ac/dc est sur scène. Pour moi, aucun morceau ne se détache du lot tant le show apparaît compact et bien ficelé.

  A la fin de for those, les techniciens arrivent et débranchent les amplis de Mal’… triste fin se dit-on. Alors on donne de la voix, on en redemande, malgré la fatigue et les douleurs qui commencent à se faire sentir dans la nuque, les bras, les pieds… Bob Wein, le responsable de la sécurité intervient auprès du staff et leur demande de rebrancher le matos… une minute plus tard, la lumière s’éteint… c’est reparti pour 6 minutes de folie. Ac/dc nous assène d’un dernier morceau dynamité. Derniers riffs de Whole lotta Rosie. C’est fini. Le groupe a une fois de plus gagné son combat par KO.
  Let there be ac/dc !

• Günter Fröde
  

• I heard that 1800 tickets were sold, but at least 100-200 more people should have been in the arena. I have been at the Circus Krone at around 4 PM and got a front row place when they opened at around 6 PM. But even at almost 8 PM when the support group started and 8:40 when AC/DC came to the stage the arena wasn’t nearly filled. This way there was more space to bang and jump around of course :-).

  I don’t know the name of the support group (seven girls), but it was not a good choice in my opinion. I have to admit that it’s never easy to find someone to play right before AC/DC though.

  When AC/DC finally entered the stage the crowd went mad. The stage was still dark, but you could see Angus walking to the center and bowing to the crowd. The drummer lit one of the many cigarettes he smoked during the concert, the lights went on and the show began. And what a great show it has been. They played all the big songs and it was cool to hear “If You Want Blood” live. My personal favourite always was Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and you can see that many like this song because everybody freaks out at every concert when this one starts.

  I have been at AC/DC concerts 86, 91, 96, 00 and 01 before, but I was never so close. You could see the faces of Brian and Angus and they actually look much younger then they are. I never saw Angus with such short hair, but he is still performing great. Brian especially enjoyed when we all were singing “The Jack” a few times. When we had finished he grabbed his balls and said “Oh I have a hard-on for this one”. He was also greeting the people who were standing on the street outside. You could see them from the stage because the doors were open, so even without a ticket this was a cool night for many :-).

  One more positive thing: The Security guys were really nice. They gave water to the fans in the front rows where it was really hot and even tried to cool them down with a towel.

  Yes it was a pure rock'n'roll concert without gimmicks. They brought “the” Bell and 4 canons but everything else was pure sound and everyone enjoyed it.

  THE SETLIST:
  Unfortunately they played not all the songs they played in Berlin, but all the great songs:
  -Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be
  -Back in Black
  -Stiff Upper Lip
  -Shoot to thrill
  -Thunderstruck
  -Rock And Roll Damnation
  -What's Next To The Moon
  -Hard As A Rock
  -Bad Boy Boogie (Angus strips and shows black Boxer-Short with AC/DC logo)
  -The Jack (Brian got a hard-on)
  -If You Want Blood
  -Hells Bells (Yes “the” Bell was there too)
  -Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (I love this one)
  -Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
  -T.N.T.
  -Let There Be Rock (Angus down on the floor)

  Then they left the stage for a few minutes to come back for:
  -Highway To Hell
  -For Those About To Rock (With 4 canons)

• Didi
  

• AC/DC im Zirkus Krone in München waren phantastisch. Sie spielten in etwas abgeänderter Reihenfolge die selben Songs wie in Berlin, wobei sie jedoch Gone Shootin und You Shook Me ALL Night Long ersatzlos aus dem Programm nahmen. Die Akustik war wider Erwarten optimal, da die Lautstärke etwas gemäßigter war als gewohnt. Gleichwohl war der Schalldruck in der ersten Reihe nicht von schlechten Eltern und die gut 2000 Fans taten ihr übriges um die Arena zum Dröhnen zu bringen. Ich habe selbst auf AC/DC - Konzerten selten ein derart begeisterungsfähiges Publikum erlebt. Kaum war der erste Ton erklungen, sprangen alle von ihren Sitzen auf und verfolgten das gesamte Konzert stehend. Die Fans sangen jedes Lied enthusiastisch mit und Brian,- der sichtlich beeindruckt war, bekundete mit Worten und Gestik mehrmals seinen Respekt. Zum Schluß verabschiedete er sich mit den Worten "See You Again", was mir die Hoffnung gibt, daß AC/DC zumindest in München früher oder später wieder gastieren werden.
  Das Konzert wurde übrigens von mehreren Kameras gefilmt und es kursierte das Gerücht, daß auch hierzu eine DVD erscheinen soll (analog zum Konzert im Olympiastadion vor 2 Jahren )
  Mit diesem Konzert haben AC/DC eindrucksvoll ihren Ruf als beste Rock'n'Roll Liveband des 21. Jahrhunderts untermauert.
  Für mich sind und bleiben sie die größte Rockband aller Zeiten.
  TIME WILL NEVER DIM THEIR GLORY !!

• Twan Faessen
  

• WOW , what a concert !
  From the first seond till the end it was amazing.Only 1800 people went mad for about 2 hours. From the first song Hell ain't a bad place to Be till For those about to Rock. The whole crowd went crazy when they put on the lights and they started to build off the stage. After 10 minutes of making heavy noice AC/DC came back and played Whole Lotta Rosie.
  Hope 2 C U again soon guys ! These where the best 120 minutes in my life, THANKS