CRUSHER Magazine: punk/metal/hardcore/industrial: Live Review: AC/DC

     We played in a club in Sweden, and he remembers the staircase. We played in Austria, and he remembers the restaurant we ate at. I envy him for that. He is the Ambassador of my band of troublemakers. There are however, a few life experiences that I do remember….
     One of them is, at age 12, being a HUGE AC/DC fan, I decided to hide my report card for an extra week so I could see AC/DC at the Brendan Byrne Arena in New Jersey. All went well, and my pals were all in on this, hiding their report cards as well. But, like a typical TV sitcom, one guy got busted. So when my Mom asked me for my report card, I lied like a rug, and I got BUSTED.
     Here was my first chance to see the world’s greatest band, and I blew it with a white lie. Looking back, my Mom was a loving tyrant, but it was “tough love.” On this occasion, it was just too tough; I had a ticket to the show. My friend and I were HUGE fans of AC/DC, and when Mom caught me for postponing the truth, she called me out. She gave away my ticket to AC/DC. She gave it to my friend, who gave it to a friend. And I watched out my bedroom window while they were all picked up and driven to the concert…right outside my bedroom window. FUCK!
     It would be years later that my Mom would dance at weddings to the same songs that she used to make her scream, “TURN IT DOWN!” AC/DC has gone on to be inducted into the Rock “N” Roll Hall Of Fame, and proven to be one of, if not, THE, greatest bands of all time.
     I must have sent 250 e-mails to the EPIC/SONY website to win tickets to the AC/DC concert at Roseland. The contest ended on Friday the 7th of March, at what I assumed would be 5pm, the end of the working day. So I checked my e-mail one last time before I went out to drown my sorrows of not winning.

		AC/DC ROSELAND BALLROOM NYC--3-11-0 By Sean Kilkenny LINKS: acdcrocks.com
		For the most part, I have a short-term memory. I remember the good parts but forget the names, places, and dates of highlights that happen in my life. I’m not proud of it, but that’s the way I am. My friend Dave never forgets. And I can’t believe his attention to detail. We traveled the world together, and he remembers EVERYTHING!!!!
We played in a club in Sweden, and he remembers the staircase. We played in Austria, and he remembers the restaurant we ate at. I envy him for that. He is the Ambassador of my band of troublemakers. There are however, a few life experiences that I do remember…. One of them is, at age 12, being a HUGE AC/DC fan, I decided to hide my report card for an extra week so I could see AC/DC at the Brendan Byrne Arena in New Jersey. All went well, and my pals were all in on this, hiding their report cards as well. But, like a typical TV sitcom, one guy got busted. So when my Mom asked me for my report card, I lied like a rug, and I got BUSTED. Here was my first chance to see the world’s greatest band, and I blew it with a white lie. Looking back, my Mom was a loving tyrant, but it was “tough love.” On this occasion, it was just too tough; I had a ticket to the show. My friend and I were HUGE fans of AC/DC, and when Mom caught me for postponing the truth, she called me out. She gave away my ticket to AC/DC. She gave it to my friend, who gave it to a friend. And I watched out my bedroom window while they were all picked up and driven to the concert…right outside my bedroom window. FUCK! It would be years later that my Mom would dance at weddings to the same songs that she used to make her scream, “TURN IT DOWN!” AC/DC has gone on to be inducted into the Rock “N” Roll Hall Of Fame, and proven to be one of, if not, THE, greatest bands of all time. I must have sent 250 e-mails to the EPIC/SONY website to win tickets to the AC/DC concert at Roseland. The contest ended on Friday the 7th of March, at what I assumed would be 5pm, the end of the working day. So I checked my e-mail one last time before I went out to drown my sorrows of not winning.
I have been in this biz for over 15 years, and have made many friends who have all come and gone. I’ve made friends for life and friends that are strictly business, so when I heard that AC/DC was playing at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC I had to call in ALL my favors and hope SOMEONE could help me get in the door. Unfortunately, no one could. When I returned to my PC late Friday night, 3 am, and got my e-mail saying, “CONGRATULATIONS! You WIN 2 tickets to AC/DC!!” I was blown away!!!! People really do win on the net once in a while! So I want to say THANK YOU to the folks at EPIC/SONY! Now let’s call a spade a spade. The opening act, Fandango Red, SUCKED. If I were even blessed with the GIFT of opening for AC/DC at an intimate gig such as Roseland, I would kiss the crowd’s ass just knowing that no one REALLY cares about me or my band.
But the absolute LAST thing I would do, would be to get on stage, call AC/DC “old guys”, and then insult the audience in front of my own record label. God only knows how much it cost “Fandango Red” to be on this gig, but talk about BLOWING THE ULTIMATE OPENING SPOT!!!!!!!!!! I never heard of them before, but I can GUARANTEE that they will never be welcome here in NYC again. EPIC cannot be thrilled with that performance (?), never mind the singer’s bad hair day. Unlike a G’n’R show, AC/DC was onstage in less than 30 minutes after the opener. (Sorry, I forgot them already.) Opening up with an old classic, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Damnation,” the show was off to the races. The band played old and new songs like they were all from the same album. Brian Johnson put ALL critics to rest as he belted out song after song, covering the band’s 25-year-plus catalog of greats and still sounding like a hungry kid from Newcastle. “What’s Next To The Moon?,” “Gone Shootin’” and “The Jack” flowed seamlessly into newer classics such as “Back In Black,” “Hell’s Bells,” and the new standard, “Stiff Upper Lip.” At show’s end, they walked off for the encore, and came back with “You Shook Me All Night Long,” and that got the crowd going again. There were mumblings in the crowd of “Safe in NYC,” but since Sept. 11, no one feels safe. As for “For Those About To Rock”, the cannons could have been an unpleasant experience following the “Great White” incident. Thanks, Jack Russell. I have seen AC/DC at least 13 times before, and I must say that they are without a doubt, not only getting better, but have proven to be the GREATEST ROCK AND ROLL BAND IN THE WORLD. Much respect to the Rolling Stones, who Angus and Malcolm joined onstage during their first Australian gig in Sydney, but hey, I never saw Angus in the NATIONAL ENQUIRER getting a blood transfusion!!!!
	As a sidebar, I would like to add that I brought a very good friend of mine to the show, a jazz guitarist that is new to the world of “ROCK” as we put it. This is a special friend, and one of the best guitar players I have had the pleasure of seeing play. (In fact, he played at my wedding two years ago.) We walked to the train together after the show, and he told me how appreciative he was about what he saw. I can only ditto what he said, “Angus Young is a source.” I immediately knew what he meant…. AC/DC are truly the best band there is. I want to wish them CONGRATULATIONS on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but also say “THANK YOU” for taking the time to speak with me, and go as far as to put my photo in their Tour Program in 2000.(see photo) I love AC/DC!