Posts tagged AC/DC
R.I.P. – Bon Scott (Died 2-19-1980)
Feb 19th
I don’t like to post twice about the same band if I can help it (particularly when the band is not a favorite of The Giant Panther’s), but I did want to mention that today is the 30th anniversary of the death of one time AC/DC lead singer Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott. Born in July of 1946 in Scotland, Bon was found asphyxiated in a car in the East Dulwich section of London, England on this date in 1980. You want to throttle the greats; Bonham, Moon, Morrison, Bolan, Hendrix, etc for living recklessly and cutting short such promise, but the truth is it could be any of us, particularly when we’re young and have the illusion of invincibility. If you’ve ever overestimated your body’s ability to absorb alcohol in a given situation you know very well what I’m talking about. One minute you think you have it covered, the next…
At 33 chances are at least some lessons have been absorbed by mere mortals, but nobody I know really knows what it’s like to be a rock star. The pressures, the temptations, the travel, the lack of sleep and or diet, the one upmanship…who knows if he would have survived if someone had carried him out of that automobile, but it’s still a shame all these years later. That goes for Janis, Kurt and all the rest too. The Lennons and the Vaughans you can almost get a handle on, but not the self inflicted ones. Those are crushers. It can very frustrating, but what in life isn’t?
No need to delve into details, history or a discussion of lead singers or anything else…I just wanted to post a couple of songs I’m still a big fan of to this day by a man who sure looked like he was having a good time while he was here with us…maybe too good a time as it turns out. I was trying to figure out a way to keep this post within my own love, romance, Valentine’s Day monthly guidelines here and then it hit me…Bon Scott was once in a bad called the Valentines! Mission accomplished.
AC-DC – Rock ‘N’ Roll Singer.mp3
AC-DC – Down Payment Blues.mp3
AC DC – Girls Got Rhythm.mp3 YSI
Buy or download Bonfire from Amazon.com here.
Your Tour Guide – AC/DC
Nov 10th
OK, let’s get the juvenile rock digs out of the way. I know many people, The Giant Panther included, who don’t find Australian rockers AC/DC particularly compelling. They’re too loud; they’re too heavy; they’re bad boy image is too juvenile; all of their music sounds the same. I’ve heard it all and I could care less. I LOVE AC/DC and I don’t care if I am 48 years of age. They rock my world. Unfortunately for the masses, most people MIGHT be able to name one song after Back in Black, Shoot To Thrill, You Shook Me (All Night Long), Hells Bells, TNT, It’s a Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock & Roll…Thank you School of Rock), Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Highway To Hell or For Those About To Rock (We Salute You). For me and 20,000 other hard core AC/DC fans at the TD BankNorth Garden last night that is a crying shame. I’m a huge fan of legendary guitarists such as Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Pete Townshend, The Edge and anyone else you’d probably care to name. None of them get me going like Angus Young. I can’t explain it and I won’t even try. I’m not much of a dancer, but I cannot sit still when this guy is playing his guitar. I’m so glad a camera wasn’t on me during last night’s rendering of Hell Ain’t a Bad Place To Be. It was the second song of the night and I swear I was hollering like some school girl at Paul McCartney. It’s quite embarrassing to see a grown man enjoying himself so much. You’re going to have to trust me on this. I have to laugh just thinking about it. I must have close to a thousand rock shows under my belt and I swear my level of enjoyment at AC/DC shows borders on the absurd. What a rush. This was my sixth AC/DC concert. For the record I’m noting the dates below for fun…
May 7, 1988 – Worcester Centrum in Worcester, MA
November 15, 1990 -Providence Civic Center in Providence, RI
March 19, 1996 – Fleetcenter in Boston, MA
August 8, 2000 – Fleetcenter in Boston, MA
May 4, 2001 – Fleetcenter in Boston, MA
November 9, 2008 – TD BankNorth Garden in Boston, MA
I’m sure I missed a few over the years, but it doesn’t seem like they come around here much anymore. I know the seven year gulf between the last time they played here and last night felt like decades. I went with a couple of long time friends of mine and one of them donned a kilt for the show. I’m not sure exactly why, but two separate TNT chants broke out (Oiy! Oiy!) as we made our way towards our seats and people caught wind of his get up. It was hilarious. Before the show we usually gather at a local establishment owned by a friend of mine called The CharlesMark Hotel on Boylston Street in Back Bay Boston. The place usually caters to the traveling salesman or the families visiting college kids so the music is toned way down to snoozeville most of the time. Every now and then, for special occasions like this concert, my friend Mark will go against the grain and crank out some good old fashioned rock and roll. I love this side of Mark. It’s in remission most of the time, but he does have his moments when he lends his bar to our cause. Coupled with our friend Dave the limo driver we do it right for every concert we attend in Boston. So a tip of the hat for Mark from me here…
Like The Rolling Stones, AC/DC is unfortunately bound to play certain songs. The nine I mentioned above are usually wedged into every set to the dismay of folks like me who don’t really care if they play them at all anymore. I’m clearly not your average concert goer anymore, but I could subsist exclusively on AC/DC “B” cuts like Rock & Roll Singer, Girl’s Got Rhythm, Shot Down in Flames, Down Payment Blues, What’s Next To The Moon, Rock & Roll Damnation, Have a Drink On Me, Can’t Stand Still, Sink The Pink, Touch Too Much, Rock & Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution, What Do You Do For Money, Money Talks, Hard as a Rock, Stiff Upper Lip, Problem Child, Dog Eat Dog, Let’s Get It Up, Sin City, Who Made Who, Hold Me Back, This House is On Fire, Burnin’ Alive, Whiskey On The Rocks and Jailbreak. In fact, though the concert would reach Springsteenian proportions in length, if they only played these songs I would consider it to be the perfect AC/DC concert. It would be nirvana for me.
I don’t want to start any Blasphemous Rumors, but I’d dump Back in Black, You Shook Me, The Jack, Whole Lotta Rosie, Let There Be Rock, Highway To Hell, and Thuderstruck and For Those About To Rock immediately if I were running the ship. I would keep TNT, Hells Bells, Dirty Deeds, and would get It’s a Long Way back into the set as well. If they all sound the same then what’s the harm right? You still have to promote the present record, but (and I’m stealing this from an online article I read this morning) AC/DC songs need ten years to mature and become staples of their set according to one fan. It’s beer run time for most when the new stuff is played. I go during some of the war horse staples. I realize it’s futile to complain about the hits, but I love bands that shuffle the deck and play something different every night. I think that’s what made The Grateful Dead so popular. You never knew what you were going to get. People rarely follow bands more than two or three nearby cities in this day and age the way The Dead’s following traipsed across the country to see them anymore, but more bands should promote that. It’s a great sales gimmick and the artists wouldn’t get bored in the meantime. Yeah it’s harder to rehearse and recall, but what a draw. It’s so fan friendly it seems like a no brainer to me. I don’t know why more bands don’t do it to be honest, but what do I know?
I’m probably preaching to the converted if anyone is still reading, but AC/DC definitely gets your adrenaline rushing in concert. Go see them if you never have. From Rock ‘N Roll Train to the cannons firing in For Those About To Rock it was a spectacle and loads of fun. I don’t care how old you are. They rule in my book.
Setlist: 1. Rock ‘N Roll Train 2. Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be 3. Back In Black 4. Big Jack 5. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap 6. Thunderstruck 7. Black Ice 8. The Jack 9. Hells Bells 10. War Machine 11. Shoot to Thrill 12. Anything Goes 13. You Shook Me All Night Long 14. TNT 15. Whole Lotta Rosie 16. Let There Be Rock Encore: 17. Highway To Hell 18. For Those About To Rock
Buy or download Powerage from Amazon here.
For Those About To Read…We Salute You
Oct 24th
I want to share something with rock fans. Forget Rolling Stone, Spin, Creem, and all the other rock magazines out there. Nothing gives you more bang for your buck than Classic Rock Magazine. I happened to be waiting on a doctor’s appointment last Fall when I stumbled across this magazine in a Borders book store while killing time. It was so jam packed with awesome information I nearly subscribed to it on the spot. It is published in the UK and it has a different slant on charts and history, but the best thing about it is that there are absolutely no politics mixed in with the rock journalism. I’ve read and or subscribed to all of the above magazines and this is my favorite by far. It covers the last five decades of Classic Rock in its many forms and comes with a free CD each month that introduces new music as an added bonus. It’s only a ten year old magazine, but it’s worth the investment for my money.
I risk the wrath of The Panther if I veer too far off the Indie path, but I am in love with this magazine. It’s an extremely well written magazine with an international perspective. Of course they revere English bands, but I’m more than OK with that. Classic Rock also keeps on top of the US market very well so you are not sacrificing anything. It covers both new and old bands, obituaries of little known but well received musicians, has scores of reviews that have educated me on up and coming acts plus it has a ton of where are they now articles. It takes me hours to get through each issue and it never fails to turn me onto an old song or CD I never knew I needed. I love that. Anyway, if you are fans of both the Arcade Fire & AC/DC, The Twilight Sad & Simple Minds, LCD Soundsystem & Moby and or Bright Eyes & Joni Mitchell this will feed your Classic Rock head. I promise. I couldn’t recommend it more enthusiastically.
