Artist : AC/DC
Location : Marseille
Venue : Stade Vélodrome
Date : 09-06-2009
Audience : 50 000 people

Seeing AC/DC (in Bercy) and then dying. At least this is the feeling shared by of the fans who were lucky enough to see the Australian band on stage during the Black Ice tour, before they came to Marseille. In fact it would be quite interesting to find out just how many thunderstruck members of the crowd there were at the AC/DC gig in Marseille… The reason why we ask ourselves this is because the concerts in Bercy last 25th and 27th of February were simple amazing on all levels. However, the show last Tuesday underlined the fact that an AC/DC gig is meant to be enjoyed in a large steamy venue but definitely not in a football stadium.

Come 9 o’clock the famous cartoon of Angus and his ladies starts playing in the energized stadium. The “Rock ‘N’ Roll Train” has arrived on time and there’s no chance of it derailing because everyone in the Vélodrome stadium is riding along with it. All of the band’s parts are well greased together and of course all of their hits are being played one after the next, whilst emphasising on the band’s classics.

“Classic” : this is a term that truly defines the Aussie combo on stage. Of course they give it their all, yet how can we not criticise the fact that this show is 100% identical to the ones at Bercy and therefore completely predictable? The “Whole Lotta Rosie” doll, Angus’ striptease, Brian Johnson’s bell… Yes, even though it sucks to say it, there is no point in seeing them play more than once on tour… Unfortunately, this is the truth.

There are no surprises from one show to the next. Everything is predictable, expected and prepared. It’s a shame to see that with time the need to surprise and convince has disappeared… As for the sound, in Bercy we noticed some mic interference during the gig on the 27th of February. But it was so slight that we hardly remember it ! It was at the start of “Back In Black”. The rest was as perfect as it could be. This is crucial to the clarity of a concert.

In Marseille it’s harder to pick up on any sound hick ups or technical mistakes. Perhaps this is because of the southern winds you might ask? Not even, the weather conditions were ideal. Yet in such a big venue it’s impossible for the sound to be at its best, especially in an arena that is not meant for concerts. If we wanted to hear AC/DC at their ultimate best, we might aswell have stayed at home on this Tuesday 9th of June 2009 !

Very pretty lights !

On the other hand, the strength of the songs make it all better. A magical “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”, an awesome “TNT” and an encore for “Highway To Hell” and “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)” make all the difference… As crowds always do, we wanted more. Only one song change on the Aussies’ set-list doesn’t satisfy the band’s huge discography. So many songs and hymns… So why did they only add “Dog Eat Dog” between “War Machine” and “Anything Goes”? Bit of a small change if you ask us…

Angus Young had amazing energy which was most noticeable on the track “Let There Be Rock”. As usual, he did an amazing solo centre stage. A great piece of music also enjoyed by the other musicians who were standing further back whilst smoking away at their cigarettes ! And as Brian Johnson mentioned about Angus before “The Jack” : “this man has the Devil running through the tips of his fingers” ! the crowd is in fact stunned when the guitarist performed his solos (from “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and “TNT”) one handed. Angus Young is quite simply a genius !

Was the show slightly too stereotypical ?

Visibly quite worn down, Brian Johnson seemed to be yelling more often than singing. Notably on the track “Thunderstruck” where there were mic interferences and Angus had a mediocre start on the legendary intro. Brian was clearly not playing to the same tempo. Especially at the start of the song. This fact was clearly visible on the large screens behind the stage. These screens also appropriately displayed the half naked girls in the crowd during the brilliant song “The Jack”.

Good times.

To sum up, this was a friendly AC/DC gig without standing out too much from the rest. For those who were seeing them live for the first time, Angus and Brian’s energy might seem quite impressive. The others three members remained in the background as usual… yet this is what makes up their charm ! AC/DC’s songs are made to be played live and hearing them being played on stage is a truly pleasurable experience for the fans. Even though we waited for a third encore which never came…

Could we be asking too much from AC/DC?

Set-list :

Rock N’Roll Train
Hell Ain’t A Bad Place To Be
Back In Black
Big Jack
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Shot Down In Flames
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack
Hell’s Bells
Shoot To Thrill
War Machine
Dog Eat Dog
Anything Goes
You Shook Me All Night Long
TNT
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock

Rappels :

Highway To Hell
For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

This post is also available in: French