Setlist: Live Wire, Shot down In Flames, Hell Aint A Bad Place To Be, Sin City, Problem Child, Bad Boy Boogie, The Jack, Highway To Hell, Girls Got Rhythm, High Voltage, Whole Lotta Rosie, Rocker
Encores: T.N.T., Let There Be Rock
Thanks to Highway To ACDC : le site francophone sur AC/DC for use of the photos, all from this very gig!
This was a much anticipated gig from the band who, with Mutt Lange in the production chair, were starting to make big waves as a consequence in America. Their new album Highway To Hell was doing bigger business than before, even if with hindsight it wasn’t their best with Bon Scott. The band were in the UK for a short run of gigs, with support from The Pirates, the former backing band for Johnny Kidd – now reinvented as a rock band. They were a three piece led by the brilliant guitarist Mick Green and they were explosively loud with plenty of attitude. These were guys effectively from a previous time musically but they could have given any rock band a serious run for their money. The only song that I recall was a stretched out blast through the Kidd classic (and best British rock ‘n’ roll song ever) Shakin’ All Over.
I got right to the front for AC/DC. This was a ‘thing’ then at the Odeon Although it was ticketed by area and although they had security checking tickets to access the front stalls there was still two ways in which they could do little about. The clever way was that a person would leave the front stalls with his ticket and at least one spare from a friend. This spare ticket he or she would then pass to someone who wasn’t in the front stalls but would use the spare to get access. Because there would be a crowd already leaning on the stage it was impossible to tell who was supposed to be there and who wasn’t. In later years they attempted to get everyone to sit down till the last minute so they could monitor the numbers in the front stalls. The other access method was more physical, very fast and fun. Quite simply, when the lights went down for the headliners there would be a ‘rush to the front’ from the rear stalls, picking up numbers of fans running as it went. This was like two stampedes heading right at lone security men who wisely would just move out of the way.
So when the lights went down for AC/DC the front was rammed. I was leaning on the stage with Angus Young mostly in front of me and Cliff Williams (bass) behind him. Angus of course moved around a lot, he hardly ever stopped, but that was his starting position. At the rear was Phil Rudd, AC/DC’s own ‘rudder’ on drums and to the left from my view was the main-man – the dynamo and engine of AC/DC that was Malcolm Young. Stage-front and centre was Bon Scott, clad in figure hugging jeans and a cut-off denim and the main focus of the band along with Angus.
Opener Live Wire was just amazing musically, the band were so so tight and locked in with Williams’ pulse rhythm – it was absolutely electric! It was, though, immediately apparent that Bon Scott was not at his best. He gave it his all from the start but his diction wasn’t always clear and it was obvious he had been drinking. Maybe he always did but on this night in Birmingham he wasn’t able to mask it.
The set-list was heavy on back-catalogue classics which was hard to fault. At the time I was surprised we only got three from Highway To Hell, but later I realised this was par for the course with AC/DC. In terms of visuals there were two surprises to me. The first was that the lights went down between every song so that the stage was dark – why, I have no idea, but I had never seen this with any other band. The second surprise came during The Jack. I knew that Angus was going to strip down from his uniform to just shorts and then flash the audience. Bon at some point also stripped off his jacket too leaving the pair of them bare from the waist up. But nobody, I think, was prepared for two strippers – one each side of Phil Rudd on his riser – to come on and join in. As they kept on stripping you thought surely they won’t go all the way – but they did. I have never seen any comment about this ever but it happened.
The biggest visual though was Angus who was a relentless ball of energy, sweat pouring and spraying out of him. The riffs all sounded bigger and better live – whether it was Angus or Malcolm playing them. Problem Child , for example, was devastating and pure excitement – always a bit of an underrated song.
The big moment was on the final encore of Let There Be Rock when Angus left the stage straight onto a roadie’s shoulders and went walkabout in the audience. I don’t recall any other band of the time playing with radio mics but Angus did, which was essential for his highly charged performance. While Malcolm, Cliff and Phil kept the deadly rhythm going, Angus attempted to keep playing while everyone he passed tried to touch him. The poor roadie kept his head down and concentrated on carrying him steadily and trying to avoid the outstretched hands. Shortly you couldn’t see Angus at all, but you could still hear him. And then he appeared again, The roadie had carried him to the rear stalls, out into the foyer, up the stairs to the balcony and was now, insanely, walking down to the front of the balcony with Angus still on his shoulders. Now they were finally at the front – one stumble or push and Angus had a big drop right in front of him! On stage Bon looked proud, pleased and delighted at the scene, Malcolm didn’t see anything at all – he had a rhythm to keep going.
So it was a great show, the band were really impressive and drilled. The walk up and back to the mics by Malcolm and Cliff was always in synch for example. If there was a minus it was sadly Bon who clearly wasn’t on top form. That really came home only a few weeks later when he sadly passed away in London. He had only played I think 9 more gigs after this one.
I would be back at the Odeon to see them again in 1980, but there would be a new singer, and arguably their best ever album, to promote.
