In my opinion, and I stress it is only an opinion, with If You Want Blood You Got Itand Live at Donington, AC/DC have contributed two of greatest live albums ever released. I rarely listen to their studio work anymore as I find myself gravitating toward their live output, attracted as I am by the sheer rawness of the music and the energy that is blatantly apparent from the salivating hordes in the crowd.
So, when I first saw the advert for Live at River Plate I let out a tiny yelp of excitement and maybe, just maybe, soiled my pants a wee bit.
However, the danger is that such expectation inevitably leads to a let down; like when you finally get that girl from school to show what's hidden underneath and all you find is a stress-ball with the words 'don't worry, be happy' written on it.
Worry ye not rockers for Live at River Plate is almost without fault.
River Plate is the name commonly given to the Estadio Monumental [Monumental Stadium] in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires - an aptly named venue. There, in bowels of the cavernous arena which looks like the ancient Roman coliseum, AC/DC played three nights and to almost 200,000 fans as part of their 2008-10 Black Ice Tour. It was their first trip to the country since 1996 and in the DVD extras the feeling of excitement comes leaping out of the screen from some of the fans interviewed in the lead up to the gigs.
The DVD content was filmed over nine gruelling, logistic heavy days. In the extras we are given an insight into how an operation of this scale is put together. But this is just an interesting addendum to the main course, the gig itself.
Never ones to be thrifty on content, the DVD contains 19 songs over two hours. It features classics such asThunderstruck, Whole Lotta Rosie and Let There Be Rock, as well as a few tracks from the most recent album as is traditional with AC/DC tours.
They open with the quite outstanding Rock N Roll Train, which itself follows a graphic cartoon featuring Angus taking a train on a death ride to Hell. I vaguely recall seeing that through a beer-fuelled haze at Hampden in 2009. To help the nigh-on 5 million people who saw the Black Ice tour recall this animated opening the DVD extras include it in its entirety.
Thereafter the band rip and roar their way through a set of classic songs. Angus is imperious in his role as pseudo-frontman and Brian Johnson smiles as he grinds the microphone into submission with his unique vocal screech. His happiness is most likely borne out of his delight at being the frontman for quite possibly the greatest rock and roll band in history.
Anyone who is even mildly intimate with AC/DC knows what to expect. There are no alternative versions or acoustic sets to slow things down a bit - that's what The Jack is for. It is Rock all the way, except when Roll gets its face in the picture. The Gibson SG and distortion pedal are switched on and left on throughout. And boy do the fans love it.
Watching the DVD brings goosebumps as memories of past AC/DC gigs flood back. However, I don't think I have seen many bounces like the one which ensues during the penultimate song, Highway To Hell. There were nearly 70,000 people in attendance each night and every one of them must have had sore feet the morning after.
If you are a fan of AC/DC you must own this DVD. If you have no money to buy it, steal it. It's worth the risk.
So, when I first saw the advert for Live at River Plate I let out a tiny yelp of excitement and maybe, just maybe, soiled my pants a wee bit.
However, the danger is that such expectation inevitably leads to a let down; like when you finally get that girl from school to show what's hidden underneath and all you find is a stress-ball with the words 'don't worry, be happy' written on it.
Worry ye not rockers for Live at River Plate is almost without fault.
River Plate is the name commonly given to the Estadio Monumental [Monumental Stadium] in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires - an aptly named venue. There, in bowels of the cavernous arena which looks like the ancient Roman coliseum, AC/DC played three nights and to almost 200,000 fans as part of their 2008-10 Black Ice Tour. It was their first trip to the country since 1996 and in the DVD extras the feeling of excitement comes leaping out of the screen from some of the fans interviewed in the lead up to the gigs.
The DVD content was filmed over nine gruelling, logistic heavy days. In the extras we are given an insight into how an operation of this scale is put together. But this is just an interesting addendum to the main course, the gig itself.
Never ones to be thrifty on content, the DVD contains 19 songs over two hours. It features classics such asThunderstruck, Whole Lotta Rosie and Let There Be Rock, as well as a few tracks from the most recent album as is traditional with AC/DC tours.
They open with the quite outstanding Rock N Roll Train, which itself follows a graphic cartoon featuring Angus taking a train on a death ride to Hell. I vaguely recall seeing that through a beer-fuelled haze at Hampden in 2009. To help the nigh-on 5 million people who saw the Black Ice tour recall this animated opening the DVD extras include it in its entirety.
Thereafter the band rip and roar their way through a set of classic songs. Angus is imperious in his role as pseudo-frontman and Brian Johnson smiles as he grinds the microphone into submission with his unique vocal screech. His happiness is most likely borne out of his delight at being the frontman for quite possibly the greatest rock and roll band in history.
Anyone who is even mildly intimate with AC/DC knows what to expect. There are no alternative versions or acoustic sets to slow things down a bit - that's what The Jack is for. It is Rock all the way, except when Roll gets its face in the picture. The Gibson SG and distortion pedal are switched on and left on throughout. And boy do the fans love it.
Watching the DVD brings goosebumps as memories of past AC/DC gigs flood back. However, I don't think I have seen many bounces like the one which ensues during the penultimate song, Highway To Hell. There were nearly 70,000 people in attendance each night and every one of them must have had sore feet the morning after.
If you are a fan of AC/DC you must own this DVD. If you have no money to buy it, steal it. It's worth the risk.
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