For the DC stop on their current “Rock or Bust” tour, legendary rockers AC/DC made the Verizon Center their home Saturday night with a fast paced set for a packed arena.
When AC/DC comes to town, they really go all the way. For DC’s largest indoor music venue, the band brought an ungodly amount of stage production that included a literal wall of Marshall amp cabinets, an enormous catwalk that split the floor of the stadium in half, enough lights and fog for ten more arena tours, and a giant set of Angus Young’s trademark devil horns that towered over the stage in a half circle of steel.
The most noticeable component to AC/DC’s current tour configuration is that vocal duties have been handed to Axl Rose of the infamous, hard-rocking Los Angeles outfit, Guns N’ Roses. Rose has essentially replaced the band’s long-time singer, Brian Johnson, for their current tour. Johnson, who is AC/DC’s third singer, took over vocal duties in 1980 and is not participating in this tour due to issues with his hearing.
No stranger himself to the “rock legend” tag, Axl Rose’s stage presence with AC/DC is phenomenal. His vocal range was fabulous and it was pretty interesting to hear his voice paired with something other than GNR. As for the star of the show, Angus Young was simply amazing. His style and and guitar tone is one of a kind and hearing it in a live setting was thrilling to say the least. Young’s on-stage energy is abundant and has not been tethered by years of touring.
The evening’s set list included: “Rock or Bust,” “Shoot to Thrill,” “Back in Black,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” “Thunderstruck,” “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It),” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “T.N.T.,” “Highway to Hell,” and “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You).”
TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN
