Melbourne 3rd night

Melbourne, Etihad Stadium,
February 13, 2010

Setlist:
Rock'n'Roll Train
Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
Back in Black
Big Jack
Dirty Deeds
Shot Down In Flames
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack (incl Angus strip)
Hells Bells
Shoot to Thrill
War Machine
High Voltage
You Shook Me All Night Long
TNT
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock
Highway to Hell
For Those About To Rock

MORE EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS HERE

AC/DC ABRUZZO OFFICIAL REPORT

After 2 shows on the seats AC/DC Abruzzo is back on his usual spot on Angus' side in the GA standing area. We really missed the clear sound of his guitar coming out of his Marshall amp stacks...

For us this was the best show of the three. Great performance of the band as usual. Obviously we got the same setlist. No surprise. Green uniform for Angus. Stadium roof was closed again. From the standing area we realised that the catwalk was way higher than in Europe so it wasn't wasy to see the opposite side of the stage (Malcolm's side). TNT and Thunderstruck were the highlights of the night. At the end of High Voltage we didn't see Bon winking , maybe because the final video was faded out too early on the stage big screens...

As for the Australian crowd we have mixed feelings. In the GA section OZ fans tend to stay still during the whole show except for some songs when they jump a bit (only vertically) so you will never see a moshpit like in Europe. You can enjoy your show quite confortably from your spot without being squeezed or being pushed back and forward like in Italy, France, Ireland and Scotland... However, although it looks like a calm US reserved seating crowd OZ people in the front of stage section will do some crazy thing such as crowdsurfing. So during the show we kept seeing fans falling down on the floor because people were not close enough to support them. But OZ crowdsurfers were so dedicated and determined to surf the crowd that they kept trying and falling down during the whole show. Funny! The other peculiar thing about the crowd was OZ girls' behaviour. They were so eager to catch Brian's attention (as well as the cameras) that they started flashing their boobs during Dirty Deeds (!!!) and they continued until You Shook Me All Night Long. The boobs parade was as good as the previous night, maybe even better. We guess you have to come to Australia to understand the real meaning of songs such as The Jack or Rosie... During You Shook me we invited a girl to jump on our shoulders. Obviously she accepted and got on the big screen with our AC/DC Abruzzo flag and trident too! AHAHAAH We'll keep doing this for the rest of the tour... We love the OZ crowd!



At the end of the show a random guy managed to get on stage. The crowd cheered. It took about 10 security guys to stop him. A few more fights broke out in the stadium after the show. Fights are an integral part of AC/DC After shows here in Australia. At the end of the concert we met an Argentinian friend we had met at the London Hammersmith gig in 2003!! Crazy globetrotter like us...

With Sebastiano from Argentina

AC/DC Abruzzo's concert groupie

Photos from MELBOURNE

Some exclusive photos from the last show in Melbourne. Soon the official report and more exclusive material from AC/DC Abruzzo and AC/DC Italia....

For more exclusive material on the 2010 Australian Tour CLICK HERE

Melbourne 2nd night

Melbourne, Etihad Stadium,
February 13, 2010

Setlist:
Rock'n'Roll Train
Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
Back in Black
Big Jack
Dirty Deeds
Shot Down In Flames
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack (incl Angus strip)
Hells Bells
Shoot to Thrill
War Machine
High Voltage
You Shook Me All Night Long
TNT
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock
Highway to Hell
For Those About To Rock

AC/DC ABRUZZO OFFICIAL REPORT

Second night in Melbourne. This time we were a bit closer to the stage and enjoyed the show even more. Our impression was that the performance of the band was even better than the previous night, especially Angus. Dark blue uniform for him.

We loved Thunderstruck, TNT and Shoot To Thrill but the best song of the night according to AC/DC Abruzzo was The Jack. The Aussie girls in the audience just stole the show during the chorus: the long boob flashing session was just perfect for the spirit of the song and probably it was the most intense tits parade of the entire world tour (at least the 50 shows we've been to)... In fact, Brian had actually suggested to the girls a few minutes before the song to take their clothes off "because it was too hot" in the Stadium. The girls took him really seriously! And the boob parade on th big screens continued also during You Shook Me All night long (never seen that before!). We must admit that we are intrigued by the "laid-back", funny and ironic attitude of OZ girls especially if compared to European ones. We'll probably spend some extra months in Australia after the tour to investigate more these cultural differences and enjoy the laid back lifestyle...

High Voltage obviously was played again to the delight of the hardcore fans. The song is still very powerful. Bon on the big screens gave us goosebumps again. And we can now confirm that Bon winks to the audience at the end of the song. Amazing!




AC/DC ITALIA

AC/DC ABRUZZO is glad to announce the official collaboration with AC/DC ITALIA for the 2010 Australian tour. Check out AC/DC ITALIA website for more exclusive videos and material on the OZ Tour!!



KOSP - ITALIAN SEDUCTION SCHOOL

The training of Brett continued after the second Melbourne show. K.K. was not available because of previous commitment but his assistants replaced him. Brett will continue with pick up courses in Sydney and will take his graduation exam in Perth.

Brett

One of K.K.'s assistants while picking up girls

MELBOURNE FAMILY JEWELS

AC/DC Abruzzo visited the amazing Family Jewels exhibition at the Arts Centre in Melbourne yesterday. As you know the exhibition covers the 35 year career of the band and lots of the items are on public display for the first time. There are costumes, instruments, stage props, photographs and rare hand-written material such as letters, notebooks and lyrics. There are also extensive moving image and sound material such as interviews, video clips and rarely seen performance footage, as well as published tour ephemera including exceptional early concert posters, programs, backstage passes and AC/DC collectibles. You will soon have an exclusive video from the AC/DC Italia- AC/DC Abruzzo joint venture on the exhibition.

Yesterday at the show, we talked to Curator Tim Fisher who told us how much time and work was needed to organise the exhibition. Several die-hard fans from all over the world contributed to the exhibition, including Arnaud Durieux with his legendary archives. The exhibition begins with the Immigration papers of the Young family and ends with some photos of the 2009 European Tour by our friend Stonebreaker. Obviously the items we liked the most were those from the Bon era and especially those related to Bon, such as his letters and cards to friends, Irene etc which helped us to understand his personality. The lyrics of Highway to Hell written on a piece of paper gave us goosebumps just like his leather jacket, passport and some of his early photos.

We also saw the original Super Ang costume together with the early schoolboy uniform and a Devil's costume that was used in some gigs back in the early '70s.

Stay tuned for more!

Bon Scott

Bon's passport

Bon's leather jacket

The original Super Angus Costume

AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2010!!!!

Melbourne, Etihad Stadium,
February 11, 2010

Setlist:
Rock'n'Roll Train
Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
Back in Black
Big Jack
Dirty Deeds
Shot Down In Flames
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack (incl Angus strip)
Hells Bells
Shoot to Thrill
War Machine
High Voltage
You Shook Me All Night Long
TNT
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock
Highway to Hell
For Those About To Rock

AC/DC ABRUZZO OFFICIAL REPORT

AC/DC Abruzzo with legendary AC/DC promoter Gary Van Egmond

The official reports by AC/DC Abruzzo are back! As you know the AC/DC Abruzzo Steering Committee with the AC/DC Abruzzo Australian crew member Tyrrell67 is in Melbourne, Australia: the Holy Land of rock'n'roll for all AC/DC fans.

Yesterday we had the privilege to witness the historic come back of ACCA DACCA in Australia after 8 years since their last tour. And it was the first show for the Stirring Committee since Glasgow 2009. The show took place in the Etihad stadium with more than 50'000 people attending the concert. The roof was closed because of the heavy thunderstorm of the afternoon. In fact, Melbourne was thunderstruck even before AC/DC got on stage.

The first thing that struck us was the voice of Brian. He probably benefited from the long break for the Christmas holiday. He sounded really better comparing to Europe, almost like in the Black Ice album... Angus was wearing a green suit. His hair keeps growing. We just love it... He starts looking like the Angus in the Donington 91 video.

Best song of the night was definitely HIGH VOLTAGE. What a great treat for AC/DC fans who had been waiting for a setlist change. That song is a tribute to the first glorious years of the band and to Bon of course. And seeing pictures of him on the big screens was particularly touching (apparently, at the end of the song Bon winked to the audience). The short live version, despite what critics say, is still very powerful and makes you want to scream HIGH really loud! Below you'll find our recording of the song! We also likes The Jack: with a long improvisation before the song and an unexpectedly long "boobs parade" during the song. Really nice!

Before and after the show we met and talked to lots of fans: from nonno Alan to Brian of Glasgow. We also met Andrea (not the vice president) from Abruzzo and other Italians who came for the show. Apparently there's also an Abruzzo club in Melbourne which we will try to visit in the next few days. An interesting thing about Australia is that when you talk to people in bars, pub and clubs most of them will tell you stories about the Bon era when AC/DC were playing with Bon Scott in very small venues such as for example Cherry Bar on AC/DC Lane...

Today we also checked out the Exhibit. And it's just amazing. Soon we'll publish a special report on that as well...



KOSP - ITALIAN SEDUCTION SCHOOL

One of the KOSP's PUA instructors who goes under the name of K.K. is currently training our first student: Brett from Sydney. The boy, despite his young age, has got great potentials and he's working really hard on his skillset to attract women. Here's a picture from yesterday's bootcamp in Melbourne.

AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2010 - 1 day

AC/DC Abruzzo has just arrived in Melbourne. Just in time for a beer at Cherry Bar on AC/DC Lane (which has been lined with amazing posters of the band on the eve of their first show in Australia in 8 years).
1 day to go...

With our friends from Germany, Austria and OZ

AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2010 - 2 days

Last meetings with the press for Angus & co in Sydney before the first 3 shows of the Australian Tour 2010... 2 days to go!

AUSTRALIAN TOUR - 4 days

AC/DC Abruzzo's Secretary General has just arrived in Australia after a stopover in Dubai to visit other friends from Abruzzo...

He met with the President in Sydney and now he's working on the final details of Project Australia. The Abruzzo team will leave for Melbourne on Wednesday to attend the kick off night of the AC/DC Australian Tour 2010!

AC/DC ABRUZZO in DUBAI

Waiting for the gigantic Rock'n'Roll train to reach Australia...

MONTEPULCIANO D'ABRUZZO

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo: A Wonderful Red Wine from the Region of Abruzzo

by Loren Sonkin

Heading due east from Rome lays the region of Abruzzo. This is a historically poor region whose people inhabit the hills and mountains so prevalent in the province. The people are proud and independent. They resemble the peoples of Italy’s southern regions in attitude and aptitude. Likewise the food and wine cultures reflect that lack of affluence centered on a hard working community. The hillsides are excellent for viticulture. The most popular red grape is the Montepulciano although many other grapes are grown here most notably Sangiovese. As an aside, there is no relation between the grape and the village of the same name in Tuscany, which is famous for its wine, Vin Nobile di Montepulciano (made from Sangiovese grapes.) White wine (not the subject of this article) is also made here. The Trebbiano grape is the most well known of the white varietals. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo are two of my favorite wines from Italy and wines and deserve more recognition.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo was designated as a DOC in 1968. It covers most of Abruzzo ranging from Molise in the south, the Marche in the north and inland against the Apennines Mountains. The wines are at least 85% Montepulciano with Sangiovese permitted, but not required, at up to 15%. The Riservas need to be aged a minimum of two years before release, with at least 6 months of that in wood. In 1995 another DOC was created called Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane. This was a carved out subset of the larger zone. The chief differences are that the wines must be at least 90% Montepulciano and the Riservas are aged a minimum of 3 years before release. Unlike other areas of Italy where smaller zones of quality wines were carved from larger ones, this DOC’s wines are not appreciably better (or worse) than the larger zone.

The Montepulciano grape is quite prolific. The Montepulciano grape grows easily in Abruzzo. It is plump with high amounts of juice. In an area this poor, this has been a boon to farmers wishing to take advantage of high yields. Unlike most other varietals, this grape makes nice wine even when produced in large quantities. The grape has a deep purple and ruby color to its juice. It has lower acidity (especially for an Italian varietal) and mild sweeter tannins. The resulting wines tend to be softer and more accessible than Chianti or Nebbiolo for example. Accordingly, the young wines are nice pleasurable reds that go as well with food as without it. Almost all of the wines at the low end of the price spectrum (and many can be found for under $8) are enjoyable. At the same time, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo can age brilliantly especially in the hands of the right producers.

At the top of the list of quality producers is Emidio Pepe. The wines of Edoardo Valentini are a close second to Pepe. Valentini’s wines are usually even more expensive and difficult to locate than Pepe’s. Valentini also makes a Trebbiano d’Abruzzo (the white wine of this region) that is just stunning. There are other producers who make excellent Montepulciano d’Abruzzo’s that can be purchased without breaking the bank. The Masciarelli winery makes a basic Montepulciano d’Abruzzo that is available for under $10. Other producers I have liked include Illuminati, Cataldi Madonna, Faraone, Umani Ronchi and Valle Reale (especially the San Calisto bottling). The fact of the matter is that I have never tasted a poor Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. The grape lends itself to making quality wines at every price point. If you see a bottle in the grocery store, try it. If you want to explore what the heights this grape can reach in the hands of a master producer, pick up a bottle from one of the above named producers. I think you will be happy.

What foods could you serve with these wines? As always, start by looking to the local foods that developed alongside the wines. Abruzzo is known for its pork products and lamb dishes. Both are excellent serving ideas with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Hot and spicy peppers are also used heavily in the local cuisine. Pasta in red sauce is ubiquitous, of course. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is a soft wine, with just a hint of acidity and tannins that make it hard to miss with these or almost anything else at the dinner table.

Brian, Cliff and AC/DC Abruzzo's sommelier Stefano with a fine bottle of Montepulciano D'Abruzzo

From NEW ZEALAND...

Surprisingly no complete video of HIGH VOLTAGE has surfaced yet... This is the only video available so far...



Are we obsessed with this song? Yes we are... :D Also because it showed how easy it would be for AC/DC to add some old gems like High Voltage to the setlist...

PRO SHOT VIDEO CLIP OF ROCK'N'ROLL TRAIN

Angus, New Zealand January 2010

AUSTRALIAN HIGH VOLTAGE ROCK'N'ROLL + GRAMMY

"All you gotta do is plug me into HIGH
I SAID HIGH
HIGH VOLTAGE ROCK'N'ROLL"

In the last few days there's been extensive coverage of the New Zealand shows even here in Australia. The greatest rock'n'roll band in the world is approaching their homeland for a historic 11-dates tour... Apparently the demand for tickets has been 4 times that of 2001.

We personally can't wait to hear High Voltage played live in Melbourne. It's such a classic and iconic song from the Bon Scott era... It's a shame the band decided to drop Dog Eat Dog but we heard that this wasn't one of Brian's favourite songs to sing. Anyway we are really impressed with the amazing job Brian does on High Voltage, at least listening to the few recordings circulating so far...

10 more days and we'll get our rock'n'roll fix...



GRAMMY 2010

Just for the record, AC/DC just won their first Grammy for War Machine as Best Rock Performance of 2010. But we don't know if this is good news or bad news.

HIGH VOLTAGE LIVE - FIRST CLIP

Now we have pretty definitive proof that it wasn't collective hallucination. AC/DC did change the setlist and they really played HIGH VOLTAGE yesterday night in Wellington!!!!
We did get goosebumps listening to the new live version of this AC/DC classic....
Brian does an incredibly good job on this (showing that he can still sing this type of songs). Also we love Phil's heavy drumming style, Malcolm and Cliff's background vocals and Angus' solo... We can't wait to hear this in Australia!!!

HIGH VOLTAGE ROCK'N'ROLL IN NEW ZEALAND!!

Wellington, NZ Westpac Stadium
Jan 28, 2010

Setlist:
Rock'n'Roll Train
Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
Back in Black
Big Jack
Dirty Deeds
Shot Down In Flames
Thunderstruck
Black Ice
The Jack (incl Angus strip)
Hells Bells
Shoot to Thrill
War Machine
High Voltage
You Shook Me All Night Long
TNT
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock
Highway to Hell
For Those About To Rock

This time due to budget limitations we were not in New Zealand and we can't confirm this setlist as 100% accurate. But it is totally compatible with what we have heard early on from our reliable sources.

We can't wait to hear HIGH VOLTAGE live in Australia!!!!

PROVERB OF THE MONTH + RECIPES + SETLIST CHANGE

"Gire e riggire, lu porche àrriv à lu pire"

ITALIAN: Gira che ti rigira il maiale finisce sempre legato al suo palo
ENGLISH: Eventually the pig will always end up tied back to the pole*
*The pig was usually tied to a pole in Abruzzo farms. The Abruzzo pig breed is very hyperactive and lacks discipline.

There are different interpretations for this traditional saying from the rural culture of the region of Abruzzo. The most common one is that nobody can escape his destiny. Good or bad. Another one is that you need discipline and strong work ethics if you want to achieve your aims.

LA PORCHETTA

Considering the protagonist of this month's proverb, the Abruzzo's pig, worshiped in all its forms, we will now take the opportunity to mention another food specialty of our beloved region (apparently even Brian loves it). THE PORCHETTA!! This tasty mouthwatering specialty originally from the Lazio region is also very popular in Abruzzo and it reaches the pinnacle of taste in the Campli area. Especially in the form of the "porchetta sandwitch". This delicious variety of pork meat with its subtly fragrant flavor derived from the rosemary, fennel and sage is so juicy and tender then it melts in your mouth. It's one of the most tasty and famous rock'n'roll food specialties of our region together with Arrosticini and Guitar Spaghetti.


And now, after the cultural lesson on Italian food and culture, let's go back to business and rock'n'roll.

SETLIST CHANGE:

Yesterday, AC/DC rehearsed a new song in Wellington which was not on the setlist. This DOES NOT MEAN that the song will be played tonight at the first Wellington show for sure. It might be played on the second night or later on in the tour just like it happened in Oslo, when the boys rehearsed Shot Down in Flames and then decided to play it in Stokholm... Or they might just drop it like Gone Shootin' at the Hammersmith show (they had rehearsed it the previous day). Of course, we don't want this to happen and it would be nice to hear If You Want Blood again. Some bagpipes on stage would be nice too... :-P
In the meantime BUON APPETITO!

IRON MAN 2 + NEW ZEALAND

After the official announcement of Donington 2010 the Shoot to Thrill video for Iron Man 2 was also released yesterday. The video is just amazing! Beside Brian's voice that sounds fantastic, almost like in 1980's (AHAHAAH) we really loved the live footage from the Buenos Aires show. Considering this tasty antipasto we believe that the complete live DVD will be another milestone in the videography of the band, just in the same league as Paris 1979, Donington 1991 or Madrid 1996. We just can't wait to watch it!

By the way you can see the AC/DC Italia's flag 5 minutes 11 seconds in. Considering they keep showing the Italian flag in the official videos (from Wilkes Barre to Buenos Aires) we must assume that the director and the band must like it too!




UPDATE ON THE TOUR
According to our sources Malcolm, Cliff and Brian left Sydney for New Zealand yesterday. The soundcheck with all the members of the band will take place today and the first show in Wellington tomorrow. Fingers crossed for some setlist change...

DONINGTON 2010!

Yes we heard it here in Sydney, directly from the horse's mouth! We even raised our schooners of Coopers with our friend Ross Young to this great news which confirms that AC/DC will play again the Donington Festival!! Another page of Rock'n'Roll history wil be written next June in England. AC/DC Abruzzo will be there.

The official announcement will be made in about 24 hours here:

http://www.downloadfestival.co.uk/

And now some more photos from the 2009 European tour courtesy of Stonebreaker, our friend since the 2003 Hammersmith gig...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

RIP ALEX

AC/DC Italia and AC/DC Abruzzo have recently learned about the sudden departure of one of the greatest AC/DC fans in the world. Alex had been a fan and a friend of the band since the 1970's. We had the honour to meet him and talk to him on several occasions both in North America and Europe during the Black Ice tour. His enthusiasm and passion for AC/DC were contagious. We send our condolences to his family and to all those who will miss Alex.

New York 2008 - Marco, Andrea, Nonno Alan, Brian, Arnaud and Alex

EMPERORS OF THE ARENAS

While warming up for the Australian tour here's some of our best pictures from the 2009 European Indoor tour. The Arena shows in Europe were so intimate that we are still thanking the Gods of rock'n'roll for having had the privilege to attend most of them and be so close to the boys...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer