BON SCOTT (July 9, 1946 - February 19, 1980)

Today is the 30th anniversary of the tragic death of great singer Bon Scott. R.I.P. BON.

Bon winking at the audience at the end of High Voltage Live in Sydney 2010

Feb 18, 2010

We would like to thank AC/DC.com for posting our photos and linking our blog on the news page of the official AC/DC website (toxictwin is one of Matteo's nicknames). One of the aims of the AC/DC Abruzzo blog has been to share our stories following the band around the world with the rest of the international fan community so we are particularly happy that our pictures were selected for the official website. We hope we can still contribute during the continuation of the tour.

February 18 is an important anniversary for AC/DC Abruzzo because exactly one year ago we started the European Tour in Oslo, Norway. That night was the official come back of the band to the old continent after almost 6 years and the beginning of our adventures on the road in Europe. We remember it was quite cold in Oslo (approx. -5) but inside the Telenor Arena it was as hot as Hell...

The Secretary General duckwalking on the snow in Oslo...

KOSP - ITALIAN SEDUCTION SCHOOL

CAN I SIT NEXT TO YOU, GIRL(S)

I met this girl for the first time on Saturday night
Standing in the queue at the Odeon alright
Then I took her by surprise
When I threw her one of my lines
She started smiling and being real fine
That`s when I say-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay-ay
Can I sit next to you, girl?

A large number of AC/DC songs talk about the interaction with women and seduction techniques, especially those from the early days. In today's Italian Seduction lesson we decided to consider the lyrics from one of the first AC/DC songs. In fact this AC/DC classic provides a basic but very effective technique to approach girls successfully. According to the song the following steps are necessary:

-Throwing a pick up line (also known as OPENER)
-Waiting for positive reaction
-Sitting next to the girl to achieve physical proximity (the technical term is LOCKING IN).

Sitting next to the girl(s) will contribute to create comfort, build rapport and speed up physical escalation (also known as KINO escalation) leading to sex.

Under the supervision of The KOSP and KK, this technique was fieldtested on several occasions here in Australia and it proved very effective, especially on OZ girls.

KK's assistant sitting next to OZ girls

ARRIVEDERCI MELBOURNE

AC/DC Abruzzo spent the day after the last show in Melbourne going back to the Family Jewels exhibition for the third time in a week. The more you go the more you appreciate the rare items displayed. You actually discover something interesting that you hadn't seen the previous time... We spent a few hours reading Bon's letter and some old newspaper articles and discovering more rare photos. It's like going back in time to the early days of the band. A fantastic Rock'n'Roll journey!




We also went to St. Kilda to a few record shops and rarities and back to AC/DC Lane for a few more photos of the wonderful poster installation. Soon there will be a special report on the AC/DC Italia website.


We finally spent some hours in the Little Italy of the city on Lygon street. Actually, we ended up in the Abruzzo Club of Melbourne, big building with a very good restaurant and lots of Abruzzesi immigrants everywhere. We spent a couple of hours with a few Italian Australian gentlemen discussing all sorts of things: from Abruzzo recipes to Italian politics. It felt like home. It was also interesting to find out that these immigrants who left Italy 40 years ago don't regret their choice at all. They managed to build fortunes from scratch and lead wealthy and happy lives in Australia whereas in Italy most Italians of their generation are now struggling to make ends meet...


And now SYDNEY!!

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.