Additionally, The Toronto Sun has some excellent photos of yesterday evening's show at Allstate Arena.
By the way, if you're interested in checking out AC/DC on the first North American leg of their Black Ice World Tour, you may want to start here to see which shows still have tickets available.
If you had paperless tickets for the Chicago and/or the Wilkes-Barre show, how did that work out for you? Any problems or long lines getting into the arenas or was it speedier than normal?
Reviews of last night's show at All State Arena are already in from the Chicago Tribune, The Daily Herald and The Sun Times. By all accounts, AC/DC played a much tighter and hotter set than their opening night effort in Pennsylvania.
By the way, for those interested in checking out how AC/DC sounded in Wilkes-Barre on October 28th, feel free to download the show here. It's a pretty decent audience recording provided by a very good friend of this site.
In other happenings, two new Black Ice album reviews have been posted online since the last AC/DC News update. One's from the Johns Hopkins Newsletter (of all places!) and the other is a short piece from The Orlando Sentinel. I highly recommend you check out the former article rather than the latter.
Lastly, for now, AC/DC's back catalog is also selling extremely well in the USA at the moment as evidenced by this week's chart from Billboard. Having five of the top six albums in that category is pretty amazing.
Please send in your reviews of the AC/DC concerts you attend!
AC/DC's in Chicago, IL tonight and the Sun Times has a nice, but familiar preview of tonight's visit to Allstate Arena.
In a story that's already been repeated a million times around the net, Brian Johnson says he's overwhelmed at the success of AC/DC's new album. Hopefully, Brian will be able to afford a new car sometime soon as his 2007 ride just doesn't cut the mustard anymore, if you ask me.
AC/DC Italia's YouTube Channel has some of the best Black Ice tour videos I've seen so far but, unfortunately, their audio quality is less than desirable. By the way, there's a couple of nice shots of the opening night to be found here. Click on each pic to make them extra large.
If you've attended or are going to attend one of AC/DC's Black Ice concerts, please post your reviews of the show including whatever details you can remember in our comments section below.
Ever had conjunctivitis? Ever had it both eyes at the same time? Well, if you have, you might be able to understand why I haven't updated AC/DC News since Monday!
Anyway, what follows will be a quick rundown of all the news and related links to AC/DC I've found lately. Hope you find something here to entertain you while you wait for the band to invade your town on the Black Ice World Tour.
For starters, AC/DC's Black Ice Debuts at #1 in 29 countries! Billboard is reporting that the new album sold 784,000 copies in the United States alone in its first week of release. Additionally, Black Ice is the biggest selling album of the year in Australia and has been certified triple platinum there already. Reuters commented that AC/DC is 'back in black' with a global smash hit. AC/DC hasn't been #1 on the American album chart since 1981's For Those About To Rock, also according to Billboard.
According to the Telegraph, this is the first time in 28 years that AC/DC has topped the album charts in the UK. Interestingly enough, some are saying that AC/DC's rise to the top is a sure sign of bad economic times, particularly in Britain. The Guardian has, essentially, the same story on the odd coincidence but with a few more details.
Here's the latest BBC album chart and the latest Australian chart, by the way. The Globe and Mail noted that millions of illegal downloads didn't seem to affect AC/DC's album sales.
Spin Magazine had the best review of AC/DC's secret gig in Wilkes-Barre that I've seen so far. Billboard had a pretty good story, too. Though, for some odd reason, they seem to think that it's Angus Young who climbs the ropes of Hell's Bell. FMQB did a better job with their show review, however. Reuters noted the special event, as well. Paul Cashmere also filed this report about AC/DC's "secret" fan gig and Stories in High Fidelity briefly mentioned the show, too.
The absolute best review in terms of photos comes from this AC/DC fan's page and should not be missed, by the way. I also highly recommend ArtVoice's piece on the show, as well.
Australia's Molly Meldrum completely wasted his trip to New York by only asking Angus and Brian the most general, boring questions I've ever hears in an AC/DC interview. Video below:
The Times Leader has a fairly interesting story about the AC/DC fan documentary that's scheduled to be on the band's next live DVD. Of course, most interesting is the notion that AC/DC will ultimately release a Black Ice Live DVD...
Hoodlum's Music has asked the pertinent question, "Bon, Where Are You Now?" in a response to AC/DC's marketing moves as of late.
There's a oddly fascinating illustration of Angus Young that was done for a German music magazine posted here.
Here's a Japanese interview with AC/DC that's been translated into Google English (or should I say Google Engrish...).
Adelaide Now has jumped on the AC/DC bandwagon with a story called "AC/DC still shakin' all night long" which might entertain you for a few minutes.
Music Radar has posted 13 idiotic AC/DC facts though I'm not completely sure they're all true...
AC/DC's tour officially kicked off with the paperless ticket system on the 28th, according to Ticket News, and, personally, I'm wondering how smoothly that went?
If you're looking for YouTube users with decent video of the Black Ice Tour you might want to start here, here, and here though I'm sure there's much more out there I haven't seen yet.
USA Today had this story on AC/DC's official opening night launch of the Black Ice Tour. The Scranton Times' review included this huge photo of Brian and Angus, though. The Weekender had this to say, as well. Rolling Stone's story on the gig included the full set list; which turned out to be a disappointingly short 90 minutes, unfortunately. Moons over Wachovia might interest you also.
Slate, the political journal, has a very good article called Still Current on the thirty plus years of AC/DC.
Rolling Stone has published a feature story on AC/DC; a snippet of which they've posted here. As we told you a few weeks ago, AC/DC will soon be on their cover for the first time in the band's history. (Not counting Bon Scott's appearance on the Australian version of Rolling Stone.)
Black Ice is such a big hit that AC/DC's back catalog is selling even better than usual in the United States, according to Reuters. Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins voiced his opinion on AC/DC's marketing success here, by the way.
AC/DC took the stage last night for the first time in over five years at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Here's what one fan had to see about the big event!
Hey Jon,
Just got in from the show! What started off as expectations for a late night, turned out to work out well. So first off, I'll just state the obvious, it was at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The show was NOT sold to fill the capacity of the arena. There were maybe 3-4,000 people there. The venue was small to begin with and none of the upper tier seats were filled. It was just the 9 floor section and the sides. The show started at 8:10 ish with an animated video on the big screen of Angus and Brian on a speeding train. The stage prop was a huge train. There was no opening act tonight, so once they were on they would play for about an hour and 20 minutes and then they were done.
Before the show I happened to notice a huge setlist written out (I guess for all the songs they rehearsed) I didn't take a peak because I wanted the show to be a surprise. The set-list was short, but after talking to a sound guy, they said they would probably add like 6 or 7 to this "rough skeleton". There weren't any major errors during the show, all I am saying is that it was amazing. It was by far one of the best concerts I've been to (I've seen almost a couple hundred other bands). Angus is a maniac, he is 53 and was a ball of fire on the stage. There is a huge catwalk and they use it during the show.
So enough of the potatoes, here is the meat! The set-list:
Rock N Roll Train Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be Back In Black Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap Thunderstruck Hells Bells You Shook Me All Night Long T.N.T. Black Ice Whole Lotta Rosie Let There Be Rock/ Angus Young solo --- Highway To Hell For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
I took a bunch of pictures, I will upload soon! Thanks- Chris
Video footage from the show has already made it to YouTube though this clip has no audio.
Evidently, however, bootlegger's were in attendance to mark the special occasion as this audio has also surfaced of Rock N Roll Train. (Brian sounds a bit nervous to me, by the way.)
There's more video footage from the show available here though it's not the greatest quality.
The best footage I've seen from the show is this clip of Back In Black. Hopefully, more video from the show will be uploaded soon by the same fan!
A picture of the setlist did appear on Blabbermouth, but it's a bit hard to read in this format.
Bravewords also posted a short review of the special show which you can read in full here. Furthermore, they have an excellent photo from the concert in which you can finally see the Rock N Roll Train!
There are also several very good shots from last night available here and here, as well. More news and info on the show and other AC/DC happenings as we get it in. Keep checking back!
It appears AC/DC's Black Ice is off to an amazing start in global sales according to this report in The Times Online. In fact, they go on to say that Black Ice could already be the number one album in 19 countries!
The big question in my mind is will Black Ice debut at #1 in the U.S. charts? If it does, that will be another phenomenal achievement for AC/DC after 35 years of rocking and rolling.
Speaking of milestones, Arnaud Durieux of Electric Shock is estimating that AC/DC will play it's 2000th concert on December 2oth in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Incredibly, that's more concerts than even the Rolling Stones (AC/DC's idols) have played in their 46 year career.
In other news, several more favorable reviews of Black Ice have appeared in the last day or so that may make for an interesting read for you. Among the better ones are Still Young at heart from the Herald Sun and There's life in the old uniform yet by The Australian.
For completists, The Belleville Intelligencer feels AC/DC is in fine form with Black Ice and the St. Catherines Standard says the boys have 'shaken off the mothballs' to make their best record in two decades.
One interview we missed earlier in the week was Zane Lowe talking with Angus and Brian recently on BBC1. I highly recommend you give it a listen because, for once, the disc jockey doesn't try to make himself the star of the chat and he actually asks some intelligent questions of the guys. Just a note, the interview starts at approximately the 1 hour and 7 minute mark into the 2-hour broadcast and you must have Real Player installed to hear it.
Lastly, since many of you enjoyed the last AC/DC top 10 list I posted, you might like reading the Essential AC/DC Tracks as compiled by the Arizona Republic. However, I must say I strongly disagree with their opinion that AC/DC hasn't recorded any essential tracks since 1981!
PS> How do you like the new AC/DC News banner at the top of the homepage? I want to thank "bscott288" of the great bootleg forum, Let There Be Rock, for creating such an awesome banner for this site!
It's been revealed that AC/DC's secret show will take place in Wilkes Barre, Pa at Wachovia Arena on October 26 at 7:30pm. Fans who won tickets to that special event have already been notified by email. Congratulations to the winners! We hope you'll post your concert reports here at AC/DC News.
Music Week says AC/DC''s on course for massive global sales which is pretty interesting considering that the rest of the business world is pretty much in a full blown depression (Thanks Dubya!). The Herald has more on AC/DC's amazing economic success in a time where many people are losing their jobs and homes. Is AC/DC the cure for doom and gloom? Maybe...
Additionally, Black Ice has topped the CD sales list of the Canadian music retailer, HMV. For full details on that, click here.
Apparently, there's an AC/DC interview at Absolute Radio but I wouldn't know for sure as they don't seem to like my flash player.
Undercover News has a story about how some Australian's are downloading AC/DC music despite the band's insistence not to sell music digitally.
According to Patrick Donovan, Jesse Hughes, the frontman for The Eagles of Death Metal, is obsessed with Bon Scott. In fact, on his band's new album called Heart On, Hughes has named one of their songs "High Voltage" in honor of his favorite band, AC/DC. There's more on that story at WA Today. To listen to their new album, check out TEODM's MySpace.
The Dwarf and the Basilisk's Matthew Conway has posted his Top Ten AC/DC Songs which you might want to check out. Can't say I agree with his list, (The Furor at #9?) but I think you'll enjoy the post.
SonyBMG has partnered with Triumph Motorcyles for promotional opportunities in the rock 'n' roll world. Their first joint effort, in fact, centers around AC/DC's Black Ice. There's more on that story here, including how you can embed their special Black Ice music player on your own site.
The Cleveland Leader says AC/DC's Black Ice is their best album in over a decade, but that's not saying much really when you consider that AC/DC has released only three albums since 1995!
There's a fairly decent review of Black Ice at Errols Weekly Music Update which you may want to check out. It's kind of difficult to tell where the review actually begins, however, so just scroll down slowly with your reading glasses on and eventually you'll get to the point where they begin to talk about AC/DC. (I promise it's really there...)
If you can stand one more album review, I'd check out Mark Saleki's at the Blog Critic's site because he's obviously a longtime fan of the band with a good sense of humor to boot. Aversion has a take on Black Ice that's an interesting one, as well.
For some odd reason, Sony has created has taken AC/DC's Rock N Roll Train and made it into "the world's first music video in an Excel spreedsheet" which you can read about and download here. To see a sample of their creation head to YouTube.
Also, I should mention that SonyBMG is giving away ten AC/DC flat cap/Black Ice album packs which you can enter the drawing for here. The "flat cap" is what Angus wears, apparently, though I just call it Angus' hat.
Finally, if you're an AC/DC fan looking for something a bit different to read, I recommend Gary Nelson's article Rock wasn't meant to be commercial, a sentiment with which I agree wholeheartedly.
There's so much AC/DC news lately that I almost wish the band would retire again. Just kidding! Anyway, here's everything I could find on the boys since last time so, I hope you enjoy the latest edition of AC/DC News.
AC/DC might not make it to New Zealand until 2010 according this report from Stuff.
Carny Barker says AC/DC has spread themselves too thin with 15 songs on Black Ice.
The Rocky Mountain news gives the new AC/DC record a grade of B+, comparing the band to McDonalds in the process. No doubt millions will be served by Black Ice, though!
Kansas City's newspaper gave Black Ice the thumbs up in their review saying the band has "put together a new slew of power-hooked songs built to rattle the arenas." They also credit Brendan O'Brien for keeping the sound crystal clear which is true according to my ears.
The Washington Post says AC/DC has landed a "double axel on Black Ice" but I was thinking it was more like a triple lutz. Call me crazy... Anyway, if for some reason the article link doesn't work, you can view their review here instead.
Cultural Offering's "In Praise of AC/DC" is a pretty fun read even if you've already crawled through the literal swamp of Black Ice reviews available on the web right now.
Paul Cashmere has posted his exclusive interview with Angus Young at Undercover News. This is, of course, a do-not-miss item!
The Detroit News says Black Ice delivers what's expected and gives it a B. (We'll presume the "B" stands for "badass" or "bitchin'" and isn't meant to be an actual school grade.)
Has AC/DC slipped on Black Ice? The Globe and Mail seems to think so. So does the Badger Herald if anybody gives a damn about their opinion.
AC/DC hates change according to the Dallas Morning News, but they also say that that characteristic is part of what makes the band timeless.
Entertainment Weekly likes Black Ice and you'll probably enjoy their allusion to the movie Alien in their piece as well.
The Fort Worth Star Telegram has advised their readers that it's Time to pull the plug on AC/DC. Oh please, like AC/DC's ever going to stop making noise?!
Heath McCoy of the Calgary Herald has written an outstanding review of Black Ice which every fan should read in my humble opinion. This guy, at least, understands what makes AC/DC tick as compared to most rock critics who mostly come across as know-nothing, self-serving fools.
Entertainment.ie's review is slim on details but has a couple of good jokes in it (at the expense of the band) that you might find, shall we say, entertaining.
MSNBC has, apparently, just noticed that AC/DC has made a deal with Wal-Mart. But I'll give them a pass on this little slip up because I know they've been too busy kissing Barack Obama's ass the last 10 months to know what else is going on in the world lately.
Guitar World's upcoming January issue (on sale in November) includes an interview with Angus Young. In the meantime, they've posted tabs to some of AC/DC's greatest hits as well as a couple of the new tracks from Black Ice. Unfortunately, it seems like you have to click through 20 pages of advertisements to get to the actual tabs but, if you start here, you'll, at least, be a little closer to your goal.
TeleMadrid has posted their recent interview with Angus and Brian on YouTube which you can check out below. Does the guy really call the boys 'bandidos?'
The Village Voice says AC/DC's new album passes the "Send For The Man" test for ordinariness but I don't know what they're talking about because the riff on that song kicks extraordinary ass.
The Daily Iowan has got it right that "there will never be another Back In Black" but they like Black Ice well enough. By the way, kudos to Rebecca Koons for understanding the uniqueness of Back In Black as compared to most professional reviewers who have slobbered all over themselves in their race to compare the new album to AC/DC's 1980 monster ode to the late, great Bon Scott.
The Courier Mail has just commented favorably on the steadiness of AC/DC despite the many lineup and producer changes over the last thirty plus years.
The NME says AC/DC is selling well in the UK this week; even battling the Kaiser Chief's new record for the top spot in the weekly album rankings. (It's more like a thrashing...)
About.com has posted their review of Black Ice which is, frankly, kind of a yawn-fest but, at least, they gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5.
Billboard has noted that "AC/DC's 'Ice' (is) Red Hot At Retail." Can't anybody come up with any good lines about ice without referring to the words "slipped" or "hot?"
Interestingly enough, according to Exclaim, HMR, the Canadian based music retailer, recently bought a full page ad in Billboard magazine to thank AC/DC and GNR for not selling their albums exclusively in Canada,
If you're interested in what Ohio State's campus newspaper has to say about Black Ice, you'll find it here. Some of it you might even agree with what they have to say.
The University of Tennessee's Daily Beacon has posted their thoughts on Black Ice if you care to read yet another review. I swear it's mostly positive, except when it's negative...
I much prefer the Auburn Plainsmen's comments on the new album, however. For God's sake, even the student newspaper of Rhode Island University has something to say about Black Ice!
The New Zealand Herald argues that AC/DC's Black Ice would have been much better if the band has just concentrated on making 10 killer tunes rather than overburdening us all with fifteen. They have a point or do they? You be the judge....
Incidentally, New Zealand TV's "CloseUp" had an interview with Brian Johnson recently that you can watch below. (I'm digging the old dude's beard in this clip, by the way. Beards aren't something you see too often on American TV commentators.)
Cinema Blend has posted their review of Black Ice which you can read here. I guess they couldn't find any actual pictures of Brian and Angus to accompany their article so they've posted photos of dolls (er um, AC/DC figurines) instead.
The Blog Critics have a review out for Black Ice that I enjoyed. Maybe you will, too. Even the gameboy site, IGN, has gotten in on the album review act.
ITN, out of the UK, has put their thoughts on Black Ice in video form which is, of course, available to view below.
Lastly, for today, someone has asked the question "Are AC/DC Too Sexy?" No matter what your opinion of the answer is, I think you'll have a good laugh checking out the video below.
There's a ton of current AC/DC related news available right now, but I'll have to post it in bits and pieces due to my hectic schedule today. Please check back later for more...
How good are the riffs in Black Ice? The Hartford Courant thinks they've got the answer though I'm not so sure.
The Scotsman says Black Ice packs a "the kind of snappy musical punch last heard on...Back In Black. Here's the link for the rest of their review.
Be sure to check out Boston's WAAF Radio for their 6-part AC/DC special that features "Angus, Malcolm, Brian and the boys" playing new songs from Black Ice which you can listen to and download here. This is a do not miss kind of thing!
RTBF of Belgium has one of the most excellent Brian Johnson interviews I've ever come across and it's on video, too, which is even better. If you miss this chat with Brian, you ought not to call yourself an AC/DC fan. By the way, in my opinion, AC/DC fans should feel damn lucky to have Brian because he's 61 and is still in prime form as evidenced by how his vocals sound on Black Ice and by the wit and wisdom he shows time and time again in person.
In other odds and ends, here's an absolutely laughable review you ought to check out. After reading it, all I can think is how can any so-called professional music writer screw up this badly, especially for such a prestigous paper as The London Times?
The Philadelphia Phillies have knocked AC/DC off of the top spot of the ticket sales heap this week, according to Ticket News.
The folks over at Idolator are still upset that AC/DC refuses to sell their songs digitally. It's an extensive piece about AC/DC's sales history that's well researched, though I don't necessarily agree with their conclusion that the band ought to sell single songs through iTunes.
Jim Farber at the New York Daily News has reached a new journalistic low in his review of Black Ice which compares the thrill that fans get from AC/DC's music formula to the excitement that a serial killer gets when repeating his modus operandi. If you ask me, Farber's drawing a thinly veiled allusion to Richard Ramirez; the sick, twisted and sadistic murderer who also happened to be an AC/DC fan.
Well, fans, today's the big day as Black Ice has finally been completely released across North America. AC/DC fans in other countries have been enjoying the album for two or three days now, the lucky devils.
Now that the band's new album is available to the whole world, I'd love to hear what the readers of this blog have to say about Black Ice. So, please leave your comments below after you check out all the latest AC/DC News.
AC/DC 2008
For starters, the USA today has a fairly interesting piece on the band called That's still the way AC/DC wants to rock 'n' roll that you might want to peruse. I just want to know if Malcolm Young combed his own hair for the publicity shot above?
In fact, USA Today has devoted a special page to their coverage of the release of AC/DC's Black Ice. You can even vote for your favorite AC/DC song there though, unfortunately, the choice is only limited to 7 tracks.
Incidentally, Mike Devlin of the Victoria Times Colonist has put together his list of AC/DC's 10 best hits. It's a fun read, so check it out here and see if you agree with his picks.
In other AC/DC tidbits, The Toronto Sun has posted a song by song review of Black Ice which you might find interesting. There's also a pretty good little article from The Daily Record called AC/DC takes it to the road one more time.
Paul Cashmere reports that AC/DC has debuted at number 3 in the Australian record charts this week. Undoubtedly, Black Ice would have been #1 except that only one day of sales could be counted in this week's charts due to the timing of the album's release.
Those with a religious bent might enjoy reading What the Church Can Learn From AC/DC over at the Voyage Blog. However, if you're a Christian fundamentalist, you may want to avoid the article in case you fear God might strike you dead for reading it.
AC/DC display at Wal-Mart
The Boston Herald has a fairly interesting spin on AC/DC's new record which includes the corny line "if you want riffs, they got 'em." Check it out here, if you like. They also have a companion article about the band's exclusive sales deal called, appropriately enough, Wal-Mart and AC/DC agree: Moneytalks!
In other news, footage of the AC/DC Live at Donington Pack for Rock Band 2 has appeared on the web already. Here's one video courtesy of Slashgamer. I wonder how many people will completely strain their voices trying to keep up with Brian Johnson's vocal thunder?
Anyway, I must admit, the game looks like a lot of fun so are you reading this out there, Santa Claus? I swear I've been a very good boy most of this year!
Perth Now has an excellent article from Kathy McCabe called Vintage rock: Back in black which is definitely worth your time if you're a true AC/DC fan, though some of her material may have been previously available elsewhere.
Speaking of ladies, I want to personally thank Natalie Sparks for the fantastic set of photographs she posted today of her modeling an AC/DC belt. This link is definitely NSFW so don't click on it if you're under 18, okay?
Anyway, getting back to the business at hand, the Vancouver Sun's contribution to AC/DC News today is deftly titled AC/DC's back -- and is as gnarly as ever a sentiment which, I believe, most fans of the group would tend to agree with today. However, Stuart Derdeyn of The Vancouver Province doesn't much like Black Ice. In fact, he basically just said that AC/DC has lost it's juice.
Finally, The Daily Telegraph has published their review of Black Ice today. The highlight of which is rock critic David Cheal's video attempting to explain the rock 'n roll phenomenon which we call simply, AC/DC.
Well, that about raps it up for now, ladies and gentlemen. As always, check back frequently during the day for the latest AC/DC News updates.
"AC/DC live the great Australian psyche of battling. They work hard and play hard."
Simon Hammond, a brand expert (whatever that is...) has declared that AC/DC are Australia's most trusted music brand in a new study which was summarized neatly on News.com.au earlier today.
In other AC/DC News, The Daily Star has a report on the Black Ice Tour ticket mess happening in England right now. Minutes after AC/DC's shows sold out in the UK, tickets appeared for sale on Ebay and other resale outlets for upwards of 5 times their original price.
Ebay has, apparently, started taking down ticket scalper listings, but that was only after fans complained en masse. For the rest of the story, click here. (But watchout for a popup unless you've got Firefox!)
AC/DC's Rock N Roll Caravan has their own website which you'll definitely want to check out as soon as possible because they may be traveling near where you live. Apparently, the caravan is out to find people who want to go to AC/DC's secret show on October 26th so make sure you don't miss out on what they're up to...
Billboard has finally posted their review of Black Ice. There's really not much to it, unfortunately, but you can judge for yourself if it's any good by clicking here.
A Swedish merchant is offering a limited edition Black Ice Box (pictured above) which you can also view here. There's also an Black Ice review here in Swedish on AC/DC which you could always translate at Google if you so desire.
Additionally, there's three different articles on the Dutch music site BT about AC/DC which you can view here, here, and here which would probably be well worth your time reading after Google translates them for you.
Out on October 15th, Classic Rock says they have "Angus Young and Brian Johnson on the new album Black Ice, their top-secret $4 million stage set, and why this might be Brian's last album and tour."
Hmm, sounds pretty interesting! If you're in the USA, check your better bookstores for a copy or, if you're lucky, maybe one your English buds will mail you one!
Also, check out this post from CR about AC/DC's tour being an even hotter ticket than last year's Led Zeppelin reunion show.
Another Black Ice review just came in; this time from the venerable London Times. I guess three out of five stars isn't such a bad rating for this snobby, old rag. To be fair, though, they did say that "Black Ice is brutally straightforward, uncannily precise and perfectly enjoyable."
Here's the full review for you. They invite your comments at the end of the article, by the way.
An AC/DC fan plays Rock Band 2 in Times Square
In another tidbit, if you want to read more about how Wal-Mart is hyping Black Ice, check out this story from Reuter's blog site. Looks like a lot of fun brought to you by a corporation that, apparently, can't afford to pay 95% of their employees a decent living wage.
Lastly, if you're looking for a laugh, check out Metromix's comparison of AC/DC vs. Metallica. Frankly, I'm not surprised that a website with the word "Metro" in their name (as in Metrosexual) would say Metallica rocks harder.
Yet another Brian Johnson interview has popped up online. This time Brian talks to Darryl Sterdan of Vancouver's Canoe News and it's a fairly revealing chat as far as AC/DC interviews go.
One of the most interesting things we learn from it is that Beano says the band is planning to play 5 songs from the Black Ice album on tour. No word on if he means every night, however. (Doubtful...)
Anyway, I'd say this piece is a must read, though there are some questions asked that you've no doubt heard more than a few times before on the Black Ice press junket. Click here for the entire conversation.
Also, if you're interest in reading another Black Ice album review, the Kansas City Star has posted theirs on this blog.
Keep checking back for more AC/DC news updates as we get them!
Motor Trend magazine recently posted a fascinating article about Brian Johnson's love of racing historic motor cars which features plenty of details and photos of his own personal collection of exotic vehicles, too. Check it out here. If you wish to skip directly to the extensive photo gallery, click on this link.
In other news, AC/DC fans in Switzerland have blown a fuse over Black Ice Tour tickets sales in their country. Apparently, the March 29th show in Zurich sold out in less than 30 minutes and many were instantly for sale by Ebay scalpers shortly thereafter. (Of course!)
Are you anxiously awaiting the moment you get your hands on a real copy of Black Ice, the new AC/DC CD? Are you salivating at the chance to see the band live soon? Where are your tickets at anyway? Have you checked the mail 10 times today for them?!
If so, you may have Black Ice Fever right about now. Don't worry, though, you're not alone as rock fans across the globe are all having the same eager feelings right about now.
Perhaps the latest AC/DC News will help you pass the time, eh? Read on, my friends...
AC/DC reveal Black Ice secrets by Kathy McCabe of The Daily Telegraph is, hands down, the best article you can find on the band lately. By the way, make sure you scroll down past the video for the complete story on how the new album came together.
Fans who haven't heard the Black Ice album in full yet can check it out at AC/DC 101. By the way, more reviews of the new album have come in from The Boston Globe, Popdose, and the Chicago Tribune. They're all worth reading if you like to know what critics think.
In other news, AC/DC has finally posted a video about the Making of the "Rock 'N Roll Train" Music Video on their YouTube Channel. Watch it here, if you like...
Patrick Donovan's Sticky Carpet had a few things to say about AC/DC today which you should check out at The Age. Scroll down to the part where it says 'Steamrolling Along" for the AC/DC part of the article. Also, if you care to read it, The Age also has another one of the umpteenth stories lately about all the illegal downloading AC/DC fans have been up to since last week.
Maybe the second best read of the day is USA's exclusive interview with Brian Johnson found here. There's also a companion piece to their story that you should check out on their blog site.
Looks like some of the record stores in Oz have jumped the gun and are already selling Black Ice to rabid packs of AC/DC fans. Naturally, Paul Cashmere has more on that story.
Of course, Black Ice hits the stores in N. America on Tuesday and retailers in Canada and Wal-Mart in the USA are preparing to move massive amounts of AC/DC stock according to The Metro.
According to this press release, Wal-Mart is going all out to launch AC/DC's new album with special instore displays featuring Black Ice, the Rock Band 2 Expansion pack, and plenty of the band's back catalog to tempt all the new fans into exploring all the great songs of AC/DC's past.
AC/DC's official site has the full story on where the Wal-Mart AC/DC truck will be pit-stopping in New York in Los Angeles this week. At each stop, the crew will blast the new album, allow you to check out Rock Band 2 AC/DC style and, I'd bet, they'll be giving away some AC/DC swag as well.
Speaking of Rock Band 2, Giant Bomb has The 411 on AC/DC's Rock Band Debut. for you to peruse. Game Daily also has a story on Harmonix's recent showcase of the game in San Francisco. The most entertaining read on the game by far, however, is Wired's.
In Black Ice Tour news, The Irish Times said that AC/DC's Dublin performance sold out in a mere three minutes. Other shows on the Euro leg of the tour have sold out almost as fast.
Fans in Scotland are feeling a bit left out, though as AC/DC has not announced a show there yet. Rock Radio of Scotland has even posted a petition online to bring the boys to Glasgow which you can sign here, by the way. So what about it, lads, your Scottish fans are waiting?
As always, you should refer to this page at ACDC.com for the latest official word on where the band will be playing in 2008-09.
By the way, The Answer are busy gearing up for their big opportunity to support AC/DC on the Black Ice Tour. According to what they say here, it was actually Angus and Malcolm who picked them over 150 other bands considered for the opening act!
Well, once again, that's all for now. Thanks for the great tips and comments everyone!
AC/DC has added more dates to the European leg of the Black Ice World Tour. See this page for all the latest official updates.
Triple M has a preview of many of the tracks off of Black Ice along with exclusive commentary on the songs by Angus Young and Brian Johnson. VH1 is offering a full preview of the Black Ice album here, if you can get their player to work (I couldn't.)
Uncut Magazine, a sister to NME, wants to know what you would ask Angus Young if you had the chance. Send your questions to uncutaudiencewith@ipcmedia.com by noon on Friday, October 17.
Reuters has more on AC/DC's battle with iTunes and why the band made their deal with Wal-Mart. CNet has also explored the iTunes story recently.
The Melbourne Herald Sun has a mini Black Ice review saying the band has done Back In Black again which is simply a ludicrous statement no matter how good the album turns out to be. The Sun is also streaming tracks from the Black Ice album here, which is, according to them, an Australian exclusive.
Crave Online also has a review of Black Ice. Spin Magazine's review is a better read, however.
AC/DC tickets are top seller for fourth straight week according to Ticket News.
The Sydney Morning Herald says AC/DC has held up their end of the bargain by staying true to their formula and making another great rock 'n' roll record. SMH also notes that it's time for Generation Y fans to find their own AC/DC. Like that is somehow even possible...
Torrent Freak confirmed our prediction that Black Ice would see a staggering number of P2P downloads. The question is how will it ultimately affect AC/DC's album sales?
PC World notes, however, that AC/DC fans everywhere are pledging to buy Black Ice despite downloading from Peer To Peer networks (P2P).
Magazine collectors in Japan may want to look for the latest issues of Guitar Magazine and Record Collectors with Angus Young on the cover. The guitar mag is available for purchase here, in case you have to have it.
Addicted to Vinyl has compiled their favorite fan-made videos for AC/DC's Rock N Roll Train contest. The claymation one is pretty cool, if you ask me.
Most of the Rock Band 2's AC/DC expansion pack achievements have been discovered and noted here, if you're into that game but haven't quite mastered it yet.
Brian Johnson received an award for his part in the writing of Back In Black from the UK's Performing Rights Society at the 2008 ASCAP Awards held in London recently. According to ASCAP, Back In Black was one of the most performed works in 2007.
Brian Johnson, Angus Young and Malcolm Young at the Peninsula Hotel in Manhattan
Hey folks,
I'm in no mood to write today so I'm just going to lay out all the recent news and AC/DC related articles I've found lately.
To begin with, AC/DC has confirmed the following dates for the European leg Black Ice World Tour. They are as follows:
Feb 18 Oslo, NO Telenor Arena Feb 20 Stockholm, SE The Globe Mar 5 Leipzig, DE Halle 1 Mar 7 Dusseldorf, DE ISS Dome Mar 9 Oberhausen, DE KoPi Arena Mar 11 Bremen, DE AWD Dome Mar 15 Dortmund, DE Westfallenhalle Mar 17 Prague, CZ O2 Arena Mar 19 Milan, IT Datch Forum Mar 23 Budapest, HU Papp László Budapest Sportarena Mar 25 Frankfurt, DE Festhalle Mar 27 Munich, DE Olympiahalle
Many of the shows above have already sold out in record times, though a couple of the dates haven't gone on sale yet. Expect many more venues to be added soon. Look for them to be announced here when they're official.
*This just in: The London Times is offering AC/DC fans an exclusive chance to listen to Black Ice online. See their page here for all the details...
Sweden's TV4 has an exclusive interview with Angus Young which is one of the most laid-back, yet interesting, interviews of the man I've ever seen. Check it out here. Incidentally, Angus hints in it that the Black Ice World Tour may go longer than 18 months!
The Age has posted an excellent article called "Solid Rock" about the staying power of AC/DC. Malcolm Young fans should particularly love this one, by the way.
More Black Ice reviews from the major news organizations are coming in every day now. The Guardian is calling the album "nearly Back In Black II." The BBC's lauds Malcolm Young in their's, calling him "As dependable as a Swiss watch and every inch as magnificent a rhythm player as Keith Richards."
It's been announced through emails to contestants that AC/DC's secret show will be held somewhere in Eastern Pennsylvania on Oct 26. Meanwhile, Sony Records is offering fans yet another contest to win tickets to the show. All the details have been posted here on their site.
Not essential reading, but you may want to check out this piece at Sky News called "AC/DC Back 35 Years After Start."
Lastly, The Washington Post has an article about famous bands who've tried to stay successful after losing their lead singer. It's not particularly about AC/DC, but the rock fans who read this blog might really enjoy it.
Well, that's all for now. Love all your comments and news tips. Please keep them coming.
