AC/DC

21st August 2025

Murrayfield Stadium

A million or so years ago, when I was in my teens, Friday evening meant the Rock Disco at The Dreadnought Hotel in Bathgate.    I used to work alongside the DJ at the time - an affable Stones' obsessive called John Fraser, who must be knocking on the door of 70 now, assuming he is still knocking at all.

He also loved AC/DC, and the likes of Whole Lotta Rosie and It's a Long Way To The Top were, in his words "on standing order" every Friday night.  I can recall him even once playing She's Got Balls, as a bet, I think.

Being primarily a bit of a Progger around this time, I found AC/DC a bit too hormone-pumped for my particular tastes.  Not that this stopped John (half-ironically) buying me the Back In Black album for my 21st Birthday.  I occasionally played it over the years, but I have never found that gutteral screechy vocal technique much fun to listen to.  And, the album (and indeed AC/DC themselves), sorta just drifted off my musical radar for the next 45 years.

Until, this gig in Edinburgh - which it is probably safe to say possibly represented my last opportunity to see the band (should I wish to).  Which I obviously chose to do.

And well.......it was fine in an Event Whore kind of way.

Unfortunately, not really knowing much of the material, I did feel there was a certain sameness to the songs.  I would not quite label the band a One Trick Pony, but they certainly do not stray terribly far from their well-trodden path of riff-based rockers with testosterone fuelled lyrics.  

That intro to Thunderstruck is quite unique, and You Shook Me All Night Long is a memorable AOR tune - but much of the rest kinda just flowed over me.  I found myself crying out for a wee change of pace - some slow blues run out, or even a brief acoustic interlude even.  But nope - one cliched title just followed another on the conveyer belt:  Shot in the Dark, Shot Down in Flames, Stiff Upper Lip, Have a Drink on Me, I've Got a Really Big Willy.  Actually, I made that last one up. 

Angus is still a more than decent guitar player, and a real fun showman.  But Brian Johnson's voice left him some time ago.  Not that this latter fact appeared to bother any of the folks around me.

But what did surprise me was the lack of band/audience interaction.  Between songs Angus and the other musicians would form a wee scrum around the drum kit - doing something.  Who knew what?  Whilst Johnson would just drift to the rear of the stage, and yell "Wooooagh" whenever the between song gaps became noticeably and intrusively lengthy.  Which was often.

Each of these interludes - often a minute long - would just kill the atmosphere stone dead, and you could hear folks begin to chat.  Most odd.

I knew Angus generally enjoyed a lengthy self-indulgent geetar solo blowout towards the end of each show, so when he began this I took my leave.  And I was really glad I did, for I could hear him still clattering away fifteen minutes later as I reached my car.

A bullet well-dodged.

Set list

If You Want Blood (You've Got It)

Back in Black

Demon Fire

Shot Down in Flames

Thunderstruck

Have a Drink on Me

Hells Bells

Shot in the Dark

Stiff Upper Lip

Highway to Hell

Shoot to Thrill

Sin City

Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

High Voltage

Riff Raff

You Shook Me All Night Long

Whole Lotta Rosie

Let There Be Rock

Encore

Fling Thing

T.N.T.

For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).