Before I begin, I have a confession to make: I am one of the biggest AC/DC fans on the planet. Long before I was permitted to go to concerts, I remember cranking every album from High Voltage to Highway To Hell with my older brother over and over – until he made me start kicking in my babysitting money to replace the albums we wore out. I did not mind; not one little bit. One of the first concerts I ever attended was the For Those About To Rock tour and I’ve seen AC/DC too many time to count all around the world since then. So it was a monumental event to be able to hear their songs performed live, perhaps for the last time as AC/DC, on the same hallowed grounds where I saw them for the first time at The Omni which was demolished in 1997, and Philips Arena, was constructed on the site.
Adding to the excitement was the electricity in the air emanating from the flock of  fans – even blocks away from the arena. Everyone was FIRED UP and ready to rock! It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen people displaying their totally unabashed euphoria at going to a show. The streets were filled with hoots, hollers, singing and laughing as people of all ages, colors, shapes and sizes practically floated on air towards the venue. In just a four-block walk, we met people in from all over the country: groups of friends since high school making the pilgrimage one more time, along with a slew of moms/dads with their children and even the grandchildren going to see AC/DC together as a family.
What clinched it for me though was when I realized that I was smiling like an escaped mental patient off her meds, and for the first time in a very long time, was truly happy to do what I do (it’s easy to become a little jaded after 25+ years). Then, I looked over at Chad Lee (veteran rock photographer that has shot literally tens of thousands of shows) and he was practically skipping – beard bouncing/tats dancing, all while carrying about 50 pounds of camera equipment like it was a feather – and he said, “Holy shit! I feel like a 12-year-old kid again going to concert!” We all just KNEW that this was going to be a magical night of musical memories that will never be forgotten, and we were all 100% correct.
Even with the near-skipping and then full-on running, we were still about four minutes late backstage for Chad to photograph the opening 
support band, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, which truly sucked for us, but we were able to catch most of their set – and they were everything I thought they’d be live. This young foursome based out of Nashville/Texas is on the top of my list for potentially becoming a truly iconic band of the future. Don’t get me wrong, they are no “newbies” having toured with and/or opened for the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith (guitarist/backing vocalist for TBShakedown, Graham Whitford, is the son of Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford), Jeff Beck, ZZ Top, and B.B. King. They have been the original opening support act for AC/DC pretty much through this whole tour and just ended a run on Zakk Wylde’s solo summer tour leg to go back out with AC/DC.
As if that isn’t enough, these guys are kicking ass in between AC/DC dates with their mostly sold-out solo “Lounge Tour” (check dates here) in support of their latest 6-track EP, The Wayside, on John Varvatos Records/Republic Records. While watching Tyler Bryant (lead vocals, guitar), Graham Whitford (guitar, backing vocals), Noah Denney (bass, backing vocals) and Caleb Crosby (drums) ooze their soulful rock yummy all over the AC/DC crowd to mass approval, it occurred to me that perhaps there is indeed hope for the future as the legends that we grew up with disappear one by one. My money is on Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown. Do yourself a favor and check them out if you haven’t yet.Â
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Axl Rose began his journey with AC/DC in Atlanta back in March of this year when he flew in to audition for the role that every vocalist in the world would give a left nut for – singing lead for one of the most iconic rock and roll bands in the world! Rose and the band spent the better part of a week at Avatar Studios rehearsing after he got the gig. So, it was apropos that Rose acknowledged that time in his life after the opening song, “Rock Or Bust” by addressing the crowd with something like, “Hello Atlanta. This is where this whole thing began for me (gesturing to the band) and it’s so great to be here on this stage with them tonight – Â now let’s rock!” (paraphrased) Indeed, Mr. Rose, proceed…
After launching into “Hells Bells” it was abundantly clear that one thing is certain: Axl Rose was the perfect choice. He possesses one of the most diverse and insanely high vocal ranges in the world. For the record, I was not one of the fans that lost their friggin’ minds with the announcement that Rose would be singing lead vocals after Brian Johnson stepped down in February due to hearing issues. As a matter of fact, I thought, “Hmmm…this could be totally badass!” It was actually a major distraction for me during the Guns N’ Roses show here in Atlanta on July 26, 2016 because all I kept thinking  was, “Damn, he (Rose) sounds amazing! I seriously cannot wait to see him singing with AC/DC!”
Without starting any crap, I will say that to me, Rose seemed way more relaxed playing with AC/DC than with Guns N’ Roses (although that was one helluva show too). He was smiling. He was in his teenage rock glory and rarely left the stage, preferring to stay on deck in front of a bank of Marshall amps and dance his ass off while watching his self-professed idol, Angus Young, rule supreme! He didn’t try to steal the show. He didn’t try to sing like Bon Scott or Brian Johnson. He sang like MF Axl Rose – to the most iconic AC/DC songs in history. And he nailed it.
As a matter of fact, he surpassed all expectations. Unless I missed it, I cannot recall an “off note” whatsoever. To list every song they played would turn this into even more of a novel than it is (full set list below). Suffice it to say that if you sold your tickets or asked for a refund when you learned that Rose was Angus Young’s choice to sing for the band as guest vocalist – you screwed up. Big time.
Cliff Williams has always been one of my favorite bassists. He was spot on, as usual. Stevie Young on rhythm guitar and Chris Slade on drums were in perfect synchronicity and were the delicious, perfectly-baked-cake foundation for the frosting and cherry on top – Mr. Angus Young.
I’m a bit at a loss as to what to write about Angus Young that has not already been written. He is undisputedly one of the most accomplished
guitar players of all time, but at 62 years old, I would like to suggest that perhaps he’s an alien or a wizard. Perhaps an alien sorcerer? Because I’ve been watching him perform live since he was in his 20’s and except for a smidgen lower on his jumps – the man simply cannot be human! My God…he goes and he goes – like the Energizer Bunny powered by Marshall. Just when you think he has to be tired  and is going to tone it down and perhaps have a nice cup of tea offstage and let one of the boys do a solo – he is OFF down the catwalk doing the “Angus” – then, BAM! – he’s soaring into the sky, wailing out riffs like his very soul depends upon it. Perhaps it does. This is what keeps him young (no pun intended) and if this show was any indication, I would wage a decent amount of money that Angus Young is a LONG WAY from being done. We shall see. (Check out Angus’ seven-minute guitar solo shot by my high school friend, Marc Blount, if you don’t believe me!)
One kind of “cool/strange” thing that happened was that besides the other “who’s who” in the music industry that were in attendance, Steven Tyler showed up at around 10:30 to watch the show without anyone noticing. He just slid in the sound board area and watched with deep interest. Tyler had performed earlier at the Cobb Energy Center and according to the reviews, he played for over 90 minutes. So, unless he is an alien wizard as well, he must have come via helicopter (I’m kind of betting on the alien wizard thing).
Some phone footage video shot by Chad Lee during “TNT” that pans twice to Steven Tyler sitting at sound booth:What was “strange” about this all was that  it was announced shortly after Tyler’s arrival that “a very special vocal guest would be coming out to sing in a bit” and I assumed they had to be referring to Tyler (who inducted, then performed with AC/DC at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003). But it never happened. Unless there was someone bigger than Steven Tyler (besides Axl Rose) in the building, but I can’t imagine who that would be or why it never came to fruition. Just one of those moments when I thought, “If Steven Tyler comes out and performs with AC/DC someone is going to have to resuscitate me!” Perhaps something to look forward to in the future, I hope.
I would be remiss to not mention the other “star” of this show: the lights, sound and pyrotechnics. To say they were jaw-dropping would be an understatement. From the staging to the Lighting Director, to the Sound Engineer that still has my ears ringing two days later to the “Blowing Up Shit/I Make FIRE!” guy and everyone on the production team of AC/DC – we salute you! It takes an Army to roll out this kind of show and you guys are the best at what you do. You won the war in Atlanta. We surrendered by the end of the first song!
Almost three hours and 25 songs later, there was nary a person that could have left that show thinking anything other than, “Holy Shit! I feel like a 12-year-old kid that just went to a concert!”
AC/DC only has a few dates left on their tour. Next up is Columbus, Ohio (9/4/2016) and then six more shows (see remaining tour dates here). I would rate this as one of my top five shows of ALL TIME, so I highly suggest that you lock up your daughters, lock up your wives, grab your best friend and run for your life – to one of the few remaining shows of AC/DC!
Written by: Valerie King, Co-Founder/Editor In Chief
Photos by: Chad Lee
See the full photo gallery from the show here!
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