AC/DC – The Aviva Stadium, Dublin. July 1st 2015 – Review by Fran Winston
Any band that can survive over 40 years in the music business and sell over 200 million records is clearly doing something right but that doesn’t mean they can necessarily cut the live mustard. Especially when they’ve had a troubling time of late with one member accused of conspiracy to murder and other retiring due to the effects of dementia. It would take more than that to stop the juggernaut that is AC/DC though if their gig in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium is anything to go by.
Always lauded for their live shows these guys believe in giving the audience what they want. Yes they have a new album out but rather than playing all their new songs and avoiding their classics they get a couple of tracks out of the way early on so they can storm through their roll call of hits. And what a roll call it is – Whole Lot Of Rosie, Thunderstruck, Hell’s Bells and Highway to Hell are just a handful of their anthemic back catalogue. Singer Brian Johnson has lost none of his vocal power as he belts out the tunes. However any AC/DC show was always as much about lead guitarist Angus Young – the only grown man on the planet who can get away with dressing like a schoolboy.
His fretwork is faster than Road Runner on speed and every time he breaks into one of his epic solos it is electrifying. For his part he completely panders to the crowd doing his classic goosestep across the stage and using one of the audience’s beer bottles to play his instrument at one point. It is hard to believe that he is 60 such is his energy.
Playing a stadium is a tricky business but these guys have it down. Johnson may not be great on the banter between songs but what he lacks in words he more than makes up for in vocal energy when it comes to the music. It helps that all their tracks are so catchy and from the off they had the sold out crowd singing and cheering along. Even if you had never heard an AC/DC track you would have enjoyed this gig. The emphasis was very much on fun and good times and every single person left the stadium smiling and still singing the hits. Putting bands half their age to shame these guys really know how to rock – and for that “We Salute You”!
Set List –
Rock or Bust
Shoot to Thrill
Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be
Back in Black
Play Ball
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Thunderstruck
High Voltage
Rock ‘n’ Roll Train
Hells Bells
Baptism by Fire
You Shook Me All Night Long
Sin City
Shot Down in Flames
Have a Drink on Me
T.N.T.
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock
Encore:
Highway to Hell
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
No More Workhorse 
Very good synopsis
I don’t agree with this review. I have been going to ACDC concerts for over twenty years and the sound in the Aviva stadium in the East Stand Upper was terrible. It sounded like listening to the concert under water. I was at the concert with my brother and we were very disappointed. I recorded one of the songs on my phone if anyone is interested.
I hear you Frank. The sound is always poor at stadium gigs. On the pitch it’s ok and in the stands, it’s much worse! I’ve heard a few people say that about last night. Francis loved it though! Ed.
Hi Fran,
Thank you for your response. I have seen ACDC at Wembley and the O2 in London and I went to see Vasco Rossi last weekend in a Stadium in Bologna. No problems with Stadium sound. I have never commented on something like this. I don’t know what acoustic issue there is in the Aviva stands or whether the sound engineers failed to do their job properly but my brother bought me the tickets for a gift otherwise I would have left. In any case not your problem thank you for responding. Cheers
Frank
You’re not alone with the complaint, heard it from a few directions. They may have had problems in some areas of the stadium! I have low expectations of sound quality at stadium gigs though.
I agree with everyone, I said it to my friends at the first half my ears where ringing and I love loud music. Something wrong with the layout.
mumble, mumble, Slane 2016… mumble mumble…
We are talking about the sound, not the band, it’s the Aviva is the problem with the wind or the shape of it, my ears where ringing for 3 days. On 4 Jul 2015 11:56, “No More Workhorse” wrote:
> No More Workhorse commented: “mumble, mumble, Slane 2016… mumble > mumble…”
I’m talking about Slane next year!
Getting lots of searches to the site this morning like ‘Poor Sound Wembley AC/DC’! Not just the Aviva by the sound of things.