AC/DC still ignites rock fans everywhere
By: Nancy Dunham
Special to The Examiner
October 15, 2009
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| AC/DC (Courtesy Photo) |
If you goAC/DC
Where: Verizon Center, 601 F St. NW, Washington
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Details: $92.50; ticketmaster.com
We all know that the majority of born-decades-ago bands often elicit more yawns than yells.
Perhaps that's what makes AC/DC -- which still fills concert arenas around the globe -- such standouts. Not only do they continue to whip fans into frenzies, but sell millions of albums following the same musical formula the Australian-based band developed when Scottish-born brothers Angus and Malcolm Young formed it in 1973.
"Great bands like AC/DC are rare," said drummer Steve Gorman of The Black Crowes. "AC/DC is never accused of growing [musically]. I took my son to one of their [recent] shows and we walked out of there on Cloud 9. No one else can sound like that exactly, and that's exactly what we want and everyone loves it and leaves happy."
The proof is in the band's continued, success which includes 150 million albums sold worldwide, and its status as one of the five top-selling bands in American music history. That makes them the #1selling catalog act for music giant Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
Chris Walter was 12 years old when a cousin introduced him to "Back in Black" -- AC/DC's 1980 release, which has sold more than 21 million copies to date, making it the fifth-highest selling album in the United States (As an ironic side note, the band has never won a Grammy Award, although most music critics believe they reinvented hard rock and helped pioneer heavy metal.)
"He had me listen to the 'Back in Black' album on his Walkman," said Walter. "A quarter century later, the opening riff to "You Shook Me All Night Long" still grabs me and doesn't let me go."
Unlike many musical road warriors, AC/DC does not tour frequently, but are out to support the 2008 release "Black Ice."
Those who attend their shows should expect to see plenty of new -- as well as veteran -- fans who became familiar with the band through the 2003 movie "School of Rock" and the "Guitar Hero" video games, said Los Angeles-based writer and TV/radio host Lisa MacLean, whose credits include work with MTV, VH1 and Sirius Radio.
"AC/DC is a classic. They are a band. They are a brand. They are a franchise. They appeal to classic rock lovers, hard rock lovers and indie rock lovers," she said. "Every time a new rock band covers them, a whole new fan base is created."
Walters witnessed that first-hand when he attended the band's 2008 concert at the Verizon Center.
"Musically, they were in great form, hitting everything dead-on," he said. "For long time fans, the music never gets old; for newer fans, it's music that your parents listen to that doesn't suck."
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