AC/DC
Live At Donington

THE REVIEW

A piece of rock history from the last two decades. The extraordinary testimony of one of the most famous ACDC concerts; but above all, an incredibly incendiary performance that once again proves the greatest live rock band of all time. Could I miss the opportunity to write a review about it?

After a decade marked by the historic (and in some ways ominous) change of frontman, AC/DC were not exactly in their prime. Albums like "Flick Of The Switch", "Fly On The Wall", and "Blow Up Your Video" showed a clear and undeniable decline both in popularity - after they had become the undisputed number 1 rock band in the world following the Highway BIB duo - and especially in inspiration.

The old glories seemed distant, even though the band never disappointed live. Malcolm even felt forced to temporarily leave the band to detox from alcohol, evidently terrified also by the ever-present specter of Bon. But with the start of the new decade came a turning point: first the album "The Razor's Edge" - for me, the best of the Johnson era, after BIB of course - then the massive tour that followed, one of the most intense and important tours of their career.

That tour culminated in the famous and celebrated live album of '92. But on stage, 2 dates above all, one more historic than the other: in Moscow, in front of over a million people; and at the Monsters of Rock in Donington, for the third time (setting the absolute record for participation, even further improved recently at the end of the Black Ice tour).

Talking about an AC/DC performance, you always risk saying what's been said before. But, on the other hand, how can one not be struck every time by the rhythmic fury of the trio Cliff Williams- Malcolm- Chris Slade (an excellent drummer, an old acquaintance of the band, enlisted just for one album and one tour before the return of the prodigal son Rudd to replace Simon Wright, who joined Dio) and by the endless solos of the always wild Angus - not to mention the always spectacular show offered by the same little guy, an unparalleled entertainer of the adoring audience. Even the always criticized B Johnson offers an excellent performance, despite his pre-concert tension. A thrilling setlist - with all the group's classics with the 70s pieces always favored - the setting for great occasions and the general excellent state of form do the rest.

August 17, 1991. It begins with a famous "Thunderstruck" (a piece that never really drove me crazy) - to continue with, among many, the immense "Jailbreak", with the much-awaited hilarious strip by Angus. The long duo "High Voltage" "Whole Lotta Rosie" and especially the very long "Let There Be Rock"; to conclude as always with the anthem "For Those About To Rock", to bid farewell to all the true rock lovers.

A wonderful performance, however, Malcolm was not thrilled, defining the band's performance - like those in past festivals - as not exceptional. Despite this, it remains about 2 hours of a historic concert, to testify - even if there would really be no need - that AC/DC is not just those of the, still unrivaled, Bon Scott era. That tour was, in some ways, the ultimate consecration into the pantheon of legends. After a tough decade, that back-to-back Donington/Moscow event ultimately enshrined the Australians as legends.

In reality, this is just one of the thousands of shows offered over a career of more than 35 years; because it might be true that over all these decades their formula - both live and for albums - has never changed, but how AC/DC performs their formula, no one else does!

AC/DC remains without any reasonable doubt the greatest rock band of all time, with all due respect to the others, of course. Watch this DVD to believe it.