Iconic rockers AC/DC kicked off their first Australian tour in more than a decade to a packed house at Melbourne’s MCG on Wednesday night.
Despite delivering a set that was filled with classics from their expansive catalogue, there was one iconic tune that did not get an airing.
Perhaps the band’s most well-known tune – It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)– was omitted from the set that included the likes of Back in Black, Thunderstruck, and You Shook Me All Night Long.
It wasn’t an oversight by the rock icons, though, with the band not having played the legendary tune on stage for more than four decades.
AC/DC shelved the song from their live set following the death of their original frontman Bon Scott.
Bon died in 1980 in London from acute alcohol poisoning at the age of 33.Â
Iconic rockers AC/DC kicked off their first Australian tour in more than a decade to a packed house at Melbourne ‘s MCG on Wednesday night. Pictured: Angus Young
Despite delivering a set that was filled with classics from their expansive catalogue, there was one iconic tune that did not get an airing – their classic It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)
The song was released in 1975 and appeared as the first track on the band’s second album T.N.T.
Following Bon’s death, replacement singer Brian Johnson vowed never to perform the song live, as it had become synonymous with the original frontman.
Speaking with Noise 11 in 2020, former bass player Mark Evans, who was in AC/DC from 1975 to 1977, said despite the iconic nature of the song, it barely ever made it to the stage when Bon was alive.
‘If we played it maybe 60/70 times live that would be it,’ he said.
Mark added that one of the reasons for the omission was the logistics in pulling off the now iconic bagpipe riff the song is famous for. Â
‘We didn’t play it a lot and I think it had a lot to do with the bagpipes,’ he said.
‘In time it became iconic and associated with the band but oddly enough the band doesn’t play it. It has become a lot bigger song in time than when it first came out. It was our first single in England and it disappeared in England pretty quickly.’
While fans inside the MCG missed out on the legendary bagpipe strains, it was a different story outside.
It wasn’t an oversight by the rock icons, though, with the band not having played the legendary tune on stage for more than four decades. AC/DC shelved the song from their live set following the death of their original frontman Bon Scott
Following Bon’s death, replacement singer Brian Johnson vowed never to perform the song live, as it had become synonymous with the original frontman
Speaking with Noise 11 in 2020, former bass player Mark Evans, who was in ACDC from 1975 to 1977 said despite the iconic nature of the song, it barely ever made it to the stage when Bon was alive
‘If we played it maybe 60 / 70 times live that would be it, he said. ‘We didn’t play it a lot and I think it had a lot to do with the bagpipes’
An impressive 374 pipers descended on Melbourne’s Fed Square to break the record for the world’s largest bagpipe ensemble.
Playing along to the classic track, the pipers’ attempt was successful, with the previous record sitting at 333 bagpipers.
Meanwhile, founding guitarist Angus Young, 70, looked fit and full of energy as he commanded the stage with his legendary strut.
Ever the schoolboy, Angus also wore his trademark uniform, this time cutting a colourful figure in a pair of red shorts and matching blazer, which he wore over a crisp white shirt and striped school tie.
Expertly slinging his cherry red Gibson SG guitar, Angus looked in his element, jumping around the stage with abandon and giving the adoring fans a dose of true rock and roll swagger.
Brian Johnson, 78, also came ready to rock, showing off his biceps in a sleeveless dark blue Harley Davidson shirt.
Matching with a pair of classic blue jeans, Brian finished the stage look with his iconic newsboy flat cap.
The rocker looked to have the crowd in the palm of his hand as he belted out a string of classic AC/DC tunes.
While fans inside the MCG missed out on the legendary bagpipe strains it was a different story outside. An impressive 374 pipers descended on Melbourne’s Fed Square to break the record for the world’s largest bagpipe ensemble
Meanwhile, founding guitarist Angus Young, 70, looked fit and full of energy as he commanded the stage with his legendary strut
Ever the schoolboy, Angus also wore his trademark uniform, this time cutting a colourful figure in a pair of red shorts and matching blazer which he wore over a crisp white shirt and striped school tie
Expertly slinging his cherry red Gibson SG guitar, Angus looked in his element, jumping around the stage with abandon and giving the adoring fans a dose of true rock and roll swagger
The fans looked to be lapping up every second of the powerhouse performance, too.
One photo showed the entire front row beaming with hard rock glee as they took in the high-energy set.
AC/DC are set to perform a second show at the MCG on November 16 before heading to Sydney’s Accor Stadium on November 21 and 25.
From there they will perform at the BP Adelaide 500 Grand Final on November 30 and Perth’s Optus Stadium on December 4 and 8.
The tour will wrap up at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium with two shows on December 14 and 18.
The Power Up Tour caused quite a bit chaos overseas – with more than two million tickets sold across Europe and North America, including ten sold-out shows in the US alone.
‘AC/DC puts their fans ahead of everything else,’ said Australian tour promoter Christo Van Egmond, son of Garry Van Egmond, who promoted AC/DC’s Australian tours for 40 years.
‘They’re perfectionists in every way and will always make sure each fan walks out with a big smile on their face.’Â
Brian Johnson, 78, also came ready to rock, showing off his biceps in a sleeveless dark blue Harley Davidson shirt
Matching with a pair of classic blue jeans, Brian finished the stage look with his iconic newsboy flatcap
The rocker looked to have the crowd in the palm of his hand as he belted out a string of classic AC/DC tunes
The fans looked to be lapping up every second of the powerhouse performance, too
AC/DC was formed in Sydney in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young.
Following the death of lead singer Bon Scott from acute alcohol poisoning at the age of 33 in 1980, Brian was hired to replace him.
Rhythm guitarist Malcolm was diagnosed with dementia in 2014 and retired to a Sydney nursing home.
He died on November 18, 2017, at the age of 64.
