AC/DC, again under the direction of David Mallet, filmed the video for the first single at Brixton Academy in South London on August 17. Close to 1,000 fans showed up to help create a sea of banging heads and waving fists to surround the band while they played “Thunderstruck.” During the shoot, Mallet went through over five miles of film. The highlight of the video was seeing Angus duck walk from underneath a Plexiglas stage.
The title of the song had come to Angus while in flight during a thunderstorm. “I was in an airplane over East Germany and the plane got struck by lightning. I thought my number was up. The stewardess said we were struck by lightning and I said, ‘No, we were struck by thunder, because it boomed.’”
The Razors Edge was released in September of 1990, featuring a red and silver cover which looked like a cloth slashed open, revealing the album’s glistening title. The promotional pictures of the band for the new album were dark and slightly threatening…especially Slade, the new drummer with the bald head and brawny biceps. This was exactly the way the band needed to look, going up against the metal groups of the early Nineties, like Metallica, Faith No More, and Jane’s Addiction.
The album was a sharp collection of 12 tracks, including “Thunderstruck,” “Fire Your Guns,” “Moneytalks,” “The Razors Edge,” “Mistress For Christmas,” “Rock Your Heart Out,” “Are You Ready,” “Got You By The Balls,” “Shot Of Love,” “Let’s Make It,” “Goodbye & Good Riddance To Bad Luck,” and “If You Dare.” In the song “Thunderstruck,” Angus plays the intro with all his strings taped up, except the B string…a little studio trick George taught him. Soon-to-be hit single “Moneytalks” was written with Brian’s divorce settlement in mind. And the tongue-in-cheek lyrics to “Mistress For Christmas” proved that Angus and Malcolm had learned well from the School of Scott.
“Thunderstruck,” the first single from the album, was released on September 29 and reached Number 13 on the U.K. charts. The Razors Edge went all the way to Number Four in Britain and Number Two in the States. Beyond the new album, overall sales were dizzying. On October 4, the RIAA certified Platinum sales for If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It), Let There Be Rock, and Powerage. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap had been certified triple Platinum, and by October of 1990 Back In Black had sold 10 million copies, pushing AC/DC’s total album sales to over 60 million.
Billboard reviewed the new album, claiming, “Aussie headbangers shoot out first release for new label Atco, and it’s a doozy. With one of the more distinctive voices on the rock ‘n’ roll planet, Brian Johnson growls, rasps, screams, and generally peels the paint off the walls through 12 scorchers by the brothers Young…Fairbairn wisely lets the band’s true grit shine through and doesn’t try to polish the rough edges that make AC/DC one of the most imitated but never duplicated bands in the world.”
Mark Putterford wrote in the U.K. publication Select, “…Malcolm Young’s rhythm guitar still chugs along faithfully, sticking like glue to the relentless thud of the drums, Cliff Williams’s bass still rumbles like clockwork thunder, and Angus Young—his lead guitar as mischievous as his spiteful schoolboy stage persona—still buzzes around in the mix like an irate mosquito. And Brian Johnson, the band’s singer, still hasn’t taken his tonsils back to the parrot house at Whitley Bay Zoo.”
AC/DC launched the first leg of their tour with 34 dates through the U.S. and Canada, starting on November 2 at the Worcester Centrum in Massachusetts. Cliff, stricken with a kidney infection, had to be replaced by bassist Paul Greg for several concerts.
On November 6, Mallet shot another video of the band at the Spectrum in Philadelphia for the song “Moneytalks.” By the fourteenth of the month, “Moneytalks” would peak at Number 23 on the Billboard charts. Two weeks later, the single hit Number 36 in the U.K., making it one of two singles, along with “Are You Ready,” to reach Britain’s Top 40. As soon as it was released, The Razors Edge started flying off the shelves and much of the tour was sold out. Just as things seemed like they couldn’t be better, tragedy struck fans at AC/DC’s concert in New Jersey on November 11.
During their performance at the Brendan Byrne Arena [now Meadowlands Arena] in East Rutherford, New Jersey, David Gregory, a 21-year-old fan, was attacked and beaten outside the venue. He died the next day in Hackensack Hospital. A New Jersey state trooper was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing and the family received a settlement in 1992 of $250,000. Unbelievably, this would not be the last time someone would lose their life at an AC/DC concert.
At the time of the album’s release, I was working for another music publication and I enjoyed reviewing the album as well. “The whole feel of the album is riveting, reminding one of Back In Black, and it’s more than welcome! The Razors Edge should put AC/DC back at the top of the electrifying bands. After all, weren’t they the original live wires?”
The tour promoting the album featured a completely new stage design. Along with the tried-and-true cannons and one very heavy bell, the band included a few more surprises: one being a counterfeit AC/DC dollar with Angus’s picture on it. These fake bills rained down on the audience during “Moneytalks.”
I finally got my chance to see AC/DC again on December 1 at the Dane County Coliseum in Madison. This time I was reviewing their concert for the local paper, Night Sights and Sounds. After much wrangling, I had secured an after-show pass to go backstage and see the band. I hadn’t seen them live since 1986, and hadn’t really talked to them since they played Madison Square Garden in 1983. Plus, the last time I heard from their exroadie, Barry, was Christmas of 1981!
The Coliseum was sold out and the anticipation for the band hung thick in the air. As the lights went down, the darkness was set aglow by red neon tubing outlining the edges of the stage. The effect was accompanied by the sounds of thunder, which led into the opening of “Thunderstruck.” As Brian, Malcolm, and Cliff walked out on stage, the amp racks with Chris Slade’s drums rose slowly up through the floor. A spotlight revealed Angus in a green velvet suit with his trusty SG, standing on a ramp above Chris’s head. As the audience screamed, he looked up and pointed a finger into the air before taking off, abandoning any stationary position for the rest of the show.
Following “Thunderstruck,” we were treated to “Shoot To Thrill,” “Back In Black,” “Fire Your Guns,” and “Sin City.” The crowd was a sea of flying heads and flailing fists. When “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” sent everyone into an energetic sing-along, it made me laugh. I couldn’t help but wonder if Bon was seeing all of this. “The old man” would have been so proud.
Angus proved during “Jailbreak” that he is the fastest-moving guitarist in the business. I swear he gets more out of one riff than whole bands get in a year. Soaking up every second of it for his striptease, instead of flaunting his “legendary piece of showmanship,” that night he gave us Stars and Stripes boxer shorts. Not quite as provocative, but definitely patriotic.
In place of going for his walkabout, Angus appeared toward the back of the Coliseum on a smaller stage which rose up above the soundboard. Further proof that the boys were modifying their behavior a bit. Not surprising, considering they had practically toured nonstop for the past 17 years. While they were playing “Moneytalks,” I had to resist the urge to jump off the balcony to catch one of the AC/DC dollars that fluttered down around the audience to the floor. Hey, AC/DC dollars are much cooler than personalized guitar picks!
The band pummeled us for two-and-a-half hours before ending their show with a gigantic balloon of Angus with horns during “Highway To Hell” and cannon blasts in “For Those About To Rock, We Salute You.” The title for my review of the show for the paper was “AC/DC Levels Coliseum.” No exaggeration there.
When I went backstage to see the band afterwards, I marveled at the true scope of their popularity. Not only did they have a crew of almost 100 people, but the fans who had after-show passes filled up an entire room!
As everyone was ushered into a long line that snaked all the way around one large locker room at the back of the Coliseum, we waited patiently for the band to appear. At the head of the line was a kid who won a radio contest. Standing alongside of him were scores of music business insiders, radio DJs, and limo drivers with good connections. Since I had brought along some gifts for the band, I went all the way to the back of the line.
The first band member to enter the official meet and greet, as they call it today, was Angus. He was accompanied by a very tall tour manager. The first thing Angus did was meet the contest winner and give him a hat. When the kid shook his hand and blurted out how much he loved AC/DC, Angus looked down and thanked him. For the next 30 minutes Angus made his way around the room shaking hands and posing for pictures.
By the time he had gotten to the end of the line, he looked as if he had had enough. When Angus saw me, he gave me a huge smile and said, “Sue!” I smiled back and threw my arms around him, which brought the room to a complete standstill. Even the jocks were gaping at us! Angus hugged me back and we stood there for what seemed like forever catching up on all the news. The best part was being able to congratulate him on the show and the new album.
Angus told me he was still married to Ellen and then asked me if I knew Barry had become a minister. A what? No way! Angus had heard that Barry had become a minister of his own church, which really surprised the whole band. We laughed about how strange it was to think of Barry giving a sermon—especially if it wasn’t in the church of rock ‘n’ roll!
After we had caught up on the last decade, I pulled out prints of the pictures taken of us at Alpine Valley back in August of 1978. I brought along copies for Angus and Malcolm, plus the original pictures for them to sign. I believe this was the first time I had ever asked them for their autographs. When Angus saw the pictures, the first thing he said was, “Oh, those were taken last week!” Then I’ll never forget how he looked at them for a while, getting tears in his eyes. Then he looked up at me and said, “Bon really looked great then, didn’t he?” And I said, “Bon was at his peak back then, Angus, he looked amazing!” Which made us both smile.
Finally, Malcolm walked in and I got another big hug and lots of laughs. After catching up, I was able to ask them a few questions for my article. Just recently, Guitar Player had favorably reviewed the new album, claiming that Malcolm’s right hand should be declared an Australian national treasure. I asked Malcolm what he thought about that and he quipped, “That review cost me a lot of money!” Then I asked Angus what he thought of being called the God of heavy metal. He just sneered at me and said, “I’m not the God, I’m the monster!”
Angus and Malcolm were clearly multimillionaire rock stars, with the entourage to go with it, but their senses of humor hadn’t changed at all. Saying goodbye, I wished them the best and told them to stay safe on the road. We promised to keep in touch and they would look for me when the tour came back through Wisconsin the following summer. I went home determined to track Barry down, or should I say, Reverend Taylor.
Before the end of the year, AC/DC would also be awarded a Gold album for ’74 Jailbreak. It seemed everything they touched turned to precious metal. Taking their holiday break, the band started the second leg of their U.S./Canadian tour of 28 dates on January 9, at the Palace in Auburn Hills, California. Just as the band were proving their brand of rock would rule another decade, AC/DC would again be touched by another tragedy.
On the night of January 18, 1991, AC/DC was appearing at the Salt Palace Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. The crowd of 13,294 were sold general-admission tickets, meaning you could sit or stand wherever you could find a spot…the closer to the stage, the better.
Before the band came out on stage, three teenagers—Curtis Child, Elizabeth Glausi, and Jimmie Boyd—were crushed to death by the surging crowd pressing toward the front of the stage. Not telling the band, knowing AC/DC would not have performed knowing the circumstances, the promoters decided the show must go on. As soon as the concert ended, the band was told the horrific news.
Making matters worse, press from around the world ran pictures of them on stage, claiming the band went on without regard to the terrible disaster. Angus had talked to Guitar Player in February 1984 about the risk during his performance of going out into the crowd: “The biggest thing is that I don’t want anyone in the audience hurt. A lot of those kids are all together—they can be crushed and that’s a big thing. If there’s too much going on, too many people together, then I just won’t do it. They [security] are mainly there for the protection of the kids. Every night kids go up and struggle with the security people.”
“Pyro” Pete also mentioned their procedure concerning the crowd. “We had a ‘flying wedge formation’ where we made a wedge with one big guy in the middle, with Angus on his shoulders, and a guy on each side. We even made up T-shirts and hats that say, ‘Angus’s Flying Wedge Security.’ They told us to push gently and not shove anyone out of the way. The band was also very specific not to hurt the fans.”
The band would eventually be cleared of any involvement in causing the deaths. On VH-1’s Ultimate Albums, Brian talked about how devastated they were when they found out what had happened…especially when the press ran pictures of them smiling, inferring that they had gone on and performed anyway. Brian declared that they have never forgiven the British press for such callous treatment. He also added that it was still an extremely sad and painful subject for the band. It’s something Malcolm won’t discuss to this day.
During this time, two long-form video collections were released: Who Made Who, which covered footage from 1980 to 1986, and Clipped, a compilation of all the promotional videos from Blow Up Your Video and The Razors Edge.
Together again with David Mallet, AC/DC filmed a video for “Are You Ready” at Bray Studios in Windsor on March 18. Two days later, the European leg of The Razors Edge tour covered 17 dates through Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, and Switzerland. Then AC/DC continued through the U.K. playing nine more dates before coming back to the States. Their album Highway To Hell was certified Platinum times four. If the band celebrated, it was somewhere out on the road.
That spring, Angus was asked how AC/DC had maintained their musical consistency over the years. He explained, “The only change that really had a major effect on us is when Bon died. That almost put an end to the group. But when Brian came in, he brought us new vitality and energy that kept everything rolling in the right direction. But my brother Malcolm and Cliff have been here all along, so the core of the band really hasn’t changed that much. We do have Chris Slade in the band on this tour, and he’s worked out very well. He’s just as old and ugly as the rest of us!”
On May 23, the band launched the second leg of their American tour at the Richfield Coliseum in Cleveland, Ohio. Commenting on the new tour, Angus quipped, “We’ll play some new songs, but also a lot of the standards—the family favorites…you know, the stuff the local reverends love!”
Laughing at their critics, Brian said, “I’d like to lock them [the critics] up in a cell with the new AC/DC album for a week. They’ll be crying to ‘Let me out, let me out!’ Then I’ll put on a week’s worth of disco music and I bet you a pound to a pinch of shit they’ll be hung by their own belts. With AC/DC, at least they’ll come out singing the choruses!”
One night during a show in Belfast, Angus gave the local reverends more to love, surprising everyone including himself during his striptease. It seems he was wearing two pairs of underwear, not realizing the one underneath was ripped out in the front. When he pulled his shorts down, everyone around him looked quite alarmed, then Malcolm started pointing. Angus said, “And I’m too busy in my own little world. I’m sort of thinking, ‘What’s he pointing at?’ And the police are all sort of looking at me. And I turned around to the audience and they’re all sort of stunned. And I sort of look down and there’s all my wedding tackle hanging out for all the world to see.” Amazing nobody got a picture of that!
Finally, on June 28, AC/DC made their way back to Wisconsin playing at Alpine Valley in East Troy. I had still been unable to locate Barry, and I was very curious to see if the band knew where he was. That particular summer day was especially hot, with the temperature in the nineties. The only difference between this show and the one in December was the fact that they had to pause after every song to wipe the sweat off of their guitars. We had great seats under the awning this time and when the band played “Moneytalks,” guess who was right underneath one of the bundles of funny money? I swear it opened up and dropped right on my head! Needless to say, we took home plenty of Angus cash that night, plus we gave away dozens of dollars to the fans around us.
Even though we had after-show passes, the immense crowd we were grouped with was left waiting not so patiently in the heat. After close to an hour, it was obvious the band was not coming out of their dressing room, causing me to wonder if they had survived their grueling performance. Just as most of the fans were starting to give up, I grabbed a security guard and told him to go in there and tell Angus that Sue from Madison was waiting to say hello. That request got quite a few comments, not to mention plenty of laughs. Even the photographer I was with looked at me and said, “Yeah, that should do it.”
Within 10 minutes, the security guard walked outside and yelled, “Is there a Sue Masino here?”
I, along with several other women, raised my hand and my husband and I were quickly ushered into the back of Alpine Valley into one of the dressing rooms.
As we walked in, I turned around to thank the security guard. When the door shut behind us, we both turned around to realize that we were the only ones in the room, except for all five band members!
The heat had wiped them out so much that they had decided to stay in their dressing room. A rare occurrence since the band always loves to meet their fans. I was more than stunned that we were invited in for a visit. I was so astonished that I complained about the heat. The band just looked at me, until I said, “I’m surprised they didn’t have to carry you guys off the stage on stretchers!” That got a laugh and started everyone talking. Malcolm looked over at me and said, “Hey! We saw Barry right after we saw you last December!” Which turned into a long conversation about Barry’s chosen profession and the book he wrote which mentions the band.
My husband was wearing a T-shirt from our favorite vacation place in Florida and as soon as Brian saw it, he yelled, “That’s where I live!” Then he pointed at his eye and said he had just gotten a shiner down there in a local pub. Apparently no one in the press had gotten a hold of that story. Then he quickly grabbed John and told him that they both needed a drink. Angus and Malcolm were now strictly teetotalers, but Brian traveled with his own bar.
For the next hour, we got to hang out with the band. Angus and I ended up on a couch, comparing how small his hands were to mine. We both have extremely little fingers and he laughed when he told me that’s why he plays Gibson SGs. They have the only guitar neck that Angus can get his hands around! After enjoying a great visit, we said our farewells and they vowed to somehow track down Barry’s phone number or address for me.
A few days later, I wrote Barry a long letter and mailed it off to the last address I had for him in California. When that letter came back to me, I put it in a new envelope and mailed it off to the last place he lived in England. A few weeks later, that came back undeliverable as well. It made me sad and I was starting to feel as if I wasn’t meant to find Barry after all, so I ripped the letter up and threw it away.
The very same night, I was sitting on the couch flipping through the channels when I heard someone say the words “AC/DC.” That usually makes me stop and listen, so I flipped back and right in front of me on TV was Barry Taylor! He was on the Christian channel’s 700 Club, talking about giving up rock ‘n’ roll to follow religion. Just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating, I put a videotape in, and recorded the rest of the show. The next day I called the 700 Club and left a detailed message for Barry. Just a few days later, Reverend Taylor called me back directly.
It had been 10 years since we last spoke. I couldn’t believe he was really on the other end of the phone! When I told him about seeing AC/DC twice in the last six months, we laughed about how they didn’t appreciate his mentioning them in his book.
Barry and his wife Cathy were running their own church in the mountains of California. He hadn’t completely turned his back on rock ‘n’ roll. Barry, a guitarist himself, had formed his own church band, and much of his services were celebrated with music. He had also been traveling the world spreading God’s word, particularly in the Soviet Union and Germany during the time the Berlin Wall came down.
Ironically, Barry had just traveled through New Zealand where he saw Phil Rudd. I was flattered when Barry told me that he and Phil had just been talking about me. You know what I said about a small world! Both of us were happy to be able to keep in touch with the band when they were out on tour. We both promised to stay in touch with each other, but wouldn’t talk again for another 10 years!
AC/DC played 12 more dates in the U.S. before heading over to Europe. They performed in front of 72,500 fans at Castle Donington at the first of seven European rock festivals on August 17. Appearing along with Queensrÿche, The Black Crowes, Mötley Crüe, and Metallica, the tour covered dates in Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium. Headlining the Monsters Of Rock for an unprecedented third time, the Donington stage had required 250 tons of steel, 250 tons of production equipment, and 34 trucks to move it around…Not to mention the 116 crew members it took just to attend to AC/DC.
David Mallet captured the event, using 22 cameras. Comfortable filming with Mallet, Malcolm told Metal CD, “We never used to like making videos, but since we met David Mallet, making them has become a lot easier and we actually enjoy watching ourselves at the end of it.”
The European tour ended with the biggest concert AC/DC has ever performed. On September 28, 1991, the band was scheduled to play a free show for the youth of Russia at the Tushino Airfield, just outside Moscow. The event was staged as a gift to the younger generation for their resistance against a recent failed military coup. It was called a “Celebration Of Democracy And Freedom.” Half a million were expected, but an estimated one million showed up. AC/DC were invited due to the high demand for their music, which up until then could only be purchased on the Russian black market. The concert was also filmed by Wayne Isham for a possible live album.
Even though it was a bright sunny day, the promoters were concerned about the weather. With one million people gathered in one place, the last thing they wanted was to be rained out. That’s when the Russian government used the latest in technology. Tour manager Mike Andy remembers that he was told by the government that they would make certain there would be no rain. He explained, “Moscow has weather similar to the northwest, very rainy, like Seattle. Well, thank God we don’t have hundreds of troops marching around Seattle like they do in Red Square. After telling us it wouldn’t rain, the Russian government promptly ordered fighter jets to ‘seed’ the clouds above Tushino Airfield, guaranteeing no rain for at least six to eight hours. Something they commonly did so their troops wouldn’t get rained on. That night it didn’t pour until less than an hour after the show was over.”
With one million Russian rockers let loose to party, things went along peacefully until the band pulled out the cannons in “For Those About To Rock.” Angus said, “When the military heard the cannons, they really freaked. You saw their mouths drop. You almost heard them say, ‘We’ve been tricked! It’s a dirty imperialist trick!’”
While on stage, Brian stated, “Opera and ballet did not cut the ice in the Cold War years. They used to exchange opera and ballet companies and circuses, but it takes rock ‘n’ roll to make no more Cold War.” Unfortunately, the day would not go by without some sadness, when a member of the production crew suffered a fatal heart attack.
Back in the States, Newsweek wrote, “Just what are the East Germans who flock across the crumbled Berlin Wall spending their money on? While champagne and fresh fruit were once hot items, recorded music is becoming the purchase of choice. Business in West Berlin record shops is up 300 percent. Wagner and the ‘Ring’ Cycle? Otto Klemperer and Beethoven? No. The top sellers: AC/DC and the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.”
AC/DC played in France, Luxembourg, and Spain before flying Down Under for 15 dates…the last two nights in New Zealand. And guess who they ran in to? Since leaving the band in 1983, Phil had retired to New Zealand where he started his own helicopter charter service. When he saw the band again, Phil asked Angus and Malcolm, “Well, are you going to give me another go, or what?” Which set into motion one more member change for AC/DC.
By December of 1991, AC/DC had played 70 shows in the past year—half of the concerts being sold out—and grossed over 17 million dollars. Another sign that you didn’t have to be a metal head to be an AC/DC fan, the Atlanta Falcons officially changed their team uniforms to the original color of black and declared “Back In Black” their new theme song.
Further accolades came with a Grammy nomination for The Razors Edge in the hard rock category. Plus the RIAA certified sales of three million for the album on March 2.
Not to be left out of the sampling craze of the early Nineties, the band filed suit against SBK Records and Vanilla Ice for illegal sampling use of “Rags To Riches” for Ice’s Extremely Live album.
The first live album since If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) featuring Brian Johnson was released on October 29, 1992. Eloquently titled, Live included songs recorded during their 1990 to 1991 world tour and was produced by Bruce Fairbairn. The album was issued in four different formats including a 14-song single CD, a 23-song single cassette, a specially packaged 23-song double CD, and an 18-song laser disc.
Live included the tracks “Thunderstruck,” “Shoot To Thrill,” “Back In Black,” “Sin City,” “Who Made Who,” “Heatseeker,” “Fire Your Guns,” “Jailbreak,” “The Jack,” “The Razors Edge,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” “Moneytalks,” “Hells Bells,” “Are You Ready,” “That’s The Way I Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll,” “High Voltage,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Whole Lotta Rosie,” “Let There Be Rock,” “Bonny,” “Highway To Hell,” “T.N.T.,” and “For Those About To Rock, We Salute You.”
Commenting on Live, Angus said, “We wanted to capture it before the hair and teeth drop down. We didn’t want to be on life support systems… The album really is more for the AC/DC collector. When you’re talking to them at the shows, it’s always the first thing—‘When are you guys going to do another live album?’ Probably the most-asked question of anyone in the band is, ‘When are we going to get another live dose?’ But we wanted to wait until Brian had a lot of studio albums under his belt, so he’s got a fair shake.”
Angus also told Rolling Stone, “Live is like ordering whiskey. It’s gonna go right down the gullet. We’re just a good-time rock ‘n’ roll band—nothing more, nothing less.”
“Highway To Hell” from Live reached Number 14 in the U.K. a week after the band performed it live on Top Of The Pops. The song would also be nominated for a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.
AC/DC was then featured on ABC TV’s In Concert “Halloween Jam At Universal Studios” with Ozzy Osbourne, The Black Crowes, En Vogue, and Slaughter. By November, the album had risen to Number Five in the U.K. and Number 15 in the U.S. A limited-release titled Live: Special Collector’s Edition debuted at Number 34 in the U.S.
Malcolm told Metal CD in 1992, “Everyone said right from the start that AC/DC are a live band and that the studio records never matched us live. After If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) and Bon’s death, the question was always there about when we would do another live album. We wanted to wait until we had enough live material with Brian to give him a fair shot, so he wasn’t just up there singing old Bon songs. The album has all the best AC/DC songs on it from both eras of the band, and some of the old stuff, like ‘Whole Lotta Rosie,’ still has a real kick to it.”
The Live album, using numbers from 153 shows performed across 21 countries, brilliantly brought their onstage energy home to the fans. As Ian Fletcher wrote in Classic Rock special in 2005, “The critical and commercial pull of AC/DC’s studio albums may fluctuate these days, but live they’ve always been unstoppable. And on Live, they prove that once again.”
At the end of the year, the live footage shot on high-quality 35-millimeter film in England at the Monsters Of Rock was released, titled AC/DC Live At Donington. The decade had barely gotten under way and AC/DC had wiped the floor clean with their toughest critics, turning them from future metal dinosaurs into bona fide rock ‘n’ roll icons. Soon, AC/DC would surpass even that, with a little help from a couple of animated headbangers named Beavis and Butt-Head.