They warm up the engines (and sell tickets) Guns n’ Roses, Metallica, Rammstein, Iron Maiden… But not all giants have an urgent need to hit the road, and the most notorious example is AC/DC. When the Australians released their latest album ‘Power up’ in November 2020, we were in an epidemic up to our eyebrows and the good news was that a beam of light lit up in the sky: “Is this tours in general or yours in particular?” I asked myself with that innocence.
For a lifetime (i.e. since 1981) I called Gay Mercader, the organizer of his concerts in Spain, and he spoiled the party for me. “Calm down it’s okay. Their album release has nothing to do with it being a tour. Don’t be impatient”. Clear, Since when does AC/DC rely on an album to fill ‘arenas’ and stadiums? It would have more to do with Sony Music’s logic if they greenlit the album, but they’re in no position to launch their complex and expensive setup until everything is tied together and well connected.
If the big ’rounds’ start to wake up in 2022 and covid is still lurking, this 2023 will be one of the big avalanches: there is urgency among supporters and a backlog of appetites in the public, with some cases reaching the limit of concern. reflects the extraordinary rise of concert prices and above all the ‘vip’, ‘platinum’ or ‘golden circle’ bands. Categories to which AC/DC historically belong, resisted for ethical reasons and watch out for the worker lineage. in a scenario with a certain saturation of stages and pockets and economic fog While still hovering on the near horizon, there is no rush at Angus Young and corporate headquarters.
They know (for the first time since 2016) that when the day comes to announce the ‘tour’, venues will fly and it won’t matter much when they release their latest album. Whether we are in 2024 or 2025, the name of the campaign can be ‘Give strength’, whatever it is, it can be another slogan. 50th anniversary tour for her debut album ‘High Voltage’ (1975)? There is speculation about this variant, but Gay reminds me that Registering with the ephemeris herd is incompatible with AC/DC. They never have.
And after all, it’s very rock’n’roll to see a band of that caliber operating of their own free will, unaffected by what others do or the stress of their live music work experience. Blessed self-righteousness.