AC/DC, Alex's Take

Before I get into the concert, I really want to thank all of you who responded to my love/hate relationship with CT scans. It means so much to me that you took the time to give me encouragement. I know it sounds silly to get all worked up over something so simple as this, but I guess it's what it represents that bothers me, in addition to the physical side of the IV stuff. Jen, I've tried those little hand warmers, but the problem is, we never know where to put them. I'd have to have about 20 of them up and down each arm. BUT, the phlebotomist at my oncologist's office can always get a vein in one particular place and she brings me one as soon as I sign in. The only thing is that I'm not supposed to let anyone else use that vein for anything. And Melanie...thank you so much for your comment. It truly means the world to me. The scan went okay yesterday, but I really got sick during the afternoon at school, before I even started drinking the contrast. I think part of it was nerves and apprehension, and part of it was the metrol prep I have to take because I'm allergic to the dye they put into the IV. Anyway, I got through it with minimal discomfort, thank goodness.

Now for the concert!

I thought I would just interview Alex and he could give you his thoughts.

So Alex, what kind of souvenirs did you purchase before the concert?
I got two AC/DC tour t-shirts, an Angus Young school boy tie, light-up devil horns, and a program, for a total cost of $135, but don't tell my mother that. By the way, I spent my own money.


Anything special you want to tell us about the tie?
Well, I don't have the talent of tying a Windsor knot, and asking my aunt, uncle, and cousin proved to be fruitless. But luck was on my side that night as a Cleveland police officer was standing next to the souvenir booth. I approached him and casually asked him, "Can you tie a tie?" He said, "Sure, but I'm left-handed, but I'll give it a shot." I was grateful that he tied the tie, but it wasn't done perfectly...it was rather loose and abstract, but it was okay.

Where were your seats for the concert?
We sat in Row 5, seats 11-14. Facing the stage, this was on the right side of the runway that ran into the middle of the crowd. I was ten seats away from the runway.

My cousin Holly and me.

My Uncle Tim and Aunt Patty.

What did you think of the AC/DC opening?
Beforehand, I knew there was a video about a train. The video was rather exciting and entertaining, depicting the band on a train with two women on board and as Angus began to hit on them, they attempted to punch him. The women tied up Angus in a corner, then they broke the emergency brake, and jumped off the train. As it picked up speed, Angus was able to untie himself, pick up his guitar, hang out the door, and then the video screen split open with sparks and smoke, and a real train came crashing through. I thought it was AWESOME!

What was your initial impression of seeing the band you adore for the first time in real life?
The first thing I noticed was how short they all were. I know from all my research that they are not known for their height, seeing that the tallest member is only about 6 feet tall. I also took note of how old they looked. As butterflies were fluttering in my stomach, there was a permanent smile plastered on my face. About 30 seconds into "Rock n Roll Train," their opening song, I noticed that the amount of energy they appeared to have has not lessened over the past several decades. (I've watched DVDs with old footage of them.) I was very impressed with that.

What were the special effects like?
The train had devil horns on the front and I thought that was quite creative. As the train would spit fire, you could feel the heat coming right out into the crowd. During the song "Whole Lotta Rosie," they had, what Brian Johnson (the lead singer) called his "favorite girlfriend," a huge inflatable busty woman.

Their Hell's Bell lowered from the ceiling. Of course I had noticed that when we first got into the arena.

During "Let There Be Rock" Angus played his guitar while walking out the runway to the very end where he stood on a portion of the stage that slowly rose above the crowd. He had a lot of energy up there, as he did his solo on his side, spinning around on his back, like a madman.

For their first encore song "Highway to Hell" a small area on the front of the stage shot up smoke and flames and we could hear Angus playing his guitar. After the smoke cleared, Angus rose up from beneath the stage as if he were rising up out of hell, with his devil horns on.

For their final encore "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" they had six cannons, three on each side of the stage. They went off at different times throughout the song and left the place filled with smoke and loud booms.

How was the crowd?
There were over 20,000 people there, most of them in the 40-55 year old age bracket. There were a lot of young people there too and everyone really got into the show. No one around us sat down during the entire show.

What was your favorite thing about the show?
The opening was my favorite, because it built up a lot of anticipation and for me, high blood pressure because I'd been looking forward to this for so long.

Was the concert worth the cost of the ticket?
Indeed!

Was there anything you wanted to see, but they didn't perform?
Yeah, their older songs, both by Bon Scott and Brian Johnson. Maybe they're trying to appeal more to the younger generation by doing their most recent songs.

Did anything about the concert surprise you?
Not really, because I've read all about the concert and seen so many DVDs, and I knew what to expect.

So what's the story about Angus Young and the schoolboy outfit?
In the beginning of their career, all of the members were dressed in different costumes. He chose his schoolboy outfit because his older sister Margaret suggested it since he had dropped out of high school and he was still a little schoolboy to her. He's been wearing it ever since.

When we dropped off my cousin Holly at her place, she just had to put her devil horns on her cat Jasper. He really loved them. Can't you tell?

So there you have it...I know I've talked about this a lot here, but I was so happy for Alex, that he was able to do something that he has wanted to do for several years. And it was something that he was able to share with his cousin, aunt and uncle. There was a four ticket limit, and Ted was "the first alternate" but no one opted out. That's okay though...Alex is very close to Tim, Patty, and Holly, and it's only fitting that he would get to experience something like this with them, if he couldn't experience it with us.