Remembering AC/DC’s ‘Live at Donington’ in a Positive Light | Blu-ray Review

Ever since AC/DC played Las Vegas this past April, I’ve been obsessed with them all over again. Reminds me of when I was just getting into them during the COVID-19 lockdowns with nothing to do, but listen to AC/DC. Ah, oh so long ago! Back then, I only had two concert films of theirs, No Bull (1996) and Stiff Upper Lip Live (2001), and those were enough for me. But then, I watched clips of lead guitarist Angus Young and vocalist Brian Johnson playing with the new version of the band on their current Power Up tour and I had this weird feeling in my stomach. It didn’t feel like I was watching the band because neither rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, bassist Cliff Williams, nor drummer Phil Rudd were there. I’ve always felt that AC/DC were more than just Angus and seeing those clips proved my point.

I kept thinking what would Mal think of the current version of the band and what would’ve happened if he were still alive today. With that in mind, I wanted to get another concert film of theirs when Mal was happy and healthy, minus the cigarettes. I didn’t want Live at River Plate (2011) because he was already showing early signs of dementia. Therefore, I went with the next best option, Live at Donington (1991), with the AC/DC drummer I love to complain about most, Chris Slade, ladies and gentlemen! All jokes aside, it’s actually a good concert because the setlist is great, Johnson’s vocals sound menacing, and the guys look so much younger compared to No Bull, which took place five years later. Enough with the intro, though, let’s get on with the music!

In my previous post, Is It Time for AC/DC to Retire?, I mentioned that Johnson sang “Thunderstruck” best during The Razors Edge (1990) era and I still stand by that statement. I mean, it makes sense since that song was only a baby when Live at Donington took place, therefore, it’s highly unlikely to mess up a song that’s only been out for a year. I love Johnson’s vocals during The Razors Edge era because it’s a good blend between the ballsy thing he had going on in the ‘80s and the bluesy thing he had going on in the 2000s. If demonic Regan from The Exorcist (1973) were a dude, that’s what Johnson sounds like in Live at Donington. The hi-hat work from Slade is a bit stiff, but vocally, that’s the best version of “Thunderstruck” ever!

I also enjoyed the performance of “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be.” I’ve heard it a million times, but that particular version stands out to me for some reason. It was a combination of the piercing guitars, Angus looking extra menacing when he does the devil horns, and the giant, inflatable devil Angus with big lips that had me sold! That was the fourth song in the setlist and Angus was already sweating up a storm. As hinted earlier in the review, besides wanting to see Mal when he was “young” and healthy, I also bought Live at Donington for the setlist because the band played some songs that they never/hardly play anymore, one of them being “Heatseeker” from Blow Up Your Video (1988). I’m not a fan of the song and personally, I would’ve chosen “Go Zone” instead, but I give them props for giving love to an album that the casual AC/DC fans don’t really care for. I feel the same about “Fire Your Guns;” I’m not a fan of it, but I think the riff is pretty good and it’s a song from The Razors Edge album, so good for them!

However, let me tell you guys something, this is the third AC/DC concert film I’ve reviewed on my blog and out of the three, Live at the Donington has the BEST Angus striptease for three reasons. One, the band plays one of my favorite Bon Scott era songs, “Jailbreak,” which is another deep cut in the band’s catalog that they never play anymore. Two, Mal’s rhythm guitar parts are absolutely bada**! Three, Angus briefly “moons” the audition with no shame whatsoever. Going back to “Jailbreak,” though, it’s a great song for Angus to do his striptease because it has that dramatic flare going on; the storyline ends with a guy getting shot in his back, so it’s supposed to be dramatic. This performance also highlights Mal and Angus’ partnership because Mal does a simple riff in the background while Angus throws in little guitar solos moments before the striptease begins. Like what any great rhythm guitarist would do, Mal was setting the foundation for the song. 

A couple of other highlights from Live at Donington are the performances of “Moneytalks” and “High Voltage.” It’s been five years since I became an AC/DC fan and for the life of me, I still have no idea why they stopped playing “Moneytalks” when The Razors Edge tour ended because it’s their most commercial and poppy song ever! The melodies are hummable and the chorus is insanely catchy. “High Voltage” is so much fun to watch and sing along to, especially with Johnson going back and forward with the audience screaming, “Give Me HIGH!!!” It was nine minutes of Johnson screaming up a storm, Angus firing away on his electric guitar, Slade pounding the skins, and Mal and Cliff getting into the groove while trying not to forget their cue to rush to their microphones on time.

Now that I’ve mentioned the good parts of the show, let’s get to the bad parts. For starters, Slade is the worst AC/DC drummer ever. He had zero groove whatsoever and sped up songs like “T.N.T.,” “Whole Lotta Rosie,” and “You Shook Me All Night Long.” He also kept trying to busy up the songs when it wasn’t necessary at all. Rudd’s style is all about simplicity and feel, which was exactly the vibe AC/DC were looking for. Keeping it simple came in handy, especially for “Let There Be Rock.” Call it repetitive, but Rudd kept a simple groove and never slowed down one bit. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about Slade. About halfway through the song, he slowed down, and fell out of sync with Mal and Cliff. It got so bad to the point where it sounded like a completely different song.

Another thing I don’t like about Live at Donington are the weird camera angles. During “The Jack,” the camera guy does a strange thing by going under the stage and showing what’s in-between Mal’s legs. He does the same thing for Cliff during “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” as part of the “Cliff Cam View” bonus feature of this release. Then, for “Whole Lotta Rosie,” the camera guy shows close-ups of Mal that make it look like he’s right underneath Rosie’s boobs. The cameramen that worked on this live release must’ve been really horny. I think one of them also had a thing for Mal because there are a lot of shots of him throughout Live at Donington, including a few sensual, slow-mo footage used for the “Mal Cam View” bonus feature of the release. Wait a minute, that’s why the cameramen wanted a “crotch” shot of Mal; they wanted to know how active he was!

Overall, I’m very happy with my Live at Donington purchase. It’s a hell of a good time and again, the boys look happy and healthy. The difference between their appearance in this release versus No Bull five years later is astonishing; less gray hair and less wrinkles. I still can’t hear Williams’ bass, unfortunately, but I’ve accepted the fact that the bass won’t be turned up all the way like it is for an Overkill show. AC/DC are a completely different beast now without Mal, Williams, and Rudd, but Live at Donington takes me back to a time where the band was in a good place; Mal recently overcame his alcohol addiction and after the lackluster sales of their mid ‘80s catalog, they made a major comeback with The Razors Edge album. I have no idea what the band’s plans are going forward, but I will continue to remember them in a positive light, thanks to Live at Donington! I give this release 4 out of 5 stars.

---

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it with your friends. I write about music, Disney, movies, shows, and mental status. If that sounds like your cup of tea, please subscribe to my blog for more content like this! To help me keep this blog going, you can either make a donation or support me through Patreon. You can also follow me on social media through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

Comment below your thoughts on AC/DC’s Live at Donington!

Take care and see ya real soon!

Lana