The mania and madness for AC/DC is an unexplainable phenomenon panels of pop
culture experts should be discussing. They are without pretension, without restraint.
Ever hear a sappy AC/DC love ballad? Of course not, it doesn’t exist.
AC/DC is a cockroach that refuses to die. OK, that’s not entirely true.
Bon Scott, their original lead singer, didn’t quite make it, but his death
inspired the band to hit back and become even bigger. There’s no better
proof of that than on No Bull: The Directors Cut, shot live
in 1996 at the famous Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas bullring in Madrid, Spain,
and refurbished for DVD and Blu-ray. It is AC/DC at their boldest, loudest and
mightiest.
Touring in support of 1995’s Ballbreaker, a well-received
return to the classic AC/DC sound produced by Rick Rubin, the group came out
swinging on a tour that not only included guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young,
singer Brian Johnson and bassist Cliff Williams — but the return of drummer
Phil Rudd, who’d played with AC/DC from 1975 through 1983, and considered
vital to the group’s pure and simple chemistry. On No Bull,
that chemistry takes hold as the band kicks into gear the minute the wrecking
ball (literally) knocks down a wall.
“Back In Black” shutters ‘em as Johnson barks out the words
and Angus skips across the stage like the naughty, vicious school boy he’s
made out to be. Malcolm, Williams and Rudd stick to their stations, and let
Angus do the mingling — dashing from one side of the giant stage to the
other, up and down stairways, on his back cradling his precious Gibson SG, running
in circles, in a cage brandishing devil’s horns, on fire, his head bopping up
and down like a rabid dog. One hard rock anthem after another — “Thunderstruck,”
“Shoot To Thrill,” “Hell’s Bells,” “You
Shook Me All Night” and “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)”
— gets the live treatment at a rapid-fire pace that never takes a rest.
Of course, hearing the half-dozen Bon Scott tunes — “Girls Got
Rhythm,” “Dirty Deeds Done Cheap,” “Whole Lotta Rosie,”
“T.N.T.,” “Let There Be Rock” and “Highway To
Hell” — shows what a class act AC/DC is, paying tribute to a fallen
brother. The title track from Ballbreaker and “Boogie
Man,” a bluesy number featuring an amusing strip tease from Angus Young,
make for decent filler, but they don’t really live up to the band’s
range of “hits” from the 70s and 80s. Those are the ones that get
the ball rolling, so to speak, making the two hours of high definition gloss
and 5.1 Surround sound a joyous feast for the eyes and ears. Add in some killer
live clips from Sweden and Florida, a selection of “Angus-cam” tracks
(you figure it out), and you can see that No Bull: The Directors Cut
is a non-stop party no matador can subdue. Your neighbors will love you for
it. Especially if you turn it up.
~ Shawn Perry
