the greatest band to walk the earth

Last Monday I had the privilege...nay, the honor...of catching AC/DC in concert last Monday along with about 20,000 other people at Saint Paul's Xcel Energy Center. This was--and will most likely remain--the best concert experience I've ever had. To say it was incredible is nowhere near describing this event. To say it was loud is not even close to the decibel level of the audience and, of course, the five guys on stage. I can't even imagine what kind of show could possibly dethrone this one from the top of the proverbial podium...and it was just up the road from me.

(Quick note before you scroll down: click on the pictures to get some more detail. Blogger shrinks these things down so much that you can't see the little things which, in most cases, are the best part of my poorly-composed attempts at photography.)

Let there be a stage.
















Let there be lights!
















Let there be rock!
















And the Gods of Rock saw that it was good.

How about this one: let there be a life-size locomotive that spits fire and smoke (sometimes alongside cannons and fireworks) at timed moments during the show.

Let there also be an enormous blow-up doll (with...uh..."endowments") for the song, Whole Lotta Rosie. Due to some roadies pulling tethers underneath her she also had a...shall we say..."relationship" with the band's engine. I mean look how big she is compared to the band. How they inflated and deflated this thing so quickly I will never understand.

And through it all, there was Angus Young. I heard his guitar riffs reverberate (literally) through the house courtesy of my superfan father while I was growing up and it was absolutely amazing to see this guy in action. He could be flashy if he wanted to but, instead, he was just ferocious...and that wins every time.

During his 7-minute guitar solo, he ran out to the circular lift at the end of the runway and soloed in the air for a few minutes. I love this photo (aside from the smudges on the lens) because you can see him almost as clearly in the jumbo-tron in the background.

The gods of rock smiled. And at $90 a ticket it was totally worth it.