Review: Axl and AC/DC share spotlight at The Palace
Hard rock band AC/DC tore through a two-and-a-half hour set at The Palace of Auburn Hills Friday night with guest lead vocalist Axl Rose. The Guns N' Roses front man lent his iconic, wide-ranging vocals to 24 of the Australian band's tunes, but the spotlight remained on lead guitarist Angus Young throughout the evening.
Kicking off with "Rock or Bust," the title track to the band's 17th studio album, released in 2014, AC/DC - or "Axl/DC as fans affectionately call this line up - seemed to have the crowd's instant approval. This is the tail end "Rock or Bust" tour which began in April 2015 and hit Ford Field in September 2015.
During the set's fourth song, "Back in Black," from the 1980 album of the same name, Rose's sometimes staccato vocal delivery (think "Paradise City") was classic Axl. He compliments AC/DC's hard rock style and isn't a huge departure from the tones fans are used to hearing from longtime singer Brian Johnson. It felt like a historic moment to to hear the voice that made songs like GNR's "Sweet Child O' Mine" part of rock and roll history bring new life to classic rock jams like AC/DC's "Shook Me All Night Long," "Thunderstruck" and "Hells Bells, which were all high points of Friday's concert.
Aside from asking the crowd how they were doing once, Rose hardly addressed the nearly-full Palace throughout the evening. Instead the group threatened to lose momentum each time a song ended and the arena went dark for several seconds while fans were met with silence from the band. While playing, though, energy was high, especially from Young.
The band's 61-year-old co-founder, dressed in his signature school boy uniform (Friday night it was velvet green), was constantly moving, sweating and asking the crowd for more applause.
All night long, the stage belonged to Young. There was only a modest drum riser for Chris Slade, and rhythm guitar Steve Young and bassist Cliff Williams - who provided necessary and gruff backing vocals on "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" - were never introduced nor given a spotlight. Even Rose hung back to give Young free range to parade his signature one-foot shuffle up and down the stage and catwalk.
Not to say Rose was meek, appeared out-of-place or needed an introduction. Dressed like a country grunge rocker with cowboy boots, a flannel around his waist and loads of rock and roll jewelry, he more than did the songs justice, and was amusing to watch. His distinctive snake dance and side shuffle was an added bonus to all of Young's signature moves.
During the set Rose smiled and seemed genuinely happy to be where he was. In spite of decades of stories about Rose being a diva, that alleged side of him wasn't part of his demeanor Friday night. And as Detroit fans saw in June when GNR played Ford Field alongside Slash, Rose knows how to step back and give center stage to the guitar gods he's performed with this year.
Young had every spotlight in the house on him toward the end of the set for his 15 minute guitar solo which saw him traveling to the end of the catwalk where the platform raised him up and the obligatory confetti cannons fired. Other massive stage props included an oversized inflatable burlesque-looking doll during "Whole Lotta Rosie" and a row of old-timey-looking cannons for the "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" finale.
In March of this year AC/DC canceled 10 dates - including a March 20 concert scheduled for The Palace - after doctors advised singer Brian Johnson to stop touring immediately or risk total hearing loss. Johnson released a statement saying he didn't intent to retire, and still planned to record music in recording studios in the future. Shortly after rumors started to swirl that the Guns N' Roses front man would replace Johnson. Rose was officially announced as Johnson's replacement for the Detroit date in June, just weeks before he kicked off the second leg of Guns N' Roses' "Not in This Lifetime" tour at Ford Field on June 23. That tour picks up again in late October in South America.
AC/DC has a history of not letting missing band mates slow them down. After the band's 1970s-era singer Bon Scott died after a night of too much alcohol, the group replaced him with Johnson (with Scott's parents' blessings) for the next album. When AC/DC co-founder Malcolm Young (Angus' older brother) retired in 2014 due to illness, he was replace with their nephew Stevie Young.
Texas band Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown opened Friday's concert with a 30 minute set of guitar-heavy southern rock.
AC/DC set list:
"Rock or Bust"
"Shoot to Thrill"
"Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be"
"Back in Black"
"Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder"
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
"Rock 'n' Roll Damnation"
"Thunderstruck"
"High Voltage"
"Rock 'n' Roll Train"
"Hells Bells"
"Given the Dog A Bone"
"If You Want Blood (You've Got It)"
"Live Wire"
"Sin City"
"You Shook Me All Night Long"
"Shot Down in Flames"
"Have a Drink on Me"
"T.N.T."
"Whole Lotta Rosie"
"Let There Be Rock"
Encore
"Highway to Hell"
"Riff Raff"
"For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)"
mbaetens@detroitnews.com
(313) 222-2402
Twitter: @melodybaetens