AC/DC // Ignite The Dublin Skyline – The PWR ⚡️Up Tour – Live Review – With The Pretty Reckless // Croke Park // Dublin
Road Trip!!! A sunny Saturday afternoon North of the border, I am watching the clock, tick-tock waiting for 4pm and one mega road trip to Dublin and Croke Park to see the only AC/DC wrap up their PWR UP Tour! Coffee check! Munchies check! Fuel check! Let’s do this!
Belfast to Dublin is straightforward these days around 90 minutes at legal speeds and the traffic is fine with 80,000-odd people descending on Croke Park. Now it’s a different story the closer you get to Croke as the hordes of people fill the streets, it’s quite a sight, Dublin in full flow, the charismatic traders selling their goods, food, drink, T-Shirts and Hats, local residents are even getting in on the act selling water from their front doors, Dublin is an unique as it gets—a multicultural, multifaceted city unlike any other. I’ve parked a decent dander from the venue and as we get closer the sheer volume of people attending starts to become a reality, 80,000 people all weaving their way around the residential streets of Dublin navigating their way to the entrance stalls is quite a sight.
We arrive at 6:30 to hear The Pretty Reckless take to the stage, as we make our way to our seats the where scale of Croke opens up and takes your breath away. We caught Taylor Momsen (aka Batgirl, if ya know, ya know) and Co. At The Ulster Hall a few years back, it was one of the craziest gigs I’ve ever attended, The Pretty Reckless have some hardcore fans, to say the least! They rocked The Ulster Hall then so I fully expect them to rock Croke too! And I am not wrong, Taylor orchestrates the Dublin audience like her own, I was curious to see how the DC fanbase would take to TPR but it seems the party is starting early! Admittedly they got the stage 30 minutes before the advertised time from the public notice sent out last week so that may have caught Dublin unaware! Not an issue, as the set rolls by you can see the stadium fill and the roars of approval get louder and louder as Taylor commands and demands more time and time again. Her voice powers out over the stadium bellowing out their huge anthemic choruses over and over, as they close off their set and their time with AC/DC with ‘Take Me Out’ Dublin simply can’t get enough!
The short break allows us to take in the sights, you can see red horns as far as the eye can see, there’s a troupe of Angus wannabes in red school uniforms traipsing around with air guitars 🎸 that catch the eye, around 80,000 AC/DC T-Shirts and one big ass happy Irish crowd awaiting the arrival of their rock heroes on stage.
8:15 sharp the screens announce the arrival of the band with a revving car engine and the crowd goes wild! The band hits the stage and Angus lands with his Emerald Green School Uniform to the Dublin crowd’s delight and Brian Johnson in his signature black jeans and T! By the end of the set opener, I am deafened by the roar of the Dublin faithful! Then it’s right into the classics with ‘Back In Black’ and the old school fans go wild! That’s really what every childhood fan wants to hear, those songs that are engrained in our DNA 🧬 having grown up listening to these songs over the years, through actual albums purchased, then CD’s for that digital clarity and now via downloads and streaming services they’ve been carried with us through the years, the tv programmes, the movie soundtracks, the tv adverts and game consoles who have introduced these bands to new generations! You just can’t beat it! But live is where it’s at, feeling the air move from that gargantuan PA system is a thing of pure beauty, Angus is old school with a wall of Marshall’s behind him as he has always done over the years, it’s an iconic look, as much as his stage uniform, Gibson SG and presence the visuals drive home the beauty of rock and that classic Plexi sound his is so well known for. As the iconic and blistering opening of ‘Thunderstruck’ rings out, those hammer on’s and pull offs Dublin is freaking out! Hearing all these sounds live in the flesh is just glorious!
As the light over Dublin fades Croke Park really comes to life, AC/DC’s stage is huge! Two large screens either side and a tower of lights in the middle of the arena mirrors what’s going on via the stage, the runways are all lit up with edge lighting and as the PWR UP vibe it’s heavy with red, the volume of red flashing horns which are visible as far as the eye can see is crazy, there are no shortage of bangers to play to appease the Dublin crowd, ‘Hell’s Bells’ and ‘Highway To Hell’ has Croke Park rocking its little socks off! Angus by now has his jacket off and is rocking his own horns, the arena lit up in orange as the flames on the digital screens light up the audience and the PA shakes the foundations to its core.
It’s a weird and wonderful thing watching grown men and women loose their minds at a gig, lifelong fans of the band, super fans all living their best lives for one night only playing every riff of bangers like ‘Dirty Deeds, Done Dirty Cheap!’ As Croke Park is lit up in a plethora of colours the atmosphere is electric ⚡️ by the time ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ is played the Dublin night sky is pitch black and the stadium has a life all its own, Angus’ iconic riffs and solos along with Brian Johnson’s sublime vocals have Dublin in fine voice singing along! That’s quickly followed by ‘A Whole Lotta Rosie’and Dublin is pushed over the edge! We canny take anymore !!! Angus treats the Dublin fans to a long blistering guitar solo allowing time for everyone to give him their seal of approval as it builds to a crescendo, Angus is on a raised platform which comes out of the runway and ticker-tape is being shot into the air out of canon’s and the place erupts! We all sadly know that this signalling we are heading towards the final treat of the night and ‘TNT’ before we are engulfed in fireworks as Dublin’s skyline is lit up like a Christmas tree! As the hordes of fans spill out onto a cool Dublin night, the very same traders who were there at the start of the night are still there fighting the good fight, you can see the smiles far and wide as every street around the surrounding area is packed with cars ready to pick up the party goers and hear the stories of how the night unfolded.
It’s all very simple, one stunning soundtrack, one iconic band, one glorious venue, one magical city = one unforgettable night.
Photography: Steve Dempsey @ Down The Barrel Photography
