Black Ice World Tour

Black Ice World Tour was a 2008–2010 concert tour by Australian rock band AC/DC in support of the group's 15th studio album, Black Ice, which was released in October 2008.^[2]

Background

Overview

The tour was the band's first since the Stiff Upper Lip World Tour in 2000 and 2001.^[3] It was the last tour with founding member and rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, who left the band in September 2014 due to ill health and it was also the last tour with longtime drummer Phil Rudd who was charged in November 2014 for hiring a hitman to murder someone and possession of drugs. They were replaced by Stevie Young and Chris Slade respectively. This was also the last full tour to feature longtime lead vocalist Brian Johnson as he left the band halfway during the Rock or Bust World Tour due to hearing problems and was replaced by Axl Rose.

The jaunt began in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States in late October 2008. By spring 2010, the tour had reached North America, Europe, South America, Oceania and Asia.

The three concerts at River Plate were filmed and recorded, and were later released on DVD and Blu-ray Disk. The outdoor concerts outside of USA also had the red Angus Young Devil hats on the stage set.

The tour ended up being the most successful by AC/DC, grossing roughly $441.1 million, making it the fourth highest-grossing concert tour of all-time.

History

The tour began with a North American leg, kicking off in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in late October and continuing until late December.^[4] The initial leg was met with unprecedented demand, with 18 record sell-outs across the continent.^[5] A second North American leg commenced in January 2009, ultimately culminating later in the month in Nashville, Tennessee.^[6]

In February 2009, the group began their first round of European shows, beginning in Oslo and wrapping up in Birmingham, U.K. in April.^[7] One of two dates scheduled in Antwerp, Belgium was cancelled after lead singer Brian Johnson fell ill.^[8] On 29 March, the concert in Zürich, Switzerland was postponed due to undisclosed "technical difficulties"^[9] and was rescheduled for 6 April.^[10]

In May 2009, the band commenced a second European leg, with all shows taking place in outdoor stadiums and venues, beginning in Leipzig, Germany and ended the following month in Glasgow, U.K.^[11]

In July 2009, the band started a third leg of North America, playing a mixture of outdoor and indoor venues.^[12] The tour reached many Canadian markets that had been missed on the previous two legs.^[13] A fourth leg, which included dates in Mexico and Puerto Rico, followed in October and November.^[14] The initial six dates on the leg were postponed after Johnson underwent a medical procedure which subsequently required rest.^[15] Five of these shows were ultimately rescheduled for spring 2010; one date to be held in Phoenix, Arizona was cancelled due to a "scheduling conflict".

In November and December 2009, the band headed to South America, playing shows in Brazil and Argentina.^[16] The concerts in Buenos Aires were filmed for the DVD Live at River Plate, to be released on 10 May 2011.^[17] Footage from the recordings were also used in the music video for "Shoot to Thrill", which is featured on the Iron Man 2 soundtrack, along with another video with footage and audio from the Buenos Aires shows of "Highway to Hell" which is also featured in the Iron Man 2 soundtrack. Earlier in November, it was falsely reported that a group of fans had issued a complaint to the band, criticising the setlist, when in turn it was merely a request for a mix up of the current touring setlist.^[18][19]

In January 2010, the group began a round of dates in New Zealand,^[20] subsequently reaching their native Australia in February.^[21] The Australian shows were the fastest selling concerts in the history of the country, with extra dates added in most markets due to demand.^[22] In early February, Johnson responded to the internet fans who had asked for a setlist change, saying "Fuck them", and that the stage show was too complicated for them to change songs easily.^[23] Following the Australian tour, which ended in Perth, Western Australia, the group played three shows in Japan.

On the Oceania tour leg from 28 January 2010 – 8 March 2010, "High Voltage" was played in tribute to Bon Scott around the 30th anniversary of his death. During the performances, Bon Scott appeared on the screen during the chorus.

In April 2010, the band returned to the U.S. to play the five shows which were rescheduled from October 2009. Later in the month, Iron Man 2—the soundtrack to the film of the same name—was released. The soundtrack compiled a host of the group's hits and lesser-known songs from early to recent years, and debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 album chart.

In May 2010, the band commenced a third leg of Europe, which included an appearance at the Download Festival in the U.K. At a concert held in Oslo in late May, the group were forced to cut their setlist short due to the local curfew after an aircraft malfunction caused a delay to the band's arrival. "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" was omitted from the group's setlist for the first time since 30 July 2003.^[24] The tour wrapped up in Bilbao, Spain at Estadio San Mamés in late June.

The tour won the "Major Tour of the Year" award at the 2009 Pollstar Concert Industry Awards.^[25] The tour was also nominated in the "Top Tour" and "Top Draw" categories at the 2009 Billboard Touring Awards.^[26] According to Billboard, the tour "has clearly tapped into a demand for AC/DC, resulting from the band's eight-year absence from touring, and takes its place as one of the band's most successful tours."^[27]

By the tour's culmination, the group had played over 160 shows to approximately 4.9 million people. The tour was one of the highest grossing concert tours in history, grossing $441.6 million, third behind The Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang Tour, which grossed $558.3 million in the mid-2000s, and U2's 360° Tour, which grossed $736.1 million in 2011. It dropped down to fourth place after Roger Waters' The Wall Live tour when the latter ended in 2013.

Personnel

AC/DC

• Brian Johnson – lead vocals
• Angus Young – lead guitar
• Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, background vocals
• Cliff Williams – bass, background vocals
• Phil Rudd – drums

Tour dates

Festivals and other miscellaneous performances

^A This concert was a part of "Download Festival"

Cancellations and rescheduled shows

Setlist

A shot of the touring stage taken in between a three show run at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia on 14 February 2010.

1. "Rock 'N Roll Train"
2. "Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be"
3. "Back in Black"
4. "Big Jack"
5. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
6. "Shot Down in Flames" [1]
7. "Thunderstruck"
8. "Black Ice" [6]
9. "The Jack"
10. "Hells Bells"
11. "Shoot to Thrill" [2]
12. "War Machine" [6]
13. "Dog Eat Dog" [3]
14. "Anything Goes" [5]
15. "High Voltage [4]
16. "You Shook Me All Night Long"
17. "T.N.T."
18. "Whole Lotta Rosie"
19. "Let There Be Rock"
20. "Highway to Hell"
21. "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" [6]

• 1^ Played on all dates from 20 February 2009 to 28 June 2010 (excl. 30 May 2010 in Oslo).
• 2^ Omitted on 28 October 2008 in Wilkes-Barre.
• 3^ Played on all dates from 13 May 2009 to 6 December 2009.
• 4^ Played on all dates in Oceania from 28 January 2010 to 8 March 2010 in tribute to Bon Scott around the 30th anniversary of his death, and on 11 June 2010 at Donington Park during the Download Festival 2010.
• 5^ Played on all dates from 28 October 2008 to 24 October 2009.
• 6^ Omitted on 30 May 2010 in Oslo.

Other rehearsed songs for the tour

1. "Stiff Upper Lip" [1]
2. "Hard as a Rock" [1]
3. "Bad Boy Boogie" [1]

• 1^ Not played live during the tour.

Support acts

See also

• List of highest grossing concert tours

References