I’ve had some pretty magical moments in the City of Angels throughout my life, but traveling to see AC/DC take over Dodger Stadium alongside my 13-year-old brother was the most transformative yet.
Up until this rockin’ family vacay, my relationship with Los Angeles has been strictly monogamous. I flew solo my first time there to see Black Sabbath perform at the Hollywood Bowl during their final tour. It’s one of my favorite concert memories because I ended up scoring a third row seat directly in front of the riff god of heavy metal himself, Tony Iommi. My next trip to L.A. gave me a taste of the local music scene when I saw Lynette Skynyrd, an all-female Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band, play at the world famous Whisky a Go Go. I lived the roadie life my third time out west when my Italian friend’s band played their first ever live show in the United States at a cozy little bar in Santa Monica. Finally, just this year I returned to the Whisky to see one of my heroes, Robby Krieger of The Doors, celebrate the legacy of my favorite band on the stage that started it all.
Each of these experiences was fulfilling in their own right, as I learned new things about myself and what I really love to do: travel and expose myself to live music culture in new places. However, I’ve always felt a hint of emptiness when I’ve travelled alone; a sense of loneliness because I wasn’t sharing these moments with my family. Although I’ve enjoyed my independent adventures thus far, sharing this one with my little brother was one of the best experiences I could have ever asked for. We’ve been through hell and back together, and despite our 10 year age difference, we are closer than we ever could be. Growing up was difficult and confusing for both of us, but it made us all the more in tune with each other. We were lucky to have an amazingly strong-willed mother to help us make sense of it all, and I’m forever grateful that I had such a cool little friend by my side all that time.
Luke and I LOVE to have fun and goof off. We are always laughing and crave excitement. Our trip to L.A. was our first vacation together and I must say we out-did ourselves. We spent a day at Universal Studios soaking up everything ‘Simpsons’ and rode every movie themed thrill ride you can imagine. We went on a silly hamburger tour that included all the fast food establishments we’ve never tried before: In-N-Out Burger, Carl’s Jr., Jack in the Box and our favorite, Krusty Burger, located inside Universal’s very own miniature Springfield. Needless to say we didn’t feel all that great when we came home. Then in an instant, the night Luke and I were waiting for finally arrived — we were about to see AC/DC live at Dodger Stadium! I dreamt it up as the perfect first concert for my brother, who was just starting to come to terms with his own rocker spirit, just as I was when I was his age. One thing is for sure, AC/DC is a much cooler first concert than the tie-rocking, Sk8er Boi singer Avril Lavigne. (mine)
I’ve always vowed that if I was ever granted the chance to see AC/DC live I’d go crazy and end up throwing my bra up on stage or something wild like that. Out of all the rock bands in the world, I believe they deserve that the most. Unfortunately, I was standing next to my brother the whole time so I had to keep things PG-13. The baseball aroma and flawless weather that filled Dodger Stadium had me reminiscing about the Twins opener at Target Field, but with many more pot clouds floating about. There was an over-capacity of weirdos at this concert, some of them rude and self-righteous, especially the van full of middle aged, juiced up douchebags who wouldn’t let us into the lane that led into the stadium’s horribly designed parking lot. However, once we were inside it didn’t take long for us to spot those hardcore fans just there to lose themselves completely in the music. The best rockers we met were the 8-year-old twin brothers seated in front of us. They were head-banging their California blonde locks so hard it was as if they snorted a dozen pixie sticks. They were mimicking Angus Young’s every move, down to his classic skip dance and what seemed like “this may be my last breath” facial expressions.
I definitely found myself missing Phil Rudd and Malcolm Young during this show. It would have been so cool to seem them all vibe together up on stage. Thankfully, the drummer rocked, and Malcolm’s nephew rocked the rhythm guitar with a powerful and eye-catching energy, most noticeably during Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Brian Johnson showed off his crazy eyes every time he hit the microphone, effortlessly playing out the AC/DC concert fantasy I’d been dreaming of. At one point my brother leaned over to me and asked if he was going to fall over and die, probably due to the straining look plastered on his face as he sang his famously high notes. Angus was horrifying in best description possible of the word. He was running all around the stage; already dripping in sweat by the second song of the night: Shoot to Thrill. His signature step proved he has the strongest, most beautiful calves I’ve ever seen. He is nothing short of a beast, and it was so cool to see the legend live in the flesh. The whole experience was impressive as hell.
When describing AC/DC’s ballsy performance, I have to use the Italian expression: “che violenza” — a phrase used frequently in the Motherland to praise badass behavior. I really loved not having to worry about a slow down during this concert, even though my brother thought they deserved a much longer break than the 15 seconds they took in-between songs. There were no downer moments, so the energy of the show remained upbeat and fun. They played every song you think of when you think AC/DC, but my favorite had to be the one they saved for last that was accompanied by an insanely wicked fire show: For Those About to Rock. Hells Bells was the heaviest performance of the night — fully brought to life with a giant bell ringing and swinging over the crowd. Whole Lotta Rosie was the most fun song to dance to, and the big blow up “Rosie” doll they had floating over the stage made Luke laugh hysterically. I loved being able to be my crazy hair-shaking self in front of my brother: the one guy who already knows how weird I am and loves me for it. Maybe…
Our trip to L.A. was an experience Luke and I will remember for the rest of our lives. Though I sometimes still get lost in heartache from our difficult childhood, I know that through everything, I will always have my little man.
