AC/DC goes through the motions at Thomas & Mack

Geoff Carter

Friday, Sept. 15, 2000 | 4:59 a.m.

Whenever I see a band that's been trucking around for a while, I worry. Especially if it's a band I'm fond of, like the Rolling Stones. The thought hits you as you make your inebriated way towards the Enormo-Dome entrance: What if these guys suck out loud?

Until last night's AC/DC show at the Thomas & Mack center, the score was tied. The Stones and James Brown were just fine; Page/Plant and Eric Clapton were not. AC/DC, unfortunately, pushed the pendulum toward the suck side. Now I'll be afraid to see any other rockers over 40.

The 27-year-old band wasn't awful per se. Guitarist Angus Young still plays a mean line through "Hell's Bells," kinda; vocalist Brian Johnson can still growl out the sex-bomb boogie of "You Shook Me All Night Long," kinda. The giant Angus statue prop still belches smoke and grows horns; those who are about to rock still salute you.

But at no point in the evening did I feel like the band had me by the short hairs. Given a choice, I would have rather listened to "Thunderstruck" and "Back in Black" at full volume in my car. AC/DC still has it, but I think they've used it too many times; too often, I got the distinct impression the band was simply going through the motions.

So the sweepstakes continues. I don't imagine AC/DC will scare me away from arena rock shows, and I still appreciate a good deal of the band's music. But I'll be that much more realistic in the future when I visit the old school. I can expect some fond reminiscences, maybe even a good dirty limerick or two from the professors -- but I won't expect to pick up anything I didn't already know.