AC/DC reissued their 1996 "No Bull" concert DVD with a new "Director's Cut" to improve the audio and video quality. While I haven't seen the original version, I was nonetheless a bit disappointed with this updated version.
The video captures AC/DC on their massive "Ball Breaker" tour at the Plaza de Toros De Las Ventas in Madrid, Spain. And therein lies the problem. It's a large scale production with a massive inflatable Rosie, a wrecking ball and cannons, all meant to be visible in an arena for 25,000. Unfortunately, director David Mallet spends almost as much time showing the arena and the audience as he does the band. And when he does show the band, he's jumping to a new angle every 3 or 4 seconds.
I get it. It's a big audience and there's a lot of energy. But I'd really much rather get to see the band members play then non-stop jump cuts. Apparently this is less jumpy than the original. But to me it was an exercise in frustration.
The music is good including many of AC/DC's hits such as "Back in Black," "TNT," "Thunderstruck," "Hell's Bells" and more. Malcom Young plays guitar like a man posessed, running from one end of the stage to the other, sweating up a storm and eventually stripping to the tune of "Boogie man." (See below). Unfortunately Brian Johnson's voice is wearing thin even in the first few numbers. And don't expect to see a whole lot of the rest of the band in this DVD. They get slightly more footage than the road crew.
The DVD includes two extra tracks from the Ball Breaker tool. If you're a hardcore AC/DC fan, you've probably already bought it from the web site. Otherwise, you can pick it up from Walmart for $10.88 or catch it on the VH1 Classic Rock channel. But if you really want to see the band close up, I'd recommend one of the other live DVDs available.
- AC/DC: Official Site, Pre-Order Site, Wikipedia
- Amazon: Back in Black, Highway to Hell
, Stiff Upper Lip, Black Ice
- VH1: Rock on TV schedule, No Bull
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