AC/DC in Madrid: The poor sound that ruined the concert

Having a top-level singer's voice sound like an indistinguishable and unpleasant concoction sounds like a problem. Especially if you paid 150 euros to attend the concert. We know that the acoustics at the Metropolitano Stadium (Madrid), where AC/DC performed last night to a packed house (55,000), fall into the "needs a lot of improvement" category, so the question here is whether Brian Johnson's vocal ability, which has noticeably diminished in recent years, had anything to do with why some of his performances last night were agonizing.

We're referring to what reached the upper stands, where this columnist and thousands of others were placed. There, a reverberating sound was produced that rattled the spectators' ears. It was an insidious, insane cicada echo. The question is: did they put an echo in the vocalist's equipment to alleviate his ailing vocal health? We'll never know.

It's also worth noting that it wasn't just the output from the main microphone that was deficient: the rest of the instruments weren't very clear either. And it was easy: bass, drums, and guitar. This is AC/DC, and as you well know, they're not used to accompanying themselves with a symphony orchestra. What was most clear was Angus Young's guitar—bless his fingers, his dedication, his talent. He saved the show.

It was a shame about the acoustic problem, because the atmosphere was great, with a large audience (both young people and families) wearing devil headbands, fists raised, dancing, and shouting the choruses: it's almost better to hear your neighbor sing "And You Shook Me All Night Long, Yeah" than the Brian who appeared yesterday. They have us at their mercy; we're willing to dig deep into our pockets to hear a few songs that move us; we put up with the high (and dynamic) prices, we pay the excessive booking fees, we shell out three euros for a bottle of water... All we ask is that they pamper us a little and don't damage our hearing. Come on, it's not that difficult.

Last night we were left with the songs, those immortal, muscular rocks. Because the guitar riff of " If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" hits you and you jump out of your seat; and then the powerful cadence of "Back in Black" hits you in the gut, and this time "Highway to Hell" isn't played on a lazy classic rock station: it's them, right in front of you, even though they sound like lightning. What also softened the effect of the criminal sound was the good vibes of the audience, which spread like one battery recharging another. These people don't deserve acoustic conditions that aren't anything less than ten.

The group performed a concert similar to last year's at La Cartuja in Seville. Not in vain are they still immersed in the same tour, the Power Up Tour. As on that one, their foundations hold together because Angus Young sustains them. He's the pillar of this band: that 70-year-old man dressed anachronistically as a schoolboy from when he went to school in shorts and a tie. You see: what at first seemed like a whim (that childish outfit) has become a genius that has lasted five decades. Angus has been the backbone of the group for many years, but it's even more noticeable now that he's the only one left of the original members. Brian Johnson, the oldest (77 years old), joined in 1980, the year he replaced the ever-memorable Bon Scott.

Angus, gasping like a fish out of water, with the legend of AC/DC perched on his bony back, endures whatever they throw at him to deliver a display of guitar-driven rock and roll that ends in a miasma of sweat, open shirts, cut fingers from digging into the strings, and singed hair. If when he was 30 he needed to be hooked up to a cylinder right after his shows to receive revitalizing oxygen, imagine now.

The band deployed their signature stage tricks: the giant bell with the four-letter logo and lightning bolt in Hells Bells, the voluptuous girl (this time in pictures) in Whole Lotta Rosie, the platform that lifts Angus in Let There Be Rock, the stage packed with Marshall amps, the cannons in For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)…

Some breaks between songs felt a bit long, and what might otherwise have been a disruption to the show's rhythm last night was greatly appreciated for sparing us from the grating sound. They played the songs everyone wanted: in addition to those mentioned above, they also tackled Thunderstruck, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, High Voltage, Riff Raff...

Johnson reached the finals with her voice a wreck. She struggled mightily on TNT , and For Those About to Rock saved her thanks to the backing vocals of bassist Chris Chaney and rhythm guitarist Stevie Young. Not even the echo could protect the singer. The concert ended with cannon fire and fireworks, a similar roar to some of the performances.

The Australian band plays another show in Madrid on Wednesday , and some tickets remain to be sold. The bad news is that the same treacherous venue awaits, and it seems like Johnson won't be back to his best soon.