AC/DC
No Bull: The Director's Cut DVD
Columbia Music Video 2008
www.acdc.com

Genre
Hard rock / classic rock

The Good
No Bull was originally released in 1996 for the home video market. The director David Mallet always thought that the release was too rushed, and ultimately was not the best result possible for the release. In 2008 the film has been completely restored in HD and the audio remixed in both stereo and 5.1 surround sound.

No Bull showcases AC/DC on their Ballbreaker tour. The venue for the event is the Plaza De Toros De Las Ventas bullfighting arena in Madrid, Spain. Now that title makes sense, huh? One of the greater aspects of this performance is that AC/DC knows how to put on a show. A show is much more than music. Although it has been virtually abandoned by current artists, a lot of AC/DC's show is visual as well as auditory. That makes for one hell of a performance.

The group kicks things off surprisingly with "Back in Black." Before they hit the stage, there's a hugh wrecking ball that destroys an old building that consumes the stage. After the top level is demolished, the group enters from what's left of the building. From their the group fires off some of their biggest and fan favorite tracks.

Songs include, "Thunderstruck," "Girls Got Rhythm," "Hard As A Rock," "Shoot to Thrill," "Hells Bells," "The Jack," "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution," "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," "You Shook Me All Night Long," "Whole Lotta Rosie," "T.N.T," "Highway to Hell," "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)," plus six more.

You might even find a few undiscovered tracks along the way, as "Hail Caesar" and "Boogie Man" have become two of my new favorites. The crowd is huge and into every track. The energy level starts high and never falters. Visual highlights include the ominous bell from "Hells Bells," a hugh inflatable "Rosie," and the wrecking ball summonsing Angus from the depths of hell on "Highway to Hell."

There are a handful of bonus features which are cool, but you could have really lived without them. The show eclipses anything offered as a bonus. Live performances of "Cover You in Oil" (another new favorite of mine) from Sweden and "Down Payment Blues from Florida are included as bonuses. As well as alternate camera footage from the Spain show, titled "Angus-Cam."

The Bad
Let's face it, "Ballbreaker" wasn't exactly one of AC/DC's best efforts.

The Verdict
Has there ever been a bad AC/DC performance? I think not! No Bull is a perfect representation of what the group has to offer.

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne