“Mr Burrows - Its Sony Music here. We would like to invite you to be one of four photographers at the ACDC gig in Manchester tomorrow night. Would you be interested?”

Would I be interested? WOULD I BE INTERESTED?

Oh go on then

It was my complete privelege to even be considered to photograph the return to English shores of my all time heroes, ACDC.

As I walk down the steps of the (rather large) MEN Arena, the magnitutde of the event starts to dawn on me.

It was back in 1995 on the Ballbreaker tour when my dad dragged me along to me first ever large gig experience at Newcastle Arena. I distinctly remember there being a 50 foot high wrecking ball that demolished a wall to kick the evening off, and in the back of my mind I was wondering if we’d get similar treatment tonight.

I obediently take my position along the runway just as the lights go down and the video screen flickers to life. The next 5 minutes can only be described as pure ACDC as two large breasted ladies hijack a train by seducing Angus and accelerating to a scintilating climax courtesy of a phallically shaped acceleration lever. The train crashes straight through a wall at the end of the video and sure enough, that very train provides the backdrop for the DCs set tonight (in fact later on, during Whole Lotta Rosie, it will be straddled by a…….larger…..lady :D).

Dont believe me? Watch it for yourself:

Stage setup aside, it was action from the get go as the band launched into Rock ‘N’ Roll Train. Angus and Brian frequently came out to play down the catwalk, whilst Malcolm and Cliff remained pretty much stationary towards the back with Phil. It was the usual three song treatment for this gig and after the next two songs, Hell Aint a Bad Place To Be and Back in Black, I was duely escorted out of the pit to examine my photographic evidence of the night.

The 10-22 was rarely used in this shoot as with a stage setup this big, the 24-70 switches to giving wide angle shots whilst the 70-200mm assumes the main role of short/medium and long portraits.

Every moment at this gig was a nostalgious photo opportunity and as stated above, it was my privelege to be invited to photograph it.

An immensely huge thanks to Marina Hentl and James Hopkins at Sony Music for making it happen.