AC/DC to play Regina’s Mosaic Stadium
REGINA — Australian superstars are invading Reginaís Mosaic Stadium in August, but they wonít be playing that whacky version of football which is so popular Down Under.
Sources have confirmed that legendary hard rockers AC/DC are set to play Mosaic Stadium on Monday, Aug. 24th. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are in Montreal on Aug. 21, allowing Australiaís most famous rock band to strut its stuff in the home of the Green and White, replacing football cheers with slashing guitar chords for what organizers believe will be an unforgettable night of hard rock.
ìI think this is going to be huge,î said one organizer, who requested anonymity. ìThe show is on a Monday night (instead of the weekend) but I donít think that matters. Itís AC/DC. Itís going to sell.
ìItís a huge stage. The production is on par with the Rolling Stones shows we had here. This is the kind of show Regina has been waiting for since the Stones. This show is worthy of a football stadium.î
Like the two Rolling Stones shows in October 2006, AC/DCís stage will be located in Mosaic Stadiumís south end zone, allowing the Australian quintet to play to the entire stadium, including thousands of seats on the playing turf. About 38,000 tickets will be sold for the show, for $99 and $69, plus service charges.
Tickets go on sale, Saturday April 18th at all Ticketmaster locations, including the Brandt Centre, Casino Regina and Casino Moose Jaw. Tickets will also be available online.
ìI strongly recommend people try to get their tickets online,î one source told the Leader-Post.
Unlike the Rolling Stones shows, there will be no special deals or pre-sale dates for Roughrider season ticket holders. Pick up a copy of Saturdayís printed Leader-Post or return to leaderpost.com on the long weekend for more details on tickets.
This week, AC/DC officially launched a North American football stadium leg to its hugely successful Black Ice World Tour, which began in 2008. Several U.S. dates were announced, but the Canadian dates have not yet been posted to the bandís web site. An official announcement on the Canadian shows is expected today.
Sources tell the Leader-Post AC/DC will be playing four CFL stadiums in Western Canada in late August: Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton and Vancouver. The shows take place after AC/DC plays Grand Rapids, Mich., on Aug. 18th and before the band returns to the U.S. to play Tacoma, Wash., on August 30.
ìFor this to work, for those 10 or so days, the western (CFL) teams needed to be off or playing away games, so itís really fortunate that the CFL schedule worked out that way,î said one organizer.
AC/DC was formed in 1973 in Sydney, Australia by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, the bandís two guitar players. The rest of the lineup includes singer Brian Johnson, bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd.
After a few early albums, in 1979, the band recorded their highly successful album Highway to Hell, bringing their unique brand of hard rock to the masses in North America. But just as the band was ready to launch its most ambitious concert tour, lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on Feb. 19, 1980, after a night of heavy drinking. The group nearly disbanded, but ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was selected as Scottís replacement. Later that year, the band released their best-selling album, Back in Black, which included the hits ìBack in Blackî and ìYou Shook Me All Night Long.î
AC/DC has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, including 69 million albums in the United States. Back in Black has sold an estimated 42 million units worldwide and 22 million in the United States alone, making it the fifth highest-selling album ever in the United States.
AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1ís list of the ì100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rockî and the seventh ìGreatest Heavy Metal Band Of All Timeî by MTV. In 2004, the band was ranked number eight in the Rolling Stone magazineís list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
The bandís latest album, Black Ice, was released in October, 2008.
AC/DC played in Saskatoon nearly 20 years ago, but has never performed in Regina.
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