Let There Be Rock ... And Vince McMahon

On the way out of AC/DC's ass-kickingly amazing show last night (Nov. 13) at New York's Madison Square Garden, we were asked, if aliens landed, how would you describe the band to them? Our answer was that AC/DC is nothing less than the pure essence of rock'n'roll -- a force that can be tapped into by young, old, man, woman and everyone in between.

Put it all together and you have 105 minutes of the most fun you can have with your clothes on, in an arena, with 15,000 people. For $90.

First of all, if you're planning on seeing these guys, bring earplugs. This was one of the loudest shows we'd been to in recent memory. You won't be disappointed in the set list: the new single "Rock'n'Roll Train" was a perfect start, piling on the thick Young brothers riffs and gang vocals to get the crowd warmed up.

A couple of the new songs aren't very good, particularly "Big Jack," which includes a lyric about having "a full sack." Uh huh. If nothing else it was a good excuse for a beer break before the one-two punch of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" and "Thunderstruck," by which point the audience, many sporting glow-in-the-dark devil horns, was going bananas.

Of course, any AC/DC show features the most appealing striptease ever by a balding, pasty 53-year-old Australian in a schoolboy outfit ("The Jack") and also the most amazing industrial-sized blow-up doll ever, who mock-masturbated throughout "Whole Lotta Rosie." And even though Brian Johnson's voice is kinda shot at this point, the band was so tight and powerful that it almost didn't matter.

It was at about this time that we noticed World Wrestling Entertainment head honcho Vince McMahon was directly behind us in the seats, strumming air guitar and smiling deliriously. But more on that later.

For all the theatrics (six, count 'em, six cannons, not the measly one cannon they used in the '80s), the best moment of the whole evening was Angus Young's solo segment during "Let There Be Rock." The guy is probably 5'2" in his stocking feet, but he was superhuman as he shredded for 10 minutes like his life depended on it. THIS is what rock'n'roll is all about, my friends, and it doesn't get much better.

So, Vince McMahon. As an avowed WWF freak from about age seven to age 15, we were determined to have a personal encounter with the man after the show. He didn't seem interested in chatting, but he agreed to a photo. And here it is.

Thanks Vince -- and also, the Taco Bell in Penn Station -- for putting the cherry on top of one hell of an evening.