There’s bang for buck, and there’s the music video for AC/DC’s “Long Way to the Top”.
As music industry observers ponder when and where the legendary rock band will travel on their as-yet unconfirmed tour Down Under, “Long Way” is at the top of the newsfeed.
Melbourne’s Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece broke ranks when he told 3AW breakfast that talks are ongoing for an event in November to recreate the famous music video, which sees the rockers on a flat-bed truck rocking and rolling down the CBD.
If the city of Melbourne, the home of AC/DC Lane, does pull it off, the project would dwarf the original budget for the “Long Way” shoot.
Filmed in February 1976, the clip was shot on a shoestring for the ABC’s Countdown, years before MTV and Rage provided a regular platform for music videos.
Former Countdown director Paul Drane has told of how the ABC completed the project for about $300, fulfilling late singer Bon Scott’s vision of blasting those iconic bagpipes for the cameras.
“My thought was, how about we put AC/DC on the back of a truck and have them sing the song as they’re going down Swanston Street,” Drane commented for the Countdown 50 special.
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Now, almost 50 years later, the music video has captured tens of millions of views.
As previously reported in Rolling Stone AU/NZ, the legendary group is expected to make a triumphant homecoming in late 2025. Sources say an announcement is imminent on those dates, which would mark AC/DC’s first visit here since 2015, for their Rock or Bust world tour.
Angus Young and co. are about to embark on another pan-European stadium run, their second in 12 months, kicking off June 26th at Letňany Airport in Prague, Czech Republic, followed by stops in Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, France, and Scotland. North American dates have just wrapped up.
AC/DC is one of just two bands inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the ARIA Hall of Fame. The other is The Bee Gees.
