[DVD Review] AC/DC | Stiff Upper Lip Live

AC/DC, Blu-ray Reviews 98 comments

One of my favourite things about going through my AC/DC collection is finding gold in the stuff I have overlooked.  Stiff Upper Lip Live is treasure chest full.  I spin AC/DC’s albums everyday, but I don’t really make much time for the home videos.  I remember buying this in 2001 and watching it once before putting it on the shelf.  I haven’t watched it again until this past weekend.  What a mistake.  I don’t remember how I felt in back then, but my fresh eyes were blown away by how truly great it is. 

Stiff Upper Lip Live was filmed on June 14th, 2001 in Munich, Germany.  The venue was the Olympiastadion with 80,000 people in attendance.  And let me tell you, this crowd was INTO it.  They didn’t even want The Jack to end.  It takes a special kind of AC/DC fan to not want The Jack to end.

Stiff Upper Lip Live black

The entire set list is mind blowing for AC/DC.  They are usually set in their ways for live shows.  Same songs, different order, a few from the new album mixed in.  But I was surprised to see what was on this list.

They brought back Bad Boy Boogie and Problem Child – Wow, OK.  I don’t think they played those since the ’80s.  I never heard Brian sing them before.

What Do You Do For Money Honey – Crazy!  They haven’t played that since the Back In Black tour!  

Up To My Neck in You  – SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!

Another highlight is Hard As A Rock.  It is not my favourite tune but the energy the band was getting from the crowd while playing it made it special. 

The rest is the standard stuff that is played at every show.  Whole Lotta Rosie, Thunderstruck, Back In Black, etc.  Although it was a little weird to see only one song from Stiff Upper Lip on a DVD titled Stiff Upper Lip Live.  But the one song they played was Stiff Upper Lip so it isn’t a lie.  Everyone following me so far?

The band had one final surprise.  The have ended most (if not all) of their shows since the For Those About To Rock Tour with For Those About To Rock (We Salute You).  It is a tough tune to follow up with a big crescendo at the end.  And they do play it here.  With confetti, fire, and the cannons.  The whole bit.  We all know it is the last song.

But, it wasn’t that night.  They come out again and get the whole place rocking to Shot Down in Flames before exiting the stage for good!  What?!?!  Crazy. 

The DVD also sports superb DTS audio track.  Cliff’s bass is a little weak in the mix, but Phil’s drums carried a lot of weight on the bottom end.  Angus and Malcolm’s guitars are strong but not over powering, and Brian is nice and clear through out.  I bathed in that surround sound.

You might be wondering why I’m reviewing the DVD and not the Blu-ray.  The reason being because there isn’t one, and I think I know why.  This production used camera’s on wires like what they would use for NFL football games at the time.  It is a excellent idea for some different angles, but there is a noticeable drop in image quality whenever they switch to one.  A result of 2001 remote camera technology vs. film cameras.   

This drop would be exaggerated more if they were to up the resolution to 1080p, let alone 4K.  There are solutions, all are expensive except leaving it as is. You can see what I’m talking about on this HD* clip on YouTube.  One of the “floating” shots is at 1:11:

It is a shame too because out of all of AC/DC’s home video concerts, I have mad respect for this set list the most.  After little variation between previous live videos, Live at Donington and No Bull, Stiff Upper Lip Live brought back some old favourites and delivered a few surprises while the band has a great rapport with the crowd. 

It is out of print now and I see a few copies on eBay with some gross Canadian shipping costs attached.  You can find streams of the full show online with the only the DTS audio track and a 10 minute interview with the band missing.  The interview is nothing to write home about, except for Malcolm’s part: 

Thanks for buying the DVD.  I hope it is hot shit.

I’d say so. 

5/5

Stiff Upper Lip Live back

*It is a 480p clip taken from the DVD that is up-converted to 720p.  Trust me, it is not the same as a native HD transfer.

98 comments

  2. Cool stuff and that’s a real good set list especially when they can even surprise you!
    Up To My Neck In You is a great track. Too bad they didn’t put this out on vinyl

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  6. I would see this one at work occasionally, I think I even owned it at one point? Maybe. Maybe not. But I don’t do well with DVDs and watching them with any regularity. Now, if this could be a CD, I’d be all over it!

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            1. YESSSS!!! More people need to know this show exists because it’s so underrated. People talk about Live at Donington, No Bull, and Live at River Plate, but no one talks about Stiff Upper Lip Live. WHAT A TRAGEDY!!!

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                  1. Oh I’m into them, I just don’t make the same amount of time, I guess. Most of it is I have trouble sitting still for too long. Even on Mike’s chats I’m twitching and stretching and moving around. I’m a terrible TV guests haha

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                    1. Oh yeah, you’re always off to get another vinyl or something that relates to the discussion haha! Mike’s shows are pretty long, so I’m impressed you find time for that!

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                    6. Yeah, we’re managing OK. It’s harder on the kids, not seeing their friends much, and even then at a distance. But we try to keep things light and fun… like, we spent two hours yesterday tobagganing in the park on an empty hill. It’s all we can do.

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                    7. Oh yeah, you mentioned that you try to do outdoor activities with your kids right? I can’t imagine how tough it must be for them not seeing their friends. I’m not even sure if they have cell phones to stay in contact with them. I was 12 when I got my first phone, but everyone is different.

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                    8. Absolutely, we get outside every day. Our kids are very high energy, they require it like they require oxygen. Otherwise, they’d climb the walls!

                      Neither has a cell phone yet (they’re 11 and 9). We’ve had that discussion but they’re not really needed yet. They can use the landline, or FaceTime on their ipads, or sometimes even through Roblox. They still talk to friends, just nt as often, and it’s a different quality to being in the same room with them.

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                    9. Did they play sports before the pandemic? I know Justin Bieber played sports because he was a high energy kid.

                      Oh ok, so they’re not exposed to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook yet if they don’t have cell phones. That’s cool! Yeah it’s hard not being in the same room as your friends, but at the same time, we have no choice!

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                    10. Oh yeah. They both played soccer (my boy was on three teams his last year), and they both did kung fu twice a week. My girl also loves horseback riding, did that once a week. Plus whatever they got at school. Plus all their time playing outside after school. Plus family walks after dinner. Etc.

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                    11. Oh wow they were pretty busy with soccer, horseback riding (your daughter), kung fu, and regular outdoor activities. I’m so jealous your daughter did horseback riding. I only did it once, but I loved it! That was when I was 9 though.

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                    12. She’s 9 now! Yup, they were pretty busy, There was even a night at the Y of organized mayhem too. But they thrived at at, and we never pushed anything on them. Well, swimming lessons they HAD to do. We live near too much water, gotta know how to swim. Otherwise, this was all stuff they wanted to try.

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                    13. There’s plenty of water in Ontario? Did not know that. I took swimming too, but that didn’t last long lol. My sisters played soccer in elementary school, then when they got to high school, they started doing softball, bowling, and I think they did cross country at one point! Sports are a fun way to stay active.

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                    14. Great Lakes, baby! Largest collection of fresh water in the world! Georgian Bay (part of Lake huron) is about ten minutes from my house (five if I get all green lights). Yeah, we’ve got a bit of water around here… So yeah, MUST know how to swim, even just for that one time out being social at the beach, you know?

                      I always loved sports, played hockey then basketball. Gotta stay active.

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                    15. Do you go fishing in Georgian Bay too? I’ve heard it’s common for people to go fishing in lakes. I agree, knowing how to swim is a good skill to have in your case because you never know when it’ll come in handy.

                      Oh you played basketball too? Which one did you like more: hockey or basketball? Both are completely different.

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                    16. I’m not much of a fisherman, but there are a ton of folks here who do, year-round. They’ll walk right out on the ice and fish in winter (I think they’re nuts). Anyway, there’s even an annual derby and fish fry. Big deal around here.

                      I love playing both sports. Given druthers, I”d still be playing hockey like I was young again, I love that game so much. I switched to basketball when I was 14 (I believe I told you that story, I hadn’t grown yet and everyone else had, body contact came in and I was getting killed out there). I love b-ball too, it’s a whole different world. It was hardest on my knees, though.

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                    17. My Grandfather was big into fishing. He would go every moment he possibly could. The bug never bit me. I’ve always found the entire experience kind of gross.

                      Growing up in Northern Ontario, I’ve been ice fishing a few times. Once you see 3 ton trucks driving on the ice, you know you’re safe. I used to take the snow machine out on it water too.

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                    18. I always thought of fishing like a necessity thing, lke, we need to eat so I’ll fish. Like hunting.

                      I know they test the ice for depth etc, but we had three people die here last weekend with their snowmobiles out on the ice. Gah.

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                    19. They were probably “shooting water”. That’s where they find open water and try to zip across it. You also have to watch for pressure cracks. People run into them when going too fast. It is usually as safe as any other activity as long as you’re being safe.

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                    21. It is not something I’m itching to get back to but it was a bit of a rite of passage when I was 14. You couldn’t get a car license yet, but you could get one for a snowmobile. I didn’t have many friends back then, but there was a small group of us that would meet up at a diner, get some fries and then head out into the wilderness. I saw parts of Sudbury I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. Good memories. We all grew out of it when we started driving though.

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                    22. A derby and fish fry? Sounds interesting, does it involve them cooking the fish? Ooh fishing on the ice, that sounds dangerous and in the winter time too, with Canada’s winter season, that must be brutal!

                      Oh yeah, you told me that story! Everyone was bigger than you, but then after you quit hockey, you grew to be 6 feet years later. Oh it was bad on your knees, sorry to hear that. Did you still skate even after you quit hockey?

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                    23. Yeah they have a contest to see who can catch the biggest fish (that person wins a small fishing boat, usually). You can keep what you catch, or give it in, which most people do. Then they have a big cook-up for everybody at the end.

                      I’ve never gone ice fishing, don’t intend to do so. It’d be alright if the ice was super-thick, but it’s pretty cold and lonely out there. They have little huts they sit in.

                      I still skate, yeah, I love it. Well, we used to before all this pandemic crap. Haven’t been on the ice once this winter yet. But I love it, and the kids were getting pretty good at it too!

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                    26. Oh they don’t cook the fish, they usually give the fish to the people in charge of the contest! A small fishing boat is a pretty good prize.

                      Oh yeah ice fishing sounds dangerous. I’m guessing they don’t listen to music out there? Might kill the loneliness.

                      Oh I’m sorry to hear the pandemic stopped your ice skating fun for a bit. Darn covid! That’s cool your kids enjoy it too. I’ve never been on the ice, but I’ve always wanted to, probably with a safety bar though.

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                    27. Oh, we had tunes when I went ice fishing. I remember *someone* forgot to bring the tapes so all we had was what was in the machine. It was Motorhead’s Ace of Spades. We must have listened to it 12 times that day, lol.

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                    30. All fish turned in to the derby organizers get cooked up for the closing meal. You’re free to keep what you catch, but most just turn them in and then all can enjoy.

                      I have no idea about listening to music out there. Maybe the Country radio station, they have the best and most up-to-date weather reports, so you could hear if a storm that could trap you on the lake was coming in.

                      We had a safety bar for the kids when they were little, it’d too low for a grown-up. Lots of folks can teach how to gain confidence on skates. Also easier for balance if you have a hockey stick in your hands (think tightrope walker). Worth it, if you ever get the chance, there’s no other feeling quite like it.

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                    31. Ah that’s nice. Everyone can enjoy the fish if they turn it in for the derby organizers to cook them. Sharing is caring after all!

                      Radio stations are good. I wonder if you can bring CD players as well.

                      Oh ice skating is definitely on my bucket list. I’m still young, so I got time! Are hockey sticks light by the way? I think I held one once because my aunty had one in her car for some strange reason and it was pretty light (unless it was fake).

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                    32. Yeah and I’ll bet the fish is tasty! I’ve never gone, I don’t wanna hear the Shania Twain impersonators as “entertainment.”

                      You could take anything that takes batteries with you, surely.

                      I would love to know the strange reason your aunt had a hockey stick in her car. To me, hockey sticks are just part of the house, they’re always here, always to hand, ready to go. Sticks now are a lot lighter than they were when I was a kid. These days they’re all composite and fibreglass and fancy. When I was a kid it was a chunk of wood, still didn’t weigh a ton but a lot heavier than even the lower end stuff now. The NHL sticks are probably ridiculous – you see them snap all time, so you know they’re trying to balance light weight with strength versus the power of a 6’5″ 250lb defenseman’s slapshot.

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                    33. Cooked fish sounds good now. You know I never really got into Shania Twain! I never got into a lot of country overall, unless it was Taylor Swift’s old stuff.

                      True!

                      I would like to know that reason too. I didn’t even know hockey sticks made out of wood existed. I got used to seeing the fancy ones on TV. Now that you mention it, I’ve always wondered if people snap their hockey sticks on their knee!

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                    34. Yup fresh-caught fish cooked by someone who know what they’re doing is awesome. I never got into Shania either, or Swift for that matter. People do snap hockey sticks over their knees in frustration sometimes, which tells you how lightly they’re made these days. You’d break your leg before you broke my old hockey stick. Go back in history far enough (well before my time), hockey sticks were all straight blades, no curves. I remember sticks at my grandpa’s place like that.

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                    35. I used to like Taylor and I tried to get into her pop stuff, but I couldn’t do that. Though I still like her old stuff, I can manage without her music for the rest of my life! My gosh! Hockey sticks back then must’ve been more durable. If the sticks back then didn’t have curves, doesn’t it make it harder to hit the puck?

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                    36. I’ve never honestly tried any of Taylor’s albums, country or pop. As for curved sticks versus straight, well, I suppose it’s what you’re used to. Wrist shots are easier with a curve, and no one uses a straight stick anymore, but it just was what it was.

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                    38. Yeah curved sticks became the norm. Some folks got so crazy with it they had to make a rule about how curved they could be – I think when I was a kid a dime had to get stuck under the curve, higher than a dime was illegal. No idea now, probably about the same.

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                    39. I just looked at pics of curved hockey sticks after I read your message. Didn’t know there were different variations of them…strange. I swear saw one shaped like a candy cane.

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                    40. That wouldn’t be legal in a game haha. Yeah there’s a whole science to it now with these new stick. I also remember replaceable blades, so if you broke one you just popped in a new blade instead of needing a whole new stick.

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                    52. No, and wouldn’t have. Everything’s more expensive now. Everyone’s convinced their kid is going to the NHL so they’ll pay for gear they think gives advantage (and status). I have a whole rant about it. I’ll spare you.

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                    55. Ok yeah maybe not hockey parents or those sports parents that push their kids too hard. I’ve seen videos in psychology about authoritarian parents and that is messed up!

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                    56. Oh man, to witness it in action, you wanna just protect those kids somehow. In Bobby Orr’s book, he talks right off the start about his youth where they worked it all out for themselves, as kids, and how now grown-ups have wrecked it. And he’s an NHL legend.

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                    57. Yikes on Wikipedia, it says he suffered a groin injury, ruining Oshawa’s hopes for the 1966 Memorial Cup Final. Bruins’ management didn’t want Orr to play to risk further injury. But he and his parents got Orr to play, but the guy that let him play was fired afterwards.

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  7. Shoot, I bought Stiff Upper Lip Live this past summer, I should’ve reviewed it right away! Nah, it’s fine. I’m glad to read your review on this epic concert release Kevin. It’s my favorite of theirs; No Bull is a close second because they played “Girls Got Rhythm.”

    I found Stiff Upper Lip Live by accident on YouTube and I fell in love with it; that was enough clarification for me to check out this band! I watched it for about five more times, before the video got blocked. I found it on Facebook, but I got sick of watching it on my laptop, so I bought the DVD myself!

    Thanks for pointing out that Cliff’s mix was not good because I couldn’t hear him one bit. I love how Phil smiles to the side after “The Jack” ended, but the crowd was still singing along. Is that what Mal said though? I thought he said “I hope it’s s**t on!”? I could be wrong.

    That concert was my first discovery of what the boys looked like and the first thing I thought was, “who’s the weird dude with glasses?” lol. The setlist was incredible, they played “Up to My Neck in You” from Powerage, which was cool because Powerage was the first AC/DC album I bought with my own money (so I was relieved I knew at least one of the songs on there). I became addicted to “What Do You Do For Money” after that concert, hence it became my third favorite song of theirs! I will say this though, they could’ve at least played “Satellite Blues” because I know they performed it live for that tour. But other than that, Stiff Upper Lip Live is a banger!

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    1. I’m glad you were able to find a copy! You should still do your review. Your take on it is unique!

      I think that is what Mal said… I’m enjoying the memory of him saying it that way so I’m not going to change it even if I’m wrong, lol.

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      1. I’ll get around to it one day. Maybe after I finish reviewing the later AC/DC albums. I should review No Bull one day too, now that I think about it because I could talk about how the camera man couldn’t take his eyes off Phil haha!!!

        Fair enough! I respect that. It’s your memory of Mal. Let the voice of a legend live on!!!

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  9. Pingback: [Blu-ray Review] AC/DC | No Bull | The Director’s Cut – BuriedOnMars
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