It’s been a long time since AC/DC supported anybody, but back in the 1970s they took any gig they could. This resulted in the relatively unknown Australian band opening for such established acts as Kiss, Black Sabbath and even The Stranglers. And the headliners often didn’t know what had hit them.
One band who felt the full force of Hurricane ’DC were Rainbow. It was September 1976, and Ritchie Blackmore’s proto-symphonic rock band were at their imperial peak. Their majestic second album, Rising, had been released a few months earlier to great acclaim and now they were about to embark on a European tour in support of it, starting in Germany. The opening act? AC/DC.
“I knew a little bit about them, but not much,” Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio told Classic Rock in the late 2000s. “I knew that they’d been huge in Australia, but really not much more than that. However, we certainly knew about them after they’d finished that particular tour!”
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Dio was right in saying that AC/DC weren’t complete unknowns. They’d released their international debut album, High Voltage, earlier in 1976, and the follow-up, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, was about to land. They’d relocated to the UK in April 1976 and hit the gig circuit hard. “We knew they would help us sell tickets,” Rainbow keyboard player Tony Carey told Classic Rock.
Rainbow’s European tour kicked off on August 31, 1976 at the Bristol Hippodrome in the UK, though AC/DC didn’t join the bill until the first German date, at Hamburg’s Musikhalle Grosser Saal on September 23.
“It was a great billing,” recalled Carey. “Nobody was going to blow Rainbow off the stage in ’76, so I wasn’t afraid of AC/DC. They went over great, they were great, and they were a lot like they are today. Whereas we were ‘Dungeons & Dragons Level Eight’, a whole different thing. It was an entertaining show, I’m sure. Our band was on fire in ’76, and so were AC/DC.”
Dio had a different memory. “I’ll be honest here – I think they blew us off stage every single night,” the singer said. “They were exciting, fresh and really got the crowd going. And in some ways, perhaps they made us look old-fashioned. What with our long guitar pieces and so on.
“They were getting encores every night, and we were just astonished by how good they were,” he continued. “Angus Young was incredible. Even back then, he gave everything on stage. Nobody worked – or works – harder. Every night [Rainbow drummer] Cozy Powell and I would stand there and watch, and go: ‘Wow. How are we gonna follow this?’ We just loved what they did.”
According to the singer, Rainbow guitarist Ritchie Blackmore was equally impressed. “I think Ritchie thought the same as Cozy and me,” said Dio. “Very impressed. I don’t want to put words into his mouth, but like the two of us, I reckon he might have thought we’d made a mistake having them open for Rainbow, as we just couldn’t match them.”
The two bands didn’t mix much offstage. Dio recalled AC/DC leaving the venue as soon as their set was over to drive to the next town. But there were times when their paths crossed.
“I do remember the first time I met Malcolm Young. He came into our dressing room looking for beer, as they’d gotten through their rider in about five minutes. He never said hello, just: ‘Where’s the beer?’ I recall [Rainbow bassist] Jimmy Bain muttering something under his breath. The next thing you knew, Jimmy had gone to sit down, and Mal had pulled the chair from under him! But that’s what they were like. Young and brash. They’d had to learn to survive in Australia, and that means you fight for everything.”
Ronnie had good memories of fellow singer Bon Scott. “I did have the pleasure of talking to Bon a few times, and he was totally friendly,” Dio said. “Towards the end of tour, he caught a cold and asked my advice on what he could do to get through the shows. I gave him a few tips about how I handled the situation, and he was so appreciative. Lovely man.”
Rainbow’s European tour ended on October 18 in The Hague. While the headliners flew to AC/DC’s native Australia to play a run of shows there, Angus and co returned to the UK for yet another tour, which included a gig at London’s Hammersmith Odeon – the first time they’d headlined that prestigious venue.
“I knew they had what it took to be successful,” Ronnie James Dio said of his one-time support act. “You could see they would be big. But as big as they’ve become? No, not really.”