Chapter 5: Gigging and Hogmanay

Two days later and Robbie was getting ready to rehearse with 'Riff Raff'. He didn't think it would be too difficult, as he knew virtually all of AC/DC's back catalogue, both music and vocals. Amanda dropped him off at Jake's house and he could already hear sounds of jamming coming from a large garage at the side. He left his amp in the drive and went to investigate. There was an up and over door in the front of the two-car garage but it was down and Robbie found it was locked when he tried the handle. Walking round the side of the garage, he found another door and went through it to find the band all there.

Jake grinned at him and stopped playing in mid-song, followed by the rest of the band.

"Alright dude?" Jake asked as he put his guitar on a nearby stand.

"Yep, but probably I'll feel even better once we're cranking out some sounds!"

Robbie retreated to get his amp and lugged it into the garage; setting it up and fiddling with the controls to get it the way he liked.

Dec, Ralph and Abe were now standing around with Jake and Robbie joined them to discuss what their playlist might be. The bands normal playlist was a mixture of classic AC/DC sprinkled with other classics such as 'Freebird' and 'Stairway to Heaven'. Robbie knew how to play everything of the list and thought he would cope okay. Jake had another idea however.

"Robbie, we've always wanted to do a full set of AC/DC but without vocals we could never get away with it. If you could sing we could do it. How would you feel about trying to recreate the gig Angus and the boys did at the Glasgow Apollo in 1978?"

How did he feel? That gig was legend, had given much of the recording that had gone on the live album the group had released! Robbie was excited to say the least but suggested a slight variation as the 1978 playlist would have omitted some classics such as 'Highway to Hell' and 'Shot down in Flames'. He didn't mind leaving out some of the more well known tracks that the band had released with Brian Johnson, the vocalist who had replaced Bon Scott when he had drunk himself to death, but he couldn't leave out any of Bon's best tunes.

The rest of the band agreed to include some of the 1979 material and quickly thereafter they had settled on a playlist. The rehearsal itself was electrifying, almost flawless, and Robbie and Jake were sparking off of each other. Dec, Ralph and Abe were also grinning like fools at just how tight the set was and how good the sound they made came across, even with the poor acoustics in the garage.

The gig was set for the thirtieth of December at a local venue and all of them couldn't wait for show time to come round.

Amanda picked Robbie up and was amused at the energy that was buzzing from him, how wired he seemed. She guessed the rehearsal had gone well.

The girls and Amanda drove Robbie to the gig, telling him that they wouldn't miss it for the world. Robbie had Amanda stop on the way to pick up a couple of items he knew he would need for the next night. He had to ask Amanda to come with him to purchase a bottle of single malt whisky - a bottle of Lagavullin no less.

Once back in the car the girls were teasing him mercilessly about his little following of 'groupies' from the school dance.

"Can we expect more pantie throwing Robbie? Are we expected to join in this time?" Zoe giggled.

Robbie blushed furiously and turned away, trying to focus his mind on the gig rather than the teasing. The girls dropped him at the 'stage' door and then parked up so they could take their places in the audience.

The Scotsman actually relaxed when he got backstage, away from the teasing and into the frantic preparation for going onstage. He took his guitar out of its case and made sure it was tuned up. Sipping some juice, he ran through a few sets of scales to loosen up his vocal chords in readiness for his vocal performance.

It seemed no time at all when the band were told it was time to go on. All five of them exchanged high-fives as they left the cramped dressing room and made their way to the back of the stage proper. All was in darkness and they stumbled a little as they took up their places, listening to an announcer introducing them.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight, live, I give you - Riff Raff!"

The cheering and screaming were extremely loud after the announcement and Ralph began to lay down a powerful, steady and rhythmic bass beat. The crowd quietened as they heard the bass but still the lights were down. Jake came in on cue with the rhythm guitar and the crowd cheered again as they recognised a signature opening number for AC/DC, 'Livewire'.

Robbie let them have a few more bars of this and then he 'doubled' on the rhythm chords, deepening the sound, making it richer and more solid. Just as Robbie struck off into a little bit of lead a spotlight picked him out and he hammed it up by raising one arm, fist clenched, as he continued the lead one-handed.

The crowd responded wildly and Robbie stepped up to the mic to begin the vocal.

"Well if you're looking for trouble, I'm the man to see, If you're looking for satisfaction, Then satisfaction's guaranteed.

I'm cooler than a body on ice, Hotter than the rolling dice, Send you to heaven, I can take you to hell,

I ain't fooling, can't you tell, That I'm a livewire!"

That was it, the gig was off and running and the fans were responding full on.

The band followed up with 'Let there be rock' and then 'Hell ain't a bad place to be'. Robbie then stepped up to the mic.

"Thank you Glasgow, I think you might just know this next one."

Jake laid down the opening to the song 'Riff Raff', the signature tune for the band and although it didn't seem possible, the crowd turned up their volume yet again. Robbie looked out over the heads in front of him and was lifted by the way the crowd was swaying and jumping in time to the music. Turning, he watched Jake duck-walk across the stage a la Angus (who had stolen it from Chuck Berry) and laughed to himself.

The band's playlist was split into two, one hour each part so they could take a short break in the middle. The last song before the break was 'Bad boy boogie' and both Jake and Robbie let themselves get really into it, facing up to each other and getting the timing of the rhythm and the lead spot on.