ANGUS YOUNG BROUGHT OUT MALCOLM’S BATTERED GRETSCH GUITAR DURING “IT’S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP,” LEANED IT AGAINST THE MIC STAND UNDER A SINGLE SPOTLIGHT… AND LET THE CROWD CARRY THE CHORUS. Malcolm’s guitar, affectionately known as “The Beast,” was as stripped-down and relentless as the man himself. With its neck pickup removed and its finish worn to the wood, it was the literal engine of AC/DC. Since Malcolm’s passing, that guitar hadn’t been seen under stadium lights. But in Sydney, right before the encore, a roadie walked out and solemnly handed it to Angus. Angus didn’t strap it on. He couldn’t. Instead, he gently rested it against Malcolm’s old microphone stand on stage right. The massive stage lights instantly dropped to pitch black. A single, piercing white beam illuminated the battered wood of the guitar. The band stopped playing entirely. For two full minutes, the only sound in the stadium was 80,000 voices roaring, “It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll,” singing directly to an empty stand. No solos. No duck walk. Just a massive, roaring tribute to the quiet architect of rock.
\The Night The Beast Returned: A Wordless Tribute to the Architect of Rock\ \Anyone who has ever felt the chest-thumping…