Newt's rock 'n' roll weekend planner, Vancouver edition, April 10 to 12

There's three big stadium concerts coming up in Vancouver this year, but I'm not too worried about seeing either One Direction or Taylor Swift, no matter what my teenaged daughter says.

As long as I can get my earbusting AC/DC buzz at B.C. Place on September 22, I'm good.

I've been going to AC/DC concerts ever since that day Malcolm Young offered me tea at the Four Seasons back in '83. I would have seen them earlier than that, back in the summer of '78, opening up for Aerosmith at the Coliseum, but that pesky drive in from the 'Wack made us late for the show.

To my lifelong regret I never got to see this:

To make matter worse, that show took place just two months after AC/DC released Powerage, which—as Malcolm and I both know—was one of its best albums.

Shit-on-a-stick! WHY'D I HAVE TO MISS THAT FVCKER!!!

Anyway, all this whining about missing unmissable gigs is leading up to the news that, if you're the type of hardcore AC/DC freak who can't wait until fall for a taste of its immortal blues-metal raunch, the next best thing is happening in Vancouver this Saturday.

Twice.

At the same time!

Over at Pat's Pub on East Hastings, allstar tribute band Bon Red (above) will be doing its damnedest to recreate the rowdy vibe of Bon Scott-era AC/DC. The group is composed of four seasoned Vancouver music vets: vocalist Anthony Walker (the Real McKenzies/Art Bergmann), guitarist Rod Bruno (Matthew Good Band/Tommy Floyd), bassist Don Binns (Sons of Freedom/Econoline Crush), and drummer Pat Steward, who used to bash the skins for Bryan Adams before moving on to better things with Odds. (I doubt Bruce Allen would agree with that last bit, but nobody asked him.)

Get their early enough to see the opening bands, including La Chinga—known far and wide for being featured in the very first Rock 'n' Roll Weekend Planner back in February—and Man the Wolf, who are pretty adept at making gig-promoting YouTube videos, for one thing: 

The other AC/DC tribute band battling for your boogie buck on Saturday night is Hell's Belles, an all-women outfit from Seattle playing down the road apiece at the Commodore.

"HELL’S BELLES are indeed ALL female," reads something off the internet, "all the way to their rock-n-roll cores, all the time and without exception. Representing for a whole new generation of women that won’t be intimidated, HELL’S BELLES actively encourage our legions of lady fans to stand up and be counted, and collaborate with women musicians and causes as a part of the mission towards rock and roll inclusion."

Hey, that's all well and good, girl power—I get it. But can the ladies rock? Let's see:

Whoa yeah, I think we can all agree that we got our ya ya's out on that just then.

And if for some strange reason you're one of those freaky weirdo types who can't stand AC/DC, the coheadlining act at the Commodore that night is Zepparella, an all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band, and it's common knowledge that all humans love Zep, even the freaky weirdo types.

Zepparella features an absolutely smokin' guitarist named Gretchen Menn.

"Gretchen has never tired of her initial inspirations," reads something else off the internet, "Eric Johnson, Steve Morse, Frank Zappa, and Jeff Beck. But she has loved Jimmy Page’s guitar playing longer than she has played the guitar. It was through the music of Led Zeppelin that she found a gateway into music that resonated deeply with her, creating a love for guitar-oriented music, and, ultimately, the guitar."

If you're averse to tribute bands altogether, though, and crave only original music come Saturday, I've got a couple of other recommendations.

The Celtic-punk of the Real McKenzies is always good for a major hoot, and they're finishing off a cross-Canada tour at the Rickshaw, with guests the Isotopes.

And over at Kitsilano's St. James Hall, American musician, composer, actor, director, writer, bluesman (and shameless overachiever) Guy Davis performs a solo show for the Rogue Folk Club.

As far as Friday goes, I suggest you kick off the rock 'n' roll weekend with the screening at the Vogue of Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-90). It's a documentary about the early DIY punk scene in the American capital, written and directed by journalist, musician, and graphic designer Scott Crawford.

We all know bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and Fugazi don't hold a candle to AC/DC, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy 'em, right?