AC/DC Honored with Street Name in Australia

10/24/2004 3:12 PM, Reuters
Christie Eliezer

AC/DC formed in Sydney in 1974, but it's the Australian city of Melbourne that has honored the veteran hard rock band with its own street.

On Oct. 1, Melbourne City Council renamed Corporation Lane in the city center ACDC Lane, at a ceremony attended by 500 fans. A bagpiper played the 1975 track "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)" at the festivities, while local bands played other AC/DC material for five hours in a nearby bar. Recording commitments prevented the band from attending, but guitarist Angus Young sent a message: "Melbourne was our stomping ground in the early days. If you could make it in Melbourne, you could make it anywhere else in the world."

Present at the ceremony were Fifa Riccobono, CEO of AC/DC's Australian label, Albert Productions, and TV presenter Ian "Molly" Meldrum, an early supporter of the band.

The council debated the name change for several months, and it proceeded despite local protests from a restaurant and a Christian group.

Reuters/Billboard