By Todd Brown
When your fans wait eight years for an album, the release certainly calls for an event, or maybe even a celebration — better yet, how about an entire store devoted to the record?
Well, that is exactly the kind of love AC/DC's new album, "Black Ice," is getting. MTV, "Rock Band," Wal-Mart and the band itself teamed up to open two stores — one in Los Angeles and one in New York City — devoted solely to the "Rock Band" and AC/DC experience. AC/DC and "Rock Band" fans alike can come down, buy a deluxe version of the new album, play the yet-to-be-released AC/DC live Track Pack on "Rock Band 2," and buy anything and everything related to "Rock Band," AC/DC or MTV.
Walking around the place almost felt like being in a rock-and-roll museum — in fact, some of the original cannons used in AC/DC concerts were on display. Unfortunately, you couldn't buy them, as they are dangerous — however, some of the things I would have liked to walk away with included a "Rock Band" controllable microphone, a vintage MTV T-shirt and an AC/DC motorcycle helmet.
Because of the advent of the Internet and the resulting increase in online sales, the excitement of actually buying a just-released album at a store event has almost all but gone away. But, at least for the next three months, it's nice to know that there is a place in New York and L.A. where I can experience that feeling one more time.