Troy Saxby waited 10 years to see AC/DC with his kids… and then got coward punched for standing during his favourite song. That was just the start of a ‘nightmare’ that landed him in court
A father who was arrested after being punched by a stranger in front of his kids when he stood up during an AC/DC concert has had a major court win almost a year after the dream gig was ruined.
Troy Saxby had waited a decade for his teenage daughters to be old enough to enjoy their first AC/DC gig at Sydney’s Accor Stadium last November, as part of the band’s worldwide Power Up tour.
The legendary Aussie rockers hadn’t played their hometown since 2015 and Mr Saxby, from Cessnock in the NSW Hunter Valley, was determined to take his family along.
Mr Saxby, a music teacher and NDIS support worker, had seen the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers previously as a young man but this experience was meant to be shared with his loved ones.
After kicking off with If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It), lead singer Brian Johnson belted out Back In Black, Demon Fire and Shot Down in Flames.
But the night took a troubling turn shortly after guitarist Angus Young began picking the unmistakable opening riff to Thunderstruck – Mr Saxby’s favourite AC/DC song.
As Mr Saxby stood up with his wife and daughters, then aged 14 and 17, a man behind them said, ‘Sit down, you fat c***’.
‘I turned around and said, “C’mon, bro. We’re at an AC/DC concert.” You know, jump up and party on with us,’ he told Daily Mail at the time.
Troy Saxby (above) was arrested after being coward punched by a stranger in front of his kids when he stood up during an AC/DC concert
Mr Saxby had waited a decade for his teenage daughters to be old enough to enjoy their first AC/DC gig at Sydney’s Accor Stadium last November, as part of the worldwide Power Up tour. Lead singer Brian Johnson and guitarist Angus Young are pictured at the concert
‘And the next thing, I turned around and he smashed me in the back of my head three times and cut my head.’
Fearing for his daughters’ safety, Mr Saxby said he turned around and hit the man in self-defence.
‘He’s hitting down on my head and I just turned around and I just cracked him – I hit him twice and put him in his chair,’ the 52-year-old said.
‘I hit him and put him back in his seat and the cops saw it and they came and got us both.’
Mr Saxby was taken to a mobile police unit at the stadium where he was arrested and charged with affray, as was his alleged attacker, a 64-year-old ACT man.
‘Although they didn’t cuff me, which was good of them,’ Mr Saxby told Daily Mail.
‘I was only protecting me and my family. It was pretty harsh and I wasn’t very happy about it.’
Mr Saxby, who was also hit with a six-month ban from the stadium, said the incident destroyed what was supposed to be a special family night.
As AC/DC began playing Thunderstruck, Mr Saxby (above) stood up with his wife and daughters, then aged 14 and 17. A man sitting behind them said, ‘Sit down, you fat c***’
‘It was pretty much ruined,’ he said.
‘My young daughter was in tears and it was heartbreaking because it was a special time for me to actually take my own children to watch the band that I’ve adored my whole life.
‘I would never hit someone. I would never throw the first punch.
‘But, if someone hits me, then I’m going to retaliate. To be hit in the back of the head – I could’ve been knocked down a couple of flights of stairs.’
Mr Saxby, who sings and plays bass with country rock band Hunter Outlaws, first fronted Burwood Local Court on January 20, along with his co-accused.
For the next 10 months, Mr Saxby had the case hanging over his head and feared he would lose his NDIS employment.
‘If I’d been found guilty, that could have been the end of my career,’ he said.
‘Every day I was wondering if I could keep my job. It’s been an absolute nightmare to be honest.’
Mr Saxby was punched in the back of the head by a stranger and retaliated. He was charged with affray but the case was dismissed on Wednesday. Fans are pictured at an AC/DC concert in Sydney on November 21 last year
When Mr Saxby appeared for the third time at Burwood Local Court last Wednesday and entered a not guilty plea, he was in for another surprise.
‘The police prosecutor said we are dropping the charges and I was free to go – no fine, no court costs,’ he said.
‘Just my fuel and meals was all it cost me. Oh, and missing the AC/DC concert.’
Unknown to Mr Saxby, the man who punched him at the concert – who Daily Mail has chosen not to name – had received the same result on August 28.
No one has explained to Mr Saxby why the charges were withdrawn.
‘Any win in court is a win,’ Mr Saxby said.
‘But to be dragged through court for nearly a year and to find out [his co-accused] got off as well does not send the right message in my opinion.
‘We were up in the bleachers. If I went forward, if he’d knocked me out, I could have been killed.’
AC/DC formed in 1973 and is estimated to have sold more than 200 million records. Johnson is now 79, while Angus Young is 71 and the last original member after the death of his rhythm guitarist brother Malcolm nine years ago.
Mr Saxby first attended an AC/DC concert on The Razors Edge tour in 1991 and thinks the mini-set he witnessed last November might have been his final chance to see his all-time favourite band.
He missed them performing Highway To Hell, Jailbreak, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, T.N.T., Let There Be Rock, High Voltage, Whole Lotta Rosie, Hells Bells and You Shook Me All Night Long.
‘The worst thing was I waited 10 years so I could take my kids and some person took it away from me,’ he said.
‘It was wrecked by one bloke doing the wrong thing.
‘You don’t expect someone to coward punch you in the back of the head, that’s for sure. It was pretty full-on.
‘I was angry at the time but when I look back I’m probably more disappointed than angry. It wrecked my family’s night.’
