The last time they toured America, Axl Rose was on lead vocals, and the entire rock world felt upside down and sideways
AC/DC kicked off the U.S. leg of their PWR/UP Tour Thursday night at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They played the exact 21-song set they brought around European soccer stadiums last year, which was heavy on classic hits like “Back in Black,” “Thunderstruck,” and “You Shook Me All Night Long.” They also sprinkled in two songs from their 2020 LP Power Up, along with the title track to 2020’s Stiff Upper Lip, and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Train” from 2008’s Black Ice.
The show opens with an explosive rendition of “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” from 1979’s Highway To Hell. The song dropped out of the band’s live repertoire when original frontman Bon Scott died in 1980, and replacement singer Brian Johnson didn’t sing it until a 2003 show at New York’s Roseland Ballroom shortly before the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the nearby Waldorf Astoria. You can see footage of the Minneapolis performance right here from a fan perched very close to the stage.
The last time AC/DC toured America was back in 2016 when Brian Johnson had to step aside due to hearing issues, and Axl Rose took his place. At that point, “Thunderstruck”-era drummer Chris Slade was in the band, and Highway To Hell-era bassist Cliff Williams had yet to retire. They’ve since been replaced by Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs drummer Matt Laug, and former Jane’s Addiction bassist Chris Chaney. (He picked just the right time to switch bands, even if it wasn’t his choice.)
That means if you saw AC/DC in 2016 and you’re seeing them again on this tour, everyone on stage will be a different person besides guitarists Angus Young and Stevie Young. But Angus has been the heart of the band from day one, and with Brian Johnson back in the fold, this is a more legitimate incarnation of the group, with all respect to Axl Rose. He did his best under very trying circumstances. And everything is back in its right place with Axl hitting the road this year with Guns N’ Roses on the world’s longest reunion tour. (Next year, they can launch a 10-year anniversary tour of their reunion tour.)
The AC/DC tour resumes April 14 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The U.S. leg wraps up May 28 at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio. But a month later, they head back to Europe for another run of stadium shows. There’s no word on future shows in America, but this tour is hitting a mere 13 markets on this side of the Atlantic. There’s not even a show near New York City. The demand is much, much greater than what they’re providing. If they feel like coming back later in the year or sometime in 2026, the seats will be filled.
