AC/DC’s
Power Up
album (written as
PWR UP) came out in
2020, but the band was unable to tour then. Remember Covid? Apparently there
were also other forces at work making a tour impossible at that point. And so
it wasn’t until 2024 that the Power Up tour began in Europe. And now the North
American leg of the tour is underway. The third stop was Pasadena, the band
delivering a high-energy show last night at the Rose Bowl, performing songs
from the latest album (which is now five years old) and from throughout the
group’s career.
Opening the show was The Pretty Reckless, a band led by vocalist and former
actor Taylor Momsen. It was three songs into the set when Taylor completely
seduced the crowd with “Follow Me Down.” “
Follow
me down to the river,” she sang, luring us into what was certain to be
mischief. She knew at that point she had the crowd in her hands and paused,
letting the audience understand in that moment that they were hers, before the
song returned to its heavier elements. And during “Witches Burn,” she played
the crowd like a snake charmer. After that, she got the audience shouting “
I’m going to hell,” in honor of AC/DC,
and later told the audience she was just like them. “
I’m a fan of rock and roll. I’m a huge fan of AC/DC.” Her set ended
at 7:53 p.m.
It was a cloudy and cool evening in Los Angeles, and several women wore fur
coats against the chill or just for fun, some of bright, electric colors. But
mostly what was seen was a sea of black clothing. T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets,
all black. The most prominent and notable exception to the expanse of black was
the light-up devil horns that many folks sported, some flickering, some a solid
glow, depending on the setting they chose. The horns were AC/DC merchandise,
the band’s name printed on each horn. They were available for sale, but judging
from the scene in the parking lot before the show, most people had purchased
them at previous concerts. They had come prepared.
Right at 8:30, the scheduled start time, a cheer went up from the crowd. But,
no, the house music continued another moment, just to tease everyone. At 8:31
p.m., the screens lit up with an image of a car racing along the streets toward
the venue and right to the stage. The entire crowd was on its feet, all those
red horns shining in the darkness. The band took the stage and, without any
preamble or tuning, launched into “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It),” a song
from the band’s
Highway To Hell
album. Guitarist Angus Young, the one remaining original member who still
tours, was in red shorts, a matching red hat and jacket, over a white shirt and
tie. Yes, Angus, who turned seventy recently, was still wearing a variation of
the outfit he’d chosen decades ago. And while perhaps there is something a bit
silly, even risible, about that, I suppose we’d be disappointed if he abandoned
his outfit, even at this age, for it was part of the experience, part of the
show, just as integral an element as the music itself. I started listening to
AC/DC in the late 1970s when I was a child and Bon Scott was the band’s singer.
Even then, it was Angus who was the focus. He was the one on the cover of my
cassette copy of
High Voltage, the
first AC/DC album I ever got, a gift from my grandfather when I was six. And
he, even in those first few moments of the show, was giving me everything I
wanted. And Brian Johnson, who took over on vocals after Bon Scott’s death in
1980, was strutting about the stage like some familiar and friendly hoodlum
from the neighborhood. And we all just knew that he could still carry through
on that threat, drawing blood. It was a fantastic opener. “
How have you been?” Brian asked the crowd after that first song.
There wouldn’t be a lot of banter during the show, but there was a bit at the
beginning. The band, by the way, in addition to Angus and Brian, was made up of
Stevie Young on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Chris Chaney (from Jane’s
Addiction) on bass guitar and backing vocals, and Matt Laug on drums.
They followed “If You Want Blood” with “Back In Black” and the crowd erupted
the moment it started, both as a way of showing their excitement over hearing
that popular song and to announce that they too were back in black. This song
was the title track from the band’s 1980 record, the first to feature Brian on
vocals. Brian was clearly having a great time, and he and Angus were the focus
for the crowd. Angus was dancing up there as if age couldn’t possibly diminish
a hard blues rock soul. These guys still rock.
“Demon Fire” was next, with that great guitar lick, like sliding down some
underground passageway to hell. This is a song from the
Power Up album, the first of only two songs they’d play from it
over the course of the show. The band seemed to fly through the number and gave
it a big finish. As they began “Shot Down In Flames,” the large screens on
either side of the stage showed flames surrounding the band members. And Angus
did that special dance of his down the thrust stage. Still so damn good. After
that, he took his jacket off, for though it might have been a cool night, it
was nothing but fire and electricity on stage. And he began that great opening
to “Thunderstruck” on guitar. The crowd chanted “
Thunder,” and as the song kicked into gear, the lights came up on
the audience for a moment, a way of acknowledging everyone there was a part of
this thing. That was followed by “Have A Drink On Me,” another song from
Back In Black. Right before the band
started that song, a guy came down the aisle, announcing his cold beer for
sale, like at a baseball game. But I was pretty sure that it would be us paying
for the drinks, not Brian, regardless of what he was singing.
As “Hell’s Bells” began, a large bell was lowered over the stage, with the band’s
name in red letters printed on it, the song summoning all sorts of creatures to
the festivities. That was followed by “Shot In The Dark,” the second and final
number from
Power Up, and then “Stiff
Upper Lip,” the latter having a cool kind of spoken word delivery of those
first lines. While Brian’s voice did struggle at times throughout the concert, it didn’t matter. He and the rest of the band were giving it their all.
“
I love that song,” a
guy near me said after “Stiff
Upper Lip.” He was not alone in that. “Highway To Hell”
followed, and I was suddenly seven years old again, hearing the song for the
first time and completely excited by it. On the song’s title line, the lights
shone on the crowd, again indicating we were all on this ride together. And
Brian stepped out onto the thrust, among all those glowing horns, while Angus
ran around with horns of his own at that point. He was dancing again at the
beginning of “Shoot To Thrill,” driving the energy up another level. There was
something almost magical about seeing Angus do that dance out on the thrust
into the audience, a thrill itself, and “Shoot To Thrill” ended up being a
highlight of the set. The song seriously rocks.
“Sin City” followed, it being a song from
Powerage.
Oh yes, sin always sounds so good, doesn’t it? I’m almost thankful to religion
for providing that concept for us to enjoy, for us to play with. There was a
great bass line to the song, and Angus began to hunt the crowd, to stalk it.
The crowd cheered in response. As the group started “Rock ‘N’ Roll Train,” an AC/DC
train appeared on the screens. After that song, Angus stepped off stage for a
moment to make a guitar adjustment and then the band ripped into “Dirty Deeds
Done Dirty Cheap.” “
Call me anytime,”
Brian sang, and we in the audience felt that, yes, we could rely on these guys,
and on this song. “
We’ll have ourselves a
ball.” Angus delivered a good guitar solo at the end of that one. That was
followed by “High Voltage.” And, truly, it’s all about high voltage rock ‘n’
roll with this band, always has been. And I’m glad I got to experience it in
concert. On this song, Brian engaged with the audience, a bit of call and
response. This song was a whole lot of fun.
Angus began “Riff Raff” on guitar, the song like a great force rumbling up from
the deepest caverns and bursting forth to tear a hole in the fabric of our
reality, all done to a delicious driving beat. Where do you go from there?
Well, to one of the band’s most popular songs, the crowd-pleasing “You Shook Me
All Night Long.” This song was everywhere in 1980. And beyond, for that matter.
Who doesn’t love this song? The energy was extremely high at the Rose Bowl at
that point. That was followed by “Whole Lotta Rosie,” which has always been one
of my personal favorites. It’s so fun, and a perfect choice to follow “You
Shook Me.” They wrapped up the set with “Let There Be Rock,” which tells the
best creation story. “
Let there be
drums/And there were drums.” Amen! “
And
the music was good and the music was loud.” Oh yes, indeed! Here the band
jammed, Angus standing at the end of the thrust stage, the rhythm supporting
him almost like a mantra or something, and becoming the pulse of the audience.
The section of the thrust upon which he was standing began to rise, and
confetti burst into the air. But that was not the end. Angus next went up the
stairs at the back of the stage and there performed a guitar solo, the screen behind
him then showing an image of a stack of Marshall amps. It was one hell of a
good guitar solo, and Angus periodically checked in with the audience, who
howled out for more. He obliged. All told, the song was twenty-one minutes of
rock and roll heaven. Holy moly!
The set ended at 10:31 p.m., and two minutes later the band was back on stage
for the encore. “T.N.T.” is the song that started it all for me when I was a
kid, and it was a treat to get to see it performed live. That was followed by “For
Those About To Rock (We Salute You).” Several cannons were positioned onto the
upper level of the stage where Angus had performed his guitar solo. The cannons
were aimed at the audience, or, rather, above the audience. And yes, on “
Fire,” the cannons fired. And if all
that wasn’t enough, there was a fireworks display to top it off. The show ended
at 10:45 p.m.
Set List
- If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)
- Back In Black
- Demon Fire
- Shot Down In Flames
- Thunderstruck
- Have A Drink On Me
- Hell’s Bells
- Shot In The Dark
- Stiff Upper Lip
- Highway To Hell
- Shoot To Thrill
- Sin City
- Rock ‘N’ Roll Train
- Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
- High Voltage
- Riff Raff
- You Shook Me All Night Long
- Whole Lotta Rosie
- Let There Be Rock
Encore
-
T.N.T.
- For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
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