Latest news with #PowerUpTour
Axios
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
AC/DC makes long-awaited Cleveland return with stadium concert
Tens of thousands of people will take the highway to hell toward Huntington Bank Field Wednesday. Why it matters: AC/DC's stadium gig is one of the biggest local concerts of the summer and the first time the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band has played Cleveland in nearly a decade. State of play: It's the final North American stop on the AC/DC "Power Up Tour." Taylor Momsen's hard rock band The Pretty Reckless will serve as the opening act. The intrigue: Tour reviews have praised AC/DC's energy, which is saying something for a band whose members are all past retirement age. The setlist stretches 21 songs, starting with "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" and closing out with "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" followed by fireworks. Flashback: Despite hailing from Australia, AC/DC has made Cleveland a regular stop over the decades, starting with club shows in the late 1970s. Other memorable concerts include the 1979 World Series of Rock and back-to-back nights at Richfield Coliseum in 1988. AC/DC last played Cleveland on the "Rock or Bust World Tour" at Rocket Arena in 2016 with Axl Rose as the fill-in frontman.
USA Today
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
AC/DC powers up a sold-out Ford Field with timeless electric energy and plenty of hits
AC/DC powers up a sold-out Ford Field with timeless electric energy and plenty of hits There are few experiences in rock 'n' roll more dependable than an AC/DC concert, a show that for decades has proved as sturdy as a giant stack of Marshall amps. And so it was Wednesday night at a sold-out Ford Field, where the iconic hard-rock band returned for the first time in a decade with a reliable arsenal of hits delivered with megawatt energy. Detroit Lions head coach and avowed rocker Dan Campbell was among the fans on hand as AC/DC hit town for the sixth North American stop of its Power Up Tour. An official attendance figure wasn't released, but the crowd appeared to number about 45,000, based on similar concert configurations at the downtown stadium in the past. The band's core of guitarist Angus Young and singer Brian Johnson may be in their 70s now, but close your eyes and this wasn't dramatically different from an AC/DC show you'd have witnessed years ago, even accounting for the lengthy between-song breaks to help the septuagenarians reboot. Sure, Johnson's range has narrowed — he had to modify his approach Wednesday on songs such as 'Hell's Bells' and 'Shoot to Thrill' — and his voice was tucked a little more deeply into the mix. But his signature, sandpapered rasp was intact enough to stamp the performance as fully AC/DC — and who's demanding perfection anyway? Young was a typical bundle of energy as he cast bolts of guitar lightning from nearly every square foot of the massive stage. At 70, now sporting a white shock of Doc Brown-esque hair, he still unashamedly heads to work in his trademark schoolboy outfit, this time with a rasta-colored cap and oversized tie that later got deployed as a guitar bow on 'Sin City.' Out in the crowd, it was an impressively cross-generational affair, with entire families arriving outfitted in the light-up devil's horns that ultimately peppered the dark stadium with red. Detroit's hard-rock masses have made it a longtime AC/DC hotspot — the city is one of just 13 on this North American tour— with Wednesday's show coming nearly 48 years after the inaugural visit by the band on its long way to the top, just down the road at the Masonic Temple. Aside from personnel shifts through the years, not much has changed in the fundamental, blue-collar approach of AC/DC, a band that pledges allegiance to rock 'n' roll history while reveling in the form's absurd charms. The slicing riffs still come thick and fast, the volume is still on overdrive, the imagery still raw, often crude and always electric. Wednesday's production was big and thoroughly predictable in the best sense of that term, packed with the much-loved rituals that mark an AC/DC show, from the booming overhead clang on 'Hell's Bells' to the sweep of flames accompanying 'Highway to Hell' to the earsplitting cannons of show closer 'For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).' The night's two new-ish numbers — the charging 'Demon Fire' and 'Shot in the Dark' — held their own in a set otherwise loaded with classics, starting with the late-'70s staple 'If You Want Blood (You've Got It),' which kicked off the 2-hour, 15-minute show. 'Back in Black,' 'Thunderstruck' and 'You Shook Me All Night Long' provided the sort of vigorous, familiar hooks that had even the stadium ushers bobbing their heads, while the wiry menace of songs such as 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' faithfully summoned the band's Bon Scott era. This was AC/DC's first visit here since the Rock or Bust Tour, which included a 2015 Ford Field stop and a 2016 Palace of Auburn Hills show — with Axl Rose on vocals in place of Johnson, who was battling hearing loss. After a series of experimental treatments, Johnson returned to the fold, and the band began work on the album that would become 2020's 'Power Up,' the group's 17th studio effort. At 77, Johnson still cuts a roguish figure, all wide grins and twinkles-in-the-eye. On Wednesday, he sported a cut-off Harley-Davidson shirt and a brace on his lower right leg, presumably because of the twisted ankle he suffered onstage three weeks ago in Minneapolis. A sweat-drenched Young was an equal center of attention up front. Following a crunching 'Whole Lotta Rosie,' the set gave way to 'Let There Be Rock' and its obligatory transformation into the 20-minute-plus Angus Young Show — a four-chord romp turned epic as the guitarist took over with multiple solos and eventually manned the stage alone, thrashing on his back as blasts of confetti rained over the crowd. The band lineup was rounded out by rhythm guitarist Stevie Young (Angus' nephew) and recently enlisted American musicians Chris Chaney (bass) and Matt Laug (drums). They were part of a night that launched a 2025 Ford Field schedule with eight shows on the books — or what amounts to a Lions home season's worth of concerts. AC/DC followed a strong 55-minute opening performance from the Pretty Reckless, led by actress-singer Taylor Momsen, who provided a compelling presence up front amid the band's extended jams and guitarist Ben Phillips' blistering solos, topped by the anthemic 2013 hit 'Heaven Knows.' Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
AC/DC kicks off Detroit show at sold-out Ford Field
AC/DC's Power Up Tour landed at a sold-out Ford Field on Wednesday night, as Angus Young, Brian Johnson and Stevie Young led the band's latest Detroit show. The group took the stage just after 8:30 p.m. following an opening set by Taylor Momsen's Pretty Reckless. Check back here for a full recap of AC/DC's night in Detroit. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: AC/DC kicks off Detroit show at sold-out Ford Field
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
L.A. Weekend Guide: AC/DC at the Rose Bowl, Family Friendly Earth Day Events, Coachella Weekend 2
Every Thursday, Los Angeles magazine curates a list of the best events in and around Los Angeles. Craft a great last-minute schedule with our Weekend Guide to L.A., and don't forget to sign up to have the guide delivered to your inbox every week by clicking here. If the livestream wowed you and you're down for the drive from L.A., tickets are still available for the three-day Indio music marathon second edition. And if performances by Lady Gaga, Green Day, The Go-Go's, Amyl and the Sniffers and so many more last weekend are any indication, it'll be worth it. The legendary rockers' Power Up Tour comes to Pasadena for a night of big riff packed classics. 'Black in Black,' 'Dirty Deeds,' 'You Shook Me All Night Long,' 'Highway to Hell— faves from both the Bon Scott and Brian Johnson eras still kill it live. And though guitarist Malcom Young is missed, his nephew Stevie Young has proven to be a fine replacement, while school boy-clad axe man Angus Young is still audacious as ever. 'The zoo's weekend Earth Day celebration highlights biodiversity with family activities and entertainment. Presentations about conservation, sustainability and community are also part of the event and photo ops with 'Big Bunny' for Easter are available for an additional fee. While you're there, check the brand new Pink's Hot Dogs stand that just opened last week. The long-running hip-hop jamboree from local radio station 93.5 KDAY features The Game, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Redman and Method Man, Baby Bash, MC Magic, Lil Rob, Paul Wall, and Inglewood's own Cali Swag District. 'Alison Bryan Crowell, Paula Ely, and Sarah Kissell exhibit their work and Jennifer DeCarlo moderates a panel celebrating 'Woman Collectors' at this Photographic Arts Council Los Angeles (PAC LA) and Eastman Museum LA event spotlighting different approaches to collecting from a female perspective. The annual event in the NHM's Nature Gardens offers live music performances, family activities and behind-the-scenes explorations, plus a "Science of SpongeBob" activation from Nickelodeon. Free with paid Museum admission and for members. The future of Tenacious D may be up in the air after he made a bad joke about Trump, but Jack Black's other half in the D, puts on a hilarious and musically engaging show all on his own. This appearance promises to be extra celebratory due to the timing around 4-20 and show promoter Burgerwolf's 11th anniversary. Pot. ganja, herb… whatever you call it, if you smoke it, you know 4-20 is the ultimate day to light up. Since it became legal, cannabis parties have grown, well, like weeds. This 5th annual 'holiday' event in Downtown L.A. from LA-on-Lock features live music, munchies, games, live art and cannabis vendors from 1-8 p.m. in Downtown L.A. (location provided with ticket purchase). Live music, onsite cannabis consumption, games/raffles, food and more are promised at this WeHo weed lounge and art gallery's annual bud-lovers bash. Check out their Bong Bar and newly remodeled event space with a vendor village, sweet treats, photo ops and more. Colorful carny looks and costumes are encouraged.
