AC/DC have been on a highway to hell and back over the last eight years. By the end of their 2016 Rock or Bust world tour, Angus Young was the last man standing of the original line-up.
His brother Malcolm Young was suffering from dementia, drummer Phil Rudd was under home detention for drug possession and singer Brian Johnson had to be replaced by Guns N’ Roses Axl Rose due to hearing problems.
To make matters worse, bassist Cliff Williams announced his retirement from touring and then Malcolm died a year later.
It looked like the end of AC/DC, before the band reunited with nephew Stevie Young replacing the late guitarist on 2020’s Power Up album.
Four years on and Angus and Brian lead a new tour in support of the record with Stevie Young, Chris Chaney on bass and Matt Laug on drums.
Express.co.uk headed to Wembley Stadium last night for their first of two nights in London and boy was it loud!
AC/DC blasted the 90,000 capacity stadium with planet-shaking sound, living up to their reputation as one of the loudest bands in the world. Many around us were wearing earplugs to contain the multitude of amps on stage, but thankfully we managed to adapt to the sheer volume turned up to well beyond 11.
From the off it was clear that Angus and Brian were happy to be back performing live, giving the performance their all. Fans were delighted by an early entry of Back in Back before the heavy deeper vocals of new track Demon Fire.
It was clear from the start that Brian’s vocals aren’t what they used to be, and at times were almost lost under the eardrum-bursting sound system. Nevertheless, the 76-year-old tenaciously pushed on through, leaving some of the higher notes for fans to fill in for him as he directed his mic to the crowd.
This AC/DC set featured all the usual hits from Thunderstruck, with the band being set on lightning in special effects on the giant screen, to a descending giant bell for Hells Bells. Other highlights were You Shook Me All Night Long and Highway to Hell,with a return to form of vocals for Brian.
But the real star of the night was Angus on lead guitarist, continuously doing the Chuck Berry duck walk across the giant stage, rocking the house out for over two hours with his epic axe skills. Although even that guitar solo near the end went on a bit too long.
An encore featured TNT and For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) as cannons appeared on and to the sides of the stage, firing at Brian’s command before fireworks concluded the rockathon from above.
AC/DC Power Up tour tickets can be purchased here.
