After seven years without a live show, AC/DC proved they’ve still got it at the Power Trip festival on Saturday. The famous hard rock band played for a huge crowd—over 80,000 people—at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, and they brought so much energy that it didn’t seem like they’d ever taken a break.
AC/DC hadn’t performed together since September 20, 2016, in Philadelphia. That was the end of their big “Rock or Bust” world tour, which had 79 shows over seven parts. Back then, their lead singer, Brian Johnson, had to stop singing live because he was losing his hearing, and doctors told him to rest. For the last 22 shows of that tour, Axl Rose from Guns N’ Roses stepped in to sing. People wondered if the band would ever play together again.
But at Power Trip, they were back! Brian Johnson was singing, Angus Young and Stevie Young were on guitars, Cliff Williams returned from retirement to play bass, and Matt Laug took over drums for Phil Rudd. They hit the stage at 9:45 p.m., right after Judas Priest, and played 25 songs until midnight. Fireworks lit up the sky when they finished.
The show started with “If You Want Blood (You Got It),” a song they’d never opened with before. By the fifth song, “Thunderstruck,” everyone was dancing, headbanging, and singing along. They played all their famous hits, plus some surprises like “Demon Fire” and “Shot in the Dark” from their 2020 album, Power Up, which they’d never done live before. They also brought back “Stiff Upper Lip” for the first time since 2003 and “Riff Raff” with Brian since 1996.
The stage looked awesome too. During “Thunderstruck,” the giant screens showed thunder, and for “Highway to Hell,” huge flames appeared on the screens and stage. Angus Young was super lively—his hat flew off early, then he tossed his jacket and tie, and unbuttoned his shirt. Near the end, he played a guitar solo that lasted over 10 minutes!
A teenage boy sitting behind me was so excited he told his dad, “This is the best time of my life,” after “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and “Shoot to Thrill.” You could tell the music meant a lot to him.
The band finished with an encore—two extra songs, “T.N.T” and “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).” Fans came from all over the world to see this—places like Brazil, Germany, Iceland, and Australia. They talked about it on a Power Trip Facebook group with thousands of members. The festival also had Iron Maiden and Guns N’ Roses on Friday, and Tool and Metallica were set for Sunday.
This might be the only time we see AC/DC play like this—or maybe it’s the start of more shows. Either way, they showed they can still rock as good as anyone. After waiting years to see them again, let’s hope we don’t have to wait that long next time!
