With Friday’s show at the Alamodome, Australian hard-rock trailblazers AC/DC proved they still have it. Indeed, the venue felt frozen in time as the group thundered through hit after hit.
After a commanding set by Pretty Reckless, the crowd was primed for classic AC/DC, and the band was ready to deliver.
Lead guitarist and sole remaining original member Angus Young still sported his longtime stage uniform, although he’s now a geriatric schoolboy. Somehow the cheeky uniform he adopted back in 1974 has only gotten cheekier as he’s aged.
Young spryly duckwalked across the stage like no time had passed since the release of the band’s explosive 1979 album Back in Black. The LP — which has sold as many as 50 million copies worldwide — debuted singer Brian Johnson as the worthy replacement for the previous frontman, the late Bon Scott.
Though not the founding vocalist, Scott left a massive void in the band when he died shortly before its breakthrough album Highway to Hell. He was a tough act to follow, something only Johnson seemed capable of pulling off.
Thrust into the deep end, his new bandmates asked Johnson if he could write lyrics and left him in a sparse room in the Bahamas with a notepad and pen.
In this high-pressure moment, he wrote down “She was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean.” In doing so, he instantly created one of the band’s biggest hits. Viewing his ease Friday night in front of a stadium of approximately 60,000 fans chanting “Oi!” with raised fists, it was clear Johnson still works well under pressure.
“This is rock ‘n’ roll. You know who invented it? America!” Johnson screeched at the audience to thunderous cheers between songs.
Johnson commanded the stage Friday night with the same high-pitched, bar-room-brawler vocals for which he’s known — no easy feat for a 78-year-old. Indeed, many hard-rock shouters who came after him — Vince Neil, for example — have lost access to their high range.
But this wasn’t lip syncing — this was live and high voltage.
AC/DC ran through a barrage of hits during the two-hour set, including “Back in Black,” “Have a Drink on Me,” “Highway to Hell,” “Shoot to Thrill,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and “You Shook Me All Night Long.” The crowd got very few valleys between the peaks, yet it remained standing and screaming nearly the whole time.
After all, the band — colloquially referred to as Acca Dacca in its homeland of Australia — has spent decades as a worldwide rock phenomenon. There was a lot of ground to cover.
“Thunderstruck” came early in the set, unmistakable thanks to the building anticipation generated by hammer-ons from Young on his Gibson SG. Considered one of the greatest guitarists in rock history, Young underscored his legacy with precision solos throughout the night as he deftly hopped around the stage.
Through the band’s numerous lineup changes, Young has remained the band’s most lethal weapon. He’s also the band’s wealthiest member, with a net worth of $160 million.
Like Iron Maiden and other stadium acts of their ilk, AC/DC incorporated theatrical props throughout the set. During “Hell’s Bells,” a massive bell with the band’s iconic logo lowered over the stage to sound the song’s ominous chime.
After a staggering 20-minute guitar solo by Young closed out the set, the band closed out the encore with a back-to-back assault of “T-N-T” and “For Those About to Rock.” A battery of cannons fired off, releasing clouds of smoke.
Johnson saluted the audience every time he screeched, “Fire!”
Photos by Jaime Monzon.
