AC/DC returned to the stage after a seven-year hiatus, making a triumphant appearance at the Power Trip festival on Saturday night.
This marked the first time that lead vocalist Brian Johnson had performed live with the band since September 2016 when they concluded their 79-date Rock or Bust world tour. Johnson had to step down from the tour due to hearing loss issues, and Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose filled in for the final 22 shows.
The festival lineup featured a few changes, with Matt Laug taking over drumming duties from Phil Rudd, and bassist Cliff Williams coming out of retirement to join Angus and Stevie Young on guitar.
AC/DC delivered a high-energy 24-song set that kicked off with “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It),” a first-time opener for the band. The performance included classic hits like “Back in Black,” “Thunderstruck,” “Have a Drink on Me,” “Highway to Hell,” and “You Shook Me All Night Long.”
In addition to the classics, the hard-rock legends introduced live renditions of “Demon Fire” and “Shot in the Dark” from their 2020 album, Power Up.
Last year, Brian Johnson expressed uncertainty about AC/DC’s future, saying, “I would love to [perform again]. It’s as simple as that. I think everybody would. There’s a groundswell of people just asking. But I hate talking about the future because, fuck, we were ready two years ago, and the pandemic came, and it screwed everything up. So I’m terrified to say what could happen and what couldn’t.”
The Power Trip festival also featured a special reunion, as Judas Priest welcomed back guitarist Glenn Tipton, who had retired in 2018 due to Parkinson’s disease. Judas Priest filled in for Ozzy Osbourne, the former Black Sabbath frontman who had been scheduled to headline but withdrew due to ongoing health concerns.
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