Let’s Hope Last Night Wasn’t AC/DC’s Last American Concert

AC/DC closed out their 2025 North American Energy Up tour with a commanding present in entrance of a packed home of fifty,000 followers in Cleveland Wednesday night time.

This is hoping it will not be the final time they go to us.

For a lot of the previous decade, it was fairly affordable to imagine we would by no means see the legendary Australian band onstage once more. AC/DC excursions have grown few and much between over the previous century. There was a seven-year hole between the 2000-2001 Stiff Higher Lip and 2008-2010 Black Ice excursions, and it took one other 5 years for them to mount the 2015-2016 Rock or Bust tour.

The Rock or Bust tour, as we have documented extensively prior to now, discovered the band besieged by well being and different points. Solely two members of AC/DC’s five-man 1994-2014 lineup had been on stage on the last live performance – bassist Cliff Williams and guitarist Angus Younger. And Williams had already introduced his imminent retirement previous to that present.

The 2017 dying of Angus’ brother and fellow founding guitarist Malcom Younger solid much more doubt on the band’s future. However the remaining members of that aforementioned lineup – Angus, singer Brian Johnson, Williams and legally troubled drummer Phil Rudd – received again collectively within the studio the next yr to document the (superb) Energy Up album as a tribute to Malcolm.

The band did not launch the album till 2020, at which level the COVID pandemic had put a halt to most excursions. AC/DC lastly returned to the stage in 2023 for a one-off look on the Energy Journey pageant, with a lineup of Younger, Johnson, Williams, Stevie Younger (Angus and Malcom’s nephew) and drummer Matt Laug rather than Rudd.

Learn Extra: AC/DC Leaves Dallas Thunderstruck

Three and a half years after the album’s launch, the band lastly launched the Energy Up tour with a 24-date European tour. This spring they returned to North America for a 13-date tour, which concluded final night time – and now you are all caught up.

So what occurs subsequent? In a month the band will start a 15-date summer season tour of Europe, and… that is all we all know.

AC/DC has been notably tight-lipped about their lineup modifications and plans. “I’m not answering that – why ought to I?” Johnson mentioned in 2022 when Eddie Trunk requested him if AC/DC would play reside once more. “I can not reply that. I’ve been instructed to not by everyone. It’s the official line. …If I say one factor, it’ll be blown out of all proportion. You simply can’t afford to speak now. There’s an excessive amount of blabber on the web.”

Equally, it is affordable to imagine that Williams got here again for the Energy Up album as a tribute to Malcolm, and to the Energy Journey present for an opportunity to carry out with Johnson yet one more time. However these are assumptions, not info.

We additionally do not know why Rudd returned for the album however not any of the reveals. It might be because of the authorized troubles that presumably stored him off the Rock or Bust tour, however once more, that is only a guess.

There was nothing in final night time’s present that advised there was any want for Johnson or Younger to retire anytime quickly. Johnson’s voice has taken on some comprehensible put on over the a long time, however the 77-year previous singer nonetheless has greater than sufficient to get the job completed, and he is making higher decisions with what he is received left than some a lot youthful well-known rock singers.

As for Angus? The 70-year-old guitarist stays an unbelievable drive of nature. Whereas his nephew, drummer Laug and new bassist Chris Chaney (68, 57 and 54 respectively) stored the rhythm part locked down in a good huddle close to the again of the stage, Angus prowled, preened and kicked all kinds of unholy ass all around the huge stage all through the night time, culminating in a 22-minute model of “Let There Be Rock” that featured two separate huge guitar solos.

Let’s assume – at all times harmful, admittedly – that the Energy Up tour ends after these European dates. AC/DC has by no means been into best hits albums, and even touring and not using a new studio album to advertise.

In some unspecified time in the future age has to meet up with them, proper? Are they going to interrupt that cycle and return on the street and not using a new album? Or will they head to the studio first, and if that’s the case are we taking a look at one other half-decade absence? If that is goodbye, are they gonna inform us prematurely?

To be clear – these are questions, not complaints. AC/DC has earned the proper to do regardless of the hell they wish to do, and to inform us about it every time they please. They owe us nothing, and this tour and album have been a welcome shock and present. All we will actually do is apologize for being egocentric and wanting extra.

Watch AC/DC Carry out ‘For These About to Rock (We Salute You)’

AC/DC Could 28, 2025 Cleveland Huntington Financial institution Area Set Record

1. “If You Need Blood (You have Acquired It)”
2. “Again in Black”
3. “Demon Hearth”
4. “Shot Down in Flames”
5. “Thunderstruck”
6. “Have a Drink on Me”
7. “Hells Bells”
8. “Shot within the Darkish”
9. “Stiff Higher Lip”
10. “Freeway to Hell”
11. “Shoot to Thrill”
12. “Sin Metropolis”
13. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Practice”
14. “Soiled Deeds Carried out Filth Low-cost”
15. “Excessive Voltage”
16. “Riff Raff”
17. “You Shook Me All Evening Lengthy”
18. “Complete Lotta Rosie”
19. “Let There Be Rock”
20. “T.N.T.”
21. “For These About to Rock (We Salute You)”