After 10 years away, Edmonton got its AC/DC moment back — and judging by the noise coming out of Commonwealth Stadium, the city wasn't about to let it go quietly.
There are some bands you go see for the music, and then there are bands you go see because you want to experience something bigger than a concert. AC/DC have always belonged firmly in the second category. On the POWER UP tour, the Australian rock gods once again electrified Edmonton on Sunday night (August 9), turning the sold-out stadium into a giant celebration of loud guitars, larger-than-life personalities and songs that seem to exist permanently in the collective memory.
Opening up the evening in style, the Pretty Reckless brought a darker, modern edge to the night while still fitting comfortably into AC/DC's world of rock. Frontwoman Taylor Momsen confidently strutted to her place on stage, dripping in crucifixes and the gothic style that she's so well known for, before slamming into "Death by Rock and Roll."
Photo: The Pretty Reckless by Dana Alexander
Carrying their opening performance with energy and ease, the Pretty Reckless made sure to deliver their most savoury songs like "Make Me Wanna Die," "Follow Me Down" and "Going to Hell," leaving Edmonton hungry for more. They made the most of their time on the Commonwealth stage, giving fans who may only know their biggest songs a good reason to dig just a little deeper.With looming threats of severe thunderstorms in the area — and the fear of experiencing tornado-like winds and torrential rain, similar to that on the night that Post Malone's performance at Commonwealth was cancelled just two weeks prior — no amount of dreary weather was keeping Edmonton away from getting their fill of AC/DC. As the audience donned their rain ponchos amid darkening skies overhead, the moment had finally arrived.From the opening notes of "If You Want Blood," there was very little question about what kind of night this was going to be. Boasting a 21-song set, AC/DC were intense, loud and energized on a whole other level.
For Edmonton, however, there is another story running underneath the music. It's been over a decade since AC/DC last played here, and that visit in 2015 became a pivotal moment in frontman Brian Johnson's career: he suffered hearing loss before hitting the stage, and was eventually forced to stop performing after doctors warned that continuing to play large venues could put him at risk of total deafness. Johnson later described receiving that news as "the darkest day" of his professional life in his autobiography, The Lives of Brian.
That history makes seeing Johnson's back on a massive Edmonton stage feel particularly significant. What could've been the end of his career instead became a detour — and there he was, standing in front of another packed crowd at Commonwealth Stadium, and singing the songs that helped define generations of rock fans.
There is inevitably some wear in his voice these days, but hearing him attack those familiar lyrics still carries a certain emotional weight. It's less about proving that nothing has changed and more about appreciating that Johnson's is still here, still performing and and writing AC/DC's ongoing story.
Despite the ever-evolving music industry, AC/DC have moved long past the need to reinvent themselves. They leaned heavily into their back catalogue, moving through staples such as "Back in Black," "Thunderstruck," "Hells Bells," "Highway to Hell" and "You Shook Me All Night Long," while still making room for newer tracks from 2020's POWER UP.
Of course, Angus Young remains the other half of the equation. At 71, Young still possesses the ability to make a stadium audience watch one man with a guitar as though nothing else exists. His extended performance during "Let There Be Rock" was the night's true showcase, giving him plenty of room to rip through his solos, duckwalk across the stage, and remind everyone why he's been one of rock's most recognizable guitarists in a fashionable, crushed velvet school-boy outfit for nearly half a century.
Despite the weather-paranoia that's plagued the city this summer (thankfully the doom and gloom forecast took a turn for the better in this case), the production of the POWER UP tour was exactly as excessive as an AC/DC concert should be: the giant bell descending during "Hells Bells," the towering amplifiers and the token cannon blasts aren't subtle, but subtlety has never been the point.
These effects serve as visual punctuation marks on songs that most of the audience already knows by heart. By the time "T.N.T." and "For Those About to Rock" brought the night to its explosive, firework-filled conclusion, the feeling is less like you've simply watched a concert and more like you've participated in a piece of rock history.
We all know that AC/DC aren't trying to prove that they're still the future of rock. They really don't need to. This was a victory lap for what they've already accomplished and a reminder that, even after more than five decades, the right guitar riff at the right volume can make an entire stadium feel young again. If there's any takeaway from Sunday night (August 9) at Commonwealth, it's that Alberta weather will surprise you, and AC/DC's still got it.
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