{"id":6485,"date":"2026-08-06T23:40:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T23:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6485"},"modified":"2026-08-06T23:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T23:40:12","slug":"review-ac-dc-delivers-something-rock-fans-wont-likely-see-anywhere-else","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6485","title":{"rendered":"Review: AC\/DC delivers something rock fans won’t likely see anywhere else"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

One thing about AC\/DC has remained true through the ages:<\/p>\n

As long as Angus Young is in the fold then this Aussie hard-rock act will be worth seeing in concert.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Gift to the fossil fuel industry\u2019: RWE ends Northern California offshore wind lease in $1.22B deal with Trump<\/a><\/p>\n

And that was certainly once again the case as AC\/DC \u2014 one of the top-selling musical acts of all time \u2014 brought its Power Up (stylized as PWR\/UP) Tour to Levi\u2019s Stadium in Santa Clara on Wednesday (Aug. 5).<\/p>\n

The two-hour-plus show, consisting of 21 songs from a catalog that is estimated to have sold in the neighborhood of 200 million albums worldwide, featured numerous highlights \u2014 almost all of which came courtesy of the 71-year-old Young. And, yes, he still performs in his standard velvet school-boy outfit \u2014 complete with with short pants, hat with \u201cA\u201d for Angus on it,\u00a0 and yellow-and-red striped tie \u2014 and he is still\u00a0nothing short of a marvel on lead guitar.<\/p>\n

The rest of the quintet was solid enough. That number includes longtime AC\/DC vocalist Brian Johnson, who has returned to the band after a lengthy hiatus related to hearing loss. Also, the rhythm section of drummer Matt Laug, bassist Chris Chaney and rhythm guitarist Steve Young \u2014 no, not the 49er legend (although that would be mighty cool, especially given that we were in the home of the Niners on this night), but rather the nephew of brothers Angus and Malcolm Young (who died in 2017). The younger Young has actually been in the touring band for over a decade now and his playing style meshes well with that of Uncle Angus.<\/p>\n

Johnson, 78, did a decent job mumbling his way through the lyrics in his typical blues-rock fashion, still able to push his worn, seemingly always-hoarse natural baritone towards tenor\/soprano limits in a way that seems to shout: \u201cI\u2019ve been up for days and I\u2019m on my last carton of Camels.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, it\u2019s very rock \u2018n\u2019 roll.<\/p>\n

Yet, Johnson \u2014 who joined the band after legendary vocalist Bon Scott died in 1980 and found immediate and overwhelming success with the release of \u201cBack in Black\u201d \u2014 and everyone else in the band definitely take the backseat to Young in concert. Indeed, sometimes the distance feels even further back than just that \u2014 like the guitar maestro\u2019s supporting players might as well be backstage.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Taking the massive stage after an opening set by hard-rock act The Pretty Reckless, led by vocalist Taylor Momsen (who many remember best for her work on CW\u2019s delightfully over-the-top teen drama \u201cGossip Girl\u201d), AC\/DC got right down to business with a powerhouse version of \u201cIf You Want Blood (You\u2019ve Got It).\u201d<\/p>\n

The 40,000-plus fans in the packed stadium were on their feet, pumping their fists and chanting along to the music, thrilled to see these Rock and Roll Hall of Famers back in Northern California for the first time since a 2015 date at Oracle Park (then known as AT&T Park) in San Francisco. Eleven years is a long time to go between Bay Area gigs, but AC\/DC made it clear from the start that its mission has not changed over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to do the same thing we did last time,\u201d Johnson told the crowd. \u201cWe are going to make some rock \u2018n\u2019 roll. We are going to have some fun. And we are going to party. So, let\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n

And away they went, blistering through the title track to 1980\u2019s \u201cBack in Black\u201d \u2014 which, with an estimated 50 million copies sold worldwide, stands as the top-selling rock album of all time \u2014 and following up with \u201cDemon Fire\u201d (from the band\u2019s latest record and tour namesake, 1980\u2019s \u201cPower Up\u201d). The fan favorites just kept coming \u2014 \u201cShot Down in Flames,\u201d \u201cThunderstruck,\u201d \u201cHave a Drink on Me,\u201d etc. \u2014 as the band drew material from 10 of its 17 studio albums.<\/p>\n

Read more Murder charges filed, defendant sought in deadly July shooting in San Jose<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

All of the Bon Scott triumphs, starting with the first release of \u201cHigh Voltage\u201d in 1975 and then moving to the U.S. breakthrough effort \u201cHighway to Hell\u201d in 1979, were represented in the setlist \u2014 and, really, provided most of the evening\u2019s best moments. And, not surprisingly, the blockbuster \u201cBack in Black\u201d received the most airtime \u2014 with nearly a quarter of the evening\u2019s selections hailing from that landmark offering.<\/p>\n

AC\/DC can be unflinchingly one-dimensional, specially when we\u2019re talking about the Johnson era, relying on the exact same blues-rock dynamics and time-honored song structures ad nauseum. That wears on you after, say, 10-12 songs, and you begin to wish for something \u2014 some cool visuals, special effects, whatever \u2014 to spice things up and keep you interested.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the group offered amazingly little of that over the course of the night, minimizing the bells and whistles during what could be properly dubbed a fairly boring stage show overall. There was an occasional pyrotechnics effect, and an all-too-obvious prop (like a big Hell\u2019s Bell lowered during, well, you can probably guess) \u2014 but certainly not enough to keep one visually invested. The large overhead screens were used mainly to highlight Young and, to a much smaller extent, Johnson \u2014 rarely even showing the other three musicians (who were huddled way in the back of the stage).<\/p>\n

So, again, it came down to Angus Young. If he\u2019s the reason you were in attendance \u2014 which probably is true for, say, 99.99999 percent of the crowd (excluding the one person who came primarily to see \u201cJenny Humphrey\u201d from \u201cGossip Girl\u201d) \u2014 then you likely would\u2019ve enjoyed the show.<\/p>\n

And, if so, you really would\u2019ve dug the epic version of \u201cLet There Be Rock\u201d that closed the main set. As per usual, that song \u2014 which is the title track to band\u2019s fourth album from 1977 \u2014 served as a massive platform for Young\u2019s guitar work. It\u2019s the kind of showcase that most guitarists never get, and most rock fans won\u2019t see anywhere else, as Young just keeps right on soloing and soloing.<\/p>\n

And when you think he\u2019s done soloing, well, you\u2019re wrong. Because he just keeps on going. In Santa Clara, this segment was nothing short of a marathon \u2014 stretching approximately 20 minutes, to the point where some people probably forgot what song he was even playing. It didn\u2019t matter anyway, because it was all about Angus \u2014 pretty much like the rest of the concert \u2014 as he duckwalked, wriggled around on the floor, backstepped, boogied and worked the crowd to near exhaustion.<\/p>\n

The solo finally came to its conclusion, as the rest of the band re-entered the picture to help put \u201cLet There Be Rock\u201d and the main set to bed. But AC\/DC wasn\u2019t quite finished yet, returning for an explosive two-song encore of \u201cT.N.T.\u201d and \u201cFor Those About to Rock (We Salute You)\u201d to close out the night.<\/p>\n

AC\/DC Setlist:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) \u201cIf You Want Blood (You\u2019ve Got It)\u201d
\n2) \u201cBack in Black\u201d
\n3) \u201cDemon Fire\u201d
\n4) \u201cShot Down in Flames\u201d
\n5) \u201cThunderstruck\u201d
\n6) \u201cHave a Drink on Me\u201d
\n7) \u201cHells Bells\u201d
\n8) \u201cShot in the Dark\u201d
\n9) \u201cStiff Upper Lip\u201d
\n10) \u201cHighway to Hell\u201d
\n11) \u201cShoot to Thrill\u201d
\n12) \u201cSin City\u201d
\n13) \u201cJailbreak\u201d
\n14) \u201cDirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap\u201d
\n15) \u201cHigh Voltage\u201d
\n16) \u201cRiff Raff\u201d
\n17) \u201cYou Shook Me All Night Long\u201d
\n18) \u201cWhole Lotta Rosie\u201d
\n19) \u201cLet There Be Rock\u201d
\nEncore:
\n20) \u201cT.N.T.\u201d
\n21) \u201cFor Those About to Rock (We Salute You)\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Data center proposed near San Jose creek, tech company sites<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Angus Young delivers guitar solo for the ages during AC\/DC concert tour at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-things-to-do"],"yoast_head":"\nReview: AC\/DC delivers something rock fans won’t likely see anywhere else - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6485\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review: AC\/DC delivers something rock fans won’t likely see anywhere else - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Angus Young delivers guitar solo for the ages during AC\/DC concert tour at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6485\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-06T23:40:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6485#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6485\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Review: AC\\\/DC delivers something rock fans won’t likely see anywhere else\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-06T23:40:12+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6485\"},\"wordCount\":1264,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6485#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/90bf5b86274ebc1c0e3ec4f19d94e966.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Things To Do\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6485#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6485\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6485\",\"name\":\"Review: AC\\\/DC delivers something rock fans won’t likely see anywhere else - 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