AC/DC ‘Power Up’ tour rocks Detroit

All photos © Joe Orlando for Full Access Detroit

Story by Chloe Catajan for Full Access Detroit

“If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” has been the set opener for AC/DC’s Power Up Tour ever since it started in 2024. The story goes that Angus and Malcolm Young got inspiration for the song as they watched a concert where a band uttered similar words. That band had been getting booed, so the phrase was a sort-of battle cry about having given all they had.

Photo © Joe Orlando

Among the AC/DC crowd, the Highway to Hell track is understood as the band’s commitment to putting on a great show. It’s a feat that seems to stand the test of time for the rock-and-roll legacy act. Even as things constantly change—and life, gravity, you name it, do their thing—the chops, the passion, and the adrenaline endure. That was clear as soon as vocalist Brian Johnson, guitarists Angus Young and Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug, and bassist Chris Chaney took the stage at Ford Field in Detroit.

Photo © Joe Orlando

The opening number had Angus Young charging across the catwalk as the crowd went wild. The band built up its opening riffs before Brian Johnson let out his signature howl. Their sound, crunchy, sharp, yet thick, pulsed throughout the indoor stadium, providing an undeniably immersive experience. Every song that followed was a back-to-back banger that spanned across the band’s catalog, from Back in Black and Power Up to The Razors Edge, T.NT., and the list goes on.

Photo © Joe Orlando

Throughout the show, AC/DC’s sound and stage presence spoke for itself. Johnson engaged with the crowd as he danced his way across all ends of the stage. And in between moments of focus, Chaney, Laug, Angus, and Stevie Young would let out a smile as each note had fans throwing their hands up or headbanging. Putting on a solid show evidently came second nature to the band, but what stood out was the fun they had while doing so. The roughly 45,000 in attendance of course matched that energy.

Photo © Joe Orlando

As for set production, all things led back to the performance. An array of stage lights filled the room with vibrant hues and punctuated hard-hitting parts on songs like “Hells Bells” and “Shot in the Dark.” Flames also erupted across the stage to create a fitting scene for “Highway to Hell,” with Angus Young even donning a pair of devil horns.

Photo © Joe Orlando

The band seared through the first half of the set with little banter in between songs. The momentum stayed at a constant high that way, with songs like “Shoot To Thrill,” “High Voltage,” and “You Shook Me All Night Long” living up to their names. During “Let There Be Rock,” Angus Young took the floor to shred a gnarly solo that lasted nearly 20 minutes, give or take. He towered over the floor on an elevated platform as confetti cannons went off, and eventually found his way up the stage risers. It was a triumphant hurrah before the grand finale.

Photo © Joe Orlando

AC/DC hit fans with a one-two punch for the encore, performing “T.N.T” followed by “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).” Six cannons rolled out for the latter, in reference to the album art, launching flames for a thrilling sendoff.

Photo © Joe Orlando

Photo © Joe Orlando

Earlier that night, The Pretty Reckless started the show with grit, glamor, and pure hard rock. Taylor Momsen walked onstage to the opening sounds of “Death by Rock and Roll,” before breaking into the song’s heavy riffage with her bandmates guitarist Ben Phillips, bassist Mark Damon, and drummer Jamie Perkins.

Photo © Joe Orlando

Momsen flipped her blonde hair as she let out her signature rasp. She ditched the mic stand and charged across the stage for “Since You’re Gone” and “Follow Me Down.” The Pretty Reckless went on to play songs from across their four studio albums, including fan favorites like “Make Me Wanna Die” and “Heaven Knows.”