Four years after the release of their seventeenth studio album, Power Up, AC/DC is still celebrating. The iconic band kicked off their “Power Up” tour last night (May 17) at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. This marks the band’s first tour in eight years and follows their 2023 appearance at the Power Up Festival in Indio, CA. The band has enlisted Chris Chaney to take over bass duty for Cliff Williams, and Matt Laug will continue on as drummer after making his debut at Power Trip. So that leaves the anchors Angus Young (guitar), Brian Johnson (vocals), and Stevie Young (rhythm guitar) propelling the legendary train. The legendary rockers put together a career-spanning setlist Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, as they get their long-awaited European tour underway.
They kicked things off with classics like “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” and “Back In Black.” The 24-song setlist explored every corner of AC/DC’s discography as the veteran band showed no signs of slowing down. Albums like T.N.T and Powerage came into play with performances of “High Voltage” and “Riff Raff.” The tour’s namesake was given a similarly small role, with only two tracks (“Demon Fire” and “Shot In The Dark”) being performed. The first half of AC/DC’s discography is home to some of the most innovative rock music in history, and they didn’t hold any of it back last night. Long-time fans should be overjoyed at the sight of this setlist. Songs from Back in Black took up six of the 24 slots with hits like “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Hells Bells,” and “Shoot to Thrill.” Iconic songs from albums like Highway To Hell and Let There Be Rock rounded out the setlist before the two-song encore with “T.N.T” and “For Those Who Are About To Rock (We Salute You).”
With night one down, AC/DC’s Power Trip Tour can’t be stopped. The band will spend a second night at Veltins-Arena before heading to Italy. The tour also has stops in England, Switzerland, and France. The tour wraps up on August 17 in Ireland. Check out the full setlist, tour dates, and footage from last night’s show below. Let’s hope U.S. Tour dates arrive soon!
May 17 – Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Veltins Arena
May 21 – Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Veltins Arena
May 25 – Reggio Emilia, Italy, RCF Arena
May 29 – Seville, Spain, La Cartuja StadiumJune1 Seville, Spain, La Cartuja Stadium
June 5 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Johan Cruyff Arena
June 9 – Munich, Germany, Olympic Stadium
June 12 – Munich, Germany, Olympic Stadium
June 16 – Dresden, Germany, Rinne
June 19 – Dresden, Germany, Rinne
June 23 – Vienna, Austria, Ernst Happel Stadium
June 26 – Vienna, Austria, Ernst Happel Stadium
June 29 – Zurich, Switzerland, Letzigrund StadiumJuly3 London, England, Wembley Stadium
July 7 – London, England, Wembley Stadium
July 13 – Hockenheim, Germany, Ring
July 17 – Stuttgart, Germany, Wasen
July 21 – Bratislava, Slovakia, Old Airport
July 27 – Nuremberg, Germany, Zeppelinfeld
July 31 – Hannover, Germany, MesseAugust4 Hannover, Germany, Messe
August 9 – Dessel, Belgium, Festivalpark Stenehei
August 13 – Paris, France, Hippodrome Paris Longchamp
August 17 – Dublin, Ireland, Croke Park