4.10 AC/DC at US Bank Stadium
It was a glorious display of rock and roll prowess.
It's Thursday evening around 7pm, and I'm on my way to the promised land. I'm on the Highway To Hell, better known as Park Avenue, going 3 miles north of home to the Vikings stadium for one of the most High Voltage rock bands of all time. Tens of thousands of fans, hundreds (or probably thousands?) of whom were wearing freshly purchased plastic, flashing, red devil horns, were in place for opening act The Pretty Reckless just moments after 7pm. People brought children as young as about 7 to see what promised to be an electric night of classic rock radio staples and sheer power.
It felt like an honor to be the first stop on this Power Up tour, named for their 2018 album. Founding member and lead guitarist Angus Young was in spectacular form, still sporting his trademark schoolboy uniform complete with jacket, tie, and shorts. He continued his longstanding tradition of paying tribute to his idol Chuck Berry with his/their famous duckwalk. Lead singer Brian Johnson, who joined the band in 1980, left due to hearing problems in 2016 and returned in 2018, sounded fantastic, especially for a 77 year old. His gravelly delivery rang through that stadium clearer than any other act I’ve seen at that terrible venue. I’ve learned that the trick is to never go above the main concourse, regardless of where your assigned seat is. Rhythm guitarist Stevie Young replaced his late uncle Malcolm in 2014.
The band tore through 21 songs from 11 albums in about two hours. Highlights for me included “Thunderstruck”, “Hell’s Bells”, “Shoot To Thrill”, “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and the main set closer, “Let There Be Rock”, featuring a grandiose solo from Angus Young in front of the larger than life stacks of Marshall amps (were those real?) The double whammy encore of “TNT” and “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” sent us into the night as fulfilled rock and roll devotees.
