Review: AC/DC POWER UP TOUR at Ohio Stadium

In 1981, a high school classmate used an AC/DC concert ticket to slip past a less than observant ticket taker and into the Rolling Stones’ STEEL WHEELS tour at Richfield Coliseum.

“AC/DC is going to be around forever, but this might be the last chance to see the Stones,” he said.

Over 40 years afterwards, it turns out my classmate was wrong. Opportunities to see AC/DC and bands like the Rolling Stones are available but a few and far between. And one better make the most of them while he or she has the chance.

Performing to a sweaty throng of over 50,000 fans at Ohio Stadium, the hard rock quintet marched through a 21-song set in the second stop of the North American leg of their POWER UP tour.

“Hello Columbus, it’s been too long,” said Johnson whose band has not performed here since its ROCK OR BUST tour on Sept. 4, 2016, at the Nationwide Arena.

Much has transpired since the Aussie rockers last appeared in Columbus.  Rhythm guitarist and band co-founder Malcolm Young was forced to retire after being diagnosed with dementia and subsequently died at age 64  in 2017. In 2016, former Guns and Roses frontman Axl Rose filled in for Johnson on the ROCK OR BUST tour when Johnson took a leave of absence due to hearing issues.  Matt Laug has taken over pounding the skins over former drummers Chris Slade and Phil Rudd, who faced murder-for-hire and drug charges in 2014.

Currently Angus Young is the only founding member remaining in the quintet’s lineup. Johnson, who has been with the band for 46 years, took over lead vocals after the death of Bon Scott in 1980. Those two shared most of the spotlight in the Columbus show with Laug, bassist Chris Chaney, and Stevie Young, who replaced his uncle Malcolm in 2014, lounging in the background.

Perhaps the biggest change was the audience. In the 1980s, AC/DC was the rebellious band parents warned their children about. Now, the band is the spectacle parents bring their children to experience. It was a little unnerving to hear a mother asking, “Timmy, would you like a cookie?” before the band opened with “If You Want Blood, You’ve Got It.”  Fans might be wearing earplugs and glowing devil horns, but they stay for the confetti guns, flames, and fireworks.

The more things changed, however, the more they have remained the same. White-haired but seemingly ageless, Angus Young still bounded across the stage in his trademark schoolboy uniform, ripping through signature riffs while punctuating them with Chuck Berry's famous duck walk..

Angus’ blistering 10-minute guitar solo during “Let There Be Rock” was the dividing point for some attendees. It was too long for some, forcing them to exit before the encore of “T.N.T.” and “For Those About to Rock.” Others relished it as a master class in showmanship. One fan said afterward, “I hope I have that kind of energy when I’m his age.”

Johnson was a little more uneven in the Columbus show. He growled his way through iconic tunes “Back in Black,” “Thunderstruck,” and “Highway to Hell.” Yet at times, he seemed to lack the precision, focus, and passion needed to reproduce those gritty classics.  

But in the end, the material outshined any flaws. Great bands aren't judged by the songs they play—they're judged by the classics they can afford to leave out and still satisfy legions of die-hard fans. “It’s A Long Way to the Top (if You Wanna Rock and Roll),” “Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution,” “The Jack,” and the ever so subtle, “Big Balls” were absent from the setlist but fans hardly felt cheated when they left.

Over 40 years later, it turns out my classmate was wrong. Opportunities to see AC/DC and the Rolling Stones are still out there. But after watching musicians in their seventies command 50,000 fans for two hours, one truth is impossible remains: these opportunities are now few and far between. If you get the chance to see legends like these, hold on to your ticket.

PRETTY RECKLESS: While AC/DC has tried to keep their image the same, Taylor Momsen, the lead singer for the hard rockers PRETTY RECKLESS, has thrived by reinventing herself.

Momsen played Cindy Lou Who in the Jim Carey Christmas staple, HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (2000) and Jenny Humphrey on The CW Network's drama GOSSIP GIRL (2007–2010; 2012).

Both of those personas were nowhere to be found as PRETTY RECKLESS opened for AC/DC.

Momsen has shed both the innocence of Cindy Lou Who and the angst of Gossip Girl, emerging as one of modern hard rock's commanding frontwomen. Clad in a white slip and black leather high heeled boots, Momsen led the Ohio Stadium crowd through a powerful 10-song set, including “Death by Rock and Roll,” “For I Am Death,” and “Going to Hell.”

Warming up for an iconic band like AC/DC can be a thankless task, but Momsen and bandmates Ben Phillips (lead guitar), Mark Damom (bass) and Jamie Perkins (drummer)  rose to the challenge. Phillips teased the crowd by playing snippets from “Highway to Hell,” “Back in Black,” and other signature pieces and Momsen acknowledged what a privilege it is to open for the AC/DC on this tour.

If AC/DC represents hard rock's past, The Pretty Reckless make a compelling case that the genre still has a vibrant future.

 

Photo Credit Greg Bartram/CASE

 

Reader Reviews

To post a comment, you must register and login.

Need more Columbus Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...