Thunderstruck in Wisconsin: AC/DC Lights Up Madison

Jul 21

By Christopher David

Madison got a rare treat on Sunday as one of the greatest rock n’ roll bands of all time landed at Camp Randall Stadium. The mighty AC/DC, touring for their seventeenth studio album PWR/ UP, delivered two hours of the no-frills, anthemic rock they’ve been purveying for five decades now, and if the multigenerational crowd was any indicator, their legacy is firmly entrenched.

The Pretty Reckless opened the evening with a stellar set, showcasing vocalist Taylor Momsen’s wicked stage presence and savage vocals. Leading the crowd in chorus singalongs during “Going to Hell” and new single “About You” from 2025’s Dear God, Momsen and Co. were the perfect lead-in to the main event.

From the moment iconic guitarist Angus Young strutted onstage and hit the opening chords of “If You Want Blood” from 1979’s classic Highway to Hell, it promised to be a night to remember for the fans, and, undoubtedly, for the band as well. They’re clearly having a great time on this tour, and vocalist Brian Johnson was all smiles as the crowd joined in for the stomping refrains of “Shot Down in Flames,” the rhythmic chant of “Thunderstruck,” and the fist-pumping dirge of “Hell’s Bells.” While the night wasn’t without its challenges—the smoke from the Canadian wildfires, thick throughout the city, played hardball with Johnson’s vocals at times, to the singer’s clear dismay—the energy and performance were top-notch. As a guitarist, Young has nothing to prove, but still plays like he does, exemplified by his constant interactions with the crowd from start to finish and a twenty minute (yes, you read that right) version of “Let There Be Rock” with an extended guitar solo the likes of which players half his age would be loathe to pull off. Moments like that also showed what a tight rhythm section bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd have provided over so many years, providing the airtight pulse for Young’s shredding, and rhythm guitarist Stevie Young did an impeccable job filling the shoes of his late uncle, Malcolm.

When you’re fifty years and nearly twenty albums into a career, compiling a setlist is a Herculean task, but the retrospective feel of the song selection should have left no one wanting—from the slickness of “Shoot to Thrill” to the sleazy groove of “Sin City,” to the punk energy of “Riff Raff” to the twenty-one-gun salute of cannon fire at the end of the night, every tune felt like its own event; the slithery riffage of “Jailbreak” even made an appearance for only the second time on the tour and since the early ‘90s.

“We are not legends,” Johnson sang on closer “For Those About to Rock,” but when it comes to AC/DC, nothing could be further from the truth. For many millions of people, they are THE rock band, and it was a cathartic, celebratory night watching so many fans, young and old, diehards and newbies alike, coming together for two hours of pure, unadulterated rock n’roll.