After teasing for months on end and a seven day countdown on socials, classic rockers AC/DC gave the news millions of fans have been waiting for… a tour supporting their latest released album Power Up!
What About The Tour?
The 21 date tour kicks off in Gelsenkirchen, Germany on May 17th running through to Dublin, Ireland on August 17th. On social media, the band only posted a few countries leading many to think that they were being missed off including the United Kingdom. Once you go to their website, the tour dates are there in full.
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 Stadium
June 05 — Amsterdam, the Netherlands @ Johan Cruyff Arena
June 09 — Munich, Germany @ Olympic Stadium
June 12 — Munich, Germany @ Olympic Stadium
June 16 — Dresden, German @ Messe
June 23 — Vienna, Austria @ Ernst Happel Stadium
June 26 — Vienna, Austria @ Ernst Happel Stadium
June 29 — Zurich, Switzerland @ Letzigrund Stadium
July 03 — London, England @ Wembley Stadium
July 07 — 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 21 — Hannover, Germany @ Messe
Aug. 09 — Dessel, Belgium @ Festivalpark Stenehei
Aug. 13 — Paris, France @ Hippodrome Paris Longchamp
Aug. 17 — Dublin, Ireland @ Croke Park
Two dates in the UK are (of course) in London at Wembley Stadium on July 3rd and July 7th. Tickets go on sale Friday 16th February at 10am, there is sure to be a huge queue but then again, rumours are circulating that tickets are upwards of £130 just for nosebleed seats, can fans really afford to see one of the greatest bands of all time before their time is out?
What About the Line Up?
Brian Johnson, Stevie Young (nephew of Angus and Malcolm) and Angus Young also announced the line up for the tour with Matt Laug on drums (who has previously played for AC/DC as well as Alice Cooper, Alanis Morrissette and Slash’s Snakepit to name a few) and Chris Chaney (formerly of Jane’s Addiction and played with many rock n roll legends).
When AC/DC surprised the world by playing at PowerTrip Festival in California October last year, Phil Rudd (former drummer) was nowhere to be seen even though he played on the Power Up album. Rudd was unable to play on the band’s Rock or Bust Tour in 2015/16 due to on going legal issues in New Zealand, on that tour he was replaced by Chris Slade. Naturally everyone thought Phil would be playing joining his band mates for this tour, but sadly, Phil is still having legal issues.
Cliff Williams (former bassist) announced his retirement from the band after the Rock or Bust Tour. He laid it down to suffering from terrible vertigo but came back for the recording of Power Up and played at PowerTrip, so why he isn’t joining his band mates this time, is currently unclear.
A Triumphant Return After Plagues of Issues
AC/DC stunned the world when they announced playing at PowerTrip Festival. It was the first time the band played together since 2016. Power Up was recorded during 2018 and 2019 and was released November 13th 2020 after an amazing marketing campaign that triggered the internet into a frenzy. Upon it’s release, the album shot straight to number one in the UK and was the biggest selling album of 2020! Sadly the pandemic had hurled the world into complete turmoil and almost destroyed the Music Industry. The pandemic left most people within this industry having to find new ways to survive and it has been a slow crawl back to some kind of normality.
Not only did the pandemic cause issues for the band but Brian Johnson was still dealing with hearing loss issues. Johnson had started having serious problems with his hearing back in 2015/16 and it caused him to dramatically leave during the Rock or Bust Tour at the risk of going permanently deaf. Axl Rose of Guns n Roses filled in for the rest of the tour and it was unclear as to whether Johnson could ever perform again.
After testing out experimental hearing aid technology, Johnson slowly started to return to music which included a performance at Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert which brought hope to many fans of the screaming demon making his return. Speaking in an interview, Brian said “I did two songs and the place went absolutely crackers. I think I floated off”.
It was clear, AC/DC were going to return and the fans were begging for a tour, especially for such a great album!
Fans React with Mixed Feelings
With the lighting bolt initiating a countdown everyday for the past seven days and rumours circulating since their performance in October, when the news dropped this morning, most fans were over joyous. BUT as usual, there was a fair bit of negativity spoiling an exciting moment in rock news. A lot of people were complaining that there was no US dates, only two dates in the UK, not performing certain cities and things of the like. But at the same time, nobody announces every date they want to perform and things evolve, everyone is so demanding and expect everything.
I think this is going to be an amazing tour and sure enough I will be joining the thousands of people jousting for a ticket on Friday. What do you think? Will you be seeing AC/DC?
GlamRat 