There are very few times when truly very few words are needed. But as I gazed up at the Wembley arches one more time before joining the queue that had started to file out of Wembley Stadium, all I could think of saying about the evening was this: What. A. Night. AC/DC now, AC/DC forever.
AC/DC – Wembley Stadium – 3 July 2024
Words: Monty Sewell
Photography: Lee Lewis
Being brought up long after the heydays of Back In Black and unfortunate enough not to have been able to attend any AC/DC concerts that had happened during their later dates to now, this was the first time I had had the honour of seeing them live. Being a legacy band, I knew this might be the last time they play in the UK.
As an avid fan, I can not describe the excitement that struck me in every vein as I passed through that long online queue and got my hands on some tickets. The price was justified as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
But as I joined the real-life queue down the Wembley Walk of Fame, the only thing on my mind was, ‘Please, oh please, let this blow my mind.’
The only remaining notable members of the notorious band are founding father Angus Young and vocalist Brian Johnson. But AC/DC is basically now an institute of rock ‘n’ roll and a beloved one too.
Thumping out If You Want Blood (You Got It) as the first track of their two-hour set, the entirety of the sat-down areas joined with the stalls below standing up. I mean, how else are you supposed to fully rock out to songs like Thunderstruck, Shot In The Dark and Shoot To Thrill?
The band played through all the hits, left, right and centre. A few newer songs like Demon Fire and Shot In The Dark were notably not received in the same light as You Shook Me All Night Long and Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, but that is just a given.
You can never please everyone with new material, but onstage, the energy was as fire-lit as the others.
Young rammed up his usual lime-light time by performing a kick-ass solo at the end of Let There Be Rock. He was dashing side to side across the stage before ending up at the top end of the crowd walkway, on his back, shredding like wild, whilst shots of light thrust up around him.
Johnson kept his signature gravel-mowed vocals strong, though something within the live mix meant they weren’t as clear as they could have been. This was a bit of a shame given the enormity of the gig, but it did not matter too much when 90,000 screaming fans were vocalising each rock roar.
The final encore song played was For Those About To Rock (We Salute You). It was a send-off both declarative and inviting. Cannons shot off from each side of the stage, competing with the thunderous cheers which cascaded around the stadium, blaring out from every corner.
AC/DC continue to be ‘that band’ in more ways than ever, and what they invoke for millions around the world can never be unstated.
Just to see their music live and feel immersed in what decades of AC/DC have brought us was a gift in itself.