Power Up will be the first AC/DC tour Christo Van Egmond has worked without his father, Garry Van Egmond, who died last year, aged 82.
During a media call held in front of the stage at the MCG yesterday ahead of the first performance on Wednesday night, AC/DC’s long-time Australian promoter observed: “It’s an absolute rite of passage for every dad to take their kid to an AC/DC concert.”
Van Egmond first met AC/DC’s band and crew when he was “a little kid, about nine years old”.
“It all started here in Australia in the ‘70s, so it’s good to get them back home and in front of Australian audiences,” he enthused. “They did the soundcheck yesterday – you could feel the building shake. So it’s good! What a rock’n’roll show should be.”
The legendary Aussie rock band’s Power Up tour kicked off in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on May 17, 2024. When asked how long it took to lock in the Australian leg of AC/DC’s current tour, Van Egmond revealed: “We pressed the button on this in about February, March.”
Van Egmond said he’s attended multiple Accadacca shows abroad over the last couple of years, the first of which was their Saturday night headline slot at 2023’s Power Trip festival in Indio, California – the Aussie rock band’s first performance in seven years.
“Then I went to Europe last year and saw one of the first shows for Power Up – about seven shows in Munich,” he continued. “They’ve been on the road, done 60 shows and have performed in front of about 4 million people so far.
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“It’s a well-oiled machine. The show’s just incredible, they are absolutely flying.”
Production Manager Dale “Opie” Skjerseth (who has also worked with The Rolling Stones and Black Sabbath), described the view from the stage: “When you look out there and you see kids along the barricade, it just tells you how iconic the music is. They’re meat and potatoes – standard people. Rock and roll!”
It’s anticipated that 80,000 black-clad, multi-generational AC/DC fans will pour into the ‘G on both Wednesday night and this coming Sunday.
The Announce
On June 20, the rumour mill went into overdrive when AC/DC’s signature lightning bolt – accompanied by neon-red text teasing, “Are you ready?” – was spotted projected on the Nylex sign in Cremorne. Given that this historic landmark is situated a mere stone’s throw away from the MCG, Melburnians took that as a massive hint.
Two days later, our suspicions were confirmed when the Australian leg of AC/DC’s Power Up tour – their first motherland shows in a decade – was officially announced.
When tickets went on sale less than a week later, on June 26, Ticketek recorded the largest tour on-sale day to date as well as the highest single-day ticket volume in the platform’s history, with in excess of 370,000 tickets sold, of which 320,000 were for AC/DC shows across multiple Australian cities.
The Lineup
Since 2024, AC/DC’s touring lineup has consisted of frontman Brian Johnson, matchless lead guitarist Angus Young, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young (nephew of Malcolm and Angus), bassist Chris Chaney (formerly of Jane’s Addiction) and drummer Matt Laug (formerly of Slash’s Snakepit).
The Build
It took three days to erect the Power Up stage on the MCG’s hallowed turf.
“We’re in 28 trucks of production – 24 trucks is steel – to carry this big stage, 300 tonnes,” Skjerseth said, gesturing towards the stage behind him. “So the first day when we come in, the floor goes down and then we can set the stage – where it goes… and we use 88 locals on the first day, to load the production in.”
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“They want consistency every time,” Will Keating, AC/DC’s Head Of Production, explained. “When they go on stage, it has to be exactly the same. So then they don’t have to think, and they can just do what they do best.”
There are currently two sets of AC/DC’s black-steel stage in circulation. “The other one’s being delivered to Sydney right now,” Skjerseth revealed. “And they start building, so when we get there, it’s ready for us to take the production in.”
The Production
It takes a whopping 500 kilowatts to Power Up a single AC/DC stadium show (audio, video, rigging etc.).
While we’ve read some of AC/DC’s trademark props – including the wrecking ball and Angus statue – are absent on this Power Up tour, classic moments such as the giant (Hell’s) bell and cannon salute remain.
“It’s been modernised,” Van Egmond pointed out. “I mean, you can see these LED screens are just incredible, and you can see the volume of lighting – and obviously the volume of sound. Cosmo [Wilson] and Pab [Paul Boothroyd] – who are Head of Lighting and Sound, respectively – say there’s nothing like this in terms of the production levels, sound and lighting, for a stadium show.”
To transfer AC/DC’s crew between cities, four Commercial A320 Aircraft have been chartered.
The Supports
You’ve got to admit that Amyl and the Sniffers are a genius choice of opener. The Melbourne band has already ticked off bucket list appearances at Glastonbury and Coachella, and word on the street is that Amyl & The Sniffers rescheduled an international date to prioritise being AC/DC’s national support act on home soil.
The band’s inimitable lead singer, Amy Taylor, reacted to the news via an Instagram story in June: “AC/DC! The best rock and roll band in the world. I just can’t believe it. I am so excited. Never ever ever would have dreamed this. Highlight of my literal life like wow can you believe it.”
“We rang Amyl and I think we got the deal done in a couple of hours,” Van Egmond recalled. “Amyl is one of the greatest up-and-coming, hard-rock bands blowing up, and I think they’re an awesome fit for the show. And then Casanovas [who will warm-up the ‘G from 5.30pm] are old-school hard rockers, so it was a nice, natural fit.
“We like to do a local opener for each of the markets. It’s a great opportunity for them and it’s a nice thing to support those local musicians in their own individual markets. We certainly didn’t get any pushback from any of the artists we offered the show to.”
AC/DC’s local support acts for the other states: Large Mirage (Sydney), Oscar The Wild (Adelaide), Southern River Band (Perth) and Headsend (Brisbane.)
A limited number of new tickets for all Australian Power Up shows were released earlier this week.
AC/DC 2025 Australian Tour
With special guests Amyl and the Sniffers (all shows), The Casanovas (Melbourne), Large Mirage (Sydney), Oscar the Wild (Adelaide), Southern River Band (Perth), Headsend (Brisbane)
Wednesday 12 November – Melbourne Cricket Ground, on sale TICKETEK
Sunday, 16 November – Melbourne Cricket Ground, on sale TICKETEK
Friday 21 November – Sydney Accor Stadium, on local TICKETEK
Tuesday 25 November – Sydney Accor Stadium, on sale TICKETEK
Sunday 30 November – Adelaide bp Adelaide Grand Final, on sale TICKETMASTER
Thursday 4 December – Perth Optus Stadium, on sale 1pm local TICKETEK
Monday 8 December – Perth Optus Stadium, on sale TICKETEK
Sunday 14 December – Brisbane Suncorp Stadium, on sale TICKETEK
Thursday, 18 December – Brisbane Suncorp Stadium, on sale TICKETEK
