Power Trip 2023: AC/DC rocks festival with first live show in seven years

It had been seven years since AC/DC played a live show, but on Saturday at Power Trip, it was evident that the iconic hard rock band had little, if any, rust to shake.

AC/DC brought a ton of energy to the crowd of an estimated more than 80,000 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

The performance came following years of speculation over whether the band would play together again. In their sixth decade making music, lead singer Brian Johnson was losing his hearing and had followed doctor’s orders to stop performing live.

The last time the group played together live was on Sept. 20, 2016, in Philadelphia, following a seven-leg, 79-date "Rock or Bust" world tour that included Gus N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose on vocals for the final 22 shows.

With longtime bassist Cliff Williams coming out of retirement, Matt Laug filling in on drums for Phil Rudd, and Angus and Stevie Young back on guitar, the band was reunited for at least one show here at Power Trip.

AC/DC went on stage promptly at 9:45 p.m., following Judas Priest, and played 25 songs until concluding at midnight. Fireworks exploded in the sky following the energetic performance.

The band opened for the first time ever with the song "If you Want Blood (You Got It)." By the fifth song, "Thunderstruck," the crowd was headbanging, dancing and singing along.

The set included all of the band’s big hits, yet also included "Demon Fire" and "Shot in the Dark" for the first time live. The two songs are from the band’s 2020 studio album "Power Up."

The band also played "Stiff Upper Lip" in a live show for the first time since 2003, and "Riff Raff" for the first time with Johnson since 1996.

The show felt like a full-circle moment, with the band playing here at Coachella in 2015, a year before AC/DC stopped touring.

Halfway through Saturday’s set, it appeared that a teenage boy sitting behind me was having a moment.

“This is the best time of my life,” the boy told his dad following "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" and "Shoot to Thrill," the 10th and 11th songs of the set.

The visual effects of the set were as impressive as the vitality. When the band played "Thunderstruck," the massive video monitors behind the stage displayed a video with thunder. During "Highway to Hell," huge (graphic) flames shot up the monitors and on the stage.

Angus Young was especially animated. By the fifth song, his hat had blown off. He eventually ripped his trademark sports coat off, and not long after, his tie was gone and his shirt was unbuttoned. He played a more than 10-minute guitar solo toward the end of the set.

The band concluded its set with an encore featuring "T.N.T" and "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)."

Fans from all across the globe made the trek to see this show. A Power Trip Facebook group drew thousands of members leading up to the festival, which included Iron Maiden and Guns N’ Roses on Friday and will conclude with Tool and Metallica Sunday. Some on the fan page said they'd traveled to Indio from as far as Brazil, Germany, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand and seemingly everywhere in between.

Many did so likely because this could be a one-time-only show by the legendary group — or it’s perhaps the start of what could be more shows still to come.

If Saturday provided any indication, this group could still put on a live show with the best of them.

We spent years speculating whether AC/DC would ever play a live show again. Hopefully we don’t have to do that again.

More: AC/DC setlist

Andrew John is a reporter for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network covering Power Trip. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: AC/DC brought the energy to Power Trip, its first show in seven years