{"data":{"id":"ce2503e0-0aad-4c5f-a5b1-6145953330f7","originKind":"SYNDICATED","title":"Review: AC/DC a deafening, by-the-numbers blast at Commonwealth Stadium","summary":"Now that Ozzy’s flown off to eternity, who but AC/DC wears the king’s crown of hard rock/radio metal?\n\nIt sure ain’t KISS – though you could entertain a conversation about Iron Maiden and probably still end up banging your head in agreement back at Commonwealth Stadium Sunday night on the sixth leg of the 90-stop Power Up Tour.\n\nMiraculously free of anticipated rain (and any repeat of those horrifying Post Malone vids with the concourse turned into your grandmother’s dishwasher two weeks back), the gig was a well-manicured blast, from the sunny opening If You Want Blood You’ve Got It – a nod to the band’s 1978 live album – to the cannon and firework finale 20 songs later of For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).\n\nA seismic scale shift from the soft grass and chatty intimacy of three days covering the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, this was more like watching five never-retired construction workers hammering together a giant living machine before our eyes, and at the far end of the stadium, side note, I’ve never seen so many people smoking outside of Asia.\n\nDifferent vibe, to say the least, with an extra 20,000 people or so in the mix in the 56,000-capacity largest stadium in Canada.\n\n“Hello, Edmonton, where ya been?” said 78-year-old former Geordie frontman Brian Johnson, lead singer since the death of singer Bon Scott directly brought him to front the second-best-selling album of all time, Back in Black, in 1980.\n\nCue that eternal number as the band’s second of the night, where anyone not standing (who could) got up did so, a musical chairs pattern that would repeat every time anything as familiar as Thunderstruck, Hells Bells, Highway to Hell or Dirty Deeds smashed over the crowd like Sauron’s jagged war mace.\n\nBoth Johnson and band co-founder Angus Young made this the one place where it’s still cool to wear a driver’s cap (sorry, wealthy convertible owners), with the latter – ever the showman as the world’s most wizened schoolboy – all decked out in a blue velour suit and shorts, his green-and-gold tie venue-appropriately matching the Elks’ colours.\n\nDemon Fire was the first of many times Young would chicken-walk the Gibby SG out onto the thrust stage, a tiny human amid the sheer scale of the place with tens of thousands of eyes following this immensely skilled, 71-year-old blues rocker.\n\nYoung lost his jacket for a no-sleeves look as I’m sure AI-assisted flames shot out of Johnson’s arms on the various giant screens for Thunderstruck, and the easy-mark geezer-rock pleaser led into – boom – Hells Bells. Cue the $30 flashing demon horns by the thousands.\n\nAs the giant chime reverberated and a big bell lowered down over the band, it had me thinking of Metallica playing For Whom the Bell Tolls in this same spot two years back, and how at the time it actually summoned Hells Bells … and so here we were, full circle! BONG!\n\nSick licks for sure by Young, easing the way for the first beer and washroom break for the filler Shot in the Dark, a good time to note the solid, 10-song opening set by Taylor Momsen-led The Pretty Reckless as the giant lineups to get into the bowl trickled down. Check out their For I Am Death for a taste of their edgy-sexy darkness.\n\nBack from the concourse noisy urinals, the crunchy-ginch blues rock of Stiff Upper Lip ending in Johnson mysteriously saying “drinky poo!” brought on the band’s second devil song, the eternal ripper Highway to Hell. I’m sure you can imagine the singalong qualities here as it started to get dark, sun’s going down, big guy.\n\nBy the numbers, Shoot to Thrill was up next in the massive dad vape zone, tour drummer Matt Laug seriously standing out here in the riff forest. Then came the scream-along Sin City, ace of spades and jack of clubs cards framing our two central on-deck icons on the big screens.\n\nJohnson sorta crashed the “Freedom”-on spoken word part of Jailbreak, and his higher vocals were showing their age except for the perfectly gritty “done dirt cheap” parts of Dirty Deeds, but it’s not like I can leap over a schoolyard fence like the old days, either, if you get my meaning.\n\nNo complaints: the spectacle is intact, and the good work of guitarist Stevie Young and bass wizard Chris Chaney burmed up any sonic mudslides.\n\nHigh Voltage, the ancient beaut Riff Raff then You Shook Me All Night Long all had the common wealth of the Commonwealth shaking and grooving, having replenished AC/DC’s top spot in locally-worn rock tees. Imagine that dragon horde.\n\nDead-eyed neon AI prostitute on the jumbotrons aside, Whole Lotta Rosie was a terrific late-set up-and-dancer, though Angus Young sure did drag out the guitar work enough to feed everyone in Edmonton a bowl of noodle soup on Let There Be Rock before the encore break as many a sleepy fan trickled away.\n\nNever mind though, when the boys returned for the penultimate T.N.T. and aforementioned closer For Those About to Rock, loudly saluted with repeated cannon blasts and actual fireworks, I can’t imagine many were left wanting more, ears a-ringin’.\n\nAnd I’m guessing Johnson was also probably pretty happy one of the cannons didn’t almost fall on him like last week in Vegas as well?\n\nWell, you know what they say, Brian: It’s a long way to the top … just ask Ozzy!\n\nfgriwkowsky@postmedia.com\n\n@fisheyefoto.bsky.social\n\nRelated Photos: AC/DC rolls out the high-octane hits at Commonwealth Stadium\n\nArrested Development, Cat Power top a terrific (and dry) Saturday at folk fest\n\nThee Sacred Souls, Corb Lund and the Womack Sisters shine at Edmonton folk fest\n\nBookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.\n\nYou can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.","url":"https://edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/music/review-ac-dc-edmonton-concert-commonwealth-stadium","imageUrl":"https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital/edmontonjournal/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ac-dc-2184.ej_304656593.jpg","publishedAt":"2026-08-10T18:29:26.000Z","sourceLabel":"Edmonton Journal Music","tags":["Entertainment","Music"],"authorName":"Fish Griwkowsky","contentHtml":"\"Lead

Now that Ozzy’s flown off to eternity, who but AC/DC wears the king’s crown of hard rock/radio metal?

It sure ain’t KISS – though you could entertain a conversation about Iron Maiden and probably still end up banging your head in agreement back at Commonwealth Stadium Sunday night on the sixth leg of the 90-stop Power Up Tour.

Miraculously free of anticipated rain (and any repeat of those horrifying Post Malone vids with the concourse turned into your grandmother’s dishwasher two weeks back), the gig was a well-manicured blast, from the sunny opening If You Want Blood You’ve Got It – a nod to the band’s 1978 live album – to the cannon and firework finale 20 songs later of For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).

A seismic scale shift from the soft grass and chatty intimacy of three days covering the Edmonton Folk Music Festival , this was more like watching five never-retired construction workers hammering together a giant living machine before our eyes, and at the far end of the stadium, side note, I’ve never seen so many people smoking outside of Asia.

Different vibe, to say the least, with an extra 20,000 people or so in the mix in the 56,000-capacity largest stadium in Canada.

\"

“Hello, Edmonton, where ya been?” said 78-year-old former Geordie frontman Brian Johnson, lead singer since the death of singer Bon Scott directly brought him to front the second-best-selling album of all time, Back in Black, in 1980.

Cue that eternal number as the band’s second of the night, where anyone not standing (who could) got up did so, a musical chairs pattern that would repeat every time anything as familiar as Thunderstruck, Hells Bells, Highway to Hell or Dirty Deeds smashed over the crowd like Sauron’s jagged war mace.

Both Johnson and band co-founder Angus Young made this the one place where it’s still cool to wear a driver’s cap (sorry, wealthy convertible owners), with the latter – ever the showman as the world’s most wizened schoolboy – all decked out in a blue velour suit and shorts, his green-and-gold tie venue-appropriately matching the Elks’ colours.

Demon Fire was the first of many times Young would chicken-walk the Gibby SG out onto the thrust stage, a tiny human amid the sheer scale of the place with tens of thousands of eyes following this immensely skilled, 71-year-old blues rocker.

Young lost his jacket for a no-sleeves look as I’m sure AI-assisted flames shot out of Johnson’s arms on the various giant screens for Thunderstruck, and the easy-mark geezer-rock pleaser led into – boom – Hells Bells. Cue the $30 flashing demon horns by the thousands.

As the giant chime reverberated and a big bell lowered down over the band, it had me thinking of Metallica playing For Whom the Bell Tolls in this same spot two years back, and how at the time it actually summoned Hells Bells … and so here we were, full circle! BONG!

Sick licks for sure by Young, easing the way for the first beer and washroom break for the filler Shot in the Dark, a good time to note the solid, 10-song opening set by Taylor Momsen-led The Pretty Reckless as the giant lineups to get into the bowl trickled down. Check out their For I Am Death for a taste of their edgy-sexy darkness.

Back from the concourse noisy urinals, the crunchy-ginch blues rock of Stiff Upper Lip ending in Johnson mysteriously saying “drinky poo!” brought on the band’s second devil song, the eternal ripper Highway to Hell. I’m sure you can imagine the singalong qualities here as it started to get dark, sun’s going down, big guy.

By the numbers, Shoot to Thrill was up next in the massive dad vape zone, tour drummer Matt Laug seriously standing out here in the riff forest. Then came the scream-along Sin City, ace of spades and jack of clubs cards framing our two central on-deck icons on the big screens.

Johnson sorta crashed the “Freedom”-on spoken word part of Jailbreak, and his higher vocals were showing their age except for the perfectly gritty “done dirt cheap” parts of Dirty Deeds, but it’s not like I can leap over a schoolyard fence like the old days, either, if you get my meaning.

No complaints: the spectacle is intact, and the good work of guitarist Stevie Young and bass wizard Chris Chaney burmed up any sonic mudslides.

\"

High Voltage, the ancient beaut Riff Raff then You Shook Me All Night Long all had the common wealth of the Commonwealth shaking and grooving, having replenished AC/DC’s top spot in locally-worn rock tees. Imagine that dragon horde.

Dead-eyed neon AI prostitute on the jumbotrons aside, Whole Lotta Rosie was a terrific late-set up-and-dancer, though Angus Young sure did drag out the guitar work enough to feed everyone in Edmonton a bowl of noodle soup on Let There Be Rock before the encore break as many a sleepy fan trickled away.

Never mind though, when the boys returned for the penultimate T.N.T. and aforementioned closer For Those About to Rock, loudly saluted with repeated cannon blasts and actual fireworks, I can’t imagine many were left wanting more, ears a-ringin’.

And I’m guessing Johnson was also probably pretty happy one of the cannons didn’t almost fall on him like last week in Vegas as well?

Well, you know what they say, Brian: It’s a long way to the top … just ask Ozzy!

fgriwkowsky@postmedia.com

@fisheyefoto.bsky.social

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