Are AC/DC About to Play Their Final Show?
Nearly two and a half years after it first kicked off, AC/DC’s sprawling Power Up tour comes to an end on Friday night with a performance at MetLife Stadium outside of New York City. The conclusion of the trek naturally brings back a familiar question for rock fans: Will this be the last time the iconic Australian hard rock outfit ever performs live?
A Tight-Lipped Band and Uncertain Future
AC/DC have never been known as the most talkative bunch in rock, and they have kept particularly quiet about their long-term plans and recent lineup changes. Back in June, the band shared a social media video promoting their summer dates with a declaration that they were heading out to "power up one last time." While that phrase mirrors the title of their most recent 2020 studio album, Power Up, it has left plenty of room for interpretation regarding the future of their touring career.
Age and pacing are also hard to ignore. Singer Brian Johnson turns 79 on Monday, October 5, while lead guitarist and sole remaining founding member Angus Young is 71. Rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, who stepped in for his late uncle Malcolm Young back in 2014, will turn 70 in December. Meanwhile, the band’s newly hired rhythm section—bassist Chris Chaney and drummer Matt Laug—are wrapping up their first tour with the group at 56 and 58 years old, respectively.
Following a Strict Career Blueprint
AC/DC have historically operated as creatures of habit. For more than four decades, the group has strictly toured in direct support of new studio albums, with the sole exception of a brief 2003 run of special concerts tied to Sony Music’s catalog re-releases.
Sticking to that traditional playbook could mean a lengthy wait if they decide to return to the road. The band has released only four albums over the last thirty years, featuring consistent six-year gaps between 2008’s Black Ice, 2014’s Rock or Bust, and Power Up. Between the 2015 conclusion of their Rock or Bust tour and the 2024 launch of the Power Up run, fans waited eight years, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the band could theoretically break tradition—perhaps by releasing their first-ever greatest-hits collection or heading out without new material—such a move would defy decades of established routine. When Angus Young and Brian Johnson addressed their legacy and future during their sole interview of the year with USA Today, they kept things characteristically brief. Asked where he would like to play his final show, Young sidestepped the query by joking, "I hope it’s not at my funeral."
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