AC/DC: Optus Stadium shook all night long as legendary rockers hammer through ferocious set

The city surged with energy on Thursday night as AC/DC hammered through a ferocious set, reaffirming their status as one of rock’s most unstoppable forces.

And it was lead singer Brian Johnson who said it best: “Perth where the f... have you been for the last 10 years.”

Indeed, it has been 10 years and five days since the band last played in Perth — but the moment the opening riff detonated across Optus Stadium — it felt as though they’d never been away.

Fans across generations — from diehards in faded tour shirts to first-timers clutching their brand-new devil horns — were on their feet before Angus Young even hit his first duckwalk.

And for Perth fans, the night had the feel of a long-overdue reunion with the group that has been entwined with WA’s history from the very beginning.

Late frontman Bon Scott, whose voice and swagger defined AC/DC’s early sound, cut his teeth in Fremantle’s pubs, streets, and music halls, which served as the backdrop for his earliest performances.

A handful of punters visited Fremantle Cemetery, where Scott is buried, yesterday before heading to the show, to honour the beloved musician whose legacy never fades — even 44 years after his final encore.

James McKay flew from Scotland with his brother, Andy, just to see AC/DC live in Perth — and he said skipping a visit to Scott’s grave at Fremantle Cemetery simply wouldn’t have felt right.

“We appreciate that AC/DC is one of the world’s most famous bands and it’s only right that we recognise the importance that Bon Scott had in the band’s formative years.

“And given that we’ve travelled all this way we wanted to pay our respects at his grave, to his family, and be there to see the grave itself.”

The late former frontman, whose voice and swagger defined AC/DC’s early sound, cut his teeth in Fremantle’s pubs, streets, and music halls, which served as the backdrop for his earliest performances.

Scott made a name for himself gigging around town with The Valentines. The West Australian at the time dubbed him a “hellraiser and lad-about-town”.

Mr McKay spent yesterday walking the streets of Fremantle, enjoying the town his idol grew up in, before heading to the stadium to stake out a prime spot in the mosh pit.

“We have seen them in Scotland, England, Ireland, and the USA in the last 18 months, so we didn’t want to miss out on the chance of seeing them in Australia as well,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to everything. I’m looking forward to hearing every note, every sound, every word that I know so well and hearing the Bon Scott songs in particular, because I will never, never get tired of hearing them. They will live forever.”

A group of hardcore fans waited outside the The Ritz Carlton hoping to catch a glimpse of the band members and get autographs.

Long time fan Chris Bonacci saw AC/DC in Melbourne for the opening of the band’s Australian tour.nd said he will be getting emotional seeing his heroes perform again in Perth on Thursday night.

“I play AC/DC pretty much every day, if not every second day. It’s a white noise in the back. I play it while I’m in the shower. Play it while I’m on the toilet, everywhere. It’s on all the time,” he said.

“We grew up with it. We partied with it, we dated girls, we played footy listening (to) AC/DC. It’s part of my culture, part of my life.” Mr Bonacci said it was great to see younger generations also rocking out to AC/DC anthems.

“As a dad, I’m just honoured to show my kids a good rock and roll band, I like Aussie rock, Cold Chisel, Goanna, Midnight Oil, Screaming Jets, just good rock and roll,” he said.

The 54-year-old said his “dying wish” was to see “the boys” in person. hence why he was hanging around The Ritz Carlton where they are staying until their second concert on Monday.

Ace Houston, 13, an aspiring musician, said AC/DC music made him feel “empowered”.

“AC/DC is the best rock and roll band in the world for a reason,” he said.

“I want to be able to play guitar and drums like them one day.”

Diehard fan Diana Duggan, 63, was one of the first in line outside Optus Stadium joined by her daughter who had also fallen in love with the rockers.

Ms Duggan reflected on the moment she met Bon Scott after a show before his death in 1980.

“I had a music family of girls and we used to follow a lot of the bands, and we always knew that backstage of the entertainment centre was the place to hang out,” she said.

“Bon loved his fans — he absolutely adored them — and it wasn’t unusual for him to come out and greet his fans.

“This particular day, they had the tour bus parked at the back of the entertainment centre, and they were all on the tour bus. So the door just flew open out he came. . . and it was just cheeky central. He was so inviting.”

State Liberal leader Basil Zempilas won’t be seeing AC/DC, though he does enjoy cranking up Back In Black. “I do like AC/DC, although not so much that I’ve purchased a ticket to go to the concert,” he said.

Labor MP John Carey openly admitted he couldn’t name an AC/DC song.

“My top artists (are) Lady Gaga, Julie Park, Jess Glynns, Kylie Minogue and Taylor Swift . yeah, I’m gay,” he said.

“The chances that I know an AC/DC song are low.” One thing I’ve learned in politics is never pretend to be something you’re not.”

On the other hand, Labor MP Hugh Jones is heading to Monday’s show and described himself as a really big fan “back in the day”.

“Best band alive,” he said. “I think it’s probably the last chance to see them live.”

Optus Stadium is expecting more than 95,000 fans across both shows. Perth is the band’s fourth leg of their Power Up tour, which kicked off in at the MCG on November 12 before heading to Sydney and Adelaide.

Fans didn’t have to wait too long to hear a Bon Scott classic, as 1979’s If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It) kicked off the show.

With Stevie Young playing his late uncle Malcolm’s thunderous riff, Angus Young started his two hours of non-stop duck-walking around the stage, decked in his trademark school uniform.

Back In Black was next, with Bon’s replacement Brian Johnson showing his vocals have still got it despite the issues that had him temporarily leave the band halfway through their last world tour.

The band is touring its now-five-year-old album, Power Up, but only two tracks from it got a look-in, Demon Fire and Shot In The Dark, with the setlist leaning more towards the nostalgic career-spanning side of things compared to tours’ past.

The new tracks feature the band’s trademark bluesy two-guitar interplay, so the weren’t out of place among anthems Thunderstruck and Hells Bells, which were two early set highlights.

Of course, no AC/DC show in WA feels complete without a nod to Canning Highway, the Perth road that inspired the band’s iconic Highway to Hell anthem.

The night kicked off with two bands that have been disciples of Acca Dacca — and who also took part in the Perth Festival’s tribute to the band Highway To Hell along Canning Highway in 2020 — Southern River Band and Amyl & The Sniffers.

Openers Southern River Band showed why they’re considered one of Perth’s hard-working bands, with frontman Cal Kramer at ease as tens of thousands entered the stadium.

In the midst of their global takeover — highlighted by ARIA Awards, a Playboy spread, and a free homecoming gig cancelled due to threats of riots — Melbourne’s Amyl & The Sniffers’ showed rock’n’roll is not going to die anytime soon.

Frontwoman Amy Taylor’s belted out songs with lyrics not fit for print but what anyone in the crowd who’s been either kicked out of or picked up in a pub can relate to.

When the final chords rang out and the smoke drifted across the crowd, no one was quite ready to leave — and with just one Perth show left on Monday, the question hung in the air: how long until AC/DC returns to Perth, if ever?