AC/DC Bring the PWR UP Tour to Camp Randall Stadium
For one unforgettable Sunday night, Madison traded Badger red for schoolboy blue.
After a 25-year absence, AC/DC stormed into Camp Randall Stadium on the PWR UP Tour and reminded more than 40,000 fans why they remain one of the greatest live rock bands of all time. This was not just another stop on a stadium tour. It felt like a celebration decades in the making, a reunion between a legendary band and a city that had waited a generation for their return.
Even the sky seemed to want in on the action. Smoke and haze from wildfires drifting in from Canada and Minnesota hung over Camp Randall throughout the evening, giving the stadium an eerie glow before a single note had been played. Once the lights dropped, that haze became the perfect backdrop for one of rock and roll’s most explosive live shows.
The Pretty Reckless opened the night with a confident, high-energy set that proved exactly why they earned their place on one of the biggest tours in rock. Fronted by vocalist Taylor Momsen, who many fans first knew as an actress and model before dedicating herself to the band in 2009, they delivered a set packed with massive riffs, catchy choruses, and enough swagger to win over the crowd early. Their chemistry was undeniable, mixing gritty hard rock with songs that felt both personal and powerful.
Momsen later shared that guitarist Angus Young personally invited the band after becoming a fan of their music, a full-circle moment that came shortly before the release of their latest album, Dear God, in June 2026. The Pretty Reckless, who hold the distinction of being the only female-fronted group to earn seven No. 1 singles on the US Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, embraced every second of the opportunity.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.
A roar rolled across Camp Randall as AC/DC exploded onto the stage with “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It).” There was no easing into the night. From the opening riff, it was loud, bold, and gloriously excessive. Exactly as it should be.
The stage setup matched the music in every way. Towering walls of amps framed the band, flames shot high from the stage throughout the night, and the backdrop featured incredible, larger-than-life artwork that looked like it belonged in a rock and roll fever dream. Massive video screens displayed live close-up shots of the band throughout the performance, giving every fan in the stadium a front-row view of the action.
What has always separated AC/DC from countless rock bands is their commitment to simplicity. No elaborate storytelling. No unnecessary speeches. Just giant riffs, thunderous rhythms, and songs that have become part of rock and roll’s DNA.
Yet something about this version of AC/DC feels refreshingly different.
In their younger years, the band often projected an image of intensity, carrying themselves with a seriousness that matched their larger-than-life reputation. Now, decades later, they are simply having fun. Smiles stretched across the stage all night. Band members laughed with one another between songs. There was a relaxed confidence that only comes from spending more than 50 years doing exactly what you love.
That joy proved contagious.
Brian Johnson, now 78, sounded remarkably strong as he powered through anthem after anthem with the unmistakable rasp that has defined AC/DC since joining the band in 1980 following the death of Bon Scott. Between songs, Johnson connected with the Wisconsin crowd in classic fashion, joking that he wanted to become a cheesehead before proudly shouting, “Go Pack Go!” The stadium erupted. Near the end of the evening, he offered one final heartfelt farewell.
“We salute you, Madison.”
It was a simple sentence, but after a quarter century away, it carried real weight.
Meanwhile, Angus Young continues to prove why he remains one of rock’s greatest guitar heroes.
At 71, the last remaining member of AC/DC’s original 1973 lineup still performs with the energy of someone half his age. Dressed in his trademark schoolboy uniform, Young sprinted across every inch of the massive stage, duck-walked through solos, spun in circles, soared above the crowd on a rising platform as confetti filled the air, and somehow seemed to play even harder as the night wore on. His extended guitar workouts were not just displays of technical brilliance. They became theatrical events all on their own, each solo earning deafening cheers from fans who knew exactly what was coming and still could not believe they were witnessing it.
Every classic landed exactly where it needed to.
“Back in Black,” “Highway to Hell,” “Hells Bells,” “Shoot to Thrill,” and a stadium-shaking “Thunderstruck” transformed Camp Randall into one enormous singalong. Tens of thousands of voices shouted every lyric while fists filled the air and phones struggled to capture moments better experienced than recorded.
The PWR UP Tour is exactly what its name promises. It is not about nostalgia alone. It is about plugging into something bigger than yourself for two hours. The electricity flowing from the stage felt just as powerful as the current running through the audience, creating the kind of shared experience only legendary rock bands can deliver.
As the evening reached its finale, AC/DC unleashed an encore built for stadium history. “T.N.T.” turned the crowd into one massive choir before “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” delivered the kind of ending only AC/DC can provide. Cannons thundered across Camp Randall while fireworks erupted overhead, illuminating the smoky Wisconsin sky in flashes of red, gold, and white.
It was perfect.
Many fans arrived knowing this could very well be their final chance to see AC/DC perform in Madison. If that proves true, the band could not have written a better farewell.
More than five decades after forming in Australia, AC/DC still understands the assignment better than almost anyone. Show up. Turn the amps up as loud as they will go. Let Angus loose. Play the songs people love. Leave everyone smiling.
Mission accomplished.
For one unforgettable night at Camp Randall, Madison was not just watching a concert.
It was witnessing rock and roll history.
Visit their official site here: https://www.acdc.com
Words & photography by Robert Freeman @robbie_freeman robertfreemanphotos.com