AC/DC, United Center, Chicago, Illinois

Last year’s comeback tour proved to be the biggest tour that AC/DC has ever done. According to Pollstar, AC/DC was also the best-selling live act for 2015, selling more tickets than any other touring artist in the world last year. Following closely behind was Taylor Swift. Though other hugely successful, multi decade acts like U2 and the Rolling Stones also toured in 2015, they were both pretty far behind. AC/DC’s Rock or Bust World Tour would return to Chicago, though now moving indoors to the United Center.

The show itself proved nearly identical to their show the previous year at Wrigley Field. Walking into the venue, I was greeted with the same mass of fans donned with red devil horns. Though we were in a smaller venue, our seats were further away. However, we did have an elevated view that looked down on the stage. While the view was quite good, the sound left a bit to be desired, particularly in the beginning. The vocals were muffled and the instruments sound tinny. After a couple songs, it seemed to improve though. I’m not sure if the soundboard engineer tweaked something or my ears just adjusted.

The same large stage was assembled on the floor. The band’s space was also completely barren, making it look even larger. A runway extending out into the audience towards a second small stage was also added. However, for most of the show, the smaller stage sat unused a couple feet lower than the main stage. While lead singer Brian Johnson and lead guitarist Angus Young would walk out onto the platform, they didn’t step down onto the smaller stage.

The show kicked off with the same introductory earth/moon/train video, though I now noticed that Rosie was a featured character. She was probably there before, I just didn’t recognize her significance. Like before, it was the Brian and Angus show. Brian in his newsboy cap; Angus in his schoolboy uniform which he shed throughout the show. Angus’ long hair but balding head, skinny frame, and pale skin made him look a bit like Golem. Brian and Angus were the only ones that wandered the empty stage. Chris Slade’s drum kit was kept to the very back of the stage; Cliff Williams (bass) and Stevie Young (rhythm guitar) stood right next to it. The latter pair ventured away from the kit to a pair of mics for backing vocals only when necessary. I assume they had to place the mics further away from the drums, otherwise I bet they would have just stayed at the very back the entire time. The show was deceptively loud. It didn’t feel the need to

insert my earplugs, but my ears were ringing as I left the venue.

The setlist was mostly the same as well. It included one extra song, “Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder,” swapped “Baptism by Fire” out for “Givin' the Dog a Bone,” and reversed the order of “Sin City” and “You Shook Me All Night Long.” The show also including all the same props and accompanying aspects including a large bell that descends to open up “Hell’s Bells,” the flashing lyrics of “You Shook Me All Night Long,” the inflatable Rosie, and cannons during “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).” The main set again closed with “Let There Be Rock” followed by an extended Angus guitar solo on the now active second stage, which raised into the air as explosions of confetti rained down around him. Again, it was particularly notable in that his long guitar solo isn’t just lacking any vocals but any other instrumentation whatsoever – just one schoolboy man and his guitar.

Setlist:
Intro
Rock or Bust
Shoot to Thrill
Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
Back in Black
Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Thunderstruck
High Voltage
Rock 'n' Roll Train
Hells Bells
Givin' the Dog a Bone
Sin City
You Shook Me All Night Long
Shot Down in Flames
Have a Drink on Me
T.N.T.
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock
Encore:
Highway to Hell
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)