AC/DC Returns to Europe after Eight-Year Absence

Marking their return to stage after an eight-year absence in Europe, the legendary hard-rock group AC/DC has announced a European tour in 2024. The tour will feature Brian Johnson, the band’s original vocalist, to the delight of fans.

The tour, which will take place from May 17 in Germany to August 17 in Ireland, will also include a visit to France on August 13 at the Hippodrome ParisLongchamp. Tickets for this particular date will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. Paris time. The tour has been named Power Up, after their latest studio album released in 2020, which topped charts in about twenty countries upon its release. Brian Johnson, who had to be replaced on stage in 2016 by Axl Rose from Guns N’ Roses due to hearing problems, sang on this record. Now at the age of 76, Johnson makes use of state-of-the-art hearing equipment.

Another iconic figure of the group is guitarist Angus Young, aged 68, who is still seen sporting his retro school uniform. He is known for his standard riffs in hits like Highway To Hell, Thunderstruck, and Back In Black.

Angus Young is also the face of AC/DC. He can be seen posing with imp horns on the cover of Highway To Hell (1979), a strategy that has been leveraged by the group’s merchandising for the past 45 years. The group has had an incredibly successful career, selling more than 200 million records.

This European tour also marks the 50th anniversary of the group, which held its first concert on December 31, 1973 at Checkers Nightclub in Sydney, Australia.

The journey of AC/DC, named in reference to alternating current and also “sail and steam” in slang, has been a tumultuous one. The band faced the tragic death of their first singer, Bon Scott in 1980, and the loss of Malcolm Young, the guitarist and co-founder of the group with his brother Angus in 1973, who passed away in 2017.