October 2, 2026 – MetLife, East Rutherford NJ
Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry
AC/DC & FOO FIGHTERS, WE SALUTE YOU!!
There are concerts you enjoy, concerts you remember, and then there are concerts that feel like a piece of rock ’n’ roll history unfolding in front of you. AC/DC and Foo Fighters’ night at MetLife Stadium was firmly in the third category.
What made the evening particularly special was the pairing itself. Foo Fighters, one of the biggest rock bands of the modern era, opened for the very band that helped define the language of hard rock decades ago. For frontman Dave Grohl, the significance was unmistakable. AC/DC had been a formative influence on him since he was a child, making his appearance on the same stage with the legendary Australians a genuine full-circle moment.
Grohl stated, “When I was 11 years old, I went to a midnight movie, and I saw ‘Let There Be Rock.’ At 11 years old, I didn’t know that rock ‘n’ roll could be like that. I didn’t know that rock ‘n’ roll was sweat, blood, and fucking tears, and every ounce of energy you have – Phil Rudd breaking snare drums and Angus sucking oxygen on side of the stage. I saw that movie when I was 11 years old and I was like; ‘I wanna do that for the rest of my fuckin’ life!”
As a headliner in the opening slot, the Foo Fighters wasted no time reminding the MetLife crowd that they were more than capable of filling a stadium on their own. Opening with “All My Life,” the band immediately established a huge, aggressive sound that carried throughout the venue. “The Pretender,” “Times Like These,” “My Hero,” “Learn to Fly” and “This Is a Call” kept the momentum building, with Grohl operating exactly as he always does, part frontman, part rock ’n’ roll preacher, and part human energy drink.
The performance was compact compared with a typical Foo Fighters headlining set, but there was no shortage of intensity. “Monkey Wrench” provided another explosive highlight before the band brought the set home with “Best of You” and “Everlong.” It was an opening performance that felt more like a co-headlining appearance, and the audience responded accordingly.
Then came the main event and AC/DC’s riffs still rule!
As the opening video rolled across the massive screens, anticipation inside MetLife reached another level. When AC/DC launched into “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It),” the stadium erupted. From there, the band delivered precisely what fans came to hear: enormous riffs, unmistakable grooves and one classic after another. “Back in Black,” “Demon Fire,” “Shot Down in Flames,” “Thunderstruck” and “Hells Bells” transformed MetLife into one gigantic rock ’n’ roll singalong.
Brian Johnson remains one of the great voices in hard rock, and his performance was remarkable. At 78, Johnson attacked the material with a power and determination that made his return to the stage all the more impressive. His trademark rasp was intact, and songs that have become embedded in the DNA of rock music still sounded remarkably fresh.
And then there was Angus Young. At 71, Young continues to possess the kind of stage presence that cannot be manufactured. Dressed in his trademark schoolboy attire, he spent the evening darting across the stage, hammering out riff after riff and proving that age has done little to diminish his ability to command an enormous audience.
Then came the moment some assumed and hoped for. A highlight of the night came during “Highway to Hell,” when Brian Johnson invited Dave Grohl back onto the stage. Grohl joined AC/DC on guitar and backing vocals, transforming one of the band’s most recognizable songs into a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration. The moment was particularly fitting given Grohl’s long-standing admiration for AC/DC and the influence the band had on his own approach to performing.
It was cool to have insight and to have experienced how this went down. Just before “Highway to Hell” Johnson, said, “A very good friend of ours asked us tonight if he could come and join us up on stage for “Highway to Hell” and we said; “Yes, Dave. You can! For a musician who grew up idolizing AC/DC, standing onstage alongside Angus Young and Brian Johnson during “Highway to Hell” had all the markings of a rock ’n’ roll dream becoming reality.
AC/DC assembled a set built for a stadium and continued with “Shoot to Thrill,” “Sin City,” “Jailbreak,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” “High Voltage,” “Riff Raff,” “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Whole Lotta Rosie.” The centerpiece was “Let There Be Rock,” which gave Young the opportunity to unleash an extended guitar solo. He moved around the enormous stage with the same mischievous energy that has defined his performances for decades, while tens of thousands of fans roared their approval.
The encore was everything an AC/DC finale should be. “T.N.T.” exploded through the stadium before the band closed with “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).” Then came the cannons. Massive blasts and fireworks punctuated the finale as AC/DC delivered one final reminder that when it comes to stadium rock spectacle, few bands can do it better.
The combination of Foo Fighters and AC/DC was nearly impossible to beat. Foo Fighters supplied the modern-day firepower, while AC/DC delivered the history, attitude and timeless songs that have kept the band at the top of the hard-rock hierarchy for more than five decades. There was also an unavoidable sense of occasion surrounding the night. With the MetLife performance closing AC/DC’s North America Power Up run, fans couldn’t help but wonder whether they were witnessing the band’s final U.S. stadium appearance. If it was a farewell, AC/DC went out exactly the way you’d want them to—with roaring guitars, a stadium full of screaming fans, Dave Grohl sharing the stage with his heroes, Brian Johnson sounding every bit the rock warrior, Angus Young tearing through another legendary solo, and cannons firing into the night.
For those about to rock, indeed! Rock ’n’ roll doesn’t always need to evolve. Sometimes it just needs to be turned up!
For more info, please visit http://www.acdc.com