Gig

AC/DC - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 4th December @ Optus Stadium, Perth WA

Dave Mullins

/10

Dec 5, 2025

7 min read

AC/DC
Optus Stadium, Perth WA
December 4, 2025
Supports: Amyl & The Sniffers and The Southern River Band

Australia has had a solid run of stadium shows these past few months. Metallica, Oasis now AC/DC. But here's the thing – AC/DC is no stadium band. They're a pub rock band that just happens to be able to sell out stadiums. There's a difference. This isn't some Disneyfied corporate rock show with a few pyrotechnics, it's still hard-as-nails, face-melting heavy rock. And no one does it better.

Opening for AC/DC and Amyl and the Sniffers must be overwhelming. I cannot imagine the kind of pressure that The Southern River Band would have been facing. But whatever the case was, the locals quickly showed everyone that they'd earned their seat at the table. For unclear reasons, they played the first couple of songs of their set without the full speaker array working. But if they noticed, they certainly didn't let it show. Either way it didn't last long, and with a roar of approval, the speakers finally came. Their set was short, sharp, and bound to score them a few new fans. The boys are out there making waves at the moment and this sort of show could be one of the things that catapults them to the next level. Keep an eye on them!

Amyl & the Sniffers came on next and what a fucking band. They're everywhere right now and you only need to see a few minutes of them on stage to see why. Amy Taylor has an incredible presence; she patrols the stage like every individual person in the entire crowd was exclusively there to hear her screaming at them. Their set leaves almost no time to breathe, cramming song after song into every second of it. Its relentless, but it's a blessing. Instead of catching their breath they hit you with a near-nonstop barrage of hits. ‘Hertz’ ,‘U Should Not Be Doing That’, ‘Security’, and ‘Jerkin' all showed up in the set, which was great for people who have been listening at home. This is a band that is going big places, and we'll probably watching them headline these sorts of shows in the next couple of decades.

But the crowd is there for AC/DC. Fronted by Brian Johnson on vocals, the legendary Angus Young on lead guitar, Stevie Young on rhythm guitar, Chris Chaney on bass, and Matt Laug on drums. Sure, the band has about as many original parts as the ship of Theseus, but whatever, it's AC/DC, just enjoy the ride.

But let's address the elephant in the room. Yes, AC/DC are getting a little older. They were getting old ten years ago, and they'll be older in another ten. That's how it works. Get over it. This is still one of the biggest rock bands of all time, and as they walk out to thousands of screaming fans you remember why. The adoration from the fans, the energy in the crowd, the noise as they launch into ‘If You Want Blood (You've Got It)’, it's all mesmerising.

'Perth, where the fuck have you been?’ Brian asks, laughing as they jump into 'Back in Black'. The set jumps from decade to decade with ‘Thunderstruck’, ‘Hells Bells’, ‘Stiff Upper Lip’, and 'Shot in the Dark’ (off their latest record), before hitting ‘Highway to Hell’. And if they hadn't won the crowd over by that point, that certainly did it. The entirety of the stadium screaming along and just losing their god damn minds. Not many bands can do that, and it's a lot of fun.

The set finds some real form in its back-to-back favourites, ‘Dirty Deeds', ‘High Voltage’, ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’, ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’, and more. As good as Brian is, and he is still incredibly good, most of the time this really felt like it's the Angus Young show. How the hell he manages to run around the stage and jump in the air while playing these songs is beyond me. I'd accuse of him secretly maintaining a hardcore Pilates routine, but I honestly think he's just fuelled by cigarettes and spite. His 15-odd minute guitar solo proving that not only does he still have it, but he's also a master of the craft.

The show ends with an encore of ‘T'.N.T’ and ‘For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)’. Overall, the set hit a solid mix of their biggest hits and a few of their deeper cuts, no big surprises but it was far from a basic 'best of' that you might see from some legacy bands out there. It's hard to know what comes next for AC/DC, a lot of commentors rumour that they'll hang up their hats soon, but I hope they don't. Last night was proof there's still plenty left in the tank, and I'm keen to see what they do with it.

Review by Dave Mullins @freediver_dave

Setlist

If You Want Blood (You've Got It)
Back in Black
Demon Fire
Shot Down in Flames
Thunderstruck
Have a Drink on Me
Hells Bells
Shot in the Dark
Stiff Upper Lip
Highway to Hell
Shoot to Thrill
Sin City
Jailbreak
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
High Voltage
Riff Raff
You Shook Me All Night Long
Whole Lotta Rosie
Let There Be Rock