AC/DC live in Karlsruhe – Power Up Tour 2025 (Concert Review)
- L7
- Aug 22
- 3 min read
Expectations
This was my very first time seeing AC/DC live, a band I almost managed to miss forever. When they recorded the Live at River Plate DVD, friends asked me if I wanted to go and I replied, “no thanks, I’m not that much into AC/DC.” About 10 years ago, someone told me after attending one of their so-called farewell shows, “that’s it, they’re done, you won’t see them again.” Even when they played in Nuremberg a few years back, I missed them because of other plans. This time I told myself, no excuses. I had to go, no matter where or how. That turned out to be one of the best decisions ever.
Arrival, Merch & Beer
Karlsruhe is a city I’ve visited many times, though always for tourism or smaller concerts. Seeing how they prepared for an event of this scale, with 75,000 people, was something completely different.
I traveled with the Straßenbahn, and that was the smartest choice. Every five minutes there was a tram heading in that direction, and mine had no delays at all. Getting there and back was simple. Meanwhile, I heard from people who drove that it wasn’t the same experience — some needed more than two hours including the hunt for parking.
The merch selection was excellent, with plenty of iconic tour shirt designs. For me, the Hells Bell shirt was a must. I grew up with the AC/DC logo next to the bell, and since “Hells Bells” is my favorite song, adding that plus the tour dates to my collection was non-negotiable. It cost 50 euros, and all merch was card payment only. There was also a special event-day shirt, but the design wasn’t really my taste.
Beer was from Becks — at least that’s what I saw — and surprisingly it tasted better than I remembered Becks usually does. I ended up drinking more than I expected after reading that name on the tap. The tour cups were fantastic, probably one of the best collections I’ve seen, with around eight different designs, each of them really nice. Prices were standard: 7 euros for a beer plus 3 euros pfand for the cup.
The Pretty Reckless
Taylor Momsen and The Pretty Reckless were a good choice to open. While their music isn’t as heavy as what I usually listen to, it was still very enjoyable. Taylor has a strong voice live and showed great confidence leading the show in front of an entire AC/DC audience.
At first, I was standing around the second line of amplifiers, and the sound was messy there, too distorted. Later, when I moved back to grab a beer, I noticed the audio was much better. Overall, it was a good presentation, and I’d definitely like to see a full headlining set from them in a hall to get the complete experience.
AC/DC
And then, the moment everyone was waiting for. The band started while I was still stuck in line for the toilets — no joke, the wait was 30 minutes! The positive side: it showed that you could enjoy the concert musically and visually even from the very back of the venue.
When I made it back near the second line of amplifiers, the sound was much clearer compared to the opener. What happened next was not just a concert, it was a party with 75,000 people. The atmosphere was electric, everyone singing, dancing, clapping, and jumping, whether close to the stage or far in the back.
The stage setup was spectacular, with massive screens on stage and additional ones spread across the grounds so no one missed a thing. The famous cannons for For Those About to Rock (We Salute You) and the iconic bell for Hells Bells could not be missed. The setlist had all the classics, and Angus even went on a 30-minute solo, proving once again that being over 70 is just a number.
Final Thoughts
I went in expecting a great show, but the night turned out even more incredible than I imagined. I left with the thought, “I wish they would play the whole setlist again, and I would celebrate it with the same joy.”
If they keep performing at this level, AC/DC can play another 10 years and I’ll still be there, no question.
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