AC/DC Review with Photos 8-31-26

    Houston, Texas - August 31, 2026 - There are very few bands left that can walk into a football stadium more than five decades after their formation and make the entire building feel like a rock club. AC/DC is one of them. On a hot Monday evening in Houston, NRG Stadium became the latest stop on the band's POWER UP Tour, as one of the most influential hard-rock bands in history brought its unmistakable combination of massive riffs, towering vocals, attitude and pure rock ’n’ roll spectacle to town. With The Pretty Reckless opening the evening, the night offered a fascinating meeting between a band that helped establish the language of stadium rock and a younger generation of musicians carrying that language forward.

The Pretty Reckless: Taylor Momsen and company make their opening statement

    Before Angus Young's Gibson SG was raised into the spotlight, Taylor Momsen and The Pretty Reckless had the task of warming up an enormous stadium. Momsen's journey to this stage is unlike that of most rock frontwomen. Long before she became known for her powerful voice and commanding stage presence, she was a successful child actress. She began appearing professionally at a young age, with one of her best-known roles coming as Cindy Lou Who in the 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas. She later became familiar to television audiences as Jenny Humphrey on Gossip Girl, but by her teenage years Momsen had become increasingly focused on music. Rather than treating acting as a stepping stone, she ultimately left that world behind and devoted herself to The Pretty Reckless, proving that the rock stage was where she truly belonged.

    Formed in New York in 2009, The Pretty Reckless built its identity around Momsen's distinctive voice and a sound that draws from hard rock, alternative rock, blues and the darker side of classic rock. The current lineup features Momsen alongside guitarist Ben Phillips, bassist Mark Damon and drummer Jamie Perkins, the musicians who have helped shape the band's sound through albums including Light Me Up, Going to Hell, Who You Selling For and Death by Rock and Roll. Their Houston set began appropriately with “Death by Rock and Roll,” an unapologetic statement of purpose that immediately established that this wasn't going to be a timid opening performance. Momsen owned the stage as Phillips, Damon and Perkins provided the heavy foundation behind her.

    The band moved into “Since You're Gone” and “Follow Me Down,” with Momsen shifting effortlessly between vulnerability and aggression. “Only Love Can Save Me Now” continued the performance before “For I Am Death” and “When I Wake Up” brought the band's newer material into the spotlight. What has always separated The Pretty Reckless from many of their contemporaries is their willingness to embrace the darker and more dramatic side of rock without sacrificing the hooks. Even on an enormous stage like NRG Stadium, the music retained the intimacy and danger that have characterized the band since its earliest days.

    Then the familiar material began hitting one after another. “Make Me Wanna Die” brought the audience back to the band's debut era, while “Heaven Knows” provided another opportunity for Momsen to demonstrate just how much her voice has developed since those early records. The title track “Going to Hell” followed, building toward the closing number “About You.” The Pretty Reckless had accomplished exactly what an opening act should do: they didn't attempt to duplicate what was coming later. Instead, they established their own identity and left the stage having made a strong case for why Momsen's transformation from child actress to rock frontwoman is one of the more remarkable career changes in contemporary music.

“Taylor Momsen didn't trade one spotlight for another - she found the stage where she was always meant to be.”

AC/DC: The Machine Powers Up

    By the time the lights began to fall across NRG Stadium the anticipation was completely different. This wasn't simply the arrival of another headliner. This was AC/DC, a band whose history stretches back to 1973 and whose music has become woven into the fabric of rock culture. Founded in Sydney by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, AC/DC began building its reputation with a stripped-down, aggressive sound that refused to chase musical trends. Bon Scott's charismatic tenure established the band's early identity, while albums such as Highway to Hell pushed the group toward international superstardom. Scott's death in 1980 could have ended the story but instead the band recruited Brian Johnson and released Back in Black, an album that became one of the defining statements in rock history.

    More than four decades after Johnson first stepped behind the microphone, his voice remains one of the most instantly recognizable sounds in hard rock. At his side on this tour is Angus Young, the band's legendary co-founder and sole remaining original member. Stevie Young continues the rhythm-guitar role once held by his uncle Malcolm, while Chris Chaney handles bass and Matt Laug sits behind the drum kit. Together, they provide the engine behind a band that has spent more than half a century proving that sometimes the simplest musical formula is the most effective one.

    The first notes of “If You Want Blood (You've Got It)” tore through the stadium, immediately followed by “Back in Black,” and the transformation was complete. The massive NRG Stadium suddenly felt like a single organism, with thousands of fans singing along to songs that have existed in their lives for decades. Angus Young remains the visual centerpiece of the operation, still appearing in his trademark schoolboy uniform and moving across the stage with the same irrepressible energy that has made him one of rock's most recognizable performers.

    “Demon Fire” brought the night into AC/DC's more recent era before “Shot Down in Flames” returned the crowd to the band's classic catalog. Then came “Thunderstruck,” one of those songs that requires almost no introduction. The opening guitar pattern was enough to send a wave through the stadium, and by the time Johnson delivered the first vocal lines, the crowd was already participating. “Have a Drink on Me” kept the energy high before the unmistakable bell descended for “Hells Bells.”

    That moment remains one of the great pieces of AC/DC stagecraft. The bell swung above the stage as Johnson's voice filled the building, while Young's guitar supplied the sinister foundation beneath it. “Shot in the Dark” followed, demonstrating that the band's newer material can stand comfortably beside the classics, before “Stiff Upper Lip” and “Highway to Hell” continued the journey through AC/DC's history. When Johnson sang the opening words of “Highway to Hell,” there was little doubt that Houston was going to provide the chorus.

“The remarkable thing about AC/DC isn't that the songs have survived five decades. It's that they still sound dangerous.”

    From there, the set became a celebration of the band's enormous back catalog. “Shoot to Thrill” brought the audience back to Back in Black, followed by “Sin City,” “Jailbreak” and “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” The Bon Scott era was represented heavily, a reminder that AC/DC's foundation was laid long before the band became one of the biggest stadium acts on the planet. “High Voltage” and “Riff Raff” continued that trip through the early years, giving longtime fans some particularly welcome selections while maintaining the momentum for everyone else.

    And then came the singalong portion of the evening. “You Shook Me All Night Long” had the entire stadium involved, followed by “Whole Lotta Rosie.” By this point, the distinction between performer and audience had essentially disappeared. These songs have become communal experiences, passed from one generation to another. Fans who weren't even born when some of these records were released were singing the words alongside people who bought the albums when they were new.

    The main set reached its peak with “Let There Be Rock.” What might already have been a spectacular finale became something much larger when Angus Young launched into an extended guitar solo. Young has never needed elaborate technology to establish himself as one of rock's great guitar heroes. His technique is rooted in feel, rhythm and the ability to make every note part of the song rather than simply an opportunity for technical display. As the solo stretched on, the stadium became focused on one musician and one guitar, a fitting reminder that AC/DC's power has always come from its refusal to overcomplicate things.

    The band disappeared from the stage but the response from the crowd made the next move inevitable. AC/DC returned for “T.N.T.”, and the stadium erupted all over again. Yet the evening still had one final card to play. The opening notes of “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” signaled the inevitable conclusion and then the cannons fired. The enormous blasts echoed through NRG Stadium as AC/DC delivered the ultimate punctuation mark to the night.

    It was impossible not to appreciate the symbolism of the moment. AC/DC has survived the death of a lead singer, the loss of a founding member, lineup changes, changing musical tastes and more than five decades of an industry that has repeatedly declared rock music finished. Yet here they were in 2026, standing in a packed Houston stadium and delivering the same fundamental message they have delivered since the 1970s: turn it up and let the music speak for itself.

    For The Pretty Reckless, the evening represented another step in Taylor Momsen's extraordinary transformation from child performer to established rock artist. For AC/DC, it was another reminder that their music has moved beyond any particular era or generation. The riffs have become cultural landmarks, the songs have become anthems and Angus Young's schoolboy silhouette remains as recognizable as any image in rock history.

    There was no need for AC/DC to prove that it still matters. The reaction inside NRG Stadium did that for them.

    When the final cannon blast faded into the Houston night, the message was unmistakable. AC/DC still has the power and on this night, Houston was more than happy to turn it up.

“For those about to rock, Houston saluted - and AC/DC answered with thunder.”

AC/DC Setlist: 8:30-10:45
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 (With extended guitar solo)
Encore:
T.N.T.
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)

The Pretty Reckless Setlist: 7:00-8:00
Death by Rock and Roll
Since You're Gone
Follow Me Down
Only Love Can Save Me Now
For I Am Death
When I Wake Up
Make Me Wanna Die
Heaven Knows
Going to Hell
About You