AC/DC is bringing the high voltage back to North America next year for a massive stadium tour, the latest leg of their global Power Up trek.
The Aussie rockers’ 2024 set list was nothing to scoff at, featuring several hard rock gems that they had played infrequently at best over the years. They’ll likely stick to the same set list in 2025 — and we wouldn’t complain — but since this is the holiday season, we’ve decided to make our own concert wish lists before anything is set in stone.
Read on to see several UCR writers’ picks for their dream AC/DC 2025 set lists.
Bryan Rolli: If 2025 marks AC/DC’s final voyage — and it really should, if only for the sake of the 77-year-old Brian Johnson — they should deliver a career-spanning extravaganza that honors their Bon Scott era and celebrates their greatest Johnson-era triumph. I’m talking, of course, about Back in Black, which turns 45 in 2025. What better way to commemorate the milestone than by playing the album in full, sandwiched between a mostly chronological collection of classics? Can you imagine a better set opener than “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll),” which they haven’t played since 1979? How about putting back-end set list staples like “Whole Lotta Rosie” and “T.N.T.” near the front of the set for maximum energy? These early songs would build toward their commercial and creative apex, as pure a distillation of atom-splitting hard rock as any band ever accomplished in 42 minutes. Get a pair of Power Up tracks in there to satisfy the promotional purposes of this tour, then bring it all home with a knockout trio of “Let There Be Rock,” “Thunderstruck” and “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).” Now there’s a set that’ll be ringing in fans’ ears long after the cannons get wheeled away.
Bryan Rolli’s Dream AC/DC 2025 Set List
1. “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)”
2. “T.N.T.”
3. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
4. “Whole Lotta Rosie”
5. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Damnation”
6. “Riff Raff”
7. “Highway to Hell”
8. “Hells Bells”
9. “Shoot to Thrill”
10. “What Do You Do for Money Honey”
11. “Givin the Dog a Bone”
12. “Let Me Put My Love Into You”
13. “Back in Black”
14. “You Shook Me All Night Long”
15. “Have a Drink on Me”
16. “Shake a Leg”
17. “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”
18. “Demon Fire”
19. “Shot in the Dark”
20. “Let There Be Rock”
21. “Thunderstruck”
22. “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”
Matthew Wilkening: OK, let’s start where they left off — with the 21-song set list from the last show of the European Power Up tour, August 17 in Dublin:
1. “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)”
2. “Back in Black”
3. “Demon Fire”
4. “Shot Down in Flames”
5. “Thunderstruck”
6. “Have a Drink on Me”
7. “Hells Bells”
8. “Shot in the Dark”
9. “Stiff Upper Lip”
10. “Highway to Hell”
11. “Shoot to Thrill”
12. “Sin City”
13. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Train”
14. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
15. “High Voltage”
16. “Riff Raff”
17. “You Shook Me All Night Long”
18. “Whole Lotta Rosie”
19. “Let There Be Rock”
20. “T.N.T.”
21. “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”
The final third of that is perfection, no need to touch songs 14-21. “Live Wire” belongs in the opening spot, so that’s taking over for “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It.)” Power Up deserves the two spots it has above, but I’m switching out “Demon Fire” for “Realize,” the best song on the album. There isn’t nearly enough Let There Be Rock on here, so “Shot Down in Flames” and “Stiff Upper Lip” are getting cut in favor of “Overdose” and “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be.”
Powerage also needs a little more love, so out goes “Have a Drink on Me” in favor of an admittedly personal favorite, “What’s Next to the Moon.” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Train” needs to go, but I feel bad about already shifting two spots from the Brian Johnson era to Bon Scott songs, so I’ll keep things more modern with “Who Made Who.” Finally, since most of my coworkers have 22 songs, I’m adding “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution.” Last note: There are at least a dozen, possibly two dozen more songs that could go on an AC/DC dream set list.
Matthew Wilkening’s Dream AC/DC Set List
1. “Live Wire”
2. “Back in Black”
3. “Realize”
4. “Overdose”
5. “Thunderstruck”
6. “What’s Next to the Moon.”
7. “Hells Bells”
8. “Shot in the Dark”
9. “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be”
10. “Highway to Hell”
11. “Shoot to Thrill”
12. “Sin City”
13. “Who Made Who”
14. “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”
15. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
16. “High Voltage”
17. “Riff Raff”
18. “You Shook Me All Night Long”
19. “Whole Lotta Rosie”
20. “Let There Be Rock”
22. “T.N.T.”
22. “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”
Corey Irwin:
As Bryan already mentioned, Back in Black turns 45 in 2025. Like him, I’d love to get the album performed in its entirety – only I want it at the top of the show. Give me “Hells Bells” right out of the gate. I want “Back in Black,” “You Shook Me All Night Long” and “Have a Drink on Me” back-to-back-to-back as God (or Lucifer) intended. The entire first half of the show would deliver what still ranks among the greatest albums in rock history, and AC/DC could follow with an array of career-spanning hits. Let’s start the second half with the band’s traditional closing song, “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)” and roll that straight into “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It).” We’ll obviously find space for all of the classics, including “T.N.T.,” “Let There Be Rock” and “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” Rock law dictates that at least one song has to come from the band’s most recent album, so “Shot in the Dark” off 2020’s Power Up also makes the cut. For something fun and unexpected, I squeezed in “Flick of the Switch” for the first time in over 40 years. My fantasy set list initially ends with “Thunderstruck,” only to have the band return for a two song encore of “Highway to Hell” and “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll).” For the latter, I want AC/DC surrounded by 20 bagpipers, helping end the show on a triumphant high.
Corey Irwin’s Dream AC/DC 2025 Set List
1. “Hells Bells”
2. “Shoot to Thrill”
3. “What Do You Do for Money Honey”
4. “Givin the Dog a Bone”
5. “Let Me Put My Love into You”
6. “Back in Black”
7. “You Shook Me All Night Long”
8. “Have a Drink on Me”
9. “Shake a Leg”
10. “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”
11. “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”
12. “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)”
13. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
14. “T.N.T.”
15. “Shot in the Dark”
16. “Let There Be Rock”
17. “Flick of the Switch”
18. “Whole Lotta Rosie”
19. “Stiff Upper Lip”
20. “Thunderstruck”
21. “Highway to Hell”
22. “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)”
Matt Wardlaw:
The idea of this potentially being the final tour is heavy on my mind. I agree with what others here have said that if this is the last blast, let’s go out with the type of bang that only AC/DC can deliver. Playing Back in Black in full seems especially appropriate, because it would be such a full circle moment for Brian Johnson. How cool would it be to have things end as they began for him in AC/DC? I concur with Corey that opening with the album would be the best move. When you have a song like “Hells Bells” in your arsenal to lead off the night, you take advantage of that undeniable ace. For the second half of the set, I think it would be great to put together a running order that honors Johnson’s time with the band in general, but also makes room for a Bon Scott track or two. Looking back at the group’s outing with Axl Rose in 2016, as an example, it would be great to hear “Rock ‘n’ Roll Damnation,” but how about something they’ve never done live? Let’s get “Night Prowler” in the set list. From the latest album, “Shot in the Dark” seems automatic, but I’d also love to see them take a run at “Realize,” which is a killer AC/DC song. More than anything, I just want the guys to have fun. They’ve logged a lot of miles together, and it’s already meaningful that Johnson made it back onstage with “the boys,” so however they see fit to wrap things up — if this is the end — bless ’em.
Matt Wardlaw’s Dream AC/DC 2025 Set List
1. “Hells Bells”
2. “Shoot to Thrill”
3. “What Do You Do for Money Honey”
4. “Givin the Dog a Bone”
5. “Let Me Put My Love into You”
6. “Back in Black”
7. “You Shook Me All Night Long”
8. “Have a Drink on Me”
9. “Shake a Leg”
10. “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”
11. “Let There Be Rock”
12. “T.N.T.”
13. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
14. “Moneytalks”
15. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Damnation”
16. “Night Prowler”
17. “Highway to Hell”
18. “Realize”
19. “Shot in the Dark”
20. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
21. “Thunderstruck”
22. “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”
AC/DC Albums Ranked
Critics say every AC/DC album sounds the same, but that’s far from the truth.
Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff
