Live Review: AC/DC + The Pretty Reckless @ BC Place, Vancouver – August 13th 2026
There are concerts, and then there are AC/DC concerts.
On August 13th, 2026, I joined tens of thousands of people inside Vancouver’s BC Place for one of the loudest, sweatiest and most gloriously excessive rock and roll celebrations around.
The evening began with The Pretty Reckless. Fronted by the magnetic Taylor Momsen, the band delivered a gritty blast of hard rock with enough attitude to fill the stadium. I spent part of their set fighting through the crowds and attempting to survive the merchandise lines, so I cannot pretend I absorbed every note. Once I reached my seat, however, their music found me.
Momsen was commanding and effortlessly cool. The band sounded heavy, confident and suitably dangerous. They were a great way to begin the night.
The merchandise situation was madness. People waited close to an hour and emerged carrying multiple shirts, hoodies and whatever else their wallets would allow. At an AC/DC concert, even the merch line feels like part of the ritual.
Then there were the devil horns.
Thousands of fans had purchased those little plastic AC/DC horns that sit on your head and flash red. Once the stadium lights dropped, BC Place became a glowing cathedral of rock and roll. Red horns blinked everywhere. It looked like more than 15,000 tiny devils had gathered to worship at the altar of the almighty guitar riff.
Then AC/DC arrived.
The band opened with “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” before tearing directly into “Back in Black.” From that moment forward, the evening became a communal sing-along powered by beer, nostalgia and some of the most recognizable riffs ever created.
“Thunderstruck.” “Hells Bells.” “Highway to Hell.” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” “You Shook Me All Night Long.”
Every song felt important. Every chorus belonged to everyone.
Brian Johnson’s voice is not what it was 40 years ago. How could it be? He occasionally pulled back from the highest notes and worked within his current range. He was not trying to fool anyone. He simply climbed onto that stage and gave us everything he had.
And what he still has is substantial.
Then there was Angus Young.
That man remains absolutely mesmerizing. He duck-walked across the stage, attacked his guitar and moved with the manic energy of a teenager somehow trapped inside a 71-year-old body.
During “Let There Be Rock,” Angus travelled along the runway to a platform near its end. The platform rose high above the audience as he launched into an enormous guitar solo that seemed to last nearly 20 minutes.
Confetti rained around him. He dropped to the floor, kicked his legs and rolled across the platform without ever surrendering control of the guitar.
The band returned for an encore of “T.N.T.” and “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You),” complete with cannons delivering one final explosion through the stadium.
Even the Vancouver-exclusive concert poster felt special. Created by Royalston (see it here), it features a massive turquoise, red, white and black bird descending through turbulent clouds above the AC/DC logo. A standard paper edition was available at the concert, while Collectionzz later offered an official metallic foil version.
AC/DC may no longer possess the razor-sharp precision of its youth, but that hardly mattered. The joy, power and reckless spirit remain intact.
In 2026, AC/DC still rocks.
More importantly, AC/DC still makes thousands of strangers throw their arms around one another and scream together into the night.
