https://rollingstone.com.br/musica/relembre-todas-as-passagens-do-ac-dc-pelo-brasil/

Brazil fans wait for the AC/DC It will finally end. The group announced this Monday, the 3rd, that it will hold a unique show in São Paulo on February 24th, at the MorumBIS stadium.

The commitment is part of the tour promoting the album Power Up (2020). However, it will not be the legendary band’s first visit to our country.

Australians have a 40-year history with the country. Now, it’s worth revisiting their passages here.

AC/DC for a better world

The debut on Brazilian soil came in 1985, in the event that put the country on the world map of big shows. AC/DC headlined the first edition of Rock in Rio, performing twice during the festival.

The first show took place on January 15, on the fifth night of the event. After a turbulent day, in which the public booed Eduardo Dusek and the Kid Abelhathe band took the stage after anthological performances by Red Baron and Scorpions to conclude the day’s program in front of 250 thousand people

The second concert came four days later, January 19th, on the infamous Rock in Rio metal night. More than 280 thousand people watched them close the main stage after Whitesnake and Ozzy Osbourne.

AC/DC’s performances had almost the same level of production as the rest of the planet. This is because despite the band hiring a ship to bring to Brazil the giant bell that was ringing at the beginning of “Hells Bells”the Rock in Rio stage structure did not have the capacity to support the weight of the object — and it had to be replaced with a plaster replica.

Interestingly, these performances came at a time when the group’s popularity suffered a decline. After establishing themselves in the early 1980s as one of the biggest bands on the planet, AC/DC saw its sales plummet compared to Back in Black (1980), which became the best-selling rock album in history.

The repertoire played by AC/DC on their first night of Rock in Rio was:

1. “Guns for Hire”
2. “Shoot to Thrill”
3. “Sin City”
4. “Shot Down in Flames”
5. “Back in Black”
6. “Have a Drink on Me”
7. “Bad Boy Boogie”
8. “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”
9. “Hells Bells”
10. “The Jack”
11. “Jailbreak”
12. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
13. “Highway to Hell”
14. “Whole Lotta Rosie”
15. “Let There Be Rock”
16. “TNT”
17. “For About Those to Rock (We Salute You)”

The setlist for AC/DC’s second performance at Rock in Rio:

1. “Guns for Hire”
2. “Shoot to Thrill”
3. “Sin City”
4. “Back in Black”
5. “Have a Drink on Me”
6. “Bad Boy Boogie”
7. “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”
8. “Hells Bells”
9. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
10. “Highway to Hell”
11. “Whole Lotta Rosie”
12. “Let There Be Rock”
13. “TNT”
14. “For About Those to Rock (We Salute You)”

Return after more than a decade

AC/DC did not return for the second edition of Rock in Rio, in 1991. The group took until 1996 to return to Brazil, with shows at Pedreira Paulo Leminski, in Curitiba, and at Estádio do Pacaembu, in the city of São Paulo, respectively on the 11th and 12th of October.

The performances were part of the album tour Ballbreaker (1995), produced by Rick Rubin and which marked the return of the drummer Phil Rudd to training. This time, the shows had the same structure as the rest of the tour, with a crane carrying the wrecking ball responsible for destroying the scenery set up on the stage for the opening of the set.

Despite not having the same dimension as Rock in Rio, the shows attracted a considerable audience. In Curitiba, there were more than 30 thousand people, and the performance at Pacaembu surpassed the 40 thousand spectators mark in the stadium.

The group’s setlist was the same on both dates:

1. “Back in Black”
2. “Shot Down in Flames”
3. “Thunderstruck”
4. “Girls Got Rhythm”
5. “Hard As A Rock”
6. “Shoot To Thrill”
7. “Boogie Man”
8. “Hail Caesar”
9. “Hells Bells”
10. “The Jack”
11. “Ballbreaker”
12. “Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”
13. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
14. “You Shook Me All Night Long”
15. “Whole Lotta Rosie”
16. “TNT”
17. “Let There Be Rock”
18. “Highway To Hell”
19. “For About Those To Rock (We Salute You)”

More than a decade until they come back again

AC/DC’s most recent show in Brazil was in the distant year of 2009. The group was in the middle of the tour Black Icetheir first since 2003. The visit resulted in a unique performance at Morumbi, the same stage as the return scheduled for 2026.

The audience present was around 65 thousand people. The show mixed hits with songs from the album Black Ice (2008), sales success due to its strategy of selling it exclusively in the Wal-Mart hypermarket chain in the United States and Canada.

The tour ended up becoming the last with the participation of the guitarist Malcolm Youngthe group’s main composer alongside his brother Angus and considered the great leader of the band. The musician stopped performing in 2010 after being diagnosed with a series of health problems, including lung cancer.

Malcolm retired from AC/DC due to a dementia diagnosis in 2014, having passed away in 2017. Since then, Stevie Younghis and his nephew Angus Youngtook his place in the band.

Check out AC/DC’s setlist at Morumbi in 2009:

1. “Rock ‘n’ Roll Train”
2. “Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be”
3. “Back in Black”
4. “Big Jack”
5. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
6. “Shot Down in Flames”
7. “Thunderstruck”
8. “Black Ice”
9. “The Jack”
10. “Hells Bells”
11. “Shoot to Thrill”
12. “War Machine”
13. “Dog Eat Dog”
14. “You Shook Me All Night Long”
15. “TNT”
16. “Whole Lotta Rosie”
17. “Let There Be Rock”
18. “Highway to Hell”
19. “For About Those to Rock (We Salute You)”

AC/DC in Brazil in 2026

After more than 15 years, the AC/DC will return to Brazil and Latin America. Only one show has been confirmed in our country: it will take place on February 24th, at the MorumBIS stadium, in São Paulo.

The agenda also includes visits to Chile (Santiago), Argentina (Buenos Aires) and Mexico (Mexico City). In national territory, ticket sales start on November 7th, Friday, at 10am, on the Ticketmaster Brasil website.

The Pretty Reckless, a band led by singer Taylor Momsen, will be opening the entire tour. See the agenda below:

• 02/24: São Paulo, Brazil (MorumBIS Stadium)
• 03/11: Santiago, Chile
• 03/23: Buenos Aires, Argentina
• 07/04: Mexico City, Mexico

#poweruptour pic.twitter.com/RLcMSWCemu

—AC/DC (@acdc) November 3, 2025

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