There are good concerts, there are great concerts, and then there are the concerts you tell your grandkids about. AC/DC and Foo Fighters at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Friday night was one of those magical concerts.
If it weren’t for a nor’easter that rolled into the New York-New Jersey area the previous Friday, the pairing of Foo Fighters and AC/DC at MetLife would never have happened. That show was postponed, and when regular opener The Pretty Reckless couldn’t make the rescheduled date, Foo Fighters once again stepped in, like they did in St. Louis a few weeks earlier. The Pretty Reckless are a great rock band, but it’s not too often you get to see one Rock & Roll Hall of Fame act open for another, let alone a support act that could headline its own stadium show.
Not only that, it was a rare 80-degree day in October, and despite a quick-moving rainstorm that traveled through the area about 90 minutes before showtime, the weather was perfect throughout the entire concert.
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At 7 p.m. sharp, Foo Fighters hit the stage, and from the get-go it was abundantly clear that Dave Grohl was absolutely thrilled to open for AC/DC once again. With the Foos playing an abbreviated set as the support act, they ripped through an all killer, no filler nine-song set — just the hits!
Kicking it off with the scorchers “All My Life” and “The Pretender,” the Foos brought their A-game to MetLife, with Grohl shouting out AC/DC multiple times throughout the set. “Times Like These,” “Learn to Fly,” “My Hero,” and “This Is a Call” followed, before Grohl took a little time to talk about his love for AC/DC.
“When I was 11 years old, I went to a midnight movie, and I saw Let There Be Rock,” he told the massive stadium crowd. “At 11 years old, I didn’t know that rock ‘n’ roll could be like that. I didn’t know that rock ‘n’ roll was sweat, and blood, and fucking tears, and every ounce of energy you have — Phil Rudd breaking snare drums and Angus sucking oxygen on the side of the stage. I saw that movie when I was 11 years old, and I was like, ‘I wanna do that for the rest of my fucking life.’”
From there, Foo Fighters launched into “Monkey Wrench,” followed by the anthemic “Best of You.” Grohl and company then closed their performance out with their signature song “Everlong,” wrapping up one helluva warm-up set.
At 8:30 p.m., a video intro appeared on the big screens, revving the crowd up for the headliner. AC/DC had a tough act to follow, but from the first notes of opening song “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It),” they commanded the crowd for two-plus hours. The rock legends churned out one classic after another, with early highlights including “Back in Black,” “Thunderstruck,” and “Hells Bells.”
Then it was time for a surprise. Singer Brian Johnson addressed the crowd, saying, “We got something to tell you… a very good friend of ours asked us tonight if he could come out and join us for ‘Highway to Hell.’ We said, ‘Yes, Dave, you can!’” He then welcomed Dave Grohl, whose 11-year-old self would have never believed the scenario in which 57-year-old Dave Grohl now found himself. The Foo Fighter absolutely rocked out with AC/DC, playing guitar and singing backup on the chorus of the Bon Scott-era classic.
The main set continued with more iconic songs like “Dirty Deeds Done Cheap,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Whole Lotta Rosie,” and “Let There Be Rock,” the latter of which was closed out with a rousing 10 or 15-minute guitar solo by Angus Young, who at 71 years old moved around the stage like a rocker half his age.
And how about Brian Johnson? Ten years ago, the frontman had to step away from AC/DC due to hearing issues, and it appeared his singing career might be over. On Friday night, at 78 years young (and about to turn 79), he sounded like an absolute powerhouse.
The night ended with an encore of “T.N.T.” and the set-closer “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You),” complete with cannons and fireworks. It was an explosive conclusion to a magnificent night of rock ‘n’ roll, one that the tens of thousands of fans at MetLife won’t soon forget.
And because of the rescheduling, the MetLife concert closed out AC/DC’s North American “PWR/UP Tour,” perhaps leaving some wondering if they had just seen the iconic band’s last-ever US show. However, Johnson left the door open with his final words of the evening: “Good night, hope we’ll see you again!”
See our photos and videos of the MetLife show, as well as the AC/DC and Foo Fighters setlists, below.
All photos by Kevin RC Wilson (@kevinwilsonnyc).
AC/DC Setlist:
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 (with Dave Grohl)
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 Angus solo)
Encore:
T.N.T.
For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
Foo Fighters Setlist:
All My Life
The Pretender
Times Like These
My Hero
Learn to Fly
This Is a Call
Monkey Wrench (with drum solo)
Best of You
Everlong
