AC/DC bring the Power Up Tour to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday, August 27, 2026. It is one of the band’s biggest North American dates this year. The Pretty Reckless opens, and the headline set starts around 7:00 PM. A show on this scale draws fans from across the Southeast and far beyond. Here is a guide to the show, the band, the venue, and the area nearby.
AC/DC formed in Sydney in 1973, around brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. More than fifty years on, they have sold over two hundred million records worldwide. Their 1980 album ‘Back in Black’ moved roughly fifty million copies, the second-best-selling album in history. The band made that record after the death of singer Bon Scott, with Brian Johnson taking over on vocals. Rather than chase trends, AC/DC held to the same direct, riff-first rock for decade after decade. That consistency earned a following that now spans three generations. Parents who saw them in the eighties bring their kids, and the anthems still fill every corner of a stadium. Tracks such as ‘T.N.T.’ and ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ have outlived trends and formats.
The basics at a glance:
Angus Young still leads on lead guitar, with Brian Johnson on vocals and Stevie Young on rhythm. Chris Chaney plays bass and Matt Laug sits behind the drums for this leg. The setlist runs about twenty-one songs, weighted toward the catalog peaks of the early eighties. Staples like ‘Back in Black,’ ‘Thunderstruck,’ ‘Highway to Hell,’ and ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ anchor most nights. The production carries the classic touches: the wall of Marshall amps, the giant bell for ‘Hells Bells,’ and the closing cannons. Angus, in his schoolboy uniform, still duckwalks the stage past seventy.
The Pretty Reckless warm up the crowd earlier in the evening. Fronted by Taylor Momsen, the band plays hard rock with arena-sized hooks. They join AC/DC on every North American stop, so the pairing holds for the whole leg.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is one of the most modern stadiums in the country. Its retractable roof, a pinwheel of eight glass panels, opens or closes in minutes, so the show goes ahead rain or shine. Above the field, the 360-degree halo board wraps the roofline with the largest video screen in pro sports. Concert capacity ranges between fifty thousand and more than seventy-five thousand, depending on the stage.
Tickets sell through Ticketmaster and Live Nation, the official outlets for the show. General sale opened back in November 2025, so seats have been moving for months, and resale prices are climbing as August nears. Doors open a couple of hours ahead of the 7:00 PM start. The Pretty Reckless play first, and AC/DC follow with a headline set of roughly two hours. That puts the encore late, so the return home runs well into the night.
The stadium sits in downtown Atlanta, beside the Georgia World Congress Center. Traffic around it builds from late afternoon on event nights. Roads close near the gates as doors approach, so arriving early helps. More than twenty thousand spots sit within a short walk, but they sell out fast for a show this big. Pre-purchasing a pass early is the safer move. After the encore, the streets back up as the full crowd leaves at once. Fans arriving together often choose to move the whole party in one vehicle, instead of splitting across cars on a packed evening.
The venue runs a clear-bag policy and is cashless inside, so a card or phone covers everything. Late August in Atlanta is hot and humid, though the roof and air conditioning hold the bowl at an even temperature. Entry and bag rules sit on the venue site, worth a read in advance.
Downtown hotels put you closest to the gates, but they fill fast and command premium rates for a marquee date. Some visitors prefer a calmer base north of the center, in areas such as Brookhaven. It sits near the city, away from the crush of the crowd, and an easy run in from Hartsfield-Jackson for anyone flying in.
The AC/DC crowd leans toward a pub over a tasting menu. The Brookhaven area has casual bars and sports spots within a few blocks. They suit a beer and a burger ahead of the drive downtown. A place like Hudson Grille fits the night better than anything fussy.
Few bands still fill a stadium fifty years in. AC/DC do, and August 27 is Atlanta’s only date this year. Tickets and rooms move fast for a night this big, so the early movers win.
