Tommy Boyce was nine years old when his older brother introduced him to AC/DC. The album of choice? The Bon Scott-era live record If You Want Blood You’ve Got It. 

So it’s no wonder the band holds such a foundational status for the singer and guitarist of Melbourne hard rockers The Casanovas.

“They really became the gold standard for me,” Boyce recalls. “In my early teens I taught myself to play guitar and it was all about AC/DC riffs. 

“When it came time to learn how to play lead guitar, it was Angus [Young]’s solo to You Shook Me All Night Long that I turned to, stopping and rewinding the tape again and again to get the exact notes down.”

When The Casanovas were first kicking around in 1999, they covered Down Payment Blues and Riff Raff as a surefire way to get the crowd on-side. Fast-forward a quarter-century, and Boyce and his band are finally fulfilling their destiny by opening for AC/DC at two dates at Melbourne’s hallowed MCG this month.

PWR UP is AC/DC’s first Australian tour in a full decade, and the five-city run sold more than 320,000 tickets in a single day. 

“It was the biggest sales day in Ticketek’s history,” says Christo Van Egmond, managing director at TEG Van Egmond. “It was a long time coming, and highly anticipated. And based on their tours in America and Europe, we knew it would be a big one.”

A lot has changed since AC/DC toured the country in 2015: guitarist Malcolm Young died in 2017 after retiring in late 2014, and bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd have both retired from the road. (Malcolm’s nephew Stevie Young assumed his role, and the current touring rhythm section is bassist Chris Chaney and drummer Matt Laug.) 

Especially notable was lead singer Brian Johnson’s temporary exit from the touring circuit in 2016 due to potential hearing loss, replaced by Axl Rose.

But the band’s 2020 album POWER UP saw Johnson’s gruff snideness and Angus Young’s lacerating lead guitar re-emerge fully intact, earning a Grammy nomination and topping the charts in almost two dozen countries. 

So expectations are exceedingly high for this tour, which pairs five local openers with one hell of a choice for the main support.

The First Round Pick

“We do give this a lot of thought, in terms of who’s a good fit,” Van Egmond confirms. “Who’s going to add value to a big stadium show like this?”

The obvious choice was Amyl And The Sniffers, who are finishing up the biggest year of their meteoric career. 

“They’ve blown up in such a big way,” he says, “and they’re the hottest pub act going around. They had some dates in Europe they had to postpone, but they were more than happy to do that because all the members were over the moon about being invited. 

“It’s no secret they absolutely love the band.”

In fact, guitarist Declan Mehrtens sports an AC/DC tattoo, and firecracker singer Amy Taylor has always channeled Bon Scott in a big way. The Sniffers even performed at a Perth tribute to Scott and Highway To Hell in 2020, playing three AC/DC songs over and over from the back of a truck for two solid hours. 

When news broke that the band were the main support on this tour, Taylor called AC/DC “the best rock and roll band in the world” on Instagram.

The Sniffers also have a proven track record at an arena and stadium scale, having supported Foo Fighters on select Australian dates and a sizeable American tour. And they’re coming off a four-time ARIA-nominated album in this year’s Cartoon Darkness, complete with a streaming hit in U Should Not Be Doing That. 

So with the Melbourne pub punks locked in, these dates already promised a double header not to be missed. 

Dream Slots Unlocked

But Van Egmond and his Ticketek team were determined to book local supports for each city, rather than a single act in that third slot. 

“Although it’s a lot more work overall,” he says, “it’s great having local supports and supporting local bands in their market. And giving them a really good springboard into a much bigger audience.”

Besides The Casanovas in Melbourne, his team nailed down classic rock throwbacks Large Mirage in Sydney, queer indie rockers Oscar The Wild in Adelaide, the country and blues-licked The Southern River Band in Perth, and grunge-indebted newcomers HEADSEND in Brisbane.

Even with that variety of individual sound on display, all five match the hard-rocking spirit of AC/DC in some way. 

“We think about who is going to be a good fit for each specific market,” Van Egmond explains. “For example, The Casanovas have been around for a while and they’re a great hard rock band. We thought that was a great fit for Melbourne.

“HEADSEND are relatively new, but they seem like a great fit for the Queensland market.”

Of course, none of the bands needed much convincing. “It’s a total dream come true,” gushes The Southern River Band vocalist/guitarist Cal Kramer. 

“The first concert I ever went to was AC/DC and The Living End on the Stiff Upper Lip tour [in 2001]. Also… start to finish, Powerage is the greatest rock ‘n’ roll album ever.”

Speaking of The Living End, Van Egmond rattles off some other acts who’ve been lucky enough to play support on past AC/DC tours in Australia. In 2015 it was Kingswood and Swedish rockers The Hives, and in 2010, Calling All Cars and Wolfmother. 

“Wolfmother were everywhere at the time,” he recalls, “and their style and sound really fit the Black Ice tour.”

A Stadium-Sized Boost

Just playing to this many people at once is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most bands. The MCG has a capacity of around 100,000, with Sydney’s Accor Stadium holding slightly fewer at around 83,500. Perth’s Optus Stadium tops out at 70,000, and Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium around 52,500. 

The turnout for the single Adelaide date is more variable, since it’s the culmination of the bp Adelaide Grand Final motorsport event.

Whatever the exact turnout in each city, this is a priceless way for these five local supports to get their music heard at a time when new Australian music is getting lost in the mix (or algorithm) when it comes to commercial radio and streaming platforms.

“Nothing beats a live experience,” says Van Egmond. “It’s a great opportunity for these guys to get out and be seen and heard. And also to get their merch out there as well. We’re trying to support them every which way.”

But do audiences actually notice when it’s a local support opening a massive gig like this? 

“I think so,” he answers. “It’s certainly communicated on our front. Each market is pretty colloquial, so I think people see it and recognise it.” With a laugh, he adds: “And if they don’t, they’ll find out about it during the show.”

And for Tommy Boyce, it will be a full circle moment that started with hearing AC/DC as a child and learning their songs as a teenager. 

“I still often return to their records and listen in awe of their ability to make something simple sound so good,” he says. “When you start playing in a band yourself, you quickly learn how difficult that is. Their groove and swing is so in-the-pocket … so effortlessly satisfying.

“They make you move. AC/DC are rock and roll – and I love them.”

AC/DC’s PWR UP tour runs from November 12th to December 18th, with tickets on sale now.

AC/DC PWR UP Tour – Australia 2025

With special guests Amyl And The Sniffers

Plus Local Bands The Casanovas, Large Mirage, Oscar The Wild, The Southern River Band & Headsend

Wednesday, November 12th – Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, VIC

Sunday, November 16th – Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, VIC

Friday, November 21st – Accor Stadium, Sydney, NSW

Tuesday, November 25th – Accor Stadium, Sydney, NSW

Sunday, November 30th – Bp Adelaide Grand Final, Adelaide, SA

Thursday, December 4th – Optus Stadium, Perth, WA

Monday, December 8th – Optus Stadium, Perth, WA

Sunday, December 14th – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD

Thursday, December 18th – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD