AC/DC tickets for Columbus and Ohio Stadium - hard rock riffs, POWER UP tour and The Pretty Reckless

AC/DC in Columbus: a stadium evening for hard riffs and big choruses

AC/DC arrives at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, as part of the current "POWER UP TOUR 2026". The concert is announced for 15.07.2026 at 19:00, and the venue is one of the most recognizable American stadiums - Ohio Stadium, also known as "The Horseshoe". In the context of the tour, Columbus comes after the performance in Charlotte and before the concert in Madison, placing this date in the dense North American section of the summer stadium schedule.

For the audience coming because of AC/DC, the essence of the evening is not in a sudden career turn, but in the rare opportunity to hear the band in a space large enough for their sound: hard rhythm, a blues-rock foundation, rough choruses and guitar riffs that rely on simplicity, precision and pressure. This is music that works better when it is not decorated too much. For decades, AC/DC has been building the same recognizable language - a short intro, a tense verse, a chorus the audience can sing without screens and a guitar that carries the entire construction.

Ticket sales for this event are ongoing.

Why "POWER UP" is important for this concert

The name of the tour is connected to the album "POWER UP", released in 2020. That release brought the focus back to the classic AC/DC formula: dry hard rock, emphasized rhythm, few ornaments and plenty of room for the riff. "Shot in the Dark" and "Realize" were the songs with which the album reopened the conversation about the band after a turbulent period of lineup changes. The album was made with producer Brendan O'Brien, who had previously also worked on the releases "Black Ice" and "Rock or Bust".

That is precisely why this concert is not just a nostalgic replay of big songs. "POWER UP" is the framework that explains why the band is once again on large stadiums: there is enough new material for the tour to have a present moment, but the live set still rests on songs that shaped hard rock. AC/DC does not have to prove to the audience that it knows how to change its identity. Their strength lies in the fact that they have preserved it.

The current touring lineup brings together Angus Young on guitar, Brian Johnson on vocals, Stevie Young on rhythm guitar, Chris Chaney on bass and Matt Laug on drums. Angus Young remains the central stage figure, Brian Johnson carries the vocal signature of the band's best-known period, and the rest of the lineup holds the rhythm that, in AC/DC, must not be lavish, but firm.

A sound recognized after a few bars

AC/DC is one of those bands whose songs the audience often recognizes before the vocal even enters. "Highway to Hell", "Back in Black" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" belong among the songs that long ago moved beyond the framework of the rock audience and became part of broader popular culture. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame describes the band as a group that found its own space between punk-colored hard rock and heavy metal, and that explains well why their concerts attract multiple generations.

In a stadium, that sound translates into a very direct experience. There is no need for every song to turn into a long improvisation. With AC/DC, the tension comes from repetition, impact and collective singing. When the audience recognizes the intro to "Thunderstruck" or the massive entrance into "Back in Black", the stadium reacts like one body. Such moments do not rely only on nostalgia; they depend on precise tempo, volume and the band's ability not to soften what made it recognizable.

Visitors can expect a concert built around big hard rock songs, a strong rhythm and classic AC/DC discipline. That does not mean every evening is identical, nor should the exact order of songs be assumed in advance. But previous performances at this stage of the career show a clear pattern: reliance on the best-known songs, the occasional piece from the newer period and a finale built around big stadium choruses.

The Pretty Reckless as the opening of the evening

The event announcement for Columbus also lists The Pretty Reckless, an American rock band fronted by Taylor Momsen. Their role as support makes sense because it does not change the genre ground of the evening. The band comes from a more modern rock environment, with a darker tone and heavier guitars, but with songs direct enough to fit in before AC/DC.

For the audience arriving earlier, this means that the evening does not begin with a neutral background, but with a rock program that can raise the temperature before the main performance. It will be especially interesting to those who like newer American hard rock, strong vocals and a concert approach that relies on the band's energy more than on major changes in staging. It is worth arriving earlier and avoiding pressure at the entrances, especially because this is a stadium with a large capacity.

Ohio Stadium: a huge horseshoe-shaped space

Ohio Stadium opened in 1922 and today has a capacity of 102,780 seats. Because of its characteristic shape, it is often called "The Horseshoe", and it is located on the campus of The Ohio State University. For an AC/DC concert, this is important information because the space is not a classic enclosed arena, but a large open stadium in which sound, light and the mass of the audience are experienced differently.

In an enclosed hall, the audience often has a sense of compactness, but a stadium brings another type of closeness: thousands of people moving toward the same chorus, a wide view of the stage and the feeling that the riff travels across the stands. With a band like AC/DC, which does not rely on subtle details but on rhythm and volume, such a space can strengthen the basic character of the music.

• Venue: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
• Address: 411 Woody Hayes Drive, The Ohio State University campus
• Capacity: 102,780 seats
• Stadium opening: 1922
• Nickname: "The Horseshoe"

Because of the size of the stadium, the experience will depend quite a lot on arriving on time. Audience members who want to enter more calmly, find their section and pass checks without rushing should plan to arrive earlier than they would for a smaller hall. Tickets for this event are in demand.

How to get to the stadium and plan arrival

Ohio State has published special traffic and parking instructions for concerts at Ohio Stadium. For visitors arriving by car, the West Campus parking system and shuttle transport are important. A free shuttle transports guests from the West Campus Lots, namely the Carmack Lots area at Kenny Road and Woody Hayes Drive, to the Campus Transit Hub location south of the stadium, near the recreational tennis courts. According to the published instructions, the shuttle runs from 6 hours before the start of the program until 1 hour after the end of the program.

Day-of-event parking lots for this concert open at 15:00, and payment on the day of the event is listed as card payment. Visitors arriving by vehicle should check the parking map and the instructions for their permit in advance, because traffic patterns around the stadium are not the same as ordinary city driving. Some roads around the stadium may be closed or limited to traffic, and Woody Hayes Drive between Tuttle Park and Cannon Drive closes to vehicles in order to increase pedestrian safety.

Practically, the best plan is simple:

• check the parking zone before departure and do not rely only on navigation in the final minutes
• expect increased traffic around the campus and the Lane Avenue area
• use the West Campus shuttle if parking is not immediately next to the stadium
• agree on a meeting place with your group before entering, because it is easy to get separated at large stadiums
• prepare the ticket on your mobile phone and enough battery for entry

For arrival by public transport, Columbus has the COTA bus network, and passengers should check the current lines and any rerouted routes on the day of the concert.

Columbus for visitors traveling to the concert

Columbus is the capital of the state of Ohio and a large university city, which means that around the campus and downtown it is easy to combine the concert, food and a short stay. Ohio Stadium is located north of the narrower city center, in an area strongly marked by university life. For visitors arriving earlier, it is useful to know that the Short North Arts District, Arena District and North Market are often mentioned city spots for walking, food and drinks before or after the event.

Still, on the day of the concert, distances and traffic should not be underestimated. A plan that looks short on the map can become longer when thousands of people are moving toward the same stadium. For those coming from outside Columbus, it is useful to choose accommodation with a clear connection to the campus or to arrange transport in advance after the concert ends.

What profile of audience AC/DC attracts

This concert will especially attract longtime fans who follow the band through different phases, but AC/DC has long not been just a band for one generation. Their songs live in films, sports broadcasts, bars, radio programs and personal playlists of people who may not listen to hard rock every day. That is why visitors who know entire albums can be expected at the stadium, but also those who come because of a few songs they recognized long before they started exploring the discography.

For lovers of classic hard rock, the appeal is clear: guitars are in the foreground, the rhythm is without unnecessary complication, and the concert format does not run away from big songs. For the broader audience, AC/DC offers something rarer in contemporary stadium tours - the feeling of a band that is not trying to sound like the current trend.

What to expect from the atmosphere at Ohio Stadium

The atmosphere of an AC/DC concert is not created only on stage. It is built in the arrival, in shirts with the band's logo, in generations waiting together for the first big riff and in choruses that the audience does not read but knows. Ohio Stadium, with more than 100,000 seats in its usual configuration, brings a scale that can turn a simple rock chorus into a huge collective response.

In such a space, songs with a clear impact gain the most: "Back in Black" because of its recognizable guitar entrance, "Highway to Hell" because of the chorus that needs no announcement, "You Shook Me All Night Long" because of the direct melody and "Thunderstruck" because of the intro that the audience often takes over even before the vocal. It should not be claimed in advance that each of them will be performed in Columbus, but they explain why AC/DC can still fill stadiums at this stage of its career.

It is worth securing tickets on time, especially for visitors who want to choose a section and plan their arrival more easily.

Useful notes before departure

A large stadium concert requires a little more preparation than a smaller club performance. In addition to checking the ticket, arrival and start time, it is recommended to check the rules for bringing in items, instructions for people with disabilities and any traffic changes on campus before departure. Ohio State states that all entrances are accessible to guests with disabilities except North Rotunda, where the main level is reached by stairs.

For visitors coming to Ohio Stadium for the first time, it is useful to remember that concert entry can differ from a sporting event. The section, entrance, parking permit and direction of arrival can play a major role in how simple the evening will be.

• Start of program: 19:00
• Support act listed for the event: The Pretty Reckless
• Day-of-event parking lots: opening at 15:00
• West Campus shuttle: from 6 hours before the start until 1 hour after the end
• Recommendation: arrive earlier, check the entrance and parking before departure

AC/DC brings to Columbus a concert best understood by those who like rock when it does not try to be more complex than it needs to be. Riff, rhythm, voice and audience are enough for an evening that relies on decades of recognizable sound. In a space such as Ohio Stadium, precisely that simplicity can be the strongest part of the experience.

Sources:
- AC/DC - tour dates and confirmation of the performance in Columbus, OH.
- Schottenstein Center - start time, The Pretty Reckless and day-of-event parking.
- Ohio State Buckeyes - capacity, opening and context of Ohio Stadium.
- Ohio State Buckeyes Concert Traffic & Parking - shuttle, West Campus Lots, road closures and traffic instructions.
- Pitchfork - context of the album "POWER UP", the songs "Shot in the Dark" and "Realize" and the return of lineup members.
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - description of AC/DC's musical significance and the songs "Highway to Hell", "Back in Black" and "You Shook Me All Night Long".