Planning to see AC/DC in Vancouver? The band plays BC Place on August 13, 2026, as part of the POWER UP Tour, with The Pretty Reckless also on the bill. Get ready for the concert, review the current tour context and plan your ticket purchase for a night built around hard rock classics
AC/DC in Vancouver: POWER UP Tour arrives at BC Place
AC/DC is coming to BC Place in Vancouver on August 13, 2026 at 19:00, as the POWER UP Tour once again moves through major North American stadiums. The concert comes only a few days after the performance in Edmonton, after which the tour continues toward Atlanta. For audiences on Canada's Pacific coast, this is one of the few dates on which the legendary Australian band can be seen in a large stadium format during this leg of the tour.
The tour's name comes from the album "Power Up", released in 2020. That album reached number one in 21 countries, but AC/DC's concert program in recent years has not been built only around newer material. On the contrary, performances on the tour so far show that the emphasis is strongly on the catalogue that turned the band into one of the most recognizable hard rock institutions: massive guitar riffs, a simple and solid rhythm, choruses that an entire stadium can take over, and Angus Young at the center of the stage.
Tickets for this event are in demand.
Why this concert matters in AC/DC's current phase
AC/DC played its first concert on the last day of 1973 in Sydney. More than half a century later, the band is still performing in stadiums, and the current touring lineup consists of Angus Young on lead guitar, Brian Johnson on vocals, Stevie Young on rhythm guitar, Matt Laug on drums and Chris Chaney on bass.
The current tour is particularly interesting because it is simultaneously tied to "Power Up" and deeply rooted in the older catalogue. At performances from previous legs, audiences heard songs such as "Back in Black", "Highway to Hell", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "Shoot to Thrill", "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Let There Be Rock", alongside a smaller number of songs from the album "Power Up". That does not mean the repertoire in Vancouver will be identical - the final setlist for that date has not been confirmed in advance - but the structure of the tour so far shows very clearly what AC/DC considers the core of its stadium performance.
The freshest indication comes from the concert on August 5, 2026 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. There, the band performed a program consisting mainly of classics from the 1970s and 1980s, together with several songs from its current recording phase. "High Voltage", "Let There Be Rock", "T.N.T." and "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" were among the songs that defined the evening, while Angus Young once again had an extended solo moment in "Let There Be Rock". Such a set confirms that this tour was not conceived as a presentation of only one album, but as a cross-section of the songs that allow AC/DC to continue filling stadiums.
A sound made for a large space
AC/DC is not a band that tries to recreate layered studio production on stage. Their concert model is much more direct: two guitars, bass, drums, vocals and enormous dynamics between precise rhythm and Angus's solos. That is exactly why songs such as "Hells Bells", "Thunderstruck", "Back in Black" or "Highway to Hell" naturally work in a space where tens of thousands of people can react to the same riff at the same time.
At current performances, the band's visual iconography is also an important part of the experience. The large bell associated with "Hells Bells", Angus's school uniform, the duckwalk, walls of amplifiers and the closing motifs connected with "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" are not an addition that replaces the music, but part of the concert language AC/DC has been developing for decades. The recent performance in Santa Clara once again showed how much the show relies on that combination of recognizable songs and physical performance.
For longtime fans, the attraction is a catalogue that has marked several generations of rock audiences. For visitors who know AC/DC primarily through its biggest hits, the format is equally accessible: short songs, instantly recognizable riffs and choruses made for a large audience.
Seats are disappearing quickly.
The Pretty Reckless arrives at a particularly interesting moment
The Pretty Reckless has been announced alongside AC/DC for the Vancouver concert. Led by Taylor Momsen, the American band enters 2026 with completely fresh material: the album "Dear God" was released on June 26 and contains 14 songs. Among them are "For I Am Death", "When I Wake Up", "Love Me" and the title track "Dear God".
That means the opening act here is not simply an introduction repeating older material. The Pretty Reckless arrives in the period immediately after the release of a new album and in parallel with its own concert plans for 2026. Their darker hard rock and alternative metal give the evening a different tone before AC/DC, while remaining close enough to the guitar-driven character of the headliner for the transition between the bands to feel natural.
The exact The Pretty Reckless setlist for Vancouver has not been published in advance, so it would not be reasonable to promise specific songs. Still, the fact that "Dear God" has only just been released gives their performance a current context that did not exist during earlier stages of their collaboration with AC/DC.
BC Place: a huge stadium in the city center
BC Place is located at 777 Pacific Boulevard in Vancouver and opened in 1983. In its full configuration, it has a capacity of up to 54,500 seats, although the actual layout and number of available seats vary depending on the concert production, stage and closed sections.
For the AC/DC concert, the roof construction is also important. BC Place has a retractable central section of the roof measuring approximately 100 x 85 meters. The decision on whether the roof will be open or closed is made on the day of the event in consultation with the organizers, while the seating remains covered regardless of the status of the central section. The stadium also recommends that visitors treat it as an outdoor venue and dress according to the outside temperature.
In such a large space, the experience varies by section. Lower stands and the floor provide a stronger sense of physical proximity to the production, while higher levels offer a broader view of the entire stage and stadium. With a band that builds a large part of its identity around the mass reaction of the audience, a more distant seat does not necessarily mean a weaker experience - songs with choruses such as "Thunderstruck" or "Highway to Hell" gain precisely that shared stadium dimension in a large space, which is why AC/DC has been associated with venues like this for years.
- Address: 777 Pacific Boulevard, Vancouver, BC
- Full seating capacity of the stadium: up to 54,500 seats
- Year opened: 1983.
- Nearest SkyTrain station: Stadium-Chinatown on the Expo Line
- The status of the retractable roof is determined on the day of the event
How to get to BC Place
BC Place is located next to downtown Vancouver and is very well connected by public transportation. TransLink lists Stadium-Chinatown on the Expo Line as the nearest SkyTrain station, a short walk from the stadium. Yaletown-Roundhouse on the Canada Line is also a practical option for some visitors, while several bus routes stop within walking distance.
Driving is possible, but the stadium itself warns that parking facilities in the surrounding area are managed by various external operators. On an evening with tens of thousands of visitors, that means traffic and parking availability can be considerably more complicated than arriving by SkyTrain. The most practical approach is to check the current public transportation situation before departure and allow additional time for the security screening at the entrance.
What is worth knowing before entering
BC Place applies restrictions on bags. Small bags up to 6.5 x 8.5 inches and clear plastic bags up to 12 x 12 x 6 inches are permitted, with possible exceptions for medical needs and diaper bags. All bags may be inspected. Large backpacks, camera bags, coolers and larger luggage are among the items that are not permitted under stadium rules.
For most concerts, there is no re-entry after a visitor leaves the stadium. Because of that, it is useful to check before passing through security that you have everything you need for the rest of the evening. BC Place also allows empty personal water bottles with a capacity of up to one liter, subject to inspection at the entrance, while glass bottles are prohibited.
The door-opening time for this concert is not listed on the currently available event page, so it should not be assumed based on other concerts. The event is listed as starting at 19:00, and arriving earlier makes sense because of expected crowds around the stadium, security screening and The Pretty Reckless's performance.
Vancouver as a stop between two parts of the tour
Vancouver's position in the schedule gives the concert additional significance. AC/DC plays in the San Francisco area on August 5, in Edmonton on August 9, and in Vancouver on August 13. After that comes a break until the performance in Atlanta on August 27. Vancouver is therefore the final stop on this short western run before the tour moves to the eastern and southern parts of the continent.
Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg also follow in September, so Vancouver is not the only Canadian date. Still, for western Canada and the Pacific coast of North America, it is an important stop in the full stadium format.
It is worth securing tickets in time.
What the audience can realistically expect
The most important thing is not to expect a reconstruction of one historical period of AC/DC. Today's band is not the same lineup that recorded "Back in Black", nor does it try to pretend that nothing has changed. What remains the same is the backbone of the sound: Angus Young still leads the guitar side of the concert, Brian Johnson remains the recognizable voice of a large part of the best-known catalogue, and the songs are constructed to generate an audience reaction within seconds.
Reviews of previous legs of the POWER UP Tour describe the concert as strongly focused on the classics, with long Angus guitar sections and a finale that often uses "T.N.T." and "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)". In Melbourne in 2025, the program lasted more than two hours and was composed almost entirely of familiar songs, while the performance in Santa Clara in 2026 again showed a similar emphasis. These are useful indicators of the format, but not a guarantee of an identical duration or setlist in Vancouver.
For the audience, the fairest expectation is therefore a very loud, direct rock concert without many stylistic turns: big riffs, a high sound level, a stage adapted to a stadium and an audience spanning several generations. If the goal is to hear a band that defined how hard rock can work in front of tens of thousands of people, Vancouver offers one of the strongest opportunities of this tour in the western part of the continent.
Practical reminder for concert day
Before leaving, check the status of public transportation and the roof, travel with minimal luggage and expect screening at the entrance. If you are coming from outside Vancouver, accommodation downtown or along the SkyTrain considerably simplifies the return after the concert. Because of BC Place's location, the evening can be organized without a car, which is especially useful after the event ends, when a large number of people spill onto the surrounding streets and stations at the same time.
For this date, AC/DC and The Pretty Reckless are confirmed. Everything else that may change before concert day - door-opening time, roof status, special entry instructions and any schedule changes - is worth checking immediately before arrival.
Sources:
- AC/DC - archive of tour dates and the POWER UP Tour schedule for 2026.
- BC Place - AC/DC Power Up Tour event page, confirmation of the date, lineup and stadium address.
- BC Place - information on capacity, stadium history, roof, entry rules and bag policy.
- TransLink - directions for reaching BC Place by public transportation and the nearest SkyTrain stations.
- The Pretty Reckless - information about the album "Dear God" and the current 2026 release.
- San Francisco Chronicle - report from the AC/DC concert at Levi's Stadium on August 5, 2026 and description of the current concert format.
- The Guardian - report from the POWER UP performance in Melbourne in 2025 and context of the live repertoire.