Coachella gets "Thunderstruck" with AC/DC's explosive headlining performance

For their first show without founding guitarist Malcolm Young (who left the band due to health reasons), AC/DC showed they still got it, playing a marathon set that was still going when Alesso, who started an hour later, had finished up his set at Sahara.

A 20-song set capped most people’s first day of Coachella in 2015, and they certainly went back to their campsites or luxurious hotels pleased. Though they played a handful of tracks from their new album, everyone was there to experience the hits, for which these classic rockers have churned them out over the decades by the dozen.

Longtime favorites like “Back in Black” — to which a friend wondered aloud “What does that song really mean?” — had fans young and old spending their last remaining bits of energy singing and rocking out. Even those who were skeptical about seeing these sexagenarians perform were blown away by their charisma and show, which was capped by an awesome fireworks display.

All the hits got played. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” “Thunderstruck.” “You Shook Me All Night Long” got the loudest and most enthusiastic response, until the band rocked their encore with “Highway to Hell.”

Seeing legendary acts like AC/DC is the kind of bucket list item that makes Coachella special, and nobody in their right mind could have possibly been unhappy with Day 1’s headliner.

Words: Mark E. Ortega

Photography: Monique Hernandez