AC/DC Unleashed Pure Mayhem with a Blistering “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” at Berlin Olympiastadion 2025
On June 30, 2025, AC/DC ripped through Berlin’s Olympiastadion with an explosion of raw rock energy, launching directly into their classic “If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)” within minutes of hitting the stage. The crowd erupted in cheers, back on their feet after a familiar tape intro, setting the tone for a night dripping with nostalgia and sheer rock adrenaline.
The moment was electric: Brian Johnson’s gravelly vocals unleashed the brutal truth of the lyric’s promise, and Angus Young was a man possessed, his Gibson SG slicing through the air with razor-sharp riffs. Fans later posted online that his solos “on fire” felt like the teenage headbanger inside them had reignited.
It wasn’t just replacements—this version harked back to the 1978 live album, If You Want Blood, You’ve Got It, recorded at Glasgow’s Apollo. That raw, unfiltered energy survived nearly five decades, reincarnated in Berlin’s open-air monument to sport and sound.
Over 70,000 fans thronged the Olympiastadion, a unique venue steeped in historical weight—from 1936 Olympics to today’s rock behemoth. That backdrop gave the performance a cinematic grandeur: a legendary stadium hosting a legendary band, blasting through anthem after anthem.
Angus’s signature schoolboy uniform glowed under the stage lights, sweat-drenched and electric. One fan on Facebook captured it: “Angus on fire… he surpasses himself from Prague.” Whether he’s decades into his career or leaning into Gretsch licks, it still looks like he’s 18 years old again.
The version of “Blood” in Berlin wasn’t a standalone stunt—it kicked off an incendiary setlist, featuring unstoppable hits like “Back in Black” and “Thunderstruck,” reminding everyone that AC/DC didn’t just rest on 70s laurels, they still had the thunder to shake stadiums.
The orchestration of that song mattered: starting with a tape intro—a theatrical nod to classic rock showmanship—AC/DC laid the groundwork for a setlist spanning their entire career. Even 2020’s Power Up material like “Demon Fire” followed, bridging past and present seamlessly.
That tape intro was more than nostalgia—it framed “Blood” as a narrative, like telling the audience: “Here’s the deal—if you’ve come for rock, you’re in for blood.” And boy, did it deliver. The sonic assault pulled everyone in, like being inside a live album come to life.
Brian’s vocals during the chorus—“If you want blood!”—were somehow more viscous than ever. The stadium reverberated; his voice cut through the mix like a knife. It was clear this wasn’t a bland recreation, but a living, breathing performance powered by decades of adrenaline.
In the classic live recording from ’78, If You Want Blood, You’ve Got It captured a band in their prime Bon Scott era. On this Berlin night, Brian substituted charisma for Bon’s swagger, adding a fresh heroism to the same song, proving that legends can evolve without losing their soul.
Fans on Instagram and Facebook showed excitement not just for the song, but for the entire act. One reel captioned “blood” and “RockNRollTrain #AngusYoung #BrianJohnson #PowerUpTour” radiated pure joy—proof that even snippets can go viral with emotional resonance.
“If You Want Blood” isn’t just a riff; it’s a lifestyle statement. It demands surrender, headbanging until fingertips bleed. In Berlin, by paragraph five of the night, the band had already delivered on that promise—a visceral experience of rock’s primal theater.
That show may have been one in a 61-date Power Up Tour, but this song remains a pillar of every concert. From Gelsenkirchen to Düsseldorf, Latvia to London, Berlin was the night where it all seemed to groove together: past, present, and future in 4/4 time.
Mid-song, a blazing guitar duel—riff vs. riff—brought the crowd to a fever pitch. It wasn’t choreographed; it was cathartic. The Berlin echo chamber took Angus’s licks and Brian’s rasps and turned them into pure electricity, a universal pulse that every fan felt in their bones.
When the final chord rang out and the crowd roared, Berlin had been baptized by rock blood once more. AC/DC proved that legends don’t fade—they amplify. If You Want Blood wasn’t just a song that night; it was a testament to enduring power, and Berlin’s Olympiastadion was reborn as its altar.
