Dave Grohl Joins AC/DC for “Highway to Hell,” Bringing a Childhood Dream Full Circle

Ever wondered what it feels like to stand beside the musicians who first made you want to start a band? Dave Grohl found himself in that position when he joined AC/DC at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on October 2, 2026, for “Highway to Hell.” The Foo Fighters frontman arrived with his own extraordinary career behind him, yet the meaning of this appearance reached much further back: to a child discovering what rock and roll could become.

The attraction of the moment was its unusual combination of familiarity and surprise. AC/DC were playing one of their defining songs, a track whose opening chords immediately establish its identity. Into that familiar setting stepped a musician who had grown up admiring them. Grohl contributed guitar and backing vocals, becoming part of the performance while Brian Johnson and Angus Young remained at the center of the band’s unmistakable sound.

Guest appearances are not the defining feature of an AC/DC concert. Their appeal comes from the songs, the rhythm, and the personalities that have made those songs recognizable across generations. That gave Grohl’s invitation a particular significance. It was a chance to see an established performer enter a musical world that had helped shape him, with the collaboration built around a shared song rather than an elaborate change of direction.

Foo Fighters had opened the evening before Grohl returned to join the headliners. During his own band’s set, he explained why AC/DC occupied such an important place in his imagination. At eleven, he had attended a midnight screening of their concert film, Let There Be Rock. He remembered encountering a level of physical commitment that made music seem bigger, harder, and more consuming than he had previously understood.

Grohl’s recollection focused on the work behind the spectacle: Phil Rudd’s powerful drumming, Angus Young’s relentless movement, and the energy required to sustain a performance like that. The film offered him an example of musicians giving themselves fully to the stage. His response was a decision about the future he wanted. Years before he would lead Foo Fighters, he had seen something in AC/DC that made a life in rock feel irresistible.

That childhood memory gives the collaboration a story beyond the surprise of seeing a famous guest. Grohl has spent decades performing for audiences of his own, but professional success does not erase the importance of early influences. A musician can become a headliner and still remember the first concert, record, or film that changed his expectations. At MetLife, that connection became visible through the opportunity to participate in the music itself.

Johnson introduced the appearance by telling the audience that a friend had asked to join the band for “Highway to Hell.” The introduction made the invitation sound personal and straightforward, which suited the occasion. There was no need for an elaborate explanation of Grohl’s reputation. His presence carried its own meaning, while the choice of song gave him a clear place within a performance already familiar to the crowd.

“Highway to Hell” was especially well suited to that kind of meeting. Its guitar figure is direct, its rhythm leaves room for the vocal, and its chorus invites participation without requiring a complicated arrangement. Those qualities help explain why the song works across different settings. A guest can enter its structure and add another voice without obscuring the elements that make it feel like AC/DC from the first recognizable phrase.

Grohl’s contribution also reflected the breadth of his musical career. Many listeners first encountered him as Nirvana’s drummer; others know him primarily as Foo Fighters’ singer and guitarist. Playing alongside AC/DC connected those roles to an earlier source of inspiration. The instrument in his hands belonged to the present, but the enthusiasm behind the appearance had roots in a much younger musician’s understanding of what he wanted to do.

The relationship between Grohl and Johnson already had an important onstage chapter. At Global Citizen’s VAX LIVE event, Johnson joined Foo Fighters for “Back in Black,” placing the AC/DC singer within their performance. The MetLife appearance brought a different arrangement of the same musical connection: Grohl entered AC/DC’s set. Viewed together, the two collaborations show how admiration can develop into a practical exchange between musicians who share an affection for these songs.

It would be easy to make the significance of this performance depend on a sweeping claim about how many years AC/DC had gone without a guest. The stronger story is more specific. Grohl spoke about the band’s influence on his childhood, then joined them to play one of their best-known songs. Those details provide enough substance on their own. The personal connection makes the appearance meaningful without requiring an unsupported historical superlative.

There is also a generational dimension to the scene. AC/DC helped establish a model of rock performance that Grohl encountered when he was young; he later brought his own personality to a career in bands with different sounds and histories. Sharing the stage made that line of influence tangible. It showed how a musical example can travel across decades while retaining its emotional importance to someone who has built a substantial legacy of his own.

For listeners watching the footage, the appeal lies partly in knowing that background. A guitar part and a backing vocal become more significant when they belong to someone who remembers deciding on his future after seeing the band in a cinema. The collaboration can be enjoyed simply as a performance, but its history adds another layer. What appears to be a brief guest spot also connects two distant moments in one musician’s life.

The concert setting gave that connection an appropriately public expression. Grohl’s childhood encounter with AC/DC had happened in front of a screen; his later opportunity placed him alongside the musicians themselves. That shift is a compelling part of the story. He could now contribute to the sound he had once watched with fascination, bringing the perspective of an experienced performer while retaining the significance of an admirer finally receiving an invitation.

Ultimately, the MetLife appearance is memorable because its story is easy to understand and difficult to manufacture. A child sees a band and imagines a future in music. Decades of work follow. Then the same musician stands beside those early heroes and plays “Highway to Hell.” For the audience, it was an unexpected collaboration; for Dave Grohl, it brought a formative ambition into the present through the simplest possible act: joining the song.

Brian Johnson’s performance of “Back in Black” with Foo Fighters at Global Citizen’s VAX LIVE shows an earlier chapter in this musical connection. Here, the AC/DC singer joins Grohl’s band before their roles are reversed at MetLife.

AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” performance at River Plate offers another view of the song’s enduring concert presence. It provides a useful companion to the MetLife collaboration, keeping the focus on the anthem that brought Grohl and his heroes together.