The AC/DC storm. Irreducible and powerful. This is how the night explodes.

Agnessi

A full circle. On July 9, 2015, AC/DC brought great rock music back to the Autodromo paddock after the glories of the Heineken Jammin' Festival. Ten years later, the Australian band headlined their final concert last night inside the Enzo e Dino Ferrari stadium before the big shows move (starting in 2026) to the Music Park Arena, which will be built on Via Malsicura.

Seventy thousand people arrive for AC/DC's return, fifteen years after their debut, to the banks of the Santerno River. Families, longtime fans, and young newcomers come to cheer on Angus Young, Brian Johnson, and company. From the early afternoon, the atmosphere around the racetrack is one of a grand occasion: lines at the gates, full parking lots, band T-shirts everywhere, and light-up horns sold on every corner. The giant screens show a racing car speeding down the track and crossing the finish line: pure and immediate awe. Immediately afterward, the opening riff of "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" gets the crowd going, followed by "Back in Black." "Imola, how are you? It's great to be back! Let's rock and roll and celebrate together." The setlist features around twenty songs in total, with very few variations from AC/DC's recent shows. The racetrack buzzes with black T-shirts, the band's trademark light-up horns, and rivers of beer. Here comes 'Thunderstruck', which recalls the Formula 1 that Imola wants to remain attached to, then 'Hells Bells' (with the stage bell) and Highway to Hell.

Time seems to have stood still at the Autodromo. Not just ten years ago, but decades ago. The music starts to "You Shook Me All Night Long." Then comes "Let There Be Rock," "TNT," and the inevitable "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)." The crowd sings every word, especially cult songs like "Highway to Hell" and "You Shook Me All Night Long," the most intense of the entire performance. The stage is filled with a mix of LED panels, synchronized lights, and smoke bombs, while the famous cannons explode, sealing a finale worthy of an AC/DC production. Angus dominates the stage with a guitar solo surrounded by fireworks and confetti. Brian, 77, holds his own.

Few remember him, but it was he who convinced the group to head to Imola in 2015. He stopped in the city in September 2013, accompanied by a Discovery Channel crew. At the time, the AC/DC singer hosted a TV show about iconic cars in the world of motorsport called "Cars that Rock with Brian Johnson." The format is easy to imagine: the singer personally tested the fastest and most expensive racing cars on the planet. In Imola, Johnson took to the track behind the wheel of a Lamborghini Gallardo, one of the many jewels of the Sant'Agata Bolognese stable. Along the hairpin bends of the Santerno River, the spark ignited. And the rest is history. A story that, last night, experienced another exciting chapter.

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