Inside AC/DC’s First Michigan Concert
A band like AC/DC has toured the globe many times. It’s wild to think that their first time in the U.S. was back in the 1970s before probably some of their current fans were born. AC/DC played their first U.S. show on July 27, 1977, at Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas. As it turns out, that wasn’t long before they also placed their first Michigan concert.
AC/DC’s First Tour and Michigan Gig
AC/DC first came to the States in 1977. They weren’t huge at that point. They had a big following in Australia but were breaking in the U.S. Their first U.S. release, “High Voltage,” arrived in 1976 and didn’t do much in America. Thankfully, AC/DC had some believers in the States, and eventually, they became one of the biggest brutal rock acts on the planet. So, that first AC/DC gig was held in July of 1977, supporting the Canadian group Moxy. A few years later, they would be headlining massive arenas throughout the U.S., including Michigan.
AC/DC’s first-ever Michigan concert took place at the Masonic Temple in Detroit on Aug. 27, 1977, according to TheConcertDatabase.com. Were you there? If so, consider yourself lucky. As I mentioned before, AC/DC is now under the radar. Hence, the smaller venue. From there, AC/DC became a regular in Michigan. Their second Michigan gig was on Dec. 5, 1977, at the Capitol Theater in Flint. Then, the band played at the Royal Oak Music Theater on Sept. 13, 1978, opening for Thin Lizzy, and at Cobo Arean on Sept. 29 of that same year, opening for Aerosmith. Finally, on AC/DC’s first major U.S. headlining tour, the band played Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo on Sept. 26, 1980, and headlining Cobo Arena in Detroit in 1980 and 1981 on several dates. They headlined Joe Louis Arena later in their career. Now, I must ask: Bon Scott or Brian Johnson? I say both.
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