Legendary rock band AC/DC will return to Ireland this summer as part of their ‘POWER UP’ European Tour, and a very unexpected Laois date has just been added.
The tour will see the band play 22 dates across Europe with a final show at Croke Park on Saturday, August 17.
It will be the band’s first European tour in eight years and will see them performing at some of the biggest stadiums across the continent.
However, it was revealed last night that an extraordinary date has been added to the schedule, with the band making a stop-off for a rare intimate gig before they rock Croker.
AC/DC front man Brian Johnson announced over the weekend that the band would be playing at the Mountmellick Arts Centre just two days before the tour finale.
“My paternal granny is from just out the road and I’ve always said I’d love to do a gig in Mountmellick when the time is right.
“We’ve been down to have a look and we know this will be a very special occasion.
“The Yarnbombers have even promised to do a special AC/DC themed display on all the approach roads which will be very cool.
“I did say to them to be careful on the road in from The Rock. I romanced a lady from The Rock one time and we didn’t end on great terms – so we might travel in from a different direction,” he laughed.
“I’ve been trying to organise a gig there (in Mountmellick) for years, and nothing ever came of it.
“So this time I’ve put my foot down – at my age I don’t know if we’ll ever go on tour again, so I’m not going to miss this chance.”
Mountmellick Arts Centre came in for much praise last year during a Ministerial visit to the town, where Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys said at the time that the Arts Centre “will do so much in terms of supporting the entertainment industry in the region.”
How right she was. The 450-seat venue will host a rare intimate gig for AC/DC on Thursday, August 15, at 8pm.
Tickets will go on sale locally week, with no news on capacity yet made public.
“It’s going to be a little bit different than our usual gigs,” Johnson said.
“But it feels brilliant to be able to pay tribute to me Granny, who always told me great things about the place she grew up.”
Nobody from the Mountmellick Arts Centre was available for comment today, Monday, April 1.
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