A video of Dua Lipa covering AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’ at her Melbourne concert was not what I expected to wake up to this morning.
But now that I’ve watched it, I can’t help but be glad that it happened. After all, it’s not every day a pop megastar takes a detour into rock territory.
Currently in Australia on her Radical Optimism tour, Lipa took some time out during her show on March 17 to belt out Highway to Hell at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena.
“I had this crazy idea that I though for this show” Lipa said before performing the cover. “To make my night a little bit harder. I thought I’d do a new song every night. So I thought ‘lets do a local artist for every place we’re in. Australia has an abundance of amazing musicians. So we thought we’d go from the very beginning.”
Standing at the edge of the stage, surrounded by her band, Lipa took on the Aussie rock anthem, giving it her own polished, radio-ready spin. Fans caught the moment on camera, and while it won’t have Angus Young losing sleep, the crowd seemed fully into it.
Lipa is in the thick of her Australian run before heading to New Zealand, Europe, and the U.S. later this year. She’s touring off the back of Radical Optimism, her third album, which went straight to No. 1 in 11 countries last year. The album’s been a commercial juggernaut, racking up streams and glowing reviews from the usual suspects.
The Highway to Hell cover, though, is an interesting flex. AC/DC is as sacred as it gets when it comes to Australian rock. So stepping into Bon Scott’s shoes especially in Melbourne, a city that basically worships the band, is a bold move. To her credit, Lipa didn’t try to turn it into a dance-pop remix. She kept it straightforward, let her vocals do the work, and gave a respectful nod to the hard rock legends.
Love it or hate it, she knew exactly what she was doing.
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