Hard rock band AC/DC kicks off U.S. tour with pop-up shop
A legendary Australian rock group with one of the best-selling albums of all time is offering fans in Minneapolis a limited-time brick-and-mortar shopping experience.
Hard rockers AC/DC, whose 1980 album "Back in Black" has sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide since its release, are launching their U.S. "Power Up" stadium tour in Minneapolis on Thursday, April 10, 2025.
To promote the tour, AC/DC will open a temporary pop-up "High Voltage Dive Bar" location at the Machine Shop event venue in downtown Minneapolis April 9 from 2 p.m. CT to 10 p.m. CT, and then again on April 10 from noon CT to 8 p.m. CT.
The pop-up will serve alcoholic beverages and also offer customers the chance to purchase exclusive merchandise and limited-edition vinyl records. AC/DC opened its first High Voltage Dive Bar pop-up in October 2023 in Indio, Calif. to promote the group’s performance at the 2023 Power Trip music festival.
In addition, during AC/DC’s summer 2024 tour of Europe, the band operated High Voltage Dive Bar pop-ups to promote concerts in London; Paris; Munich and Gelsenkirchen, Germany; and Seville, Spain.
The U.S. tour ends in Cleveland on Wednesday, May 28. There has been no announcement of any other High Voltage Dive Bar pop-up during AC/DC’s U.S. tour.
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Rolling Stones promote brand with U.S. pop-ups
Another legendary rock band, the Rolling Stones, has also operated pop-ups to bolster its presence in the U.S. In October 2023, the British Invasion superstars opened two U.S. pop-ups of its RS No. 9 retail format, with locations in New York City’s Union Square neighborhood and another on Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles.
The temporary stores marked the first expansion of the RS No. 9 retail brand outside of the U.K., where it made its debut in 2020 with a permanent store on Carnaby Street in London. The pop-ups opened as the Rolling Stones released their first album (“Hackney Diamonds”) of new songs in 18 years.
The stores featured Hackney Diamonds-related merchandise and items including T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, hats and other accessories. Signed fine-art prints and limited-edition music formats from Rolling Stone band member Ronnie Wood were also available.
