When a band as massive and long-running as AC/DC goes on tour, they inevitably have to leave a lot of songs on the cutting-room floor.

That’s not quite as big a problem for the Aussie rockers as other bands of similar stature, because fans continue to embrace timeless classics such as “Hells Bells,” “Back in Black,” “Highway to Hell” and “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You).” Also, it’s hard to feel cheated or complain about a lack of diversity when nearly all of their songs follow the same blunt-force three-chord rock formula. (That’s not an insult: When accused of “making the same album over and over 12 times,” guitarist Angus Young proudly quipped, “The truth is, we’ve made the same album over and over 15 times.”)

Still, there are plenty of gems that AC/DC fans would be delighted to hear live for the first time. As the band gears up for the 2025 North American leg of its Power Up tour, UCR engages in some wishful thinking and ranks the Top 20 AC/DC Songs Never Played Live.

20. “Mistress for Christmas” (The Razors Edge, 1990)

There’s something sublimely awful about the thought of Brian Johnson singing this hidden holiday gem as he’s approaching 80. Bonus points if they played it in the dead of summer.

 

19. “Brain Shake” (Flick of the Switch, 1983)

Flick of the Switch marked the beginning of a years-long creative and commercial tailspin for AC/DC, but the album’s closing track bursts with steely riffs and rocks with the same cocksure swagger of their best material.

 

18. “Back in Business” (Fly on the Wall, 1985)

AC/DC makes no attempt to reinvent the wheel “Back in Business,” but its piledriving groove and eminently badass lyrics (“You want some trouble, I’m the king of vice / I’m a wreckin’ ball, I’m a stingin’ knife / Steal your money, gonna take your life“) make it a prime candidate to play live. Plus, what better message for the band’s first U.S. tour in nearly a decade?

 

17. “If You Dare” (The Razors Edge)

With its rhythmic strut, nimble riffs and blistering call-and-response vocals, “If You Dare” sounds just unique enough to delight hardcore AC/DC fans while fitting seamlessly into their well-worn set list. To the final track on The Razors Edge, we say: Come outside and play, if you daaaaare!

 

16. “Hell or High Water” (Fly on the Wall)

When AC/DC released Fly on the Wall, critics slammed the album and accused the band of descending into mediocrity. In hindsight, a lot of its songs just sound like textbook AC/DC — and that’s a good thing! “Hell or High Water” is one such track, boasting a simple-yet-effective drum beat, tasty riffs and roof-raising gang vocals. A can’t-lose proposition on a stadium stage.

 

15. “Send for the Man” (Fly on the Wall)

Another common criticism of Fly on the Wall was that, in their quest to capture their raw live sound, AC/DC buried Johnson’s vocals in the mix. Yet he’s clearly giving a larynx-shredding, paint-peeling performance on the album’s final track, “Send for the Man.” Why not give this throttling mid-tempo rocker the platform it deserves?

 

14. “Through the Mists of Time” (Power Up, 2020)

Because AC/DC is still touring in support of Power Up, it would be nice to see them work a few other tracks from the album into their set lists. “Through the Mists of Time” is one of the album’s strongest and most melodically interesting songs, with its lightly distorted riffs, stutter-step drum groove and a, dare we say, uplifting chorus.

 

13. “Evil Walks” (For Those About to Rock (We Salute You), 1981)

Despite the multiplatinum success of For Those About to Rock (We Salute You), AC/DC has hardly ever played any of the album aside from its title track, which remains a perpetual encore. They’re leaving plenty of killer tunes on the table, including the sinister “Evil Walks,” whose arpeggiated guitars and mid-tempo groove evoke both “Hells Bells” and “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution.”

 

12. “Rock Your Heart Out” (The Razors Edge)

This lean, mean rocker is a nice rhythm section showcase, as the guitars briefly drop out in the verses and let the drums and bass do the heavy lifting. But more importantly, it’s an exhortation for audiences to lose themselves in AC/DC’s soul-bathing, eardrum-blasting hard rock maelstrom. They should have no trouble following directions.

 

11. “Squealer” (Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, 1976)

There’s a charming, garage-band irreverence to AC/DC’s early albums, and Dirty Deeds‘ closing track is a prime example. “Squealer” is a slow burner, with Angus Young banging out simple chords and Bon Scott talk-singing his way through the verses until it explodes into an array of six-string histrionics. These days, it would make a smart breather track for Johnson and a fun throwback for the day-one faithfuls.

 

10. “Shot of Love” (The Razors Edge)

Like the best AC/DC songs, “Shot of Love” is an exercise in masterful simplicity, with the Young brothers trading simple but brutally effective riffs as a launchpad for Johnson’s sandpapery vocals. Just think of how many concertgoers the frontman could blindly point at as he wails, “And I warn you / It’s the best shot of your life!“

 

9. “Meanstreak” (Blow Up Your Video, 1988)

The third track on 1988’s Blow Up Your Video is a legitimate change of pace for AC/DC, insofar as any of their songs break from tradition. It’s one of their funkiest tunes, showcasing Johnson’s deepening mid range and making room for Young’s guitar heroics.

 

8. “Night of the Long Knives” (For Those About to Rock (We Salute You))

“Night of the Long Knives” is another slinky rocker showing AC/DC at the peak of their powers. Young fires off diamond-edged riffs, and Johnson wails with relentless ferocity. If they broke this one out in concert, it would become the night of the long ovation.

 

7. “Ain’t No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)” (Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap)

Perhaps no other band in history was as good at documenting the process of rocking their way to stardom as AC/DC. “Ain’t No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)” is a tongue-in-cheek chronicle of their hardscrabble early days, and in hindsight it shows a band so audaciously confident that success was inevitable. Nearly 50 years later, they could break it out for the first time as a well-earned victory lap.

 

6. “Realize” (Power Up)

“Realize” opens Power Up on an almost unbelievably strong note. Young’s power chords still cut like a knife, Johnson’s raspy howl defies the laws of aging and the rhythm section rocks like a freight train. The song marked a thundering return after several tumultuous years for AC/DC, and it would make for a glorious celebration onstage.

 

5. “Snowballed” (For Those About to Rock (We Salute You))

The best moments on For Those About to Rock are the ones that most closely mimic its predecessor, Back in Black. By that metric, “Snowballed” is the cream of the unplayed crop. Its sinewy riffs and furious vocals recall “Shake a Leg” in spots, while the half-time chorus helps it stand on its own. It’d be another slam dunk live.

 

4. “Gimme a Bullet” (Powerage, 1978)

Powerage is a common Bon Scott-era favorite among hardcore AC/DC fans, and with good reason: From top to bottom, it’s a solid-gold collection of raucous riffs and snarling vocals delivered with unbridled intensity. “Gimme a Bullet,” the lone song on the album never played live, is a relatively “mellow” cut, but it still bristles with menacing cool and gets maximum mileage out of its simple chord progression.

 

3. “There’s Gonna Be Some Rockin’ (Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap)

If the Dirty Deeds tracks on this list prove anything, it’s that rocking has always been an end in itself for AC/DC. “There’s Gonna Be Some Rockin'” is a rollicking 12-bar blues jam that would proudly deliver on its promise: “There’s gonna be some rockin’ at the show tonight.“

 

2. “Night Prowler” (Highway to Hell, 1979)

“Night Prowler” became a source of controversy for AC/DC in the mid-’80s when serial killer and sex offender Richard Ramirez, nicknamed the “Night Stalker,” said he was a huge fan of the band, leading to accusations of satanism and censorship campaigns against the group. The associations were absurd then and they’re absurd now, but “Night Prowler” will always be an ominously captivating rocker. If Paul McCartney can still play “Helter Skelter” live, there’s no reason AC/DC can’t reclaim this gem.

 

1. “Let Me Put My Love Into You” (Back in Black, 1980)

AC/DC doesn’t write ballads. Perhaps the closest they’ve ever gotten is “Let Me Put My Love Into You,” the sinister and wonderfully unsubtle Back in Black rocker. It’s an impressive display of dynamics from a band that typically operates at one speed only (max), and it’s the only Back in Black song they’ve never played live. With the album’s 45th anniversary approaching, what better time to check the box?