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This past Wednesday, a remarkable gathering of 374 bagpipers united in Melbourne's Federation Square to play AC/DC's iconic hit "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock'n'Roll)", establishing a global milestone near the famous location where Bon Scott and the band memorably played the tune on a flatbed truck decades earlier.

This track is the one major hit that AC/DC no longer plays live, honoring Scott's memory after his death in 1980. Yet its absence is hardly noticeable when the concert setlist are so packed with fan favorites: an electric excitement swept through the eighty thousand concertgoers at the MCG as AC/DC kicked off with "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" and immediately followed with "Back in Black". Who else would have the confidence to play such a massive hit so soon after starting? Yet this band does, offering the audience to what amounts to a two-hour best-of compilation.

Brian Johnson calls Melbourne AC/DC's 'spiritual home'.

Let's address the obvious questions: yes, Brian Johnson is 78 years old and, admittedly, his vocal range doesn't hit the same high notes or hold as it once did compared to the eighties. He can no longer scream with the same intensity on tracks like "High Voltage" or "Highway to Hell", but he certainly tries his best with a grin on his face. Johnson was compelled to exit AC/DC's global tour in 2016 due to severe hearing loss (a substitute vocalist stepped in), but a remedy was found and it's clear he's thrilled to be back, cackling like a gremlin between songs. (AC/DC avoids stage banter, and no one minds.)

Similarly, Angus Young – still sporting his trademark school uniform at seventy – is visibly less rapid on certain older songs, such as the high-energy intro to "Thunderstruck". But it remains "Thunderstruck", and who cares when a entire venue is singing that loudly, that joyfully, as one?

Sporting a shock of white hair and skinny legs poking out from his shorts, Young appears as an ancient wizard and oddly youthful; when he returns to the band at the conclusion of a number, he resembles a lost little boy searching for his parents – until he begins a wild guitar riff, his fingers flying at blinding speed. He can still duckwalk the length of a massive platform, wild-eyed and shaking violently as though he's been struck by lightning.

'Young commands the stage while the others recede.'

He gradually sheds garments throughout the performance, even employing his necktie as a bow to play his guitar. By the end, when his shirt is almost completely unbuttoned, he's the main attraction of the whole show.

On "Let There Be Rock", Young embarks on a extended, unrestrained and immensely enjoyable instrumental break that seems like a challenge to any who thought AC/DC couldn't deliver. The rest of the band fade away as Young struts, pausing only to revel in the cheers before collapsing on the floor and rolling around like a someone enchanted. "Where did that come from?" Johnson asks later; who could say?

The frontman and guitarist are the main stars, but they have tight support from rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, who joined permanently in 2014 following his uncle Malcolm dementia diagnosis; along with bassist the bass player and drummer the man on drums, who performs with the determination of a person aiming to shake the foundations. Your eardrums won't be the same again.

Although the tour is named for the 17th album "Power Up", they perform just one song from it. Instead, the crowd is given the finest selections: "Shoot to Thrill", "High Voltage", "Highway to Hell", "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", "TNT" and "Whole Lotta Rosie". There's even room for a unexpected inclusion with "Jailbreak", a song they have not played live since 1991, which is welcomed with massive cheers.

This represents AC/DC's initial performance in the country in a decade, and the city is their first stop – naturally, it is the band's "ancestral homeland", as Johnson states, being "the home of Mr Scott". It's hard not to suspect that this may be the final global tour, and perhaps even their last trip to the homeland – but what a thrilling spectacle it is for anyone lucky enough to secure entry. They rock and we applaud them.

• AC/DC will perform at the Melbourne Cricket Ground again on November 16, then Sydney's Accor Stadium on November 21 and 25, the Adelaide show on 30 November, the Perth concerts on December 4 and 8, and Brisbane on December 14 and 18.