AC/DC fans in Argentina got a jolt of anxiety this week after news broke that guitarist Stevie Young has been hospitalized in Buenos Aires.
The band’s spokesperson told Reuters the 69-year-old musician was admitted “out of an abundance of caution” and is undergoing a full round of medical tests. The good news: the spokesperson said Young is doing well, in good spirits, and still expects to be back onstage next week.
And the clock is already ticking.
AC/DC is scheduled to play Buenos Aires on March 23, March 27, and March 31 as part of their international “Power Up” tour — major stadium nights in a country that treats the band like visiting royalty. The group played in Santiago, Chile just days earlier and is expected to head to Mexico City in early April.
Outside the Four Seasons hotel in Buenos Aires, fans reportedly gathered behind a perimeter fence hoping for a glimpse of the rock legends as security guarded the entrances. It’s a familiar scene in Argentina, where AC/DC’s fan base runs deep and loud.
The band hasn’t toured Argentina since 2009 — and that visit was massive. Demand for the first show at Estadio Monumental (home of River Plate, with a capacity around 85,000) was so intense the band added two more dates, and they sold out fast. AC/DC reportedly pulled in nearly 200,000 fans during that run.
The country’s current president, Javier Milei, is also famously obsessed with rock and metal, often leaning into the leather-jacket energy at rallies — making the timing of an AC/DC arrival feel like a national event.
Young’s hospitalization is the latest reminder that even rock’s most durable machines aren’t immune to time and health scares. AC/DC has endured losses, lineup shifts, and medical setbacks over the decades. Stevie Young stepped into the band in 2014 after replacing his uncle, Malcolm Young — the group’s co-founder — who later died in 2017 at 64 after dementia.
The band also famously lost early frontman Bon Scott in 1980. More recently, singer Brian Johnson paused touring in 2016 due to hearing issues before returning. Other longtime members, including drummer Phil Rudd and bassist Cliff Williams, have moved in and out over the years.
For now, fans are holding onto the message they want to hear: Stevie Young is okay — and Monday night’s show is still the plan.
If anything changes, expect Buenos Aires to find out fast.
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