AC/DC and a raucous Milwaukee crowd worked up a serious sweat rocking to a mix of classic and new material at packed Bradley Center Thursday night.

There are certain bands that seem to play especially well to the work-hard, play-hard mentality of Milwaukee and AC/DC was more than up to that task with a near two-hour set on the band's current "Black Ice" tour.

The tone for the night was set when the show opened with a raunchy, suggestive, but well done opening video leading up to a massive black locomotive engine smashing through the back of the stage. Appropriately, AC/DC opened with "Rock n' Roll Train" from its latest record "Black Ice."

It would only take one more new song "Big Jack," before the boys from Australia reached back for one of the first of many well-known crowd pleasers with "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap."

AC/DC lived up to its Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame (inducted in 2003) stature with its trademark ear popping volume, but also very tight sound and stage presence. The band's story of perseverance and relative consistency for more than 35 years of performing is well documented, but seeing guitar legend Angus Young, his brother Malcolm, singer Brian Johnson and long-time members bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd still bring it is inspiring, even if from the cheap seats at the Bradley Center.

While some of Angus Young's stage antics (duck walking, head bobbing, devil horns and mock strip tease) may seem overdone to some for a 55-year-old, the crowd ate it up and the man's guitar work remains among the best in rock history. An Angus solo, from the classic "Thunderstruck" intro to an intense jam atop a 30-foot riser for "Let There Be Rock," is a sound and sight to behold.

It was Johnson's health issues (apparently ulcers, big surprise) that caused AC/DC to reschedule several October 2009 shows, including one in Milwaukee. At age 62 after years of touring, it's amazing that Johnson can still fill an arena with his gravelly scream, but his voice was in fine form with classics like "Back in Black" or "T.N.T." and newer songs like "War Machine" or "Black Ice."

As would be expected with AC/DC, testosterone filled the Bradley Center air at some of the high points of the show. Some of Milwaukee's best cougars to young hotties got a chance to show their stuff on the video screen during "You Shook Me All Night Long" and the blues infused "The Jack." The show hit a climax, so to speak, when a well-endowed and scantily clad blow up doll straddled the gigantic locomotive during "Whole Lotta Rosie."

While Trevor Hoffman didn't appear out of nowhere during "Hell's Bells," the song was as powerful as when the closer arrives at Miller Park and that doesn't include the visual of Johnson flying across the stage ringing a giant black bell. A song that could have just as well opened the show closed it as AC/DC fired off the cannons and grand finale fireworks for the anthem "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)."

Likely helped by their popularity in today's Guitar Hero/Rock Band video game era, there were a pretty good number of younger folks (many with their parents) in the Bradley Center crowd for AC/DC, although most had likely seen the band a number of times over the years. Although I've always enjoyed AC/DC, this was my first time seeing them live, as well as my 15-year-old son who knows more of their songs than me at 47.

Besides the legendary brand of rock from AC/DC, another highlight of their shows has to be great people watching from father-son Angus wannabees to Simpson's Comic Book Guy clones to potential groupies. Milwaukee's own Black Frog did solid opening rock/blues set with a mix of originals and an appropriate Black Sabbath ending.