TORONTO - You just know it's going to be a good year ahead in Toronto when the first week of 2009 sees the return of the best, biggest, loudest, and lewdest rock show of 2008.

That would be Aussie veteran hard rockers AC/DC, who revisited the Rogers Centre last night a mere two months after blowing the roof off the joint last November with their so-called Black Ice tour in support of their huge comeback album of the same name which was also the best-selling disc in Canada in 2008.

It's certainly no small feat to fill the same stadium twice in such a short time.

And the sight of 45,000 fans gathered again, many of them wearing blinking red devil horns in a shout out to guitarist Angus Young who donned them on the cover of AC/DC's 1979 breakthrough album, Highway to Hell, was a beautiful thing to behold one more time.

Especially during the the first standout song of the hour-and-45-minute show - Back In Black, as Young - this time dressed in a black velvet private school boy uniform and matching cap and tie (in November it was burgundy) - let it rip with the first of many memorable solos on the band's mammoth stage featuring an impressive number of speakers, video screens and a catwalk into the crowd.

"You're making us real proud up here," said robust-sounding lead singer Brian Johnson, 61, afterwards.

Other songs delivered with the same intensity were Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap), Thunderstruck, Hells Bells, Shoot To Thrill, You Shook Me All Night Long (with Johnson again changing the lyrics to "Knocking me out with those Canadian thighs!"), TNT, Whole Lotta Rosie, a marathon version of Let There Be Rock, Highway To Hell (despite the back speakers annoyingly going out a couple of times), and For Those About To Rock (We Salute You).

There's something to be said for a band that formed back in 1973 still doing the same songs the same way and still making them sound vital some 36 years later.

AC/DC - rounded out by rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd - also brought back their usual arsenal of bells and whistles.

There was the backdrop of a devil-horns-wearing train locomotive, in a nod to the first Black Ice single, Rock 'N' Roll Train; the descending bell that Johnson hung off during Hells Bells; the large inflatable woman riding the aforementioned locomotive during Whole Lotta Rosie; the ascending platform that raised Angus high above the crowd during Let There Be Rock as part of his longest solo of the night; and the Spinal Tap-like six cannon salute during For Those About To Rock (We Salute You).

Meanwhile, on a much smaller scale, The Jack saw Angus do his trademark striptease down to his AC/DC underwear as the cameras alternated between his backside and bodacious women in the crowd.

Opening last night were suitably hard-rocking Belfast four-piece The Answer, making an auspicious Toronto debut.

The Zeppelin-esque sounding band, fronted by long-haired, Robert Plant-like wailer Cormac Neeson, were originally scheduled to open for AC/DC at Rogers Centre last November, but were stopped at the border due to their bus driver's pot selling conviction stemming back to 1971.

What is this Almost Famous?

The determined group ended up getting a new bus driver but then got stuck in traffic and couldn't get to Rogers Centre in time for their opening slot.

Good thing the band - rounded out by guitarist Paul Mahon, bassist Mickey Waters and drummer James Heatley - were worth the wait as they fired-up up the crowd with a lively half-hour set with a chatty and animated Neeson providing the suitable stadium rock dialogue in between their six songs.

"Our business with you tonight is rock 'n' roll," said Neeson, who delivered on the promise.

The Answer, whose new album, Everyday Demons, will be released March 31, have previously opened up for the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith and The Who in Europe and are a favourite of Zep guitarist Jimmy Page.

No surprises there given their blues-influenced classic rock sound.

WHAT AC/DC PLAYED LAST NIGHT:

Rock 'N' Roll Train

Hell Ain't A Bad Place to Be

Back In Black

Big Jack

Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)

Thunderstruck

Black Ice

The Jack

Hells Bells

Shoot To Thrill

War Machine

Anything Goes

You Shook Me All Night Long

TNT

Whole Lotta Rosie

Let There Be Rock

ENCORE:

Highway To Hell

For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)