Watch Rick Astley Cover AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’ While Drumming

First off, we are not "rick rolling" you! At least not yet. But if you're up for seeing one of the more unexpected concert cover songs of the year, just click play on the player above and watch '80s pop star Rick Astley settling in behind the drum kit for a cover of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell."

The oddness of the situation was not lost on Astley, who was performing a concert at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, Calif. Thursday night (Aug. 11). During the encore, he took a seat at the drum kit and told the audience, "One of the best feelings in the absolute world is to count down the song we're about to play." He then offered a "Do you want to rock?" plea to the crowd, before responding, "Yes, I know. Hearing me say that sounds a bit weird, but in an alternate universe this is what could be," before concluding, "We're all allowed to dream, aren't we?"

And with the familiar opening guitar licks, Astley counted down his drumming on AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" for the crowd. But even though Astley has a powerful voice, his baritone doesn't exactly fit the range of Bon Scott and he doesn't strain to hit it. Instead, he sings in his normal range while keeping the beat throughout to the delight of the crowd.

Kudos to Rick Astley for thinking out of the box with a cover song and letting his rock flag fly! The singer is currently touring in support of his new album, 50, his first new disc in more than a decade. He'll be returning to Europe for dates for the rest of the month. See his tour itinerary here. And yes, for those of you hoping this was a "rick roll," click play on the video below for some smoothed out '80s soul from the big voiced, baby-faced Astley.

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