I made a super, super spontaneous decision today to race to Ingolstadt to catch Michael Schenker. To be precise, the opening act had probably already struck the first notes when I settled into my seat. Speed limits were peripheral to me; I was out there in the name of rock'n'roll. So I arrived punctually at the Eventhalle, spared from state-mandated highway robbery.
The crew was already busy setting up the backline.
In the meantime, I got myself a drink and strolled through the crowd to see if I recognized anyone. Surprisingly, none of the well-known Ingolstadt musicians were there. The Ingolstadt crowd is a strange bunch when it comes to attending concerts. Today's audience was basically an over-30 party. Mainly middle-aged rock and metal fans and graying music lovers, but there were also a few very young folks in leather jackets.
After a mystical intro, a world star of rock'n'roll took the stage. With the Flying V strapped on, Michael Schenker unleashed the first notes of "Doctor Doctor" from his Marshall stack. Right off the bat, the first number was the hit from UFO's Phenomenon, which was enthusiastically celebrated by the crowd. I love this song. Its atmospheric, floating intro, the elongated multi-part guitar melody, the shuffling rhythm, and of course the catchy chorus. If you listen closely, early Iron Maiden was heavily influenced by UFO, especially in the drumming. It was probably very likely that Maiden covered this song at some point.
Next up was the song "Where the Wild Wind Blows," which is the reverse of Maiden's and appears on the new album "The Final Frontier." This must be the yin and yang that singer Doogie White talked about between songs.
Experiencing Michael Schenker live and up close on guitar is a true experience. He has always oriented himself more towards classical music than blues music. His playing is also fascinating. Ultra-precise and with a lot of guts.
Then came songs like "Armed and Ready," "Natural Thing," and "Victims of Illusion," or "Rock'n'Roll Symphony" from Schenker's solo project "Michael Schenker Group," which he founded after leaving the Scorpions and UFO.
And then the grand "Love Drive" and "Coast to Coast" from the Scorpions. By the way, Schenker brought along bassist Francis Buchholz and drummer Herman Rarebell from the Scorpions. You can only tip your hat to this team. Tight as a Swiss watch and swinging, making it impossible not to move. Rarebell reminds me a lot of Phil Rudd from AC/DC. Dead simple without much frills but always right on point with a nice *bash*.
With UFO's "Let it Roll" and "Shoot," the set continued. Very cool.
During "Shoot," Schenker posed extra for those with cameras and smartphones on the side. And then the set continued until "Rock You Like a Hurricane." Singer Doogie handed the mic to the audience during this hit, and one of the young leather jacket wearers got to be a rock star for a few seconds. He probably won't forget that anytime soon. :-D
Singer Doogie White, who has also been active for Ronnie James Dio and Rainbow, impressed me more than I expected. His full head voice and expressive stage performance are world-class!
The last song was the UFO hit "Rock Bottom." Now it really kicked off. And since the crowd wouldn't let the band leave without an encore, we got "Blackout" and "Lights Out" on top of that.
I'm really glad I decided to go to the concert today and recommend everyone interested in rock to check out Temple of Rock. In the end, it's a cross-section of Schenker's life's work. UFO, Scorpions, MSG. This is rock'n'roll history! ;)