Review by Shawn Perry
Photos by Ron Lyon
There are countless guitar heroes to hitch a ride with, so why are so many devoted to German wunderkind Michael Schenker? He earned a shady reputation when he abruptly left UFO after leaving his indelible mark on five brilliant studio albums and one epic live set. Things were seemingly as disjointed in the 80s as Schenker struggled through numerous projects that often resulted in hurt feelings and high turnover. But in the last 10 years or so, his career has been on a trajectory of sorts, with respect for his craft and legacy on the rise. When Michael Schenker Fest premiered in Tokyo in 2016, it was as if he had come full circle.
At the heart of Michael Schenker Fest is a storied reunion with many of the musicians who served in the guitarist’s ranks. You had singers Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet, and Robin McAuley, plus second guitarist and keyboardist Steve Mann, bassist Chris Glen, and drummer Ted McKenna — each part of one MSG configuration or another in the 80s. Naturally, a bulk of the material was from that era, with a little Scorpions and a lot of UFO added for good measure. Schenker, never one to repeat himself, decided to enhance the Schenker Fest U.S. tour with a couple of extra ingredients — a new album called Resurrection and the addition of fourth singer Doogie White from Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock lineup.
With so many musicians on board, there was a lot of music to cover. Once the entourage landed in Anaheim, it wasn’t all that surprising when the set stretched to nearly three hours. After a short, spirited sprint from Novareign, the pit filled up and the stacked tiers morphed into walls of people. The flock dug in for what was billed as the ultimate trip through Michael Schenker’s musical history.
Warming the denizens up with the staple instrumental, “Into The Arena,” Schenker immediately got down to business and brought out Gary Barden for a run-through of songs from the first two MSG records — 1980’s The Michael Schenker Group and 1981’s MSG. Of the four singers who would grace the stage on this night, Barden is probably the weakest, yet his time with Schenker may be the most defining in terms of style and tone as the guitarist set his sites high when he ventured forth on his own.
“Let Sleeping Dogs Lie” and “Armed And Ready” are arguably two of the best known songs from Schenker’s post-UFO period, so the Grove audience surged, pushed and angled for position to savor each and every note. The guitarist, sporting a black vest with MSG and UFO patches and his ever-present black-knit beanie, sunglasses propped up, glowed and gallivanted; a permanent grin smeared across his face as he effortlessly swept the chords and charted the leads through the heavy and edgy ballyhoo. In the excitement of Schenker’s crushing fret work, it was only too easy to overlook Barden’s spartan performance.
Robin McAuley came up to help on the vocals during “Messin’ Around,” the first of five songs from Resurrection making up tonight’s fare. Other new ones were dropped in, bringing together all four vocalists at various points, each thriving in a vocal give-and-take that, given all the things that could go wrong when you have this many lead singers vying for the microphone, came off surprisingly smooth.
Graham Bonnet, who recorded only one album with Schenker (1982’s Assault Attack), came up after a gratuitous slice of the Scorpions’ “Coast To Coast.” Wearing a tie and injecting his powerful delivery and enunciation, Bonnet joined Schenker in bringing “Desert Song,” “Dancer” “Searching For A Reason” and “Assault Attack” to life. Bonnet’s turn on the new “Night Moods” blended in without disruption, while the band’s third instrumental of the night, “Captain Nemo” from 1983’s Built To Destroy, made for the perfect bridge to the McAuley-Schenker Group portion of the program.
This version of MSG and its two albums — 1987’s Perfect Timing and 1989’s Save Yourself — were shaped into a more streamlined vehicle toward pop appeal. At the time, Robin McAuley brought the right combination of molded image, pure hunger and grounded talent to the group. Nowadays, with both Schenker and McAuley operating at the peak of their powers, the pairing transcends any and all commercial ambitions by simply exceeding the marks with nothing more than experience and mutual admiration.
It would have been easy for the two to pour it on thick with something as overtly user-friendly as “This Is My Heart” (which they played in Tokyo). Instead, they cut to the chase with “Save Yourself,” giving Schenker ample room to showboat and McAuley to assume command, which he seems to do more assertively than his other singing compatriots. Maybe it’s because his tattoos are more colorful, emboldening his prowess as a frontman. Once McAuley took the lead on the new “Heart And Soul,” and Barden, Bonnet, and White’s slid into their respective roles during the choruses, it became clear how the internal dynamics between all the players work their magic.
Which made the transition to Doogie White practically seamless. The Scottish vocalist who sang with Rainbow in the 90s has seen Schenker’s star rise again as part of the Temple of Rock menagerie that filled the guitarist’s calendar for six years prior to Schenker Fest. And so, without a smidgen of pretense, White showed up, ready to spar with “Live and Let Live” and “Vigilante Man.” The singer also lead the charge on a new Schenker Fest grinder called “Take Me to the Church.”
Of course, as he’s typically done, Schenker dipped into the UFO songbook to finish the night off. On “Rock Bottom,” always a highlight, the guitarist straddled a black and white Flying V (one of many V’s he’d haul out that night). Robin McAuley and Gary Barden sang the verses before the epic solo that had Schenker stalking the stage with each pulled note, piping in on the chorus, framing each shot he snapped with a camera. That brought the main set to a momentous finale.
The encore comprising four UFO songs had each singer joining in for a round or two. Bonnet, Barden and McAuley all had a go at “Doctor Doctor.” McAuley tackled “Shoot Shoot, while Doogie White put his own spin on “Natural Thing.” For “Lights Out,” the final song of the night, all four singers shared verses and choruses like long, lost choir brothers. Meanwhile, Schenker laid down the trademark leads that kept the camera phones rolling and fists pumping to the very end.
There aren’t many musicians who go into their past and bring back participates from each iteration of their journey. For Michael Schenker, previous mishaps have been forgotten, locked away, allowing refreshed alliances to forge. He’s even suggested bringing in UFO’s Phil Moog and Scorpion’s Klaus Meine to complete the picture, as far revisiting every singer’s he’s ever worked with. Based on output and reemergence as one of rock’s most revered guitarists, just about anything seems plausible and within reach.
