Review by Shawn Perry
Photos by Ron Lyon
In what’s becoming an annual event, Michael Schenker returned to the Coach House and in emblematic leave-no-prisoners fashion left the sold-out venue gasping for more. For this round, he brought back his Temple of Rock with singer Doogie White, guitarist and keyboardist Wayne Findlay, and for the first time in America, the former Scorpions rhythm section of drummer Herman Rarebell and bassist Francis Buchholz. Based on tour reports from around the country, this may be the most lethal unit of musicians Schenker has played with since the late 70s salad days of UFO.
After lively sets from the three openers — Liquid Circus, Stepchild and Gundriver — the lights dimmed around 10:30 and AC/DC’s “Highway To Hell” stirred up the congregation as the Temple of Rock players took their places. They lifted off with a song that in previous years was typically the encore — UFO’s “Doctor Doctor.” A sure sign that Schenker and company had a few surprises to spring on the unsuspecting Coach House.
They offered a taste from the group’s 2015 album Spirit On A Mission with “Live And Let Live,” a catchy fist pumper that had White delivering a powerful vocal while Schenker and Findlay engaged in string-to-string warfare. “Vigilante Man,” the album’s second single, was the only other “new” song they played. It might have been nice to hear a few more, like the epic “Saviour Machine,” but one look around pretty much told the story: The fans came to hear the hits, not new music. On that note, Schenker did not disappoint.
What transpired was a set overflowing with a rich combination of UFO, Scorpions and Michael Schenker Group classics that had the whole place on their feet for nearly two hours. They managed to slip in “Where the Wild Winds Blow” and “Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead” (dedicated to Ronnie James Dio) from previous Temple of Rock records. The intensity escalated when “Lights Out,” “Armed And Ready,” “Let It Roll” and “Rock Bottom” were polished off and unleashed. Seeing Robin McAuley sing these songs with the Michael Schenker Group in 2012 might have been a little more appropriate, although White capably held his own. By the same turn, having Rarebell and Buchholz on stage opened the door for more Scorpions songs.
As Schenker drew from his arsenal of Dean Flying V guitars (including a wicked looking red and black model), it wasn’t too much of a stretch to see him dive right into “Lovedrive,” “Another Piece of Meat” and “Coast To Coast” — all songs the guitarist originally played on for the 1979 Lovedrive album. Once they fell into “Rock You Like A Hurricane,” all bets were off and the room lit up like a 20,000 seat arena. As if that wasn’t enough Scorpions for the night, they encored with “Holiday” and “Blackout” before taking their bows and exiting the stage. Obviously, a few subtle alterations keep it fresh and alive for the audience, the band and the ever-discerning Schenker himself.
