Review by Shawn Perry
Photos by Steve Arndt
So this is it. Circling the globe on what is billed as their “farewell” trek, the Scorpions popped into the Inland Empire (San Bernardino County, for the uninitiated) for a quickie, two days before their more celebrated appearance at the L.A. Nokia. But what the hell —this is fertile ground for the Scorps’ brand of pop metal; it was here back in 1983 where they played one of their biggest and most memorable shows with Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest and other hard rockin’ bands at the US Festival.
So it was no wonder as the lights fell and the final strains of AC/DC’s “Back In Black” faded into the swelter that scattered images of running rock fans slowly came into focus. This was followed by acknowledgements to the festival, an event that stands as a crowning achievement in the history of the Scorpions. The blast through the past quickly shifted into the present as drummer James Kottack peered over the audience from his 50-foot perch. Suddenly, “Sting In The Tail,” the title track from the Scorpions’ final studio album, erupted, sending a wave of energy and fist-pumping that overtook the enamored throng of metalheads, mostly dressed in black concert Ts.
As it was, the 10,000-seat arena was pushing two-thirds capacity (the L.A. Nokia was reportedly sold out), but the Scorps played like they were in front of the 350,000 from the US Festival. The staging, the lighting, the video — all were impressive enough to overwhelm any coliseum. The marathon-like pace kept everyone on their toes as the Scorps belted out their most momentous rockers — “Bad Boys Running Wild,” “The Zoo’ and “Loving You Sunday Morning” among them.
“The Best Is Yet To Come,” a power ballad prompted sing-alongs with guitarists Rudolph Schenker and Matthias Jabs strumming their Flying V and Explorer acoustics. Singer Klaus Meine then dedicated “Send Me An Angel” to the late Ronnie James Dio and a sea of swaying arms erupted. Instead of lighters, cell phones dotted the landscape, many capturing photos and video for Facebook and YouTube. The sing-alongs continued on “Holiday” with Meine repeatedly bellowing “California!” to encourage participation.
The vintage Scorps footage on the backline LEDs gave “Raised On Rock,” another new one, a nostalgic feel. The groove (and silhouetted stripper) behind “Tease Me Please Me” set an irresistible tone. This, unfortunately, was followed by a ridiculously long and self-indulgent drum solo (although the accompanying video with Kottack acting out iconic Scorpions album covers was mildly entertaining).
“Blackout” featured Schenker with the bent forks over his eyes and a smoking Flying V before Jabs took flight on a solo spotlight of his own. The band returned to full bloom on “Big City Nights,” climaxing with Meine, Schenker and Jabs forming a human pyramid and saluting the crowd like a gang of truant fratboys. How ironic that these are guys in their 50s and 60s blowing gaskets for a nightly retirement party.
The two-song encore of “No One Like You” and “Rock You Like A Hurricane” left many wondering which songs they didn’t play. There are a few, but the most obvious is “Wind Of Change,” the Scorpion’s biggest hit, their “Stairway To Heaven” and “Freebird.” Why it was left off the setlist is subject to speculation and hearsay. Maybe they’re saving it for the next leg of what is supposed to be a two-year farewell tour. The ever anachronistic Scorpions apparently go in for long goodbyes.
To many, opening band Cinderella was an excellent and fitting choice to the bill. Indeed, the Philadelphia-based band had a host of hits in the 80s, familiar to many of the Scorpions tribe, and they took great pleasure in rolling them out — “Somebody Save Me,” “Nobody’s Fool,” “Shake Me” and their most successful single “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone).” Breaking out the acoustics and even a saxophone at one point tended to drag down the hour-long set, but in the end they took their bows and left the stage to cheers-a-plenty. No reports of any lost glass slippers at last count.
