By Shawn Perry
When it comes to perseverance, no other band comes to mind more easily than Scorpions. Since forming in 1965 (!), the German group has survived multiple trends and personnel changes, only to continually come out the other side bigger and better. The 70s saw the band release six studio albums, with each becoming harder, more focused, and definitive of the group’s sound, drive and ambition. They eventually found their voice with 1979’s Lovedrive, which cemented a winning formula of hard rock and melodic ballads.
It was during the 1980s that Scorpions conquered America and the rest of the world. Guitarist Rudolph Schenker (with the band since the very beginning) and singer Klaus Meine (who joined in 1971) had assembled a solid lineup that included guitarist Matthias Jabs, bassist Francis Buchholz and drummer Herman Rarebell. Together, the quintet spent released five platinum records(with classic songs like “Rock You Like A Hurricane” and “No One Like You”), culminating with Crazy World in 1990 and their biggest international single, “Wind Of Change,” a hopeful song that appeared just as the Berlin Wall came down. It remains the best-selling single by a German artist.
In 2010, Scorpions released their 17th studio album, Sting In The Tail, and announced it would be their last. I caught a show in Ontario, California, during what was billed as their “farewell” tour. The show was significant for being a stone’s throw from where the 1983 US Festival was held. It was where Scorpions played one of their biggest and most memorable shows with Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest and other hard rock bands.
At the time, Meine told VintageRock.com: “Whatever you do in your life, you want to finish off with something great, rather than when you are destroyed on the ground. To go all over the world on one last big tour, we can finish the 40 years on this crazy rock and roll train and walk away in class and style and remain in the collective memory of our fans as a great live band.”
Apparently, the self-imposed retirement didn’t work out.
In 2015, the band released another “final” studio album called Return To Forever. The 12 songs comprising the record were reportedly written in the 70s and 80s, compelling the band to refresh them in tandem with their 50th anniversary. Needless to say, a tour followed and two years later, with former Motörhead skinman Mikkey Dee replacing longtime drummer James Kottack’s place on the throne, there’s seemingly no end in sight for Scorpions.
Now fans can climb aboard the nonstop train and tour with Scorpions. By entering The Scorpions Tour Sweepstakes Presented by Mercury Insurance, one lucky winner will have the opportunity to select three Scorpions concert stops from a pool of four — October 3 at the Grand Sierra Resort, Grand Theatre in Reno, Nevada; October 4 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California; October 7 at The Forum in Los Angeles, California; and October 8 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Megadeth is the opening act at all four shows.
Along with a pair of tickets to three shows, Mercury is throwing in roundtrip airfare for two to each city, hotel accommodations for one night in each city, a VIP meet-and-greet with the band, and tour merchandise. Fans can enter The Scorpions Tour Sweepstakes Presented by Mercury Insurance by visiting here and completing the registration form by September 17. The winner will be announced on or around September 18.
