Just back from this show.
It was great! The sound was absolutely spot on; well mixed, everything out in front, not too loud, not too quiet. The setlist was a very basic meat and potatoes best of, but that was fine, since I've never seen them before. I think the Zoo was the oldest thing they played. They played Coast to Coast too, and generally concentrated on the 80s string of records (Animal Magnetism through Love at First Sting). Again, all fine.
Klause sounds so good for a man of 59 or 60 (i forget which), and gets my vote for the Ronnie James Dio old guy/good voice statuette this year. They opened with "Hour 1" which was really good, I must say. I'll have to buy that new record.
Not much else to say, they looked good, sounded good, it was a lot of fun! Funny, but it's always kinda easy to take the Scorpions for granted (it was even kinda easy in the 80s, somehow, great as they can be at times), but they have been plugging away for years, more or less intact, while Maiden, Priest, Heaven and Hell/Sabbath, and various other our-singer-is-back-in-the-band tours sell tons of tickets. Hats off to 'em! Very glad I went.
I stayed only for a few songs by Sammy Hagar, as I didn't figure him to play too many of the songs I'd wanna hear, and have never been a huge fan in any case (though he's fine enough...for say...the odd summer afternoon). The only records I ever owned were Rematch (very good), and V.O.A. He played There's Only One Way to Rock and I Can't Drive 55 straight out of the box, so I figured, "I get the picture," and decided to beat the traffic out of there. He was playing Your Love is Driving me Crazy as I left. Plus, I confess the whole Jimmy Buffet beach bum rock guy thing he's doing right now is not my bag...Nothing wrong with it, but it's not for me.
So, pardon the lack of deep details here. It feels nice to have put the Scorpions notch on my belt, and before they are utterly past their prime. They still sound vital.
Fun show.
And, frankly, as I drove home it really crossed my mind how the metal resurgence is pretty much full tilt at this point. Before the year closes I'll have seen Maiden, Priest, Scorpions, Black Sabbath with Dio, Testament, Motorhead, Ace Frehley, and UFO - not to mention all the more contemporary/new school bands I've seen as well. Don't get me wrong, this is pretty amazing to me, but I would have keeled over in 1984 if I had such a great year. But then, I was only 13, and lived in the middle of nowhere.
Funny how things work that way.
Now, I'm starting to think I can wish that Zeppelin, Mercyful Fate, Jimi Hendrix, Celtic Frost tour into reality.
