Shepherds Bush Empire Theatre

Having seen MSG just days earlier at the somewhat claustrophobic Liverpool Academy 2, the prospect for tonight’s show was, to say the very least, enticing! Notwithstanding the special guest appearances on the bill, or the excellence of the venue, Michael Schenker is simply on the top of his game!

Around 9.15 the lights fade and Michael Schenker slowly emerges into view on stage, the tension ratcheting up several notches! Sporting his trademark leather bomber jacket with sleeves rolled to the elbow, he calmly smiles and beckons to the delight of the expectant crowd! After a short solo intro on his resplendent Dean Flying-V, the enigmatic guitarist revs it up with ‘Armed and Ready’, and rips through the first few bars of the opening riff! By the time Gary Barden bursts into song the tightness of the band is patently obvious, and by the end of the guitar solo it’s crystal clear that Michael is ‘in the zone’!

The goose bumps develop as ‘Cry for the Nations’ follows, and it’s all so eerily reminiscent of the classic Rockpalast performances of the early eighties! This particular and very emotive guitar solo features Michael in his element and embodies some of the genius in his playing. It’s all in the groove, the melodic phrasing, the trademark vibrato and the emotion right at the heart of it. Michael’s sound is also well elevated, and as such the timbre of his Dean Flying-V shines through in ample measure. As the set progresses, the catchy riff work in ‘Let Sleeping Dogs Lie’ feeds into the most excellent and stomping ‘Are You Ready to Rock’, the intro to which has the audience punching the air in fervent excitation. Bridging the gap between old and new are ‘I Want You’ and ‘Night to Remember’, the latter seeing the first special guest appearance of the night in Neil Murray (ex Whitesnake) on bass guitar!

Whilst Michael Schenker is the obvious focus of attention, ‘Into the Arena’ also showcases the very impressive talents of Chris Slade on drums, whose own portfolio includes work with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Uriah Heap, ACDC, Asia, and more recently Damage Control. Equally, the ever staunch support of Wayne Findlay (guitar / keyboards) provides an extra dimension with his own inimitable pizzazz and boundless energy.  The more composed, yet no less capable Chris Glen (ex SAHB and Gillian) underpins the fray with his bed-rock bass-line crunches!

The overall demeanor of the band is most definitely of one in a party spirit, and it’s abundantly clear that everybody is simply having a bloody good time on stage! This is clearly illustrated in the next song, ‘Lost Horizons’, which not only sees Michael’s prowess on the guitar, but also his playfulness when he leans out to the front row of the crowd and lets people at random strum the ‘bell chime’ on his Dean Flying-V as he offers it out to them!

Following ‘Rock my Nights Away’ and ‘On and On’, the guest list further impresses when Chris Slade temporarily defers to none other than former Scorpions drummer, ‘Herman Rarebell’, for the UFO classic ‘Lights Out’. Pounding out the rhythm with clockwork germanic precision, Herman grins like a Cheshire cat throughout. And so the band rocked on, ripping it up like there was no tomorrow! The final song of the main set is ‘Attack of the Mad Axeman’, and with its clever romping riff it simply delivers by the bucket load, and brings everybody in the crowded galleries to their feet! Michael stomps about the stage relishing every moment, and in his characteristic crouched posture, with guitar wedged between the knees, he sets about delivering a blistering guitar solo which leaves no area of the fret-board uncovered!

After a break of just a couple of minutes the band are back on stage, ready to satiate the audiences thirst for more! Michael immediately proceeds into the very melodious ‘Ride on My Way’, from the album ‘In the Midst of Beauty’ (2008). As if the events of the evening had not been evocative enough, the kaleidoscope of guest appearances now attains orbital status when Gary Barden introduces onto the stage ‘Paul Raymond‘, ‘Pete Way’ and ‘Doogie White’, for the classic UFO hit ‘Doctor Doctor’! Needless to say, the proverbial champagne cork is now well and truly popped, and the sense of celebration unstoppable!

And so to the finale, ‘Rock Bottom’, perhaps one of the most seminal guitar anthems ever written. Like a good quality wine some things just mature well with age, and tonight’s rendition is no exception. The first few notes of the intro alone have an hypnotic effect, and arguably no other song has quite the same sense of anticipation! As the song builds and moves into the solo arrangement, Michael embarks on a tour-de-force of flowing legato, intricate chops, dampened triplets and stirring runs, fulfilling every expectation.  By the end of the outro, and as the band wave and bow to the crowd for the final time, chants of adulation fill the theatre; “Schenker”, “Schenker”, “Schenker”! This was in itself irrefutable testimony to the absolute quality of this very special 30th Anniversary performance.

Gallery

Set List: 1. Armed And Ready, 2. Cry For The Nations, 3. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie, 4. Are You Ready to Rock, 5. I Want You, 6. Night to Remember, 7. Into The Arena, 8. Lost Horizons, 9. Rock My Nights Away, 10. On And On, 11. Lights Out, 12. Attack of the Mad Axeman. Encore: 13. Ride On My Way, Doctor Doctor, 14. Rock Bottom

SB.