There are a ton of rock bands and musicians who for various reasons, have more than a few vocalists on their albums. But it’s very rare to see FOUR of them in one show.
The Michael Schenker Fest however has them on the album PLUS on the road. It’s like an entree done four ways by a master chef, yet it’s a feast for your ears.
The show at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver, BC, opened with Michael Schenker himself striding onto the stage. “This is a song I wrote and didn’t get credit for” was a bit of an underlying theme early on as he slid effortlessly into a brief version of “Holiday” from his “ex-band, the Scorpions”.
The current band however has a long history with Schenker, including Steve Mann on guitar and keys, Chris Glen on bass and Bodo Schopf on drums, replacing the recently passed Ted McKenna. Michael paused during the beginning of the set to acknowledge this and of keyboardist Paul Raymond from UFO having died.
Singer Graham Bonnet was the first to join him on stage followed by the other vocalists, taking turns on “Doctor Doctor”. Then, like a Porsche on the Autobahn, Schenker kept the pedal pressed for a set of early MSG songs. Gary Barden handled the mic duties for the early MSG songs to follow.
The only other Scorpions song appeared a third of the way into the set; not without some not-so-gentle ribbing of his older brother, Rudolf. “He even dyed his hair like me, why does he want to be me?” With a shrug, Schenker carried on with a ripping performance of “Coast to Coast” from the album “Lovedrive”.
Next up it was Graham Bonnet’s turn to helm things even though the other fellows took turns with backups (at one point being called the Schenkettes). But all the while the mass of guitar nerds were focused on Michael and his mastery of catchy riffs to classically infused scales that have become a signature sound for metal bands.
Singer Robin McAuley took his turn, clad in leather and chains. While he might look a little older, his voice was pitch perfect; the chemistry these two hadn’t aged either as they launched into “Save Yourself” and the goosebump inducing “Anytime”. Steve Mann and Bodo Schopf were on this album and it was a perfect reunion.
In the midst of this, veteran bassist Chris Glen had some fun with a green laser headset, shining it around like a killer robot.
This set up the new material from the latest album, “Resurrection”. While each vocalist had their turn, it was Doogie White with strong tracks like “The Girl with the Stars in Her Eyes” and the catchy “Take Me to the Church” with the Schenkettes providing backup. While some of the crowd wasn’t quite up on the new stuff yet, that all changed with a rousing all-hands-on-deck rendition of UFO’s “Rock Bottom” that had them singing the chorus and fist pumping.
The lights dimmed for the obligatory encore and Schenker did not disappoint, hauling out 3 more UFO songs and ending off with “Lights Out”.
From the aging rockers to the cougars up front to the young guitarists in the crowd, everyone was thoroughly pleased at a solid show that clocked in at close to 3 hours. It also featured a gallery of flying vee designs.
Michael Schenker Fest was a feast for the ears. It was a rare treat to see members share the stage and have fun, despite the various stages of Schenker’s career they may have come from. And it’s working; a 2nd album with this configuration is set to drop in August this year.
Loosen your belt for seconds.
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written by Scotty Evil
photos by Red Lenses Photography
