The Scorpions/Michael Schenker Group - London Hammersmith Apollo Gig Review

On paper the double billing of the Scorpions with Michael Schenker looked like a perfect night of rock. Having seen, and been impressed with MSG at The Mean Fiddler back in 2006 it looked as though Michael Schenker's personal demons were all behind him and he was back on track. Add to this the fact that The Scorpions had blown Judas Priest away on this very stage in 2005 & had looked pretty well on song, so to speak, in Holland earlier in the month then this had the makings of one hell of a gig – so what the hell happened ???

Well to start with the doors opened thirty minutes late, which was not a wise move by those in charge at Hammersmith as many of the crowd were still outside when MSG hit the stage. By the time I got inside Michael Schenker was on his knees at the front of the stage. This didn't not bode well for the performance by any means. 'Light’s Out' was certainly appropriate as Schenker's demons were definitely back. It's been widely publicized that he was struggling again, but that's an understatement. Despite the efforts of the rest of the band it was nothing short of an utter embarrassment to witness. I had never seen anyone take so long over a guitar change as Schenker did before the start of Doctor Doctor, which in all honesty it was debatable he could even recall how to play, it was that bad. It appears that an MSG gig at the moment is very similar to the toss of a coin; tonight’s was definitely tails & not heads - a debacle.

At least The Scorpion’s wouldn’t disappoint would they ??

Well they started off really well, building a great foundation for the rest of the gig. 'Coast to Coast' & 'The Zoo' went down really well with the crowd and the old favourite Squeeze Me Please Me really got the place rocking. The new album, Humanity - Hour 1 is one that this reviewer rates highly & this was reinforced by the songs highlighted from it at this gig. But then came the introduction to the fary of Uli John Roth and the momentum which the band had built up was totally lost – don’t get me wrong Roth was arguably the best guitarist on view, but his relaxed style of playing doesn't fit in with The Scorpions of now, or of any time since he departed the ranks. With Roth's departure the momentum of the show slowly built once more, only then to be cooled off again by the bass & tediously long drum solo.

On to the encore & of the five songs the band delivered only Rock You Like a Hurricane got the crowd going, not surprising as it was the only out & out rock song of the five. I, along with a lot of people around me, wanted to see The Scorpions rock like everyone knows they can, but for this show, although in patches they were inspired, they just never seemed to stay in top gear. Overall a surprisingly disappointing evening.