Scorpions Rock, But How Long Can They Roll?

by Kirk Blows

German rockers Scorpions drew connected each their acquisition successful a bid to carve their sanction into nan Marbella quarry that provides nan location for nan latest Starlite Occident show pinch a thunderous group connected Monday, July 21.

After 19 workplace albums and much than 5,000 unrecorded performances, nan seasoned quintet person earned nan correct to observe their agelong history, pinch their existent circuit being billed arsenic their 60th day (although their first grounds didn’t look until 1972).

In songs specified arsenic ‘Coming Home’, ‘Bad Boys Running Wild’, ‘The Zoo’, ‘Loving You Sunday Morning’ and epic instrumental ‘Coast To Coast’, they proved they still person plentifulness of powerfulness successful nan motor room.

And fans of a definite vintage will person appreciated nan mid-1970s medley of ‘Top Of The Bill’/‘Steamrock Fever’/‘Speedy’s Coming’/‘Catch Your Train’, though it’s later, lighter-waving ballads specified arsenic ‘Wind Of Change’ and ‘Send Me An Angel’ that person exposed them to a much mainstream audience.

Emphasising one’s longevity tin beryllium a double-sided coin, however, for while guitarists Rudolph Schenker and Matthias Jabs support nan occurrence burning (along pinch bassist Pawel Maciwoda and erstwhile Motorhead drummer Mikkey Dee), diminutive frontman Klaus Meine – 1 of nan awesome difficult stone vocalists astatine his highest but now 77 years of property – was intelligibly struggling.

Indeed, he told nan crowd, “You’re singing overmuch amended than maine tonight.”

The set closed retired their 90-minute group pinch an encore of early ’80s favourites ‘Blackout’ and ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane’ pinch a elephantine scorpion (no, not a existent one) providing nan theatrical backdrop successful existent Spinal Tap fashion.

Klaus whitethorn person ‘Rock & Roll Forever’ emblazoned connected nan backmost of his overgarment and it’s a noble sentiment, but for a set that has created a awesome bequest and still knows what it needs to do to thrill – musically astatine slightest – nan sad reality is that nan finishing statement surely can’t beryllium excessively acold away.

Other Starlite Occident events see Will Smith (July 26), nan Beach Boys (July 28), Santana (August 3), Tom Jones (August 5) and Texas (August 11)…