Michael Schenker Fest reunites many MSG men for flashbacks, “Resurrection,” UFO and Scorps

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The man who started his career with the Scorpions at a mere 16, then graduated to UFO, swung back through the Scorps before branching out with a bunch of Michael Schenker Group combinations and offshoots has so much material, it’s barely possible to condense it into a single evening, let alone incorporate several of the singers and players. However, for three solid hours at Concord Music Hall, the hard rock guitar hero not only touched on at least something from his most electrifying eras, but also brought along MSG vocalists Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley, Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock singer Doogie White, plus longtime band members Ted McKenna (drums), Steve Mann (guitar/keyboard) and Chris Glen (bass).

Michael Schenker Fest obviously gave fanatics more than their money’s worth, and given the reunion between so integral names within the Schenker organization, it should not be skipped under any circumstance.

In a series of solo and various combinations of collaborators, Schenker and company tore through exactly 30 tunes with everyone sounding essentially like they should. That meant everything from “Into The Arena” and “Armed And Ready” to “Assault Attack” and “Love Is Not A Game,” plus a mound of material from the new studio project “Resurrection” (most notably “Warrior”), which is billed under the Michael Schenker Fest banner to reflect the same line-up from this tour.

From the Scorpions, Schenker cranked out the instrumental “Coast To Coast” in honor of the “Lovedrive” album coming up on its 40th anniversary. UFO’s lauded live recording “Strangers In The Night” is also approaching a similar milestone, resulting in a run through “Rock Bottom,” “Doctor Doctor,” “Shoot Shoot,” “Natural Thing” and “Lights Out” to close the marathon with the show’s namesake coming across just as explosively (or arguably even more so) than he did all those years ago.

If anything, Michael Schenker Fest didn’t need two opening acts given the extreme length of the headline set, which ended closer to 1am than midnight and had some noticeable dropouts leading up to the encores. But it obviously gave fanatics more than their money’s worth, and given the reunion between so integral names within the Schenker organization, it should not be skipped under any circumstance.

Click here for more photos of Michael Schenker Fest at Concord Music Hall.

For additional information on Michael Schenker Fest, visit MichaelSchenkerHimself.com.

For a list of upcoming shows at Concord Music Hall, visit ConcordMusicHall.com.