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So last night was MSG at The Galaxy Theatre at Santa Ana. Wow, what a
difference to Wednesday night in San Diego!! From the moment we arrived
I thought, now this is more like it! Beautiful venue. There were two opening
bands, Union of Saints have to have a special mention as they |
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I'd
never miss a chance to see Herr Schenker, and the mostly all glowing reviews
of the tour so far only served to raise my level of anticipation. Plus,
there was the Schugar curiousity factor. So, the 5+ hour drive be damned
and it's off to Vegas I went. I'd say this show was the most memorable
MSG show I've seen, and for the same reason, somewhat disappointing. The
reason - a very small crowd. Not caring to see the back-up bands, I arrived
at Pink E's just as Magnify (I think that was their name) was finishing
up. Maybe 50 people in the whole place. |
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Went
to the show last night. MSG played the standard set list and encores from
the tour. I was disappointed that Amy didn't play. Don't know what was
up with that. Michael was his stoic self. The band sounded very good and
seemed into it. Chris Logan came across well as a front-man. The
2 opening bands were ok. I enjoyed "The Zone". |
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Rather
than write a long note, here are some quick notes on the NY (13th) and
NJ (14th) shows: |
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It was easier getting to Mulcahy's than I had thought it might be. Mulcahy's was every bit what I expected it to be as well, nice place. Not a particularly large venue, but it was the perfect size for the two or so hundred that came to see the show. Mulcahy's was decked out for Christmas including three large trees along one wall. Best of all, SITN'ers showed up. Ed, Grant from New Zealand, Gail, Gail's friend Carol, Tom, Ron and his girl (they met on the Internet believe it or not), Ed's other friend from Russia, some guys from Japan, this new SITN guy named John that is featured in many photographs, and me and many others fer sure. The warmup band was good but the crowd did not fill in until later. When MSG did hit the stage, they sounded good. Chris is a great singer and the Reverand is wild and crazy and the other geetar player, who I think stole a solo from MS one time, and the drummer, was probably right on. The song list was probably identical to the first few show reviews I saw. Since I was familiar with the earliest MSG stuff, I really enjoyed some of those takes on those songs. The Spiderman songs were probably my second favorite of the night. Of course some classic UFO songs. MS played them like it was 1978, maybe it is, there is a lot of magic there, I felt a bit of that live, despite my constantly stepping out for a smoke. Well, the Rev. was wild. I wish the bass was turned up real loud so as to feel it better. Typical sound for today's rock shows it seems, I'm not complaining too much. I spose it could have been louder, seems like the club turned up the volume after the band had finished playing. And then Amy was not there, oh well, just hope the best for the situation. Great show, go if you can, get there! MS plays well if not better than I remember from 1995 and I suppose everybody kept their distance from him this time so he could play the way he wants to. Glad
to have met up with everybody, thanks. - Todd |
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I had been waiting with great anticipation for this day to come. It was the day that would end in my first Schenker experience. My friend, Carol and I headed out in the morning, running a bit later than I had hoped. Still we would have made it on time to New London for the noon Ferry to Long Island had a major accident not closed the highway down just 3 exits before ours. OK, so the 1:00 ferry was fine too, but put us a little behind schedule. We made our way into Wantagh around 4:30 and headed straight to Mulcahy’s for tickets. I thought the club was very nice, not really big, but it had a nice warm feel to it. A wall that was lifted later in the evening closed off the back room, but the door was open so we went back to see what was going on. Only the rhythm guitarist on stage at that point, diddlin’ around, but I immediately saw a stand holding three beautiful flying V’s set back on the left side. Hope the picture came out because I was balancing on a tall, unstable barstool to clear the high stage for a decent shot of them. Before heading to our hotel, I gave Ed McCarthy a quick buzz to let him know I was in town. He told me he had scored some free tickets to the show, which was very cool, because the bartender let me turn mine back in. We got back to the club around 6:45 or so, just in time for the band to walk out the door where we were standing. I recognized and greeted Chris and Rev, and, of course, told them Batttttty sent me. They headed off down the road, and a few minutes later, Ed emerged. We stepped outside into the smoking room and were joined by a few of Ed’s friends, as well as Todd, Tom, and Grant from New Zealand. Grabbing our tickets, Carol and I headed to get some dinner before the show. We ended up sitting only a few tables over from the band. I approached them on the way out, chatted for a few and wished them a good show. Back at Mulcahy’s, by now nearly 8:30, we all grabbed seats at the bar near the stage. It wasn’t crowded at that point, and the backup band, Soul Shake, was set up. They had CD’s they left on the bar for people to take, so I grabbed one. There was a side door on the other side of the bar that lead down a ramp to an outdoor smoking area, which happened to be right near the tour bus. That was quite the gathering place, like one you remember from high school where like-minded individuals gather to bullshit. Lots of Schenker talk going on! Soul Shake was pretty good, but were only an appetizer before the delicious main course was to be served. When they ended, Grant and I headed to the front of the stage where a crowd had already gathered. I wasn’t right up front until the guy in front of me moved, leaving his spot open. He gave me the OK to grab it (Thanks, Lenny!). So there I was standing in front of the stage waiting patiently. It was nearly 11:30 when MSG took the stage and the crowd went wild. Having never seen Michael perform live before, I had nothing to which I could compare his stage presence. He did seem a bit reserved while playing, but always smiled and acknowledged the audience at the end of a tune. Rev was fired up and going wild, putting on a colorful show of his own. Chris Logan did a great job and, I think, has a great bluesy vocal style. The set list was: Ready
To Rock I was surprised not to have seen Amy Schugar make an appearance. I told a number of people to expect a performance from her and that she received high praise from some of the most die-hard of Schenker fans. I was holding my breath toward the end of the night, hoping we wouldn’t miss out on an encore performance. I knew Rock Bottom was coming, and so did everyone around me, because I was screaming it to them. Standing there jammin’ along with all the familiar MSG/UFO tunes was so cool, because no matter where you turned or who you looked at, they were doing the same thing. A couple of guys standing off to my left were a bit shocked at seeing a woman who was so into Schenker. In fact, toward the end of the night one of them felt compelled to give me a massive hug and a big kiss on the side of the head! Then we all just went back to rockin’! Hahaha! Every tune they did, from the classic UFO to early MSG and even few off of Arachnaphobiac, were done so clean, you could’ve eaten off of them. The best, of course, was Rock Bottom, which sounded like it was played straight off of Strangers in the Night…..perrrrrrfectly! Now came the icing on the cake… After the show, Michael was signing CD’s at the front of the club. Many of you have heard me mention that my older brother introducing me to UFO, Scorpions, Priest, etc., and some of you read the tribute poem I spontaneously wrote on the 18th anniversary of his death this past June. Batttttty helped me turn it into something special, and I brought a couple of print-outs to try to get them autographed by Michael. When I started walking toward where he was signing CD's, he was starting to walk away with security guards. I approached him and asked if he would sign something that was very important to me. He started explaining that he had to go out, so I asked again if he would sign it because it would mean a lot. He said to come out with him. There were two other guys with him, not the band, and not security, so I followed them down the ramp to the smoking area and toward the bus. There was a guy walking around in shorts and a T-shirt, and I think he was the tour manager or something. He stopped me and someone else at the door and said that was enough for now, and that Michael would be back in 5 minutes and would sign stuff. I insisted it would only take a minute, so he reached out for me to give the folder to him so he could give it to Michael for an autograph, but I wouldn't accept that. I told him I'd like to explain what it was. The guy told me that he doesn't understand well, I guess referring to the German/English translation struggles. I assured him I could make him understand, so he told me to wait. I hung out with the two security guys, chatting in the cold and waiting. After about 15 minutes, the bus door opened, and it was Michael. When he saw me he said "Ah, you waited. Come in." I went in, There were about 3 other people on the bus with him. Michael sat at the kitchen table, and I started explaining what I had. I told him that Batttttty, who runs the Strangers-in-the-Night fan site, did an excellent job creating the art with UFO and MSG album covers around it. I also noted that I had her put the Lonesome Crow cover at the top and Arachnaphobiac in at the bottom, because I referred to them in the poem. He seemed a little confused, and asked what the papers were for. He wanted to know what I was going to do with them. I told him that I would frame them, and I asked him to sign two, one for me and one for my father, as a tribute to Bob. He signed them, and there ended up being a third copy; which I told him to keep. I asked for one more thing, a picture with him, if he would. So he stood up and put his arm around me while someone took the picture. I told him that Bob had introduced me to his music when I was eleven years old, and that it helped me get through some hard times. He acknowledged that he understood. I told him that he did a great job tonight and the show was incredible. I thanked him, said I knew he was busy, wished him well on the rest of the tour, and made my way out of the bus. Ed was kind enough to get a picture of me and Rev. I asked him what he thought of the crowd. He said they were great and that at one point when he looked out at the audience, everyone was singing along! Things could not have fallen into place better. From the minute we arrived in Wantagh until the minute we left, you couldn’t pry the smile off of my face! It was an evening I’ll never forget.
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Shelly's first mini-review was written the morning after the night before, when she was till on Cloud 9 Hi
all, I am going to write up a proper review later, but, FYI, he was absolutely
on fire at HOB last night. There is not one bad thing to say about the
entire show -- which was sold out -- and those of us on the floor near
the front were in an elevated state of consciousness, I think. It was
a dream show as far as seeing Michael at his best, and he also played
the encore, of course, with the signature Rock Bottom. (He adds something
to those songs each time, so that he is never exactly copying the recorded
versions.) One of the best concerts I have ever seen in my life -- and
that's saying something. It's hard to come back to earth after being in
heaven for two hours -- LOL! (BTW, he also signed for a very long line
of fans And then... later in the day, she wrote this review - and surprise surprise, she's STILL on Cloud 9! Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! And -- there's no overstating it -- Christmas came early for those legion Michael Schenker (and MSG/UFO) aficionados in attendance at his first (of two) sold-out shows at Chicago's House of Blues on December 19th. When Schenker is truly "on" and in good spirits, no one -- but no one -- delivers melodic, dynamic, straight-ahead guitar rock better than he does, and this night The Maestro was absolutely on fire, in that understated, effortless, yet supremely incendiary style that has made him a legend for over 30 years. Moreover, it was one of those rare times when all the right elements came together for the kind of rock show euphoria that dreams are made of. First off, while trends have come and gone, Schenker (like UFO) has remained incredibly renown and popular in Chicago since the bulk of the classic UFO Strangers In The Night double live album was recorded here in the late '70s (at the old Amphitheater), and no amount of past "sins" (i.e. unpredictability and canceled tours, etc.) have ever depleted the unconditional love for Schenker, in particular, in all the intervening years. But actually the omens -- and a charged air of expectancy -- for a spectacular show were all in place well before MSG and Herr Schenker even stepped onstage. In mingling with the crowd before the show (primarily educated, intelligent, enlightened male folk in the 30 - 50 range), it was obvious that almost all were up on the ebb and flow of Schenker's career in recent years, and were also "in the know" about his recently revitalized and upbeat attitude towards his music, touring, and his own fans. Furthermore, they were also aware that the Chicago dates were the potential heady, crescendo-producing conclusion of a tour that had already been lauded on earlier dates. In fact, like almost every MSG/UFO Chicago tour stop before it in years past, this show was packed with hordes of long time fans who are all extremely cognizant of not only Schenker's music (including the many big UFO/MSG "hits" along with the newer or more obscure numbers), but also highly aware and attuned to the precise rarity and genius of his gift. On top of that, the particular venue, House of Blues, because of it's compact lateral design and pitless (but elevated) stage setup, is also a place where the combined intimacy and sound swell can potentially be explosive both from an audiovisual and crowd feedback perspective. So, following the "warm up" bands (the home-grown Enuff Znuff and the impressive outing by George Lynch's new project, "Mr. Scary") the stage was figuratively set to be ignited in more ways than one. (Schenker never needs any fancy stage set up or any other props for that matter, to accomplish his brand of fireworks; his mere presence on the stage -- in his typical, outwardly low-key manner -- is enough on its own to send mega volts of electricity circulating through the audience.) However, from the opening notes of "Ready to Rock" it did not hurt matters that it was evident that Schenker, looking healthy and shyly smiling, was indeed -- like the rest of the crowd -- on a natural upper just to be there himself. (In removing his sunglasses at the outset, it was a perhaps symbolic gesture that he had every intention of connecting with this audience to the fullest extent possible.) Really, no particular run down of the set list is necessary, although it did follow almost exactly the list on previous shows and included some of the best known and loved UFO and MSG songs, along with a couple of cuts off the excellent MSG album released last summer, Arachnophobiac. More important to note was the stunning and progressively building chemistry and electricity between Schenker, the band, and the audience -- which truly did build up to a religious-like crescendo with the final number, Schenker's signature UFO masterpiece, "Rock Bottom." With each song, as the audience sang along at full throttle, Schenker -- though never the ostentatious showboat -- delivered, with deceptive calmness, precision, and clarity, some of the most inspired, emotive, and delicately nuanced guitar work you will ever have the pleasure of witnessing and hearing. Note too that although most of the solos on the best known songs could all be recited note for note by the crowd (regardless of whether you play the guitar or not), Schenker has a way of delivering the expected thrilling notes, while also improvising something more -- something a step beyond. Caught up in the vibe himself as each song upped the ante, Schenker even stepped nearer the edge of the stage than is typical, began swaying back and forth in time to the rhythm with the rest of the masses, and could not resist returning the bountiful smiling and eye contact that was coming in swells from the crowd. By the time the band ( vocalist Chris Logan, bassist Rev. Jones, drummer Pete Holms, rhythm guitarist/keys Wayne Findlay -- who were all up to the task in inspired form) got to numbers like "Doctor, Doctor" (featuring a stunningly different and delicate version of the famous lead intro), "Too Hot To Handle," and the aforementioned "Rock Bottom" the floor was swaying and the whole venue was really up for grabs, aurally and spiritually, too. The crowd, in a state of heady euphoria, was, amongst other things, chanting "Maestro, Maestro!" along with "Michael, Michael!" and it certainly was not exaggerated praise. Simply put, it was a night of satisfaction guaranteed: authentic, spectacularly executed rock 'n roll at its best and a couple of highly rarefied hours of experiencing a supremely gifted musician/guitarist at his pinnacle. Cloud 9 just doesn't get any better than that, folks; just ask anyone in the HOB in Chicago on the night December 19th, 2003. Interestingly, as Schenker recently noted in the pre-tour interview I did with him, his primary motive -- from his earliest days as a teenage guitar prodigy -- has always been that he "wanted to be able to do something like what Jeff Beck did to me with his guitar playing -- to give people goose pimples and make people enjoy themselves with some sounds." It's safe to say that he has indeed been doing that throughout his lifetime, and -- from all indications this night in Chicago -- the best is actually still yet to come.
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