Photos by Wayne Edwards.
© Wayne Edwards
Photo Gallery: Shredders, Part 1
Michael Schenker Group
Photo Gallery: Singers, Part 1
Photos by Wayne Edwards.
© Wayne Edwards
Photo Gallery: Bassists, Part 3
Photos by Wayne Edwards.
© Wayne Edwards
Photo Gallery: Michael Schenker Group at Piere’s, Ft. Wayne, October 12, 2022
Michael Schenker’s 50th Anniversary Universal world tour made a stop at Piere’s a while back in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Here are a few more photos from their set that weren’t in the original article.
Photos by Wayne Edwards.
Links.
Michael Schenker Group, https://michaelschenkerhimself.com/
Main FFMB article, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2022/10/17/michael-schenker-group-at-pieres-ft-wayne-october-12-2022/
Piere’s Entertainment Center, https://pieresentertainment.com/
© Wayne Edwards
Michael Schenker Group at Piere’s, Ft. Wayne, October 12, 2022
Michael Schenker’s 50th Anniversary Universal world tour made a stop at Piere’s last week in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Michael Schenker is a guitar legend. From his earliest work with the Scorpions (along with his brother Rudolf and Klaus Meine) and, more significantly, UFO, Schenker has been a non-stop force in hard rock for decades. He originally put together the Michael Schenker Group initially in 1978, and it has drifted apart and reformed a few times over the years. The current tour is in support of the band’s latest album, Universal (Atomic Fire 2022).
The show opened with Images of Eden, a metal band from Pennsylvania. Supporting their current EP, Weathered And Torn, Gordon Tittsworth and company performed a style of music that is a combination of classic metal and modern rock that relies heavily on the impassioned vocal delivery the band has become known for.
Eric Martin of Mr. Big fame had the middle set. On the current tour, Martin plays acoustic guitar and sings songs that are a little bit dialed back from what Mr. Big fans might be used to hearing from him. His set was excellent, performing with veteran musicians and interacting with the crowd at Piere’s.
Michael Schenker’s set started with him walking out on stage and announcing the first song, “Into the Arena,” an instrumental opener that sparked a fire. Schenker then introduced front man Ronnie Romero who took the stage and led with “Cry For The Nations.” The combination of Romero and Schenker is formidable to say the least. The show was amazing, and my favorite part was hearing all those UFO tunes live once again. The Michael Schenker Group is one of those bands I never get tired of seeing.
Michael Schenker Group is on tour for the rest of the month and into November in the US – check out the tour poster for cities and dates. Also look for more photos of all three bands in the coming days at FFMB. Links to the photo galleries will be added in this article as they each go live.
Photos by Wayne Edwards.
Band Links.
Michael Schenker Group, https://michaelschenkerhimself.com/
FFMB review of Universal, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2022/05/27/michael-schenker-group-universal-atomic-fire-2022/
Eric Martin, https://ericmartin.com/
Images of Eden, https://imagesofeden.com/index2.htm
Piere’s Entertainment Center, https://pieresentertainment.com/
Photo Galleries.
Michael Schenker Group, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2022/11/10/photo-gallery-michael-schenker-group-at-pieres-ft-wayne-october-12-2022/
Eric Martin, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2022/11/06/photo-gallery-eric-martin-at-pieres-ft-wayne-october-12-2022/
Images of Eden, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2022/11/09/images-of-eden-at-pieres-ft-wayne-october-12-2022/
© Wayne Edwards
Michael Schenker Group, Universal (Atomic Fire 2022)
Michael Schenker Group follows up last year’s album Immortal with the new studio record, Universal.
If Michael Schenker doesn’t have legendary status in rock and roll then nobody does. He was one of the earliest members of the Scorpions and, past-group-wise, he is probably most frequently remembered for his work with U.F.O. But really, after all this time, he is best known for being Michael Schenker and for the group that bears his name. A tireless purveyor of riff and hook and melody, Schenker is on the short list of iconic rock guitarists. Along with Michael Schenker on guitar, of course, the band for the new album is Ronnie Romero (vocals), Bodo Schopf (drums), Steve Mann (keys, guitar), and Barend Courbois (bass).
The set starts out dramatically with “Emergency,” offering a tense riff and a warning structure. The vocals are melodic and urging, and the guitar lead is an excellent probing, exploring ranger that emerges from a classical underpinning. “Under Attack” keeps the tone but slows a touch. Sporting a memorable chorus, it is the guitar again that seals the deal.
“Calling Baal” is an intro piece for “A King Has Gone,” a song that pays tribute to Ronnie James Dio. In particular, you can hear Rainbow in these pieces, and to show even more respect, Tony Carey, Bobby Rondinelli, and Bob Daisley – like Dio, all Rainbow alum – play on the sequence. It is worth getting the album just to hear this.
Other stand-out tracks for me include “Wrecking Ball,” a growling road tune, and “Sad Is The Song” because it has such a great build and wondrous guitar work. This album is another exceptional effort by the Michael Schenker Group. They are on tour right now so make sure you go out and see them. I know I will. Recommended.
Universal is out today, Friday, May 27th through Atomic Fire Records on digital, CD, vinyl, and earbook. You can get it just about anywhere.
Links.
Bandcamp, https://michaelschenkergroup.bandcamp.com/
Website, https://michaelschenkerhimself.com/
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/MichaelSchenkerRocks
Atomic Fire Records, https://label.atomicfire-records.com/project/michael-schenker/
© Wayne Edwards
Flying Fiddlesticks Music Blog 