Michael Schenker and Legendary Bandmates Turn Studio Seven into Temple of Rock

Michael SchenkerEver go to one of those shows with rockers that have been around for a while and they just sort of “mail it in” and hit the play button, like they are just there to collect a paycheck? Michael Schenker and the Temple of Rock are about as far away from that as you can possible get. With an all-star lineup that includes ex-members of UFO, the Scorpions and Rainbow, this show promised to be a special night, and was it ever.

These legendary musicians brought their blistering brand of face-melting rock into Seattle’s SoDo district for a throw-down at Studio Seven on Tuesday, May 5. The show, the second-to-last stop on the tour, was a make-up date for one that was cancelled in March. Having seen Schenker a few times and having been a huge fan for decades, I’ve always known how good he was, but even I wasn’t ready for the carnage on this ever-eventful Tuesday night. Add Herman Rarebell, who sat behind a drum-kit for the Scorpions from 1977 to 1995, playing on eight of their studio albums, and Francis Buchholz, who laid down a thick lower end for The Scorps from 1973 up until 1992 and can be heard on 12 of the band’s albums, and you have a potent formula. Doogie White, who served time in RainbowYngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, as well as some other projects with Yngwie, has a great set of pipes, with no trouble with the high notes on the Scorpions material. Keyboard player/guitarist Wayne Findley rounds out the lineup of Temple of Rock and he fits in well with these bad-ass players.

Doogie WhiteDoogie tortured the mic all night as the band blew through the 19-song set with smoking performances of some of the classic hits from the Scorpions and UFO, as well as some of Schenker’s newer stuff, which is thoroughly potent head-banging material. Not sure if the show sold out but it was pretty packed in the venue and the raucous crowd wailed as Schenker came out on the stage after great opening sets by local favorites Stonebender and a kick-ass band called Gundriver, who’s riding along with Temple of Rock.  With his trademark black-and-white Dean Flying V, he played the first few notes of “Doctor, Doctor” that he wrote in the UFO days, first appearing on 1974’s ‘Phenomenom’ and the raucous crowd went crazy setting an energetic and lively tone for the rest of the night.

After a little UFO and some Temple of Rock, Doogie wanted to have a moment with the crowd, introducing the rhythm section of the Scorpions, which brought more alcohol-soaked cheers from the audience and then they started the song “Lovedrive”. Now, I know how distracted some people can get these days, so I’m sure there were people in the crowd saying, “Holy shit, they sound just like the Scorpions“, well that’s because we were seeing the guts of the operation. Rarebell and Buchholz, who were the meat and potatoes of the Scorpions for close to two decades, were having a blast playing the old Scorpions material and the concertgoers screamed in delight when songs like “Rock You Like a Hurricane”, “Coast to Coast” and “Piece of Meat” were played. Just gonna throw this out there right now, the Scorpions are coming here in the fall but I doubt they will sound as much like the Scorpions as this band did.

Michael SchenkerThe band was extremely tight and if Michael Schenker has ever sounded better I don’t know when that was. He blistered the guitar neck for several minutes for the solo in the middle of the rock institution “Rock Bottom”, also off of ‘Phenomenon’ from his old band UFO. In fact, the shredding didn’t seem like was ever going to stop, and we were all hoping it wouldn’t. He played with a fire and a passion and with a big smile on his face as he blazed through one of the liveliest versions of that song that you’ll ever hear.

White dedicated Temple of Rock‘s original song “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” to fallen rock and metal warriors Ronnie James Dio, Gary Moore, and Jon Lord, the latter of which White had performed with a few times. The newer material seemed to garner the same kind of reaction as the classics. Many in the crowd probably hadn’t heard these songs before that night, but they were buckled in for the thrill ride and just accepted graciously whatever the band had to offer.

Instead of leaving the stage and going through the motions of screaming for an encore, Doogie made a command decision, telling the audience, “So this is how this usually works, we walk off the stage and go to the dressing room and then you yell really loud and we come back and finish the show. But the fucking dressing room is a half-mile away so why don’t you just start yelling now.” The crowd erupted and this incredible band made up of players from some of the heaviest hitters in rock history tore into a spirited and spot-on performance of perennial Scorpions favorite “Holiday”. As the crowd swayed band and forth and sang “Life, is like, a Holiday” there was magic in the air. When that song ended and the unmistakable shredding guitar beginning of “Blackout” started the party was on again. heads banged, faces melted and horns held high as this night came to a close.

May 5th, 2015 at Studio Seven was indeed turned into the Temple of Rock.

Michael Schenker Group / Temple Of Rock at Studio Seven

Posted by NorthWest Music Scene on Wednesday, May 6, 2015

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