By Andrew Bansal
April 3rd 2015, The Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood CA: Rock guitar legend Michael Schenker instigated a resurgence in his celebrated and prolific four-decade long career by reappearing under the moniker Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock in 2011. With a new group of musicians, he began writing music, and less than four years later, already has released three albums under the band’s name. The latest of these, called ‘Spirit On A Mission’, came out worldwide in March 2015, and to promote the album his band embarked on a North American headline tour. They visited the Whisky-A-Go-Go in West Hollywood last Friday April 3rd. Alongside Schenker in this lineup are Francis Buchholz on bass and Herman Rarebell on drums, together comprising three-fifths of an old Scorpions incarnation, with Doogie White (Rainbow, Yngwie, Tank) on vocals and Wayne Findlay on rhythm guitars, keyboards and backing vocals. With all these musicians bringing their experiences with such legendary bands into this performance, rock royalty was represented on this stage, and attendees certainly indulged in a gratifying worship session as the Whisky was turned into a temple of rock in every sense.
At 11:40, the venue was completely packed and wait was finally over, as the lights went out and the five band members made their way down the staircase adjoining stage-right and took their positions. In a pleasantly unexpected move, instead of opening with one of the newer tunes, they wasted no time in endearing this crowd as they began with the timeless classic ‘Doctor Doctor’ instead, the one song that gets every Schenker/UFO/Iron Maiden fan’s juices flowing instantly. A better beginning could not have be imagined for this set, as the band capitalized on it to present the newer material in front of an undividedly attentive and captivated audience, but blended in the UFO/Scorpions/MSG classics to great effect. The flow in the set from one song to the next was absolutely brilliant, and for any band or musician with a 40-plus year career to be able to achieve that is no small feat. The tunes chosen from Temple Of Rock’s ‘Bridge The Gap’, ‘Spirit On A Mission’ and self-titled albums sounded as strong as anything from Schenker’s better-known back catalog, proving the relevance and strength of his songwriting in the year 2015. That being said, ‘Coast To Coast’ had a magical impact on everyone in attendance and was the highlight of the set, along with ‘Rock Bottom’, which included a guitar solo nearly 10 minutes long, something only a guitarist of Schenker’s calibre and tonality can get away with.
In comparison to the show in 2014 at the House Of Blues, with no disrespect to the musicians who filled in on bass and drums to make up for the absence of Buchholz and Rarebell, this lineup with their inclusion was a far more legit representation of the band, and the renditions of the Scorpions tunes were much more enjoyable as a result. As for vocalist Doogie White, he looked and sounded like a completely different man from the one who took the House Of Blues stage last year, as this was an infinitely better performance from him. He showcased his true pedigree and did justice to every song in the set, hitting all the right notes, even extending the high ones wherever appropriate. His voice resonated powerfully all around the room and he succeeded in receiving a justifiably strong response from the audience for the singalong parts. He would always find himself in the difficult position of being compared to past MSG vocalists, but it can be said with total honesty that no vocalist could have done a better job singing this set.
All in all, a flawlessly powerful and spiritually liberating performance that befits the band’s name and the title of their latest album.
Related: Building The Temple Of Rock: In Conversation With Michael Schenker
Set List:
01. Doctor Doctor
02. Live And Let Live
03. Where The Wild Winds Blow
04. Natural Thing
05. Victim Of Illusion
06. Armed And Ready
07. Lovedrive
08. Coast To Coast
09. Another Piece Of Meat
10. Vigilante Man
11. Let It Roll
12. Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead
13. Lord Of The Lost And Lonely
14. Rock You Like A Hurricane
15. Rock Bottom
16. Holiday
17. Blackout
Remaining Tour Dates:
APR 04 2015 @ M-15 Concert Hall in Corona, CA
APR 07 2015 @ Vamp’d in Las Vegas, NV
APR 08 2015 @ Livewire Concert Hall in Scottsdale, AZ
APR 10 2015 @ Trees in Dallas, TX
APR 11 2015 @ 210 Kapones Live in San Antonio, TX
APR 12 2015 @ 18th Street in San Leon, TX
APR 15 2015 @ Gramercy Theatre in New York, NY
APR 16 2015 @ Eclipse in Binghamton, NY
APR 17 2015 @ Newton Theatre in Newton, NJ
APR 18 2015 @ The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ
APR 20 2015 @ Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA
APR 22 2015 @ Rockpile West in Toronto, Ontario Canada
APR 23 2015 @ Concord Music Hall in Chicago, IL (Enuff Z Nuff guests on this performance)
APR 24 2015 @ Harpos Concert Hall in Detroit, MI
APR 25 2015 @ Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, IL (Enuff Z Nuff guests on this performance)
APR 26 2015 @ Freaksters in Pontiac, IL
APR 28 2015 @ Buffalo Rose in Golden, CO
APR 30 2015 @ Ramona Mainstage in Ramona, CA
MAY 01 2015 @ Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, CA
MAY 02 2015 @ Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA (Special Guest Don Dokken)