Article: The Scorpions invade Barclays 9/12/15

50 years… what do you say about a band that has been performing all over the world all this time? You say “PARTY TIME!” The Scorpions rolled into Barclays Center with Queensryche to dominate with an hour and a half performance that spanned the bands fifty year career. Queensryche opened up the nights festivities with a nice forty minute set that included classics and new material being released. I have never seen them without Geoff Tate but I enjoyed it without him. I was not caught up in their drama and feud but that didn’t stop me from covering their set. As lead singer Todd La Torre said at the end of the set “Their is only one, true Queensryche.” He was absolutely right on that matter. They were the perfect opener for this tour and rightfully so they deserved to be on the big stages as they have been before.
The show came fully alive once the Scorpions “Return to Forever” curtain veiled down to the floor, covering the stage. The crown, which is the front cover of the bands current album, created an incessant riot of noise and anticipation that filled the air in the entire stadium. Every single person was on their feet as the band began to play. When that curtain fell, my face was covered in this euphoria of sight and sound. While the stage size was appropriate (even including a runway), the lighting and video was spot on. The electricity in the air was unlike anything I have seen before from ANY show I have been to. Lead singer Klaus Meine, who is currently in his late 60s, proved to the entire room that age means nothing in metal. He is the #22 on the Top Heavy Metal Vocalists of All Time list in 2006 in Hit Parader magazine for a reason. It shows in every step and every song of the show. Founding guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the older brother of Michael Schenker if that rings a bell, was probably my favorite member to photograph that night. The dynamic value he brings to the table brought out some amazing photos from him taken by yours truly. Each member made their own unique moments that paralleled every other photographers experienced that night. We each uniquely made that night our own and that was probably one of the things I walked away with after the show ended. Several photographers I know that were in the photo pit each had something different to offer. It was pure genius to see a band of this caliber take their own personalities and deliver it to us in ways and words we cannot express. All we have here for our salutations are the photos that were snapped from this night. Legendary goes beyond what you can do with music. Taking the show into a more positive direction, the band brought out twelve year old Long Island guitar phenom Brandon Niederauer in support of local talent to play “No One Like You.” Him being a “kid”  has nothing to do with age. I have seen older people play guitar who can’t hold a candle to this “kid”. This MUSICIAN, has played with Alex Skolnick of Testament and shared the stage with Living Colour, Gary Clark Jr. and many more. To me, this night will stay in my histories for the rest of my life. Check out photos from both bands below and enclosed are their set-lists from the night.

Scorpions Photo Gallery:

Scorpions Set-list:

1. Going Out with a Bang
2. Make It Real
3. The Zoo
4. Coast to Coast
5. Top of the Bill / Steamrock Fever / Speedy’s Coming / Catch Your Train
6. We Built This House
7. Delicate Dance
8. Always Somewhere / Eye of the Storm / Send Me an Angel
9. Wind of Change
10. Rock ‘n’ Roll Band
11. Dynamite
12. In the Line of Fire
13. Kottak Attack
14. Blackout
15. No One Like You
    (with 12-year-old guest guitarist Brandon Niederauer)
16. Big City Nights

    Encore:

17. Still Loving You
18. Rock You Like a Hurricane

Queensryche Gallery:

Queensryche Set-list: