Michael Schenker - April 20, 2015 - Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA

My first concert of 2015 came around with one of the most underrated, influential and greatest heavy metal guitarists of all time, Michael Schenker. Over Schenker's career he played in Scorpions, UFO, and his own Michael Schenker Group. In 2015, at the age of 60, Schenker is still going strong and doesn't miss a riff. Effortlessly playing his guitar, you could see why he should be considered rock royalty. Although I respect his guitar playing and song writing, it was not for me. The old heavy metal with long, drown out guitar solos and extremely fast playing made all of the notes blend together and sound the same. This is the same way I felt about Iron Maiden when I saw them in 2012 and UFO in 2013. I was really into this type of music when I was younger but as I got older it was put on the back burner.

Before the band came out, the theater went dark and AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" exploded from the speakers letting everyone know it was almost time for Schenker. Unlike UFO who saved "Doctor Doctor" for the encore, Schenker broke it out first which really got the crown into it from the get-go. From there they went through the decades of Schenker's groundbreaking career. His time from Scorpions to UFO to his solo catalogue of Michael Schenker Group, it was all covered. The concert was a blast from the past for many of the old metalheads in the crowd, many acting like teenage girls at a One Direction concert trying to get as close to Schenker's side of the stage as possible for a picture on their outdated flip phones. My favorite UFO songs "Lights Out" and "Let It Roll" were played and I also enjoyed MSG's "Armed and Ready." The one two punch of Scorpions' "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and UFO's "Rock Bottom" could have ended the show without a complaint from the crowd, but they came back out for two more Scorpions classics "Holiday" and "Blackout." It was a fitting end as members of Scorpions, bassist Francis Buchholz and drummer Herman Rarebell, were on stage as the rhythm section from the beginning to the end of the set.

As the former guitarist of UFO, it was interesting to see how Schenker and his band played the UFO songs in comparison to how the remaining members of UFO played them when I saw them in 2013 at the same venue. Although there is no doubt Schenker is the better guitarist, UFO lead singer Phil Mogg was incomparably superior than Schenker's lead singer Doogie White with his superb voice for age 67 and his charisma toward the crowd. I give UFO show the upper hand over the Schenker show because UFO was more entertaining and although they didn't have Schenker, Vinnie Moore filled his shoes just fine. It may sound weird but besides the solos both guitarists sounded very similar. Plus, with Phil Mogg's stage presence and singing ability I credit UFO with the better overall show.

Setlist:

1.  Doctor Doctor (UFO song)
2.  Live and Let Live
3.  Lights Out (UFO song)
4.  Where the Wild Winds Blow
5.  Natural Thing (UFO song)
6.  Victim of Illusion (Michael Schenker Group song)
7.  Armed and Ready (Michael Schenker Group song)
8.  Lovedrive (Scorpions song)
9.  Coast to Coast (Scorpions song)
10. Another Piece of Meat (Scorpions song)
11. Vigilante Man
12. Let It Roll (UFO song)
13. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

14. Lord of the Lost and Lonely
15. Rock You Like a Hurricane (Scorpions song)
16. Rock Bottom (UFO song)

Encore:
17. Holiday (Scorpions song)
18. Blackout (Scorpions song)