Author: Urban Bolta
Photos: Urban Bolta
Venue: Incheba Expo Arena / Bratislava / Slovakia
Concert date: June 3, 2011
Attendance: 5,000
Ticket price: 25€ / 28€
Scorpions are giants of the German music scene. They’ve been tirelessly playing for a solid 45 years now and putting out one consistently solid release after another, and their longevity and constant presence have cemented them as an integral part of the cosmopolitan rocker community. In their sound, Scorpions blurred the line between heavy metal and hard rock. On the wings of countless eighties hits they became regulars on the airwaves, which made them recognizable to wider, non-rocker circles too. That was very noticeable at the Saturday show in Bratislava, where the crowd was a colorful mix, from the ever-present “longhairs” all the way to nicely dressed middle-aged ladies who have probably bought a new car more times in their lives than they’ve come face to face with the rich legacy of rock tradition.
At the start of last year, Scorpions announced they were saying goodbye after a huge world tour in support of their newly released album “Sting in the Tail” (2010). That was a red alert for everyone who had never seen the legendary Germans live, and at the same time the last decent chance to say farewell for the most devoted fans, who had already crossed paths with Scorpions several times over their concert-going careers. The worldwide “Get your Sting and Blackout” tour is supposed to run until 2012 or 2013. After last year’s Munich, the closest dates for us this year are Budapest and Bratislava, and I headed to the Slovak capital myself, in the pleasant company of the agency Koncerti.net.
Since you don’t exactly visit Bratislava every day, once we arrived at the scene of the crime, our little crew headed straight to the city center, which meant we missed both support acts. Expo Arena is a multipurpose hall not far from the center of the Slovak capital, across the Danube in the direction of Petržalka. It opened in 2008 and serves as a venue for sports, cultural, concert and business events. Walking in gave us a slightly surprising picture – the place was bursting at the seams. Some 5,000 souls were crammed into the arena, which looked a bit like an amphitheater, clearly proving that Scorpions aren’t losing any popularity despite the years. The giant stage ended in a “cat walk” jutting some fifteen meters into the crowd, promising a genuine, powerful connection between the musicians and the masses.
After an agonizing wait, which thanks to a (too) long break seriously pushed the schedule back, Scorpions finally hit the stage about half an hour behind the organizer’s plan! Vocalist Klaus Meine in the middle, bassist Pawel Maciwoda right next to him, legendary rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker on the far left, lead guitarist Matthias Jabs on the right, and drummer James Kottak behind them on a mighty rig, kicked off the get-together with the title track of the current album, Sting In The Tail. Right from the opening, the five-piece came across as a hugely energetic outfit that’s no stranger to stage antics. Make It Real followed, announcing an evening of flirting with the rich Scorpions legacy of the seventies and eighties. From the very first moment, Meine and the guitar trio used the “cat walk” to rile up the crowd, firing off plenty of solos out there or singing choruses together shoulder to shoulder. Klaus Meine just doesn’t quit! The likable frontman in his signature cap defies the years and confidently cleared his vocal hurdles, with always well-calculated moves, of course, like leaving many of the choruses to the crowd. The highest registers have long been out of Meine’s reach, but vocals were never front and center for Scorpions anyway, so his improvising up there didn’t hurt the ears. The Zoo with its long instrumental intro and the fully instrumental Coast To Coast in the middle of the first part of the show gave the frontman a short breather, while the spotlights shone that much brighter on the guitar duo Schenker / Jabs. Jabs in particular knew how to use it for a few short solo outbursts, although a strong spirit of collectivism is always present with Scorpions. Evergreen radio classics came one after another, with the fresh The Best Is Yet To Come wedged in among them, as Schenker / Jabs strapped on acoustic guitars and set up at the very front of the “cat walk”, the signal for a few ballad-flavored minutes. Send Me An Angel and Holiday brought smiles to the faces of all the couples in love, and the serving of heavier music continued with Raised To Rock and the punchy Dynamite.
The latter ended with some dinosaur-sized drumming from James Kottak, formerly of Kingdom Come, who’s been earning his keep with Scorpions for a decade and a half. In a longer spot, Kottak showed himself as a man-machine, displaying his innate sense of rhythm and technical polish with an entertaining show, so the solo was really worth watching and not just a waste of time, as happens all too often with that kind of thing. Kottak’s drum machinery was mounted on a raised stage construction that changed height during the show, and he played the solo at a dizzying six meters above the stage. The charismatic Kottak came across as the band’s carrier of fun and clowning around, flipping the role of the drummer in many bands, where drummers play only a side part.
Scorpions wrapped up the main part of the show with Big City Nights, before the exceptionally good-humored musicians (temporarily) said goodbye for the night. It was clear the most recognizable triumphs were still to come, so spontaneous chanting of the band’s name broke out in the hall. Despite the heat in the venue, Scorpions came back in total darkness and played one of the most beautiful rock ballads, Still Loving You. Meine’s vocals were hard to hear in the front rows, so the crowd’s loud singing made up for the not-so-great sound balance. Then the war footage on the big screens behind the stage gave away the next song. Wind Of Change is an anthemic tune with a strong political connotation, as it’s one of the musical symbols of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which is exactly why meeting Scorpions in a city that was once behind the Iron Curtain, to the sounds of that hit everyone sings like a folk song, was all the more pleasant. Yet another radio-friendly hit, Rock You Like A Hurricane, closed the first encore, and coming back on stage once more for the final farewell with When The Smoke Is Going Down proved that the stars of the evening were enjoying the show too. As a rule, Scorpions play a full twenty songs only in Russia and in German-speaking countries, where they’re most popular, so the second encore, that unexpected acoustic finish, added even more spice to an already positive aftertaste of the evening.
Though it had no deeper message, a predictable repertoire and calculated routine, meeting Scorpions and their demonstration of musical evolution from the seventies to today was another great concert experience. Since there won’t be many more chances, I warmly recommend going to everyone who hasn’t yet, because time is running out fast for the legendary Germans…
Photos: Gregor Šujica, Urban Bolta
Setlist
1. Sting In The Tail 2. Make It Real 3. Bad Boys Running Wild 4. The Zoo 5. Coast To Coast 6. Loving You Sunday Morning 7. The Best Is Yet To Come 8. Send Me An Angel 9. Holiday 10. Raised on Rock 11. Tease Me Please Me 12. Dynamite 13. Kottak Attack 14. Blackout 15. Six String Sting 16. Big City Nights ———— 17. Still Loving You 18. Wind Of Change 19. Rock You Like A Hurricane ———— 20. When The Smoke Is Going Down
Photo Gallery
