6/25/09: Went to check out Michael Schenker last night in NYC. To be honest, I wasn't really sure if I was going to go as I had some other plans and to be totally honest Michael was not great last few times I saw him. He came to my Sirius/XM show Monday and was clearly healthy and happy. That, factored with Gary Barden being back and him playing material from the first two albums, really inspired me to go. Glad I did. I am happy to say Schenker is back! He was sober and played better than I have seen in years, and looked like he was having fun! Smiling, looking good and playing great!! The set list was the new album and mostly the first two MSG albums with Barden, in my opinion Schenker's best solo work. Highlights were Cry For The Nations, Attack Of The Mad Axeman, Lost Horizons, On & On, Armed & Ready, Ready To Rock, Into The Arena and the encores of UFO classics Rock Bottom and Doctor Doctor. Michael was joined on stage for a jam by one of his favorites Leslie West. Leslie also looked and sounded great and was clearly happy to jam in front of a packed house at Gramercy Theater. The place was at full capacity of about 650 people, all guys about my age, all happy to finally see Michael back and on top of his game. When Schenker is like this, not many can touch him. Massive improvement over some of the recent shows I saw on video and in person. Great to have Gary Barden back also, like I said, that was the best stuff to me (along with Assualt Attack). But being totally truthful he was never a very powerful live singer and he did struggle at times with many of the high parts. He often didn't even attempt to sing some stuff asking the crowd to do it for him. He even made a comment saying thanks for helping out. Not sure if he was ill or just can't do what he recorded in some cases 30 years ago. None the less, it was great to see him there and doing that material and doing his best with it. Michael is a unique guy and you never know what you will get or what he will do next. He is also a guy that will never play material from others that he did not have a hand in writing, which is why he turned down so many offers over the years to join established acts. He told me Monday he always wants to do different things musically when he feels it and has no problem going back and forth with UFO and Scorpions as he has done many times. But right now he seems happy, healthy and playing great, and if your a Schenker fan that's all you can ask! Audio, and Video from my interview with him (which so many are asking about and have said was one of my best), will be posted here soon. There are also several live shots coming to this site if not up already from the NYC show.
ET
