Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany18th March 2016
Scorpions & Beyond the Black
German Hard Rock has a famous name: SCORPIONS. The band was formed in 1965 and has been successful all over the world since then. In 2015, they released their eighteenth album and prepared for the “50th Anniversary World-Tour”. This year, the tour finally leads the SCORPIONS back to Germany and to the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund where I will see this legendary band on stage for the first time. An amazing thought, I must admit.
Beyond the Black
It is 2014 and BEYOND THE BLACK play their first big show at the Wacken Open Air festival. A rising star in the sky of Symphonic Metal, the band of six hit the German album charts with their debut ‘Songs of Love and Death’. The powerful and clear voice of front singer Jennifer Haben and the dynamic sound of their songs grant BEYOND THE BLACK growing success. For more information, visit their website http://www.beyondtheblack.de/ or their Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/beyondtheblackofficial/. There you can also order their new album.
Music & Performance
I am not the biggest Symphonic Metal fan, but I do enjoy good music. BEYOND THE BLACK deliver good music. Singer Jennifer Haben and her five mates - two guitars, bass, drums, and keyboard - hit the stage like an earthquake. Their first song, ‘In the Shadows’, is fierce, powerful, and aggressive. It rocks the venue, no question. The audience reacts accordingly, having a good time and welcoming the band with loud applause. Only six songs are on the set list, one of them is the MOTÖRHEAD cover ‘Love Me Forever’ as a tribute to the late Lemmy Kilmister, beautifully sung by Jennifer. Although the sound is, rather typical for the venue, not too good, the music is great. In the end, I highly recommend visiting a BEYOND THE BLACK show.
Setlist
01. In the Shadows
02. Written in Blood
03. Love Me Forever (Motörhead cover)
04. Lost In Forever
05. Songs of Love and Death
06. Running to the Edge
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 7
Light: 8
Total: 7.8 / 10
Scorpions
Everybody knows the SCORPIONS. Formed in Hanover in 1965, they have sold millions of records, released several albums, and toured over eighty countries around the world. The hard rock band retires in 2012, only to come back shortly after. They still love to play, and people all over the planet know hits like ‘Wind of Change’, ‘Still Loving You’, and ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’. Prior to their “50th Anniversary World-Tour”, the SCORPIONS release their album ‘Return to Forever’, and the single ‘We Built This House’ – a song they have on the set list of tonight’s show. Follow the SCORPIONS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scorpions/ and check out their website at http://www.the-scorpions.com/.
Music & Performance
Almost 10,000 people have come to the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund to see the “50th Anniversary World-Tour” show of the SCORPIONS. After the 15-meter-high stage is set up, they start with ‘Going Out with a Bang’. And what a bang it is. Klaus Meine (singer), Rudolf Schenker (guitar), Matthias Jabs (guitar), James Kottak (drums), and Paweł Mąciwoda (bass) roar to life, shaking the venue, ablaze with a spectacular light show. The audience catches up and parties along. Schenker and Jabs indulge in jamming their Flying Vs and Explorers, rocking the stage hard. They may not be young anymore, but they still know their game. So the show continues loudly, with vibrating bass and intense guitar solos. The SCORPIONS travel through time with their set list, playing classics as well as tracks from their anniversary album. They have been playing for half a century, imagine that. They are like the German Stones, and they still love being up on stage.
Although the audience might be louder, people are singing and clapping their hands as the first medley brings them ‘Send me an Angel’. After that, Klaus Meine announces the famous hit single ‘Wind of Change’. Everybody in the venue seems to know the lines, singing the song and drowning in nostalgia. Loud applause follows the ballad, then the SCORPIONS pick up their pace and continue with their rock show. Another highlight emerges in ‘Kottak Attack’, a drum solo during which the drummer’s platform is raised into the air until it hovers over the stage. James Kottak hits the drums and flashes his ROCK & ROLL FOREVER tattoo on his back. The letters say it all, and the show ends with ‘Big City Nights’ from the 1984 hit album ‘Love at First Sting’ after 90 minutes of hard rock, ringing ears, and drying sweat. Of course, the SCORPIONS return for an encore, playing the much anticipated ‘Still Loving You’ and, how could they not, ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’. Applause. Exit stage. Am I deaf? No, although it has been extremely loud.
But this is the Westfalenhalle, where sound engineers despair. The SCORPIONS have been solid, in spite of two artificial breaks. It has been a good night, after all.
Setlist
01. Going Out with a Bang
02. Make It Real
03. No Pain No Gain
04. The Zoo
05. Coast to Coast
06. Top of the Bill / Steamrock Fever / Speedy's Coming / Catch Your Train
07. He’s a Woman - She's a Man
08. We Built This House
09. Delicate Dance
10. Always Somewhere / Eye of the Storm / Send Me an Angel
11. Wind of Change
12. Rock ‘n’ Roll Band
13. Dynamite
14. In the Line of Fire
15. Kottak Attack
16. Blackout
17. Big City Nights
---
18. Still Loving You
19. Rock You Like a Hurricane
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 7
Light: 10
Total: 8.2 / 10
All pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)
Comments powered by CComment