Whilst Michael Schenker has been busy building and promoting his Temple of Rock project, he has been careful not to ignore his rich heritage as one of the greatest rock guitarists on the planet. Michael Schenker Fest, recorded live at the vast Tokyo International Forum Hall A, is the motherlode. Featuring vocal contributions from Gary Bardon, Graham Bonnet (Michael Schenker Group) and Robin McAuley (McAuley Schenker Group) it is the ultimate hard rock live set and one which Michael Schenker fans will be hard-pressed to do without.
Packaging: This special event has been properly commemorated with three distinct versions. The standard edition is a 2 x CD / 1 x DVD set packaged in a handsome clamshell box along with a twelve-page booklet containing album info, track list and pictures. With the three separate discs in card sleeves, the box neatly keeps things together and sits nicely on the shelf. For those with the wherewithal, there is a standalone blu ray edition (irritating that the quality of blu ray comes at the expense of the convenience of a CD edition, but this is quite commonplace, unfortunately). However, whilst the sound may well be upgraded via lossless files, fans should not expect an image upgrade if the heavily processed DVD image is anything to go by (see below for technical commentary). Finally, for old school fans, there is a 180 grm vinyl edition (which has been Direct Metal Mastered for high quality) available, although this does mean doing without the visual side of the event. Our review covers the CD/DVD set which, arguably, is the best of all worlds in one neat package.
Opening with ‘Into the arena’ (itself emerging out of ‘Flight of the Valkyries’), Michael Schenker is once again on top form. It seems that the energetic guitarist with the blonde mop and ever-present smile is getting more youthful with every performance, as if there is a portrait in an attic somewhere getting older, and his interaction with the members of his band is a joy to behold. It’s an epic start to a lengthy show, and when Michael announces Gary Bardon in time for ‘Attack of the mad axeman’, the huge cheer that rises from the crowd is wonderfully genuine. As much as I admire Doogie White’s work with Temple of Rock, there’s something about hearing Gary fronting the Michael Schenker band once again and his gritty vocal has only improved with age. Bluesy, yet soulful Gary nails it every time and the energy levels on stage approach boiling point. Gary remains out front for a rousing ‘victim of illusion’, which, with its sublime solos and high-octane energy, is a stand out, whilst ‘cry for nations’ sees the whole crowd singing along enthusiastically. Gary’s all-too-short set concludes with ‘Let sleeping dogs lie’ and, as a soaring finale, the mighty ‘armed and ready’, which detonates like a bomb from the moment Michael kicks into that chrome plated riff. Throughout, Michael and his band are razor sharpe, working with a near psychic link that never ceases to amaze, but it’s Michael himself whose fret work seems near Faustian in its complexity, who consistently draws attention. His energy and joy at being on stage with this group of musicians simply radiates form the screen and, even at this remove, it is quite obvious.
An instrumental in the form of ‘coast to coast’ provides an interlude before it’s time for Graham Bonnet to emerge with a blistering ‘assault attack’. Looking sharp, Graham has aged well, looking unassailably cool in a suit and sunglasses. Perhaps spurred on by the power of Gary Bardon’s performance, Graham comes out all guns blazing, his vocals soaring over Michael’s taut riffing and Ted McKenna’s propulsive percussive backdrop. Putting vocalists half his age to shame, Graham hits the high notes with ease and has rarely sounded better than he does here, interacting beautifully with Michael and the band and clearly relishing his time on stage. ‘Desert song’ is no less mesmerising and Graham stalks the stage, sending the audience into a frenzy before he’s joined on stage by both Gary Bardon and Robin McAuley for ‘dancer’, a track that has never been one of my favourites, but which gains new life with this live rendition.
Another instrumental track, ‘captain Nemo’, presages the next vocal changeover and then it’s Robin McAuley’s turn to take the mic. Kicking off with ‘This is my heart’, a more low-key introduction than Graham’s explosive entry, Robin offers up a smoother, more eighties hard rock style but he nails the notes with ease and once we hit the wild soloing of ‘save yourself’, the audience are starting to strain at the leash and Robin is delivering a hard rock performance par excellence, his whip-smart vocals delivered with a power and precision that mirrors the devastating guitar work of Michael Schenker himself. The hits come thick and fast as the set reaches its climax. ‘Love is not a game’ is classic AOR whilst UFO’s ‘shoot shoot’ has lost none of its hard rock thunder and drive.
The best is saved for last, of course, and as Robin tears into ‘Rock bottom’, not a person in the house remains unmoved. Witnessing a classic rock song played by world-class musicians, comfortable in each other’s presence and with a chemistry that is near unrivalled in the hard rock world is exhilarating stuff and yet, even this milestone pales in comparison to watching all three singers unleashing the (inevitable?) closer of ‘Doctor Doctor’. It is, of course, a celebration, not just of Michael Schenker and his enduring contribution to music, but to hard rock itself and all three singers demonstrate their own exceptional talents as they take it in turns to front this epic band.
I have preached on these pages before, and will continue so to do for as long as I am able, the astonishing power of music to unify, to excite, to inform and to entertain. It is a remarkable art form, one that can induce tears or elicit a smile at the darkest of times. It stimulates the senses and it is as direct a line of communication between artist and audience as it is possible to achieve. Michael Schenker, the mad axeman, has dedicated his life to exploring this art-form, and if there have been missteps along the way, well, to err is human. What is undisputable is Michael’s varied and powerful contribution to the world of music and this very special DVD / CD set pays tribute to that contribution. A life-affirming, exciting, beautiful celebration of the power of rock itself, Michael Schenker fest is an amazing document of a truly special night. 9
Technical Stuff:
Picture quality:
Unfortunately, it appears a lot of artificial cleaning and image sharpening work has been done to the video and a layer of frozen grain pervades the darker shots, almost as if you’re looking at the image through a fine, porous filter. It’s a shame because what should be a visually arresting, permanent record of a spectacular event is held back by this visual distortion and although moments of clarity do emerge (well-lit close ups of instruments, for example), these are the exception rather than the rule. 5
Audio Quality:
With three options – PCM, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1, the DVD caters to all tastes. Mixed by Michael Voss with Christoph Stickel, the sound is crystal clear throughout and it’s a pleasure to hear Michael’s guitar roar, Chris Glen’s bass thunder, the thump of Ted McKenna’s drums and the guitar chops and keyboard flourishes of Steve Mann with such precision. Whilst the surrounds are confined mainly to audience noise and atmospheric elements, the overall mix is crisp, clear and packs plenty of punch. You will rarely hear better. 9
