It was a dark rainy night in Leeds and the rain was building momentum as I approached the dominating academy building on the Leeds skyline. I could see an enthusiastic crowd snaking round the structure, all complete with faded shirts, bullet belts and denim battle jackets, most of which told a comprehensive history of the hard rock and heavy metal scene from the 80s and 90’s.

As I stepped inside, it was evident that the 18.00 doors may have had an impact as the floor was only being covered by a smattering of people, and as the 19.00 stage time approached for Doro, the numbers didn’t really swell at all.  it was an unjustified poor turn out, and one which didn’t replicate the last time MSG graced our shores. Come on Leeds, where were you??

The lights faded for the first time tonight and we were encouraged to scream for the queen of heavy metal, Doro, before she came bounding onto stage accompanied by her entourage of energetic band mates. As they smashed their way through the set, the numbers in the crowd multiplied, and by the time the closing bars rung out and the band were taking a well-earned bow in front of the crowd, it was fairly healthy, still nowhere near the numbers that should have been at the venue for a line up like this.

The set was punctuated with classics such as ‘Burning The Witches’ and ‘Blood Sweat & Rock N’ Roll’, both of which got the heads banging and the fists pumping the air. The band built a strong bond with the crowd from the offset, even causing one dedicated front row resident to lift themselves up on the barrier and sing each and every lyric back to Doro, both seeming to try to out play the other with the passion and devotion put behind every word. Late on in the set saw a revamped version of ‘Breaking The Law’, stripped back to start with, until it got the momentum flowing and then morphing into a full-on metal assault rendition. Doro et al, we are well and truly warmed up, cheers

So on to the main event, Michael Schenker, who has rolled into town with his trusted group behind him. It takes some sort of machine to be able to last 50 years in the music industry, let alone the rock and metal landscape, but that is just what Schenker has done, and to celebrate the achievement he is treating us to an evening of his greatest hits, sitting proudly alongside tracks from his latest opus, ‘Immortal’.

Lights went down and the main man strode onto stage, under a glaring spot light, and launched into creating magic with his infamous black and white axe. The rest of the band bolstered up the songs and the crowd were loud, very loud, for the disappointingly sparse crowd. Ronnie Romero is an excellent front man; he delivered the vocals with passion and pride and a true air of power and precision. Each word sung with true beauty and delicacy, he prowled the stage pulling rock star poses with each breath, engaging the crowd with each burst expelled from his workhorse esque lungs. Bodo put in a shift and half on the skins, a true testament to the art of flare and percussion, arms and legs working in unison yet displaying differing beats and thumps working together to create an elegant and fascinating combination of decadence.  Steve Mann picked up the duties on the other six string with visible ease and the thicker strings were manipulated and commanded by relatively new facet, Barend Coubois and it seemed as though he could have been in these ranks for decades, let alone the short time he has actually been intertwined in the MSG ranks.

Early on, fan favourite ‘Doctor Doctor’ ignited the crowd and commanded them to be the loudest that they have been all night, each word sung back towards the stage as if each and every person’s life depended on it. The set then continued to be crammed full of anthems and newer tracks, each received with equal amounts of pleasure and approval by every soul bearing witness to this celebration tonight.

The set was built around a behemoth of a set list, and a 2 hour plus shift on stage for this party. Even given the colossal set length, the band didn’t falter from start to finish, each track, each chord and each beat of the drum delivered with the same gusto as the one that preceded it. This had been one hell of a night and one which I’m sure many a rocker or metal head will kick themselves for missing if they weren’t one of the lucky ones in attendance

Take a bow one and all you deserve it, oh and congrats on the 50 years Mr. Schenker, that is truly one hell of an achievement

Review & Photos Phil Pountney