I missed out on the whole UFO invasion during their 1970s heyday, and didn't really become a Michael Schenker fan until after picking up my first MSG album, Rock Will Never Die (Live), sometime during the mid-'80s. Both of these bands certainly reflected the style of hard rock and heavy metal music that I was into at the time, but Schenker and UFO remained relatively unknown in the United States when compared to their popularity in Europe and Japan. I actually bought that first Schenker album while in Japan.
World Wide Live 2004 was recorded at the Metalmania Festival in Spodek, Katowice (Poland), in March of 2004. The set list features an even split of UFO and Michael Schenker Group (MSG) classics, along with two new songs from the 2003 MSG album Arachnophobiac. I caught the MSG at a small club in Virginia during this same tour, and the performance on this DVD went over exactly like the concert I attended — which is not exactly a good thing.
For this tour, Schenker was fronted by lead vocalist Chris Logan, who has been with him since 2001's Beware Of Scorpions and was especially good on the album that sparked this tour, Arachnophobiac. Logan is a rather generic rock/metal vocalist whose style reminds me of a cross between Axl Rose and Bruce Dickinson. His range is somewhat limited and often sounds strained, but he does a pretty good job covering the contrasting styles of past Schenker singers Mogg, Barden, and Bonnet. He certainly tries his best here to pump up the rather lethargic Polish crowd this night, but his not so charismatic style usually falls flat.
Schenker opens the show with "Ready To Rock" and uses the first few riffs for a call and response with the audience, who barely manage a few "yeahs" in response. Kicking off the third song, Logan greets the crowd with "How are you doing Poland? Are you ready for 'Assault Attack'?" — only to be answered with the sound of crickets. It didn't help that the audience sounds were buried way down in the mix. It was kind of pathetic, but to be fair, there was the same mood at the show I saw. You just didn't feel the usual level of excitement in the air that you typically experience when seeing a major act like Schenker.
Schenker himself is mostly to blame. Throughout the entire set he basically stands in the same spot and never really engages the crowd or his bandmates. His guitar playing was mostly stale and uninspired, and his stage presence lacked any charisma. Does he have to play every solo hunched over his Flying V with his face two inches from the frets, as he strains to concentrate on every note? That is how I'd have to play the damn song. He should be able to fire off those old solos standing on his head while someone pours water up his nostrils. That might also help with all of the sniffing and nose rubbing he was doing during the interview too. "If your thing is gone and you wanna ride on..." Ahh, never mind.
Article comments
1 - Triniman
Interesting that the title of this DVD is the same as a Scorpions album. I reviewed a Schenker dvd for BC a while bac and I would definitely see him if he came through town, since I like some of his solo material and UFO. Looks like he's not playing a lot of the late 80s commercial metal stuff that he did with Robyn MacAuley. Too bad, some of those songs were pretty good.
2 - Paul Roy
Yeah, he didn't play any of the MacAuley - Schenker stuff. Maybe he punched him in the stomach too!
3 - Steve
Schenker is at his best when he has UFO and Phil, PERIOD!
4 - Rob
I agree Steve, My favourite Schenker playing is with UFO. Some of his earlier solo stuff was okay as well. I have a bootlegged live UFO show on DVD recorded in the 70s and it's not bad quality wise. It's great to see the original UFO line up and see Schenker at the top of his game. Sounds like he was a lot more energetic back then.