Live In Tokyo - The 30th Anniversary Concert

It is January 13th 2010 and Michael Schenker gives the starting signal for a spectacular world tour, with which he is celebrating the 30th anniversary of MSG. Murmuring voices, music from the band, monitors light up at the mixing desk. A good minute after the sound goes off in Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo, a rapturous cry resounds out above all the expectant murmuring in the packed out hall. A long reverberating bass sound intensifies the suspense – and suddenly the man who everyone is waiting for stands there at the edge of the stage: Michael Schenker. With a completely new sound, a technique that he devised himself, he played Welcome Howl which was immediately met with the enthusiasm of all his fans in the hall. Michael strums a few hefty riffs on his distinctive Flying V guitar and then it really gets going. At the anniversary in Tokyo, this internationally acclaimed ambassador of German rock has gathered a particularly exceptional team: the experienced keyboard player and second guitarist Wayne Findlay, bass ace Neil Murray – and two colleagues who were on- board back in 1980 for the recording of the debut album Michael Schenker Group in the studio: top drummer Simon Phillips and singer Gary Barden. This reunion completes a nice circle after 30 years and is a sheer joy to see how these savvy musicians keep the fire alive throughout the whole concert. You listen to them spellbound as they charge the set of 18 songs with their boundless energy – whether it’s the great classics from the early days or the later more powerful tracks. On stage in Tokyo, Michael is the director who focuses and pulls all the threads together with a passion – and the one who takes your breath away when he plays his furious solos, when he plays frantic, swift, crisp riffs and scintillating melodies on the Flying V. No doubt about it: this man is in peak form. But his companions also show that they belong to the top of their league: at times they show sporty qualities as team players and impressive solo performances. It was a great show that deeply moved the performers as well: “History repeats itself. After three decades, the MSG community meets up again all of a sudden. It’s like a musical. At the end everyone comes together and takes a bow before the audience.”