Spain goes crazy in 4K
When they sat down to come up with a location in which to document Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock World Tour on DVD, they certainly chose well. Last Autumn, the rock n roll juggernaut stopped off on the Spanish Capital on a balmy evening, and pitched up at the glorious Joy Eslava theatre.
It’s stunning architecture provides a wonderful backdrop to this lengthy film, as fans pack the three storey’s and – as he always does these days – the man himself, together with his wonderful band, provide a fitting performance.
The set here is the one that Schenker has played everywhere this last year. This means a healthy dose of new songs to go with the Scorpions and UFO classic back catalogue, and in common with the gigs that MV has seen on the two recent tours, the band, led by cheeky Scottish frontman Doogie White and keyboard man Wayne Findlay, as well as former Scorps, Herman Rarebell and Francis Buchholz, are in fine form.
Together since 2011, Temple Of Rock might come with an eponymous moniker, but you feel that this is very much a band.It is one which enjoys what it does, to boot and the sheer joy and ebullience there is here comes shining thorough during the course of the film, as does the clear worship that the guitarist is held in by the fans.
Thats the challenge, of course, for any makers of concert DVD’s. Nothing that happens on the screen can replicate the feeling of seeing one of the world’s greatest guitarists play some of the world’s greatest rock songs. Allowing for this, the crew still have a fine stab in trying to bring Schenker’s Magic into your living room, with a real top notch production with multi cameras and a more than decent sound too.
The band largely let this happen around them, with White, ever with an eye on being the showman saying to the crowd (give or take a few f words here and there) “They are filming this in 4K…..whatever that means, but right now you’ve got 30 seconds to go crazy in 4K.” Madrid doesn’t need asking twice.
What is interesting, however, is that Michael Schenker is almost happy to play a supporting actor role, if you will – even allowing Rarebell to address the crowd at the end while he just shakes hands with the front row – and yet, like all the best sidekicks, steals the show simply by his presence, after all he is playing “Rock Bottom” (complete with stunning solo), “Lights Out”. “Only You Can Rock Me” and “Rock You Like A Hurricane” as well as brilliant ToR stuff, which like “Lord Of The Lost And Lonely” and “Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead” which seems to have reinvigorated him.
This seemingly shy man, however, is content to let his guitar talk for him and it does so very eloquently indeed. Even if this can never do it full justice, his recent regeneration needed documenting and this does a fine job.
