Scorpions concert at the Rockhal in Esch/Alzette (Luxembourg) on November 16th 2012
Currently on their last tour, the "The Final Sting - Farewell World Tour 2012", the Scorpions are travelling across the world to say goodbye and thank the millions of fans that listened to them for the last 47 years.
As I didn't have the opportunity to see them some years before, I thought I'd better attend this concert to be able to witness the scorpion's final sting in Luxembourg.
After almost two hours of waiting outside the Rockhal, the doors opened and the people rushed in to fetch their positions. Scorpions fans from Luxembourg, Germany, France and Belgium had found their way to this exclusive show. I was happy to stand in the front row - a good position to take some good photos of the band.
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| Thom, Gianni and Markus having fun with True Calling |
The show is opened by the supporting act
True Calling, a German rock band with a lot of good looking young men, an impressive singer and a good feeling for catchy melodies. They managed to heat up the audience with a mix of covers like Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" and their own songs like "Without You" or "You Will Be There". This won't be the last time people will hear from this band, as the guys around singer Markus are still young and in full growth. All in all a great warm-up for the main act!
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| A loud opening with Meine and Jabs |
With a full-throated "Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, would you please welcome the Scopions!", a lot of floodlight, a loud cheering public and a heavy guitar riff, the German Hard Rockers enter the stage with "Sting in the Tail". A good tempered
Matthias Jabs runs over the whole stage while playing "Make It Real" and having a good time with bassist
Paweł Mąciwoda and the audience.
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| The impressive projection during "Big City Nights" |
The audience is fully flooded by the enormous sound, the light show and the projection.
Constant guitar changing, drum stick and pick distributing in between the songs intensify the general euphoria. The band itself seems rejuvenated, as if the more than 45 years in the music business didn't have their impact on their physical abilities.
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| Klaus Meine |
After the opening phase, Klaus Meine and the band lead the audience through a setlist full of Scorpions hits from their career: Old school Rock hymns like "The Zoo","Tease Me Please Me", "Is There Anybody There?" and "Loving You Sunday Morning", newer songs like "Raised on Rock" or the heartwarming ballads "The Best Is Yet To Come", "Send Me an Angel" and "Holiday" guide young and old through a cake of emotional singalongs and simple rock-and-jump moments.
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| Jabs and Mąciwoda sharing the backing vocals mic |
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| James Kottak during his "Kottak Attack" |
Whilst the other band members take a short break, drummer James Kottak beats the the outstanding instrumental solo "Kottak Attack" out of his drum kit and earns the full response of the audience.
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| Schenker and Meine after the break |
The band is back on stage with fresh clothes and a costumed
Rudolf Schenker with a steam exhaust pipe guitar, false moustache, sunglasses and white cap. Jabs rocks the instrumental solo "Six String Sting", while songs like "Blackout" and "Big City Nights" slowly introduce the ending of two very short hours.
After a lot of cheering and applause, the audience waits for the
Scorpions cake to be completed with the finest decoration: The almighty
Rock evergreen "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and the encore ballads "Still
Loving You" and "Wind of Change" put a sweet-sour cherry on top of the
farewell cake and a definite end to the concert. The audience's reaction is an intense mix of happiness and regret, they don't want to let go the band and the emotions.
As the lights go out, a quite thoughtful audience quits the Rockhal, with one last warming memory of their favourite band.
Text written and photos taken by Nura Kaber.
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| James Kottak's motto: Rock & Roll forever! |
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| Meine, Jabs, Schenker and Mąciwoda |
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| Schenker and Mąciwoda |
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| Klaus Meine with the Luxembourgish flag |
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| Matthias Jabs |
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The scorpion is rearing up to his last and final sting |
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