26 February 2020 at Qudos Bank Arena
Sydney is witnessing two of the biggest names in the music rock industry tonight, Whitesnake and Scorpions. What would one music lover want more, what a treat! It is midweek, Wednesday, and many people including me have to start work in a few short hours but that didn’t stop devoted fans to come to the concert and rock out with their favourite bands. It is good to see so many people in Qudos Arena.
The crowd is waiting in anticipation for Whitesnake to start. I hear screams around me and feel the crowd’s energy. The drummer, Tommy Aldridge, comes out first, sits down at his drum set, the audience is getting louder. Then David Coverdale and the rest of the band comes out. Dave moves all the way to the extended stage part in the front sticking out the microphone stand from between his legs towards his fans in a sexy masculine way, screams out loudly “here is the song for you” and starts the first number Bad Boys.
Whitesnake then continues with all the time favourites, playing their classic hits like Love Ain’t no Stranger, Is This Love, Here I go Again. Hey you is one of my personal favourites; it’s heavy with groovy and bluesy sounds, heaven for my ears. I wish I could come to the front of the band, mosh and show them how much I love this song.
Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra both come to the front performing they amazing solos for the crowd and crowd is just loving it. Dave then introduces the band and before Ain’t no Love in the Heart of the City he talks about recent bushfires in Australia. It is a beautiful sentimental moment. I personally love their heavier songs but this did melt my heart. I can see it means a lot to people in the audience, some people have an expression of melancholy on their faces. Again guitar solo just blows my mind, the audience is singing, David screams pierce through the soul of the crowd.
Omg, “it’s the cops!” David screams out before the start of a song from their album Flesh and Blood, Trouble is your middle name. Great song, fast, punchy, another favourite of mine. Reb Beach and Joel Hoekstra indulged the crowd with Waltzing Matilda, the audience really loved it. Shut up and kiss me comes on – a great dance number. People in the standing area are dancing then Tom Aldridge performs an amazing drum solo throwing his drumsticks into the crowd, and the crowd is going nuts.
Is this love – this is one of their biggest hits, almost everyone in the audience has their hands in the air, people are singing and it feels like love is in the air. Whitesnake finishes with Still of The Night, another crowd’s favourite. I love it too, great classical punchy rock song with beautiful slow guitar melodies. Dave goes “oh baby sugar baby”, the mood is right, the lights are blue and pink, great atmosphere. Dave finished off by thanking the crowd and Sydney for hospitality and saying ”Don’t let anyone make you afraid”. Great message, beautiful.
Set List: Bad Boys, Slide it in, Love ain’t no stranger, Hey you, Slow an’ Easy, Ain’t no Love in the Heart of the City, Trouble is Your Middle Name, Shut Up and Kiss Me, Is This Love, Fool for Your Loving, Give me All Your Love, Here I Go Again and Still of the Night.
Scorpions are one of my favourite childhood bands and I cannot describe my happiness to see them for the very first time live. I feel like a kid again, waiting anxiously in anticipation for start of their set. The visual graphics come on, really cool. The song Crazy World plays from the tape and then the whole band comes on the stage. The band starts with Going Out with a Bang. The audience cheers excited, screams are getting louder and louder. What a way to start, the band has certainly come out with a bang! Really great start of the show!
Klaus addresses the crowd and sincerely apologises for cancelling the previously scheduled show in Sydney because he had issues with his voice and then again last Saturday. I personally cannot believe how much energy he has taking into an account that he almost literally came out to the stage from the hospital bed from his kidney stone procedure. I’m sure everyone knows is one of the most painful experiences. Anyhow, I imagine he is in a lot of pain right now but this doesn’t show at all. His voice is strong, he is running around the stage like a teenager, what showmanship, just perfect!
I have to say few words about the founding member of the band, Rudolf Schenker. He formed Scorpions back in 1965, and since then he has been one of the major forces in the band’s history of songwriting and generally band’s musical direction. He has been Scorpion’s longest-serving member. When he came on the stage I was star struck, I have so much respect for him. I love his style of guitar play, his stance and his showmanship. He is truly a living legend of rock n’ roll.
Scorpions continue with Make it Real, then The Zoo, and wow, I want to jump out of my seat, this song is one of my favourites. Klaus and Rudolph wrote it together, it’s a simple song, it flows easily heave riffs and really, the lights are red, the mood is set right and I am certainly loving it.
Then Send me An Angel comes on, the song is dedicated to our firefighters, really beautiful sentimental moment, it was heartfelt. The band surprised the audience with the acoustic version of the song, really beautiful. When Winds of Change started everyone went crazy, it is one of the Scorpion’s most popular songs. It brought back memories to me personally, still remember the fall of the Berlin Wall, I was a child when it happened, and the war in my home country has just started. It certainly hit home. This song always brings hope in the hardest of the times. Klaus sounded great, his voice was just amazing.
I have to mention Mickey Dee’s amazing solo drum performance. His drumset is lifted in the air whilst he is playing, what a show! The audience is certainly loving it. Still Loving You and Rock you Like a Hurricane closed the show. What can I say, what an amazing night!
Setlist: Going Out With a Bang, Make it Real, The Zoo, Coast to Coast, 70’s Medley, We Built This House, Send Me an Angel, Wind of Change, Tease Me, Please Me, Big City Nights. Encore: Still Loving you and Rock You Like a Hurricane.
I hope we see both bands again soon in Sydney! Such a memorable wonderful night. Loved every minute of it.
Line-up: Scorpions, Whitesnake
Reviewer: Mira
Photocredits: Michael Lueders