The Scorpions and Extreme, Wembley Arena 2024 review and photographs by Dawn Osborne

Extreme kick off with two old favourites ‘It’s A Monster’ and ‘Decadence Dance’. They returned recently with a fantastic new album ‘Six’ and show their justified faith in the new material by an early inclusion of fast and furious ‘#Rebel’. Despite a slightly late start they look relaxed. Nuno is still wearing his leg brace following his serious knee injury, but is looking fit and well, caning the guitar and doing his trade mark high hop on one leg. Although a little more restrained than normal, as befits a modest support, Gary Cherone limbers though his high kicks and low bows and mike stand twirls while still carrying the tune.

They have changed the set since their headline UK gig in Autumn last year and the Monsters of Rock Cruise. There is now a change of pace with the ballad-like verses of ‘Am I Ever Gonna Change’ from ‘III’ leading into a reference to the band’s long association with Queen and the brief segue ‘We Will Rock You’ into ‘Play With Me’. Cherone stands on a precariously high PA stack that is sloped and not even flat at the top, looks wobbly and is right next to a twenty feet drop. A roadie hangs onto it from behind and he stays up there for a good minute or two. I don’t want to look, but he manages to get off without disaster. Nuno gets on with business and an extremely fast finger tapping solo, bowing his guitar down to the floor.

 

Nuno takes some time to talk to the crowd, acknowledging that they are opening up for one of the greatest rock bands of all time. He thanks the fans for the reaction to the new album. He then jokes that his Southwestern style hat he has just put on cost $7000 in Nashville “I think I got a good deal”. He has put it on for an acoustic version of ‘Hole Hearted’ during which he does some Native American chicken dancing style moves. Drummer ‘K-Figg’ takes a small drum kit and tambourine down to the front to take part. Cherone amplifies the lyrics theatrically, making square shapes to the lyrics and clicking in time. Pat Badger on bass sings backing vocals.

Nuno takes a welcome seat (given his leg) for the Spanish sounding ‘Midnight Express’ with so many notes he jokes that as he is being paid by each one he is gonna reap a rip off. Injecting humour he stops suddenly mid play to say “ I love that chord”. With a big flourish at the end, he holds the guitar up above his head.

The crowd does not disappoint when Bettencourt introduces an acoustic version of  ‘More Than Words’ as a duet between Cherone and himself on one hand, and the audience on the other, as they sing loudly and sweetly on cue. Cherone bangs his microphone on his chest twice to make the sound of a heartbeat in appreciation.

Following a brief acapella snatch of Sam Cooke’s ‘Cupid’ the band launch into an alternately chugging/funky version of  ‘Cupid’s Dead’ with a rap style vocal from Nuno and then a blistering 80s style solo, sounding improv and spontaneous. Pat Badger takes over Nuno’s mike stand and throws out loads of Bettencourt’s pics to the crowd. Nuno is on the drum riser banging the cymbals instead.

Following the (now usual) snippet of ‘What’s The Buzz’ from Jesus Chris Superstar and a crowd assisted ‘Happy Birthday’ to Rod MacSweeney who is acknowledged as having taken the band out to Europe for 40 years, Nuno sits down for ‘Flight Of The Wounded Bumblebee’.

They deliver an X rated version of ‘GetThe Funk Out’ “No motherf*cker’s gonna spoil all my fun” and a stiletto knife film music, dangerous sounding guitar solo. Cherone is busy loosening his limbs in a sashaying dance to the chorus.

Finishing with headbanger  ‘Rise’ and its spectacular solo, Cherone does a split kick from the drum riser, before it’s all over for them.

But the Scorpions are up next and Klaus Meine comes on alone to a massive screen of the earth rising against a vista of the stars and the universe singing the first verse of  ‘Coming Home’ before the rest of the band join to rock out. ‘Gas In The Tank’ against the backdrop of a huge throbbing scorpion with searchlights for eyes and the noises of sirens ensues.

My absolute favourite ‘Make It Real’ with its blistering solos from Matthias Jabs follows.

Rudolph Schenker runs to the end of the ego ramp for the chorus twice shouting out to the crowd and is ultimately joined by Jabs who after delivering the iconic licks holds his guitar high in the air in triumph.

Rudolph Schenker takes off his bright yellow jacket and jumps high in the air, pirouettes and does the cartwheel with his arms, showing he’s as sprightly as ever for ‘The Zoo’. Klaus Meine throws out drumsticks to the crowd and goes to the ego ramp for the final verse holding out his microphone to the crowd to sing. Schenker holds up his black and white flying V in triumph doing the victory sign. For ‘Coast to Coast’ Klaus Meine gets himself a guitar and all four members go to the end of the extended stage to greet the crowd. Mickey Dee has been giving it his all and looks absolutely knackered at this point. I wonder to myself will he make it to the end -spoiler alert, he does!

Meine thanks the crowd before announcing that they will do some songs going all the way back to the eighties, some they haven’t played for a while and some they haven’t played at all before we get a change of pace with the ballad-like ‘I’m Leaving You’. He is wearing a shirt with his name on the front and “Love At First Sting” on the back.

‘Crossfire’ is introduced as a song inspired in West Germany in the cold war as Mikkey Dee starts it off with its military style drumming. It’s a very poignant song right now with its lyrics about people not wanting to fight and being too young to die.  After that sobering thought things turn to pure fun and ‘Bad Boys Running Wild’.

Klaus and Rudy take a break for the instrumental ‘Delicate Dance’ with Matthias Jabs taking centre stage and guest musician Ingo Powitzer doin duty on rhythm guitar. But Meine and Schenker  are both back for the ballad ‘Send Me An Angel’ with the latter playing his acoustic flying V, a strange looking thing and Meine having changed into a black sparkly waistcoat with ‘Rock n Roll Forever’ written on the back.

There’s a whistling intro for the poignant Wind of Change. The lyrics to the verse appear karaoke style on the screen so the audience can sing every word, which they do. Gradually a huge CND symbol appears over live shots of the audience singing on the big screen. Rudy plays the lead guitar solo on his black and white flyin’ V.

Thought turn to nether regions with the driving riffs of ‘Tease Me Please Me’ and videos of a strippers legs twirling round a pole in platform shoes.

A quick burst of the driving ‘The Same Thrill’ gives way to Mikkey Dee’s drum solo with his majestic blonde locks flying: it’s impressive and he shows none of the fatigue he looked like he was experiencing early on.

For ‘Blackout’ you can see Schenker’s blonde locks under his album cover mask with forks for eyes, moustache and bandaged skull cap. There’s added streaming snot for more effect. Not content with that he is playing a red and yellow flame flying V with its own smoke machine leaving trails behind him all over the stage.

Final track of the main set is ‘Big City Nights’ with its Sands Hotel Las Vegas themed slot machine graphics culminating in a five scorpions reel win and coins bursting everywhere. Klaus leads the crowd in a singalong while Schenker runs around in a circle like an Everready bunny culminating in a high jump. His victory two finger sign is beamed up to the big screen, the message loud and clear. The whole band come to the end of the ego ramp throwing out pics and greeting the audience. Mikkey Dee sticks behind to roar at the audience like King Kong to make noise.

They’re soon back and following a question and answer style singalong with Klaus we get the big ballad ‘Still Loving you’ and the barnstormer ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane’ with its monster riffs, Meine’s voice sounding strong, true and irreplaceable.

The special atmosphere is the air tonight was palpable, they don’t play very often, this is the only UK show and who knows if they will ever make it back again the way the world is at the moment. The band are beaming, the crowd is too. A Big City Night indeed!

 

Dawn Osborne