Oct 20

Oct 20 Show Review: Scorpions Rock Oakland Arena To Its Core

Scorpions
w/ Thundermother
Oakland Arena
Oakland, CA
October 18th, 2022

Photos and review by Jared Stossel

On Tuesday night in Oakland, Germany’s own Scorpions took the stage for an electrifying performance at the city’s own Oakland Arena. The band is currently on the road in support of Rock Believer, their nineteenth overall studio album. Despite a bevy of lineup changes throughout the years, the German heavy metal act has been going strong since their inception in 1965, and their performance on Tuesday evening only solidified the notion that they have no intention of slowing down any time soon.

The show was opened by up-and-coming rock act Thundermother. Hailing from Sweden, the rock quartet put on an excellent opening performance that highlighted them as one of the best new groups ascending the ranks of rock stardom. There has been a plethora of rock acts that have been carrying the torch of what many would dub “classic rock”, but with their own modern twists (Dirty Honey, The Struts, Classless Act). Thundermother is an excellent new addition to this slate of hard-hitting new rock acts, and they put on a captivating performance as they shredded their way through a six-song opening set.

A curtain with the Scorpions’ logo adorned the stage as the lights went down and the amplifiers powered up. The curtain drops to reveal…another curtain, this time adorning silhouettes of the band with the words “Are you ready to rock?” The arena cheered as the final curtain dropped to reveal the five-piece German heavy metal act tearing their way through a barrage of powerful hits like “Gas in the Tank”, “Coast to Coast”, and “Bad Boys Running Wild”. Rudolf Schenker, the rhythm guitarist and only constant member since the band’s original lineup, utilized the catwalk more than any other band member that night, getting up close and personal with fans as he tore through riff after riff.

While the crowd was a bit tepid at times, “Wind of Change” and “Tease Me Please Me” offered some of the best moments of the night as the crowd sang the words back to the group. The track “New Vision” culminated in a bass solo (performed by longtime bassist Paweł Mąciwoda and a wall-shattering drum solo (performed by Mikkey Dee). The rhythm section of Scorpions is comprised of their newest members, with Mąciwoda joining in 2003 and Dee being recruited in 2016. However, moments like “New Vision” cement them as more than capable of carrying out the duties required of one of the most dynamic rhythm sections in rock history.

Naturally, the night closed with two of their biggest hits: “No One Like You”, and the all-powerful “Rock You Like A Hurricane”. The latter features one of the most iconic opening guitar riffs in history, and it was great to hear it live and in all its glory. With no signs of stopping, I’m sure we’ll get a twentieth album from the German heavy metal icons. The only question is: when?

Scorpions Set List
Gas in the Tank
Make It Real
The Zoo
Coast to Coast
Seventh Sun
Peacemaker
Bad Boys Running Wild
Delicate Dance
Send Me An Angel
Wind of Change
Tease Me Please Me
Rock Believer
New Vision (with bass and drum solos)
Blackout
Big City Nights

No One Like You
Rock You Like A Hurricane