{"id":40470,"date":"2026-03-15T09:11:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T09:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/40470\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T09:11:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T09:11:26","slug":"michael-schenker-celebrates-ufos-classic-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/40470\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Schenker Celebrates UFO’s Classic Era"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author Marko Syrj\u00e4l\u00e4 – 15.3.2026<\/p>\n

\u2018Natural Thing\u2019 wastes no time setting the tone. As Michael Schenker steps under the lights at Helsinki\u2019s historic House of Culture, the message is clear: this tour is a celebration of the guitarist\u2019s classic years with UFO. Backed by a tight band and a setlist built around UFO\u2019s 1970s catalogue, the evening quickly becomes a nostalgic journey through one of hard rock\u2019s most influential eras. The Scandinavian leg of Michael Schenker\u2019s My Years with UFO 50th Anniversary Tour began in Finland. The opening concert took place at the historic House of Culture in Helsinki and was the first of three shows scheduled in the country on this run, with additional dates in Tampere and Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 in the coming days. However, three concerts in a relatively small market may have been a bit too ambitious this time, as despite Schenker\u2019s long career and the tour\u2019s focus on his UFO years, House of Culture was only about half full. Even so, the atmosphere among the audience was enthusiastic rather than subdued.<\/p>\n

This tour looks back at a catalogue that helped shape hard rock and heavy metal. Yet unlike many legacy tours, it still has a sense of urgency. There is nostalgia, of course, but also real energy. The Helsinki crowd may be smaller than expected, but it is clearly engaged. After the intro tape of \u2018Immigrant Song\u2019 by Led Zeppelin, Schenker appears under the lights: no leather jacket, sleeves rolled up, a Flying V slung low. His white hair is hidden beneath a fluffy hat decorated with sunglasses and a scarf. His arms are bare except for tattoos and an elbow brace. He walks to the front of the stage with quiet confidence. The band locks in behind him and immediately launches into \u2018Natural Thing\u2019, the 1976 standout from No Heavy Petting. The riff is tight, the tempo urgent, and the crowd responds immediately. Schenker\u2019s fingers move across the fretboard with practiced ease, though the guitar is sometimes buried in the mix. The rhythm section sits slightly too far forward, leaving the guitars underpowered. For a guitarist known for melodic phrasing and expressive solos, the balance is slightly frustrating.<\/p>\n

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Still, it doesn\u2019t slow the momentum. \u2018Only You Can Rock Me\u2019 follows, and the band begins to settle. By the time they reach \u2018Hot and Ready\u2019, the rhythm section has found its groove and the audience is fully involved. A shared energy spreads through the venue as the crowd sings along. The lineup Schenker has assembled for this tour is solid. On vocals is Greek-German vocalist R.D. Liapakis, stepping into the role once held by Phil Mogg. Known for his work with Mystic Prophecy, Steel Prophet, and sessions with Powerwolf, Liapakis brings a strong voice and energetic stage presence. He approaches the material in his own way rather than trying to imitate earlier singers.<\/p>\n

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Comparisons with the long list of Michael Schenker\u2019s vocalists are inevitable. Over the years, Schenker has worked with Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet, Robin McAuley, Doogie White, and, more recently, Erik Gr\u00f6nwall. Each brought a distinct character to the band. Liapakis handles the songs competently, though he lacks some of the charisma associated with earlier MSG frontmen. His vocals also suffer from the muddy mix\u2014a point echoed by many in the audience.<\/p>\n

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The band\u2019s backbone lies in its rhythm section, though it\u2019s worth highlighting guitarist and keyboardist Steve Mann, also known from the British band Lionheart. Mann has worked with Schenker since the mid-1980s, when he joined the McAuley-Schenker Group lineup alongside vocalist Robin McAuley\u2014a band that also featured drummer Bodo Schopf. That era produced albums such as Perfect Timing (1987) and Save Yourself (1989), two of the more melodic records in Schenker\u2019s catalogue that many fans would gladly hear revisited live. On stage, Mann provides steady rhythm guitar and subtle keyboards that support the songs without overcrowding them. Bassist Barend Courbois (Blind Guardian, Tank) handles the bass with a powerful tone that occasionally dominates the mix, particularly on stage right, but keeps the songs moving forward.<\/p>\n

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When the band launches into \u2018Doctor Doctor\u2019, the reaction is immediate. The audience sings every line while Schenker\u2019s solo cuts through more clearly than earlier in the set. Schenker was only 18 when he wrote the track, which later became one of UFO\u2019s best-known songs. Midway through the set, the band shifts gears with \u2018Lipstick Traces\u2019, the acoustic instrumental from Phenomenon. It flows directly into \u2018Between the Walls\u2019, paired with \u2018This Kid\u2019. The acoustic-to-electric transition provides a quieter moment and briefly changes the atmosphere in the hall. \u2018Love to Love\u2019 follows and becomes one of the evening\u2019s highlights. Mann\u2019s keyboards create space for the vocal melody before Schenker\u2019s guitar takes over with a restrained, melodic lead.<\/p>\n

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From there, the set builds again with \u2018Let It Roll\u2019, \u2018Can You Roll Her\u2019, and \u2018Reasons Love\u2019, deeper cuts that still resonate with longtime fans. The inevitable finale arrives with \u2018Rock Bottom\u2019. Despite the guitar sitting slightly low in the mix, the song still lands effectively, its extended solo section giving Schenker room to stretch out.<\/p>\n

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The band returns quickly for an encore. \u2018Shoot Shoot\u2019 (Force It) is dedicated to Schenker\u2019s late UFO bandmates Pete Way and Paul Raymond, both key figures in the band\u2019s classic era. The final song of the evening, \u2018Too Hot to Handle\u2019, closes the set on a straightforward high-energy note. As the lights come up at Helsinki\u2019s House of Culture, the audience seems satisfied. The sound mix was uneven at times, but the material itself carries the evening.<\/p>\n

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The evening focused heavily on UFO\u2019s most celebrated albums, including Phenomenon, Force It, No Heavy Petting, Lights Out, and Obsession. Songs like \u2018Only You Can Rock Me\u2019, \u2018Lights Out\u2018, \u2018Doctor Doctor\u2019, \u2018Love to Love\u2018, and the epic main closer \u2018Rock Bottom\u2019 were greeted with loud approval, even if the guitar sound was occasionally buried in the mix.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s no denying that Schenker\u2019s set was packed with strong \u201970s-era UFO classics, and they remain great songs. A few deeper cuts also made the setlist, including \u2018Can You Roll Her\u2019 and \u2018Reasons Love\u2019. At the same time, however, many of these tracks have been staples of Schenker\u2019s live repertoire for decades and have appeared on numerous tours over the years.<\/p>\n

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Still, the strength of the material and Schenker\u2019s distinctive playing ensured that the show delivered exactly what most fans had come to hear: a reminder of how influential those classic UFO songs remain. Schenker remains a distinctive guitarist whose influence runs through much of hard rock. After more than five decades, the catalogue still holds together well on stage. In Helsinki, the evening was less about spectacle and more about revisiting songs that have stood the test of time.<\/p>\n

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Considering this was already the second leg of the tour, the setlist might have benefited from a bit more variety. Including material from UFO\u2019s 1990s comeback albums could have added an interesting twist. In my book, Walk on Water remains one of the band\u2019s strongest later-period albums, yet it still feels somewhat underrated. Songs like \u2018Push to the Limit\u2019 or \u2018Venus\u2019 could easily have brought some welcome variety to the set.<\/p>\n

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It will be interesting to see what comes next once the My Years with UFO concept eventually concludes. Schenker is now well into his seventies, though he has rarely been short of ideas. Over the past two decades alone, we\u2019ve seen several different versions of the Michael Schenker Group, along with separate projects such as Temple of Rock and Michael Schenker Fest, both of which revisited different eras of his career with rotating line-ups and guest vocalists.<\/p>\n

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New music is always possible, but a tour revisiting the early Michael Schenker Group catalogue\u2014or even the long-rumoured McAuley-Schenker Group reunion\u2014would likely attract considerable interest. With Schenker, however, the next move has never been easy to predict. That unpredictability has been part of his appeal for more than fifty years.<\/p>\n

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SETLIST<\/p>\n

Natural Thing
Only You Can Rock Me
Hot \u2018n\u2019 Ready
Doctor Doctor
Mother Mary
I\u2019m a Loser
This Kid\u2019s
Lights Out
Lipstick Traces \/ Between the Walls \/ Belladonna
Love to Love
Let It Roll
Can You Roll Her
Reasons Love
Rock Bottom
Shoot Shoot
Too Hot to Handle<\/p>\n

OFFICIAL MICHAEL SCHENKER WEBSITE<\/a><\/p>\n

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