(Live Review) MICHAEL SCHENKER - St. Charles, IL (9/27/25)
- Mark McQueen
- Oct 28
- 7 min read
Greeting friends’ fans and followers and welcome to Beard Reviews episode #92. Tonight, we reviewed the dramaturgic guitar of longtime axe man extraordinaire Michael Schenker.
Guitar prodigy Michael Schenker, after playing on the 1971 Scorpions debut album Lonesome Crow (when he was only 16), was immediately invited by vocalist Phil Moog to join rising star band UFO where a tumultuous seven year run would produce several amazing albums before Schenker quit in 1978 to rejoin the Scorpions for Lovedrive, the album that would ignite their rise to mega stardom.
After briefly playing on the Lovedrive tour, by 1979 Schenker would once again depart the Scorpions turning down offers to join Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne to instead focus on MSG (his own solo band.)
In 1993, he briefly rejoined UFO for one album “Walk on Water” before reforming MSG with all new musicians for three more solo albums. Schenker would work on both sides of the street producing solo records and cowriting UFO albums in 2000 & 2002 before turning full time to his own band’s projects. From 2003 on, Schenker toured here and there with a plethora of musicians to varying success. Despite releasing over fifty solo albums of live and studio material, nothing has ever reached as much national and worldwide popularity as that initial UFO run of the 1970’s.
Tonight, the now 70-year-old Schenker finishes the last of three sold out shows for Ron Onesti at the Des Plaine’s and Arcada theaters. His tour is called Michael Schenker My Years with UFO.
JARED JAMES NICHOLS
Before Schenker hit the stage we got a set from blues trio Jared James Nichols who has previously opened for Kid Rock, ZZ Top and Glen Hughes, among others.
While kind of skilled, Nichols tries a lot of “showy” guitar stuff without actually doing anything super intricate. This is primarily just a variation of traditional twelve bar blues songs. This stuff is fine at a club, or I guess as a thirty-minute opener, but despite his over-the-top flamboyance, I just never connected with his set. I think he knew his job was to be the warmup act that everyone wanted off the stage so the real star could begin.
Nichols finished with a cover of Sabbath’s "War Pigs" that relied HEAVILY on audience good will. This was NOT a good version, but the crowd (I believe recognizing that he was finally finished), gave him two decent “Oh Lord Yes’s” in the correct spots followed by polite thank you now go away type applause. 72/100
Of course in between acts we got Ron Onesti doing the traditional promoter kiss ass routine. Interestingly he seemed a bit subdued tonight given he was looking at a third straight sold-out show in his venue. But finally, the commercials were over, and it was time for Michael Schenker.
MICHAEL SCHENKER
Sporting some sort of fur hat, ripped jeans and a sleeveless black t-shirt, Schenker hit the stage touting his signature model Dean V guitar and the band was off to “Natural Thing” before getting the first big crowd pop on the second number “Only you can Rock Me.”
I have nothing against Roberto Liapakis and his far more Graham Bonnet style sounding vocals, but let’s face it, it isn’t Phil Moog. Liapakis in my opinion could use more balls in his delivery. By third song “Hot & Ready” (from 1978’s Obsession), Schenker was fully warm and comfortable and clearly began to stretch out his solos to the delight of the audience.
"Doctor, Doctor" is of course always good, but for me it was one of those “we need to play this one for the fans” kind of songs, and I was more excited by “Mother Mary” which I wasn’t familiar with, and “I’m a Loser” which I certainly was given “Heavy Petting” was one of UFO’s best albums. Schenker tore that solo up and in finally seeing him play live, I was struck by just how nonchalantly he does it.
Michael Schenker, at seventy, still plays intricate and fast, yet to the world he seems to do this almost effortlessly. Schenker does not need to do lots of showy tricks (although he does cater to the audience a bit now and then), mostly he kept his head slightly down and felt the music in that way only the best players do. His greatness was about to be truly unveiled over the following twenty minutes.
After “This Kid” it was time for “Lights Out” to the loudest crowd pop up until then. This was a “loudly participate in the chorus” and then sit back and marvel at a guitar genius during the solo type of number. Liapakis was there to sing the words and direct traffic because all eyes were on Schenker’s flying fingers. (Check it out on my TikTok site at thebeard0728)
A Drum solo followed allowing the seventy-year-old a brief breather which was a smart plan given what was next. It was also a decent solo.
After the drum solo, the lights went down until the stage was just a pale blue hue, before the crowd popped huge once again for Steve Mann’s haunting intro to UFO superhit “Love to Love.”
Now, everyone who really loves something knows there are “moments.”
You might remember your very first homerun or maybe driving in your first “real” car. Perhaps it was going on your first important date. Whatever it was for you personally, that MOMENT exists in your brain and in your heart. It is the same with music. Certain songs, bands, etc. “imprint” on us forever. They are “moments” for the music lover.
When that happens, and music lovers talk about it, we can “hear” what they “feel.” Even my curmudgeon of a boss (on his radio shows) will speak about bands like Status Quo or Mahogony Rush in a particular way, and even though it might not feel the same for me, still, as a fellow music lover I can hear the difference. Something about those acts created a “Moment” for him. It is true for all of us, and UFO’s “Love to Love” is one of THOSE songs for me.
I clearly remember being just fifteen years old, the first time I ever heard it, the keyboard and the solo had me. One listen and I needed THAT song and THAT album. Since then, I have heard it done by Phil Moog and one of his UFO incarnations, I had however still never heard it played live in front of me in the moment by “the” Michael Schenker.
I know I am making an entirely too big a deal about this for some of you. For Schenker, this was just one more time playing a song he has played thousands of times before. For 95% of the fans, it was a cool song in a night full of them, but for me, this one was something personal. In fact, minus the women in the row behind me, (who loved to simply scream as loud and long as she could over and over for no real reason during what ought to have been the respectful quiet parts of this song.) "Love to Love" was the concert apex for me.
You can find small pieces of it both on my TikTok page at thebeard0728, and on my personal Facebook page of Mark McQueen under Schenker pictures and videos. It probably will not do for you what it did for me, but then again that is sort of my point. We all have “our” moments, and they are precious to us. This was one of them.
There were three more songs, “Let it Roll,” “Can You Roll Her,” and “Reasons Love,” all good and fun to watch but of course the room came unglued at the opening riffs of “Rock Bottom.”
Long known as the Schenker showstopper piece, fans would not be disappointed as Liapakis once again directed traffic per audience sing-a-long, before Michael Schenker tore through about a six-seven-minute solo that had a little of everything in it from emotional resonance to intricate picking, to fingers flying majesty. The room applauded and then applauded louder and then started standing up applauding and when he finally finished, (the solo not the whole song), the room needed thirty seconds just to cheer him. An act that finally caused him to lift his face to everyone, smile and throw up a wave of his arm before finishing the actual song.
After minimal waiting time, (less than sixty seconds), they came back on stage for “Shoot Shoot” & “Too Hot to Handle.” These were also good, but everyone was shot from "Rock Bottom" and our section was just like “Yep, he’s great and I am out of breath from watching.”
With due respect to the great guitarists, I have seen this year already, it is tough not to rank Schenker, still one of the absolute best. As will surprise absolutely no one, Michael Schenker gets crack a cold one status and 96/100.
This will finish episode #92 of Beard Reviews, but the reviews never really end, so remember to follow me on all the platforms including right here on the Mighty Decibel for rock & metal reviews. Follow Mark McQueen), on social media for all the other Beard Reviews, and on Messenger for my news show “In the News with the Beard.”
Finally, every Saturday be sure to check out Chris Tighes live show on Wild Dogs Radio. The Beard is always writing so you can always be reading. You won’t, but you can be.
Until next time, this is the Beard reminding you all “Live Life” “Stay Heavy” and “Horns Up.”
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