From the Promoter

It has been 40 years since the old formation of the SCORPIONS--back then with Rudolf Schenker’s brother Michael who later went on to join English band UFO-- drove their rickety red VW bus from one small pub to another, from one back yard to another, in their home state of Lower-Saxony to unpack their equipment and rock on. Five years earlier, in the little town of Sarstedt, Rudolf Schenker had given the band its name. And from the very beginning, even with changing band members, the band showed signs for a promising career. They had two--almost apocalyptic--goals: “First of all, we’ll focus on English lyrics because secondly one day we will be one of the best rock bands in the world.”

The rest is music history: From an “Echo” for “Life Achievement” (2009) and “Best National Band” (1994) to the “World Music Award” (1994)--there aren’t many noteworthy awards the SCORPIONS have not received. To name their Gold and Platinum awards is difficult. There are just too many worldwide. And each year they receive new ones. Just looking at records sales alone we know-- they are far beyond the 100 million-mark! Looking back, it is amazing how seemingly random the combination of rhythm, lyrics and melodies together with the band’s charisma became a universal hit. Self-assured and unmistakable. Drummer James Kottack is right when he says, “If you are an alien and you’re landing on the planet earth and you ask ‘What is Rock ‘n’ Roll?’ – SCORPIONS would be the answer!”

The fuel is LIVE. “I think that’s the most important and strongest argument,” says Klaus Meine. “The SCORPIONS are a band that from the very beginning saw its place on stage, on the biggest stages of the world, in the largest stadiums and arenas.

In May, the SCORPIONS will start a world tour with their brand new album. The tour will take them from Germany to five continents over the course of three years. It will be the most adventurous if not greatest project of the band: hundreds of shows, hundreds of thousands of fans, countless miles on a plane and tour bus.

“Get Your Sting And Blackout”--that’s the band’s credo. One question remains: was the immense adventure SCORPIONS worth it? Matthias Jabs: “It’s a great feeling for me to go on the upcoming world tour, knowing we--over the last three decades--have built the most successful German rock band. The feeling I have on stage is just indescribable. Such a moment alone was worth all the effort.”

“Life has spoiled us with the fact that until today we are able to live our dream,” says Klaus Meine. “I think we have accomplished so much more and have seen so much more of the world and have played so many more shows and have recorded so many more CDs and have touched so many more people with our music, in so many parts of the world, than we had even dared to dream of at the beginning or our career. Our dreams have come true--and much, much more than that.”

“I wished for a lot in the beginning,” says Rudolf Schenker. “I envisioned myself to be part of one of the 30 best rock bands in the world. By now, we’ve been on stage with Aerosmith and KISS, with Metallica, AC/DC and I don’t know who else who we’ve been fascinated by--even with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Now we’re about to start one of the most spectacular tours of our career. It’s crazy; I never thought we would make it this long. I have accomplished more than I had envisioned.”

Promoter

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