Michael Schenker Group - House of Blues, Chicago 6/29/09

The Michael Schenker Group has made its triumphant return to the US after a few years. There have been a couple of hiccups and cancelled tours, all of which were making it look like we would never see the Mad Axeman on these shores again. Not only was I happy to be wrong, but Michael gave us an additional treat by reforming with Gary Barden and bringing him along for the ride. With no disrespect to the other quality vocalists, I have seen the Michael Schenker Group many times through the years but the Barden fronted version has always been my favorite.

If you are like me, and a fan of the classic era of MSG, then this was the show to see. Aside from I Want You, A Night to Remember, and a couple of others, the set consisted of prime MSG from the first two releases. Songs like Let Sleeping Dogs Lie and Lost Horizons were welcomed back like old friends. You sometimes forget how good those songs really are and then you see them performed loud and in your face and you are reminded of why 28 years later they still affect you. Even track that have been in the set list for years like On And On, Armed And Ready, and Attack Of The Mad Axeman seemed to sound better; probably due to the fact that Gary Barden was back behind the mic giving way to that classic-era sound. The biggest oddball of the night (but still a good tune) was opener The Ride” from Tales Of Rock ‘N’ Roll. Gary did not sing on the studio version so it was an odd choice to not only include it in the set but to also open the show with it.

I was glad that the show did include new material. Even though there is a great old catalogue to choose from, Michael still comes out with new material that fits in nicely with the older cuts. Aside from the two tracks off of In The Midst Of Beauty that I mentioned earlier, the first encore started with a little acoustic number called Dance Lady Gipsy from Gipsy Lady. It’s their latest release and it proves that the group has plenty left to say (check out the CD reviews elsewhere on the site). One things that Michael Schenker will never be able to do is leave his UFO past behind (not that he should) so he gives the fans what they want in the form of Rock Bottom and Doctor Doctor. Both songs ended the show and after taking his final bow, you can tell Michael and the band were as happy with the response to the show as us fans were with the concert itself. I hope this is not going to be the last time we see Gary fronting the band because based on the last two CDs and this show, they still have that spark that makes them special.

Greg Olma