Scorpions, Zone Arena, 09.06.11

As a lifelong Scorpions fan, I couldn’t possibly miss their farewell tour, so together with my parents (who introduced me to this beautiful band), we were there attached to the fence! Unfortunately it wasn’t the front row fence, but the sound booth fence that provided me with wonderful support and helped me also watch the performance instead of just hearing it. It was very uncomfortable and my ass still hurts, but it was the only way to actually see something, so it was worth it.

First of all, I have no idea why these people are retiring. They still rock every bit as much as they used to do and Klaus sounds crystal clear. His unmistakable metallic voice hasn’t changed one single bit, he didn’t lose his voice once throughout the whole show and everything went like clockwork. Second of all, after going to so many metal concerts lately where everyone is dressed in black and tries their best to look as fierce/sexy as possible (depending on the genre), it was very nice to see such an eclectic and colourful audience. And what was even better is that the crowd made a marvellous atmosphere, which for me is really important seeing how the last time I saw Scorpions live, the audience pretty much ruined it for me (I tried my best to ignore them and enjoy the show, but if not for a very large and friendly dude who decided to post himself as a barrier between me and the crazy group next to us, I don’t think I would’ve been able to even understand what is going on, let alone enjoy it. Who the fuck moshes at a Scorpions concert? Especially when there are kids next to them? Speaking of which, who the fuck brings their kids to the front row at a rock concert?).

Anyway, back to this show. The setlist was pretty much the same as the last time, the moments where pretty much the same, with classic solos from each of the band members, with the drummer going on top of his drums and taking of his “long live rock and roll” T-shirt to reveal his identical “long live rock and roll” tattoo… but it didn’t seem repetitive or recycled at all, because every concert is an organic experience, one that depends so much on the general feel of the band and of the audience. For me, it’s the atmosphere that makes or breaks such shows and good bands know how to make good atmosphere no matter what kind of audience they have in front of them.

It was a very emotional concert, being the last one from a band that has 45 years of singing behind it. For me the most emotional moment of it all was when they sung When the smoke it going down. Not only it’s my favourite Scorpions song and a melody that always moves me, but the lyrics are the epitome of what a band like Scorpions is and lives for. Yeah, I cried. So did almost everyone else around me. To see a grown man who looks like he escaped from a military facility and could probably kill us all with just one look crying because of a song, next to a skinny teenage girl crying because of the same song is really special. The second best moment was when they sung Wind of change. Wind of change is one of those songs that has been SO played to death that you roll your eyes whenever you hear it again and forget how beautiful it really is. Hearing it sung by thousands of voices and knowing it will be the last time I will ever hear it like that reminded me what a gorgeous and inspiring song it really is. Usually, at the end of a concert I go all “I can’t wait to do that again”, but this was a show that could never be re-made. The value of it was not in the music or performance (which were great, don’t get me wrong), but in the uniqueness of it all. We said goodbye to a band that most of us had known our whole lives and it was just as sad as it was beautiful.