The second main attraction of Monsters of Rock 2023, Scorpions took to the stage at Allianz Parque last Saturday, the 22nd, for an energetic performance that included career classics, new songs, and solos.
With the same punctuality maintained throughout the entire event, the Germans arrived at the already completely packed Allianz Parque for their 1 hour and 30 minute performance. Following the setlist from the other shows on the Rock Believer Tour , which promotes their excellent album released last year, the band started the night with new additions to the setlist. In total, there are four songs from the new album in the show: “Gas In The Tank”, “Seventh Sun”, “Peacemaker”, and “Rock Believer”, interspersed throughout the set.
The group demonstrated that they still possessed the vitality implied by the title of the show's opening track and were not overshadowed by the night's headliners, despite the remarkable number of fans who were there for KISS. When you have machines like Rudolf Schenker and Mikkey Dee on stage, who seem unaffected by age, a great show is more than guaranteed.
Led by the unforgettable voice of Klaus Meine, the band brought incredibly high energy despite decades of classics, performing songs from throughout their career, from the powerful "The Zoo" and "Rock You Like a Hurricane" to the ballads "Send Me An Angel" and "Still Loving You".
There were some setbacks: after the technical failure of Helloween's curtain, the element wasn't used and the band's entrance lost some of its impact, just as the usual catwalk from Scorpions' shows was missed during the solos and instrumentals "Coast To Coast" and "Delicate Dance". Both make sense within the logistics of the show because they allow for band rotation and are celebrated by fans, but at Monsters of Rock a different set with hits that were left out would have been more appropriate.
None of that, however, was able to diminish the brilliance of Scorpions, who never allowed themselves to be overshadowed. With well-crafted projections and exemplary chemistry, the band delivered an exemplary and energetic show at Monsters of Rock.
Just like in the case of Deep Purple , the Scorpions' performance is one of the examples of what it means to be a rock monster: these are bands that remain extremely capable of entertaining the audience with charisma and quality that go beyond the undeniable quality of their repertoire.
With retirement talks behind them and a newly released album, the band has certainly left thousands of fans eager for the next opportunity to see them live.
See the photo gallery from our contributor Leca Suzuki below (swipe to the side to see more photos).
