Hurricane season started early this year in Tampa, but it wasn’t because of the weather as the Scorpions brought their Rock Believer tour to Amalie Arena on Wednesday night. The Scorpions also brought some thunder with them as Thunder Mother opened for them after Whitesnake dropped off the bill due to continuing and unfortunate medical issues.
This was supposed to be Whitesnake’s farewell tour and a huge double bill and with them not performing, it had a huge effect on early attendance in the arena. This was unfortunate as many missed Thunder Mother’s set as the show pre-partying was happening out on the plaza and in the parking areas.
Thunder Mother is a quartet of women musicians from Sweden that have been playing for over 8 years now and fortunately with this tour, they are picking up traction in the States.
The band consists of vocalist Guernica Mancini, Drummer Emlee Johansson, guitarist Filippa Nassil and bassist Mona “Demona” Lindgren. They have recently released their new album, Black and Gold and played three songs from it during their extended 11 song setlist. These were “Loud and Free” “Black & Gold” and “I Don’t Know You.”
They started their set with “Whatever” from their self-titled album from 2018 and finished with “Driving In Style.”
The four of them were having a blast and were smiling and posing not only for the photographers in the photo pit but also for the fans in the stands. Hopefully this tour will lead them to getting more fans going out and streaming their music and maybe getting out on next year’s festival season which really seems to catapult bands to another level.
As the crew did the changeover between bands, a huge curtain with a Scorpions emblem hung from the rafters covering the stage. As the crew dropped the curtain, another one appeared with “Are You Ready To Rock?” Then that curtain was pulled down and a huge stage setup appeared which was definitely one of the highlights of the set.
The Scorpions started their 17-song set with “Gas In The Tank” from this year’s Rock Believer release. Most of the crowd didn’t recognize this song but that situation was quickly fixed with the next song, “Make It Real.” The song was released on Animal Magnetism in 1980 and was released as a single along with “The Zoo.” These two hit songs helped The Scorpions achieve platinum status for the first time in their careers.
The Scorpions continued with the aforementioned “The Zoo” with the Tampa crowd showing their vocal abilities by helping lead singer Klaus Meine with the chorus.
There were many chances throughout the evening for the fans to chip in as Meine went to the front and sides of the catwalk throughout the evening and stuck his microphone into the crowd.
The fans were happy to oblige, and both the crowd and the band seemed to feed off each other’s energy throughout the extended set. Klaus also threw out 20 plus drumsticks while he was playing the cowbell which the crowd absolutely loved.
The epic instrumental, “Coast to Coast” was next as Meine took a short and well-deserved break. His vocals weren’t as good as the last time they were here 4 years ago, and he moved around a bit slower, but he joins a list of a few that are still killing it at 70 plus years of age.
Guitarists Rudolph Schenker & Mattias Jabs showcased their dual ax-attack and made their way to the front of the catwalk to the delight of the screaming fans. Schenker is not only a great player, but what a showman. He got right in the fans’ faces with his guitar and stormed back and forth across the stage throughout the night.
The Scorpions then played a couple more songs from Rock Believer In “Seventh Sun” and “Peacemaker” the rest of their set was filled with hit songs from various stages of their very successful career.
The pace slowed down a bit after “Bad Boys Running Wild” with “Send Me an Angel.” I’ve never seen a guitarist play an acoustic Dean Flying V guitar before, but Schenker did and it was gorgeous. “Angel” was followed up with an amazing rendition of “Wind Of Change” that highlighted Klause Meine’s whistling skills during the opening notes. Meine introduced it as a dedication to the people of the Ukraine with the Ukrainian flag on the video screens and the phones lit up in masse by the crowd.
After “Tease Me Please Me,” Meine introduced the crowd to former Motorhead drummer, Micky Dee, who was behind the skins once again for the Scorpions. Dee and bassist Pawel Maciwoda performed “New Vision” which was a bass and drum solo. This was finished off by Mickey Dee slamming his kit with his pedals and drumsticks while a video slot machine spun in the background.
The screen had all sorts of images but what stood out were the images of Lemmy showing up on the five colorful spinning wheels. The stage setup also had a round cylinder with a huge flashing and striking scorpion and included an amazing and I mean amazing light show.
A Scorpions’ set just wouldn’t be complete without the fan favorite, “Blackout” as a police siren accompanied the red and blue light flashing strobe lights that lit up Amalie Arena. This song always takes me back to high school when I saw it in 1988. 35 years later and it still rocks as hard as it did back then.
After “Big City Nights,” the Scorpions took a short break then concluded the night with “No One Like You,” and of course, “Rock You Like a Hurricane.”
As the house lights came on in Amalie Arena, the fans exited with huge smiles on their faces and thankfully the pouring rain that was happening during the show, subsided. No one commented about Whitesnake not being on the bill as both Thunder Mother along with the Scorpions put on a heck of a show. Even if we don’t get the opportunity to see them live again in Tampa, The Scorpions will always be remembered that there was no one like them.
With Casey Grillo, Todd La Torre, and Shawn Lowery
“Presenting ‘Lotus’ before ‘Crazy World Tour’”
Casey Grillo and Shawn Lowery ( Photo-Jordan Raiff )
One of the biggest parts of any tour is the presentation on stage. Everything from the lights, to the microphone stands, the clothing worn on stage, and the props help set the stage for the show to come. One of the biggest challenges has been for drummers to stand out. Often put on the back of the stage, they need something special to really pop. For Queensryche, their tour drummer Casey Grillo wanted something to really set off his kit from Drum Workshop, something to make it extraordinary for their ‘Crazy World Tour’ with Scorpions. With only 11 days until the start of the tour, something needed to come together and quickly.
Lotus ( Photo-Jordan Raiff )
Enter the creative spirit from Sawbladehead Designs from ‘Mr. Sawbladehead’ himself Shawn Lowery. A long time extremely talented drummer, and a master fabricator of tables, keyboard risers, microphone stands, and of course drum kits (just to name a few). From his ‘Life Tree’ and ‘Maximum Overdrive’ drum sculptures, this newest piece is another work of art that truly showcases not only the strength of Shawn’s imagination and fabricating, but it also compliments Casey’s precise, deliberate, and calculated drumming style.
It’s easy to see why Drum Workshop has Casey as one of their featured artists. Known most recently as the tour drummer for Queensryche for the last year and a half, Casey was previously the drummer for Kamelot for over 20 years. These years of experience has given him his own style and sound. Now Casey’s kit has its own unique look as well. One that simply compliments him.
( Photo-Jordan Raiff )
Making its debut to Casey and Queensryche lead singer Todd La Torre at Channel Fluxx studios in Clearwater, FL on August 24th, you could see the ‘Blood, Sweat & Steel’ (also the name of Shawn’s upcoming show), Shawn had poured into this new sculpture. Titled ‘Lotus’ this intricate and versatile piece left Casey and Todd with their jaws on the floor. Featuring hand rolled steel tubing, slanted open edges, room for LED accents in the middle, and the capability to be closed in and narrowed down, or spread out and showcased at full bloom, ‘Lotus’ really lives up to its name.
( Photo-Jordan Raiff )
Lotus with the Electronic Bass Drum Covers ( Photo-Jordan Raiff )
After an initial look over and taping for the upcoming show, Casey introduced his new and one of a kind LED bass drum covers. They don’t just show small images, but controlled from a laptop at his drum kit, he is able to switch on live feed from cameras and showcase the live images on them with a snap of his fingers. They really complete this new addition to the Queensryche arsenal. As family and friends filed in, the sculpture was making its initial debut and you could not ask for a better way to get ready for the tour. You could see the looks of pride, admiration, and in some cases even a hint of jealousy for Casey’s newest acquisition.
Casey Grillo ( Photo-Jordan Raiff )
The ‘Crazy World Tour’ with Scorpions is a short debut for ‘Lotus’, but it covers a lot of the southwest US. Opening up August 31st in Stateline, NV, and pushing through Irvine, CA, before coming to an end September 14th back in Tampa, FL. Missing this tour and this outstanding sculpture would be doing yourself a disservice.
Casey Grillo and Shawn Lowery ( Photo-Jordan Raiff )
To make a piece of Mr. Sawbladehead your own, visit http://www.sawbladeheaddesigns.com/, SawbladeheadDesigns on Facebook, Sawbladehead_designs on Instagram, or if you’re in the Tampa area at the Florida State Fairgrounds form August 31st until September 3rd. His custom work and pieces he has available on hand are all handmade and something you won’t find in any store. If you have a vision of what you want, Mr. Sawbladehead is who you’ll want to see. He can make your dreams into your reality.
The year was 1988, and hard rock was at its peak. Bands like Aerosmith, Motley Crue, and the Scorpions were being played everywhere. From radio stations to MTV to Friday Night Videos, the rock sound and the scene were everywhere. Van Halen, with a new veteran front person in Sammy Hagar, was picking up where it left off after the departure of David Lee Roth, and Roth was selling out arenas with his solo act, which featured two virtuosos, guitarist, Steve Vai , and bassist, Billy Sheehan. With the undeniable success of the multi-platinum Eat Em’ and Smile album and their follow-up release, Skyskraper, it looked like David Lee Roth, Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan and drummer, Greg Bissonette, would be playing together and producing more multi-platinum albums for many years to come. But this was not meant to be, because prior to the Skyskraper tour commencing, Billy Sheehan announced that he would be leaving the band.
Billy Sheehan (Photo: Travis Failey RSEN)
After Sheehan’s departure from David Lee Roth, word in the music community was that he would be forming another supergroup, Mr. Big, with former Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert, drummer Pat Torpey, who played with Belinda Carlisle and had a stint with the Knack, amongst others, and a very accomplished vocalist in Eric Martin.
In 1989, Mr. Big released their self-titled debut album, which received limited success in the US, but produced the hit single, “Addicted To That Rush,” which provided a sound that the masses had not heard before. Guitarist, Paul Gilbert, incorporated a power drill at the beginning of the song that made you immediately stop and take note. Gilbert had used the drill previously in Racer X, and the power drill was later used by Eddie Van Halen on “Poundcake.”
Paul Gilbert (Photo: Travis Failey RSEN)
After the touring cycle concluded, Mr. Big went back into the studio and produced their sophomore release, Lean Into It. Lean Into It was the band’s greatest commercial success in the US, with hits “To Be With You,” and “Just Take My Heart.” In 1993, Bump Ahead hit the airways. Even though Bump Ahead didn’t achieve the commercial success of Lean Into It, Bump Ahead helped Mr. Big continue its popularity overseas, particularly in Japan.
With the advent of grunge music in the US in the 1990s, hard rock bands were hard-pressed to attain commercial success in the next decade, but Mr. Big’s popularity in Japan never waned. Mr. Big continued to release albums and toured in Japan to packed stadiums.
Eric Martin (Photo: Travis Failey RSEN)
Mr. Big went through some lineup changes through the years, and fully disbanded in 2002. But after being away for several years, Mr. Big got back together in 2009 and celebrated the 20thyear anniversary of their debut release.
Mr. Big released What If in 2010 and continued to tour to packed houses in Japan. With hard rock being back “in style” in the US, Mr. Big fans flocked to see the original members play their favorite hits from the band.
In December of 2014, Mr. Big released its 8th studio record, The Stories We Could Tell, and started their touring cycle in the UK. One caveat to that would be that drummer, Pat Torpey, would not be touring with the band, as Torpey had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Former Ace Frehley drummer, Matt Starr, took over the drumming duties for Mr. Big’s The Stories We Could Tell tour. With Starr behind the kit, they traveled from the UK through Brazil, which lead up to Mr. Big’s four-stop US tour, which started tonight at Clearwater’s Capital Theatre.
(Photo: Travis Failey RSEN)
Ok. Maybe Clearwater, Florida sounds like an odd first spot to start a four-stop US tour, but when you consider the immensely positive response that bassist, Billy Sheehan, and the Winery Dogs received when they played here last year, it made sense. But it truly took me by surprise because I asked Sheehan at the Winery Dogs show if Mr. Big would be back this way anytime soon and he stated that he “didn’t think so.”
Mr. Big took the stage promptly at 7:30 and busted out with a huge fan favorite, “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy.” It was obvious from the start that the fans in attendance were ready to sing and that Mr. Big was happy to be back in the states. This was mentioned numerous times throughout the set by Eric Martin and also by Billy Sheehan. Speaking of Eric Martin, he showed his range tonight and that he hasn’t lost a step in the way he sings rock music with such soul and precision. Martin did seem to get ticked- off a few times throughout the night due to lighting issues and some sound difficulties, but it didn’t affect his performance in any way.
Martin & Sheehan (Photo: Travis Failey RSEN)
Mr. Big kept the pace upbeat through the early stages of the set with “Gotta Love the Ride,” and “American Beauty.” Hearing “American Beauty” live is sure to get your feet-tapping and heart racing. With Billy Sheehan pulling out his tool bag of flying bass moves and finger-tapping techniques, and Paul Gilbert teeth-picking his guitar throughout the night’s show, the fans had only begun being treated to an unforgettable evening of sights and sounds.
Paul Gilbert (Photo: Travis Failey RSEN)
Mr. Big interlaced songs from the newer releases, but always knew what the US audiences wanted to hear, specifically songs from its first two albums. After performing “UnderTow,” and “Alive and Kicking,” the crowd was treated to a surprise: Mr. Big’s original drummer, Pat Torpey, joined the band on stage for most of the evening. Torpey played various roles: as a dual drummer, with Torpey playing a mini kit while Starr hit the big skins; as a backup vocalist on the band’s huge US hit, “Just Take My Heart,” and their rendition of the Cat Steven’s classic, “Wild World;” and he also get behind the big kit for a song or two later in the set.
Pat Torpey (Photo: Travis Failey RSEN)
It was a given that some time during the set Billy Sheehan would take center stage and perform one of his signature bass solos. He didn’t disappoint as Sheehan is a magician on the bass. The fans in the stands didn’t take their eyes off of Sheehan, not only during his solo, but throughout the night. Sheehan’s solo was six and a half minutes long, which may seem excessive, but it was brilliant. It transitioned to an all out guitar dual between Sheehan and Paul Gilbert.
Billy Sheehan (Photo: Travis Failey RSEN)
It‘s amazing how underrated Paul Gilbert is as a guitar player. You think of the active greats in Slash and Zack Wylde, but it’s not often that you hear Gilbert’s name mentioned. All you have to do is see him perform live and you will put Gilbert’s name in the “Guitar Greats” category. After all, Eddie Van Halen borrowed one of his moves…Nuff said.
Paul Gilbert (Photo: Travis Failey RSEN)
After Sheehan and Gilbert jousted, the band moved seamlessly into “Addicted To That Rush.” They closed out the main set with “Rush,” during which, vocalist, Eric Martin addressed the crowd and asked them if they were “addicted” and the crowd went ballistic. Usually a band would end the night with such a crowd favorite but that was only the twenty-first song of a twenty-six song set. That’s right, twenty-six songs, which equated to two and a half hours of music that flew by.
Mr. Big’s encore was another full stage with Torpey coming out from the mini-kit to play the tambourine and sing on the ballad, “To Be With You.” They would also play another foot-tapper/ body-mover in “Colorado BullDog,” with Sheehan making his bass bark like a dog.
Pat, Eric & Matt (Photo: Travis Failey RSEN)
You would think that that would be the end of the night, but, no. More surprises would be in store for their fans, as all the members of the band changed instruments. Martin played on bass, Sheehan and Starr were on guitar, Gilbert was on the drums, and Pat Torpey took center stage and performed their cover of “Living After Midnight.” Torpey crushed the vocal track of the Priest classic. It was a special moment, not only for the crowd, but also for the band. Martin again mentioned how special it was for Pat to be playing with them, because they didn’t think it was going to happen due to Pat’s illness.
“Living After Midnight” (Photo: Travis Failey RSEN)
They closed the night out with the Free cover, “Mr. Big.” Eric Martin told the story of how when the band got together, they had the clothes and the songs, but they didn’t have a name. They all loved Paul Rodgers and his band, Free, and one day when they were at practice, Martin picked up the Free album, realized that he loved the song, and the name, “Mr. Big,” and that’s how Mr. Big got its name.
Mr. Big said their goodbyes, took a bow, and told the crowd how much they appreciated them, and, once again, how happy they were to be back home. It was genuine to say the least.
Eric Martin (Photo: Travis Failey RSEN)
It was an amazing night of music and showmanship that I’m pretty sure that most in attendance will not forget. If you are lucky enough to be in one of the other three stops on Mr. Big’s US tour, make sure you get out to see them. You won’t be disappointed.
On a side note, I spoke with Billy Sheehan once again after tonight’s performance, and I asked him a very specific question: “Billy, Dave calls you up and says, “I’m getting the band back together. Me, You, Steve and Greg. What do you think? You In?” Billy replied, and I quote, “If it’s the original band, I’m In.”
Hey Dave. Wanna borrow my phone?
For more information on Mr. Big: http://www.mrbigsite.com/
