Live | Michael Schenker Group [support: Rook Road & Grey Attack] – Poppodium Boerderij [NL]

9 April 2025

Tonight, is the kick-off show of the Michael Schenker Group `My Years With UFO’ – Tour 2025. Poppodium Boerderij is completely sold out and not only does Michael Schenker celebrate his 50 years anniversary of his time with the British rock band UFO [1973-1978], also this show is part of the 50 years anniversary celebration of Poppodium Boerderij.

The venue is filled with mainly older rockers and diehard fans, but a younger generation of rock fans also shows interest in the German guitar legend tonight, who in 1973, at the age of 18, gave a successful adrenaline rush to the sound of UFO with his striking guitar playing.

GREY ATTACK – FIRST SUPPORT BAND

But before old, glorious times revive, Grey Attack may set the mood. The German quartet is active since 2013 and does not have the youngest bandmembers.

With two support bands and a main act, it is inevitable that the stage is filled with multiple amplifiers, drum kits and other necessities. Grey Attack has little room to move but does not care much about it, although the performance look a bit too stiff.

The band plays simple hard rock but unfortunately the quality of the songs, the lyrics and the performance are not of a high and impressive level. In any case, the playing time of forty minutes, as an opener for Michael Schenker, is clearly a boy’s dream come true for Grey Attack. We certainly can’t argue about that.

ROOK ROAD – SECOND SUPPORT BAND

Also, the quintet Rook Road makes grateful use of their 45 minutes of available playing time. It is also immediately clear that this band plays at a more convincing level and it is nice to hear that the songs have more coherence and energy.

I immediately have to think of Deep Purple and Uriah Heep. Not only because of the vocal sound and style of the singer, but also because of the sound and playing patterns of the Hammond organ, which has a prominent role in the songs. We also get nice guitar solos and symphonic bombast and the band looks confident on stage.

Unfortunately, the ballad in the beginning of the setlist takes away the pace and in the quiet pieces of music that also appears here and there along the set, the singer does not sound entirely convincing to me. But overall, it is okay and the classic rock style of Rook Road is a nice warming up for what is yet to come.

MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP – THE HEADLINER

Then it is finally time for guitar wizard Michael Schenker and his group. Time for a musician who has already left a big footprint in the hard rock and metal scene and actually needs no further introduction.

The man is 70 years old but fortunately the stage is still his happy place, because Michael Schenker still tours regularly and also treats the fans frequently to new music. But he also likes to honor his musical past, like last year when he released his solo album `My Years With UFO’, featuring covers of songs from his initial tenure with UFO. So, the songs have had a little makeover and also feature different guest singers and musicians. It was inevitable that this celebration also had to be executed live.

THE CLASSICS AND THE HITS

And that’s what we are getting; all the eleven tracks of `My Years With UFO’, such as ,,Doctor Doctor’’, ,,Lights Out’’, ,,Love To Love’’, ,,Rock Bottom’’, ,,Only You Can Rock Me’’ and ,,Shoot Shoot’’. To reach a playing time of one and a half hour, the songs ,,Hot N’ Ready’’, ,,I’m A Looser’’, ,,Can You Roll Her’’ and ,,Reasons To Love’’, as well as an instrumental medley, are added to the party. As you can guess, this evening was a nostalgic experience of the biggest hits and classics of Michael Schenker’s UFO era.

Michael can blindly rely on his band, which goes through the setlist as a unit and a thundering machine. Bass player Barend Courbois and drummer Bodo Schopf make it all sound locked, tight and heavy. And the 69-year-old English guitarist Steve Mann, who also does excellent keyboard work in several tracks, is the trustful 6-string wingman of Schenker and definitely a guitarist we should not underestimate.

THE MAN BEHIND THE MICROPHONE

And then there is the lucky guy Erik Grönwall, who first made a career with the Swedish melodic rock band H.E.A.T., then had his experience as the new singer of Skid Row, thereafter was invited to record ,,Mother Mary’’ with Schenker and is now the vocalist of this tour.

Erik does a great job, he is an amazing singer and a fantastic front man. He is a natural born artist who has a likeable charisma. The setlist gives Erik the opportunity to show his versatility as a vocalist and he definitely delivers. The audience is convinced and goes all in.

MICHAEL SCHENKER – THE CONCLUSION

Michael’s (extended) guitar solos are of course the gems and he plays his white Gibson Flying V just the way we like to hear and see it. And of course, Michael is the big star here, but what we have in front of us is a band unit, a group of comrades that are very much enjoying breathing new life into those great and timeless UFO songs and also doing that with the utmost class and respect.

This is a night to remember.

All photos by Dirk van den Heuvel of DCH-Photography