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SCORPIONS – The “Love at First Sting” Residency in Las Vegas w/ UGLY KID JOE – 4/18/2023

WillG

April 23, 2024

1093

Scorpions

The “Love at First Sting” Residency

w/ Ugly Kid Joe

The Bakkt Theater, Las Vegas, NV – Thursday, April 18th, 2024

Recap/Pics: Will

(note: I was not accredited for the show, but was lucky enough to have a front row seat (THANK YOU DIANA!) to take advantage with my point and shoot camera. Turns out, it worked out JUST fine for a review and picture set.)

Ugly Kid Joe

It’s been a hot minute since the band name Ugly Kid Joe has crossed anyone’s lips, but they were the lucky recipients of the opening slot on this 9 date residency which made for an exciting start to the show.

UKJ, like a number of emerging bands in the early 90’s, were a victim of timing. Their first release caught the interest of many with their most well known songs, “Neighbor“, “Everything About You” and their cover of the Harry Chapin hit, “Cat’s In The Cradle“, but after after a few subsequent releases (that received critical acclaim), the band kind of fell off the radar. After a breakup in 1997, they returned in 2010 and except for a few releases in 2015 and 2022 (again, to critical acclaim) they have been relatively quiet.

Whitfield Crane – lead vocals

Klaus Eichstadt – guitars, backing vocals

Cordell Crockett – bass, backing vocals

Dave Fortman – guitars, backing vocals

Zac Morris – drums, percussion

I for one was excited to get an opportunity to see them live. They surely didn’t disappoint, but they also didn’t blow the roof off the theater. It’s very possible that they were victims of a Thursday night crowd in Vegas.

Don’t get me wrong, the band sounded great. I think it had more to do with the energy in the room. Singer, Whitfield Crane had to remind the slowly arriving crowd how to stand up and clap several times throughout their quick hit, 40 min set.

The band were obviously limited in where they could move on the stage. Without being able to take advantage of the large walkway that jutted to the front of the crowd, it kind of kept them at a physical and musical distance.

I really enjoyed their set as did most of the Bakkt Theater crowd. I feel the band and their energy were ramping up as it progressed, but again the short set time had everyone just starting to get warmed up and then they were done.

I’d love to go see Ugly Kid Joe in a small venue with a full set where the stage is “theirs” and hopefully I’ll get that opportunity sometime soon.

Scorpions

The Scorpions most successful album,”Love At First Sting” was released almost exactly 40 years to the day that the band started their Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood in the Bakkt Theater in Las Vegas.

To say that the Scorps were celebrating the anniversary in style would be an understatement. Klaus, Rudy, Matthias, Pawel and Mikkey pulled out all the stops to create a Vegas sized party in the middle of the LV Strip.

Much like the original Love at First Sting tour that produced their live, monster album “World Wide Live“, their show kicked off with Klaus walking out in a spotlight leading into “Coming Home” which immediately awakened the now filled out Bakkt Theater crowd and riled them into a raucous frenzy that lasted for just short of 3 hours.

What followed was not only a celebration of the Scorpions timeless rock anthems like “Rock You Like a Hurricane“, “No One Like You“, “Blackout” and “Wind Of Change“, but also a tour through a number of their more recent songs like “Gas In The Tank” and “Peacemaker” (from their 2023 corker, “Rock Believer“). They also threw in a few rarely played songs from LAFS in “Crossfire” and “The Same Thrill“.

There were solos from Matthias and Mikkey and a full band Jam that brought everyone to the front of the stage (minus Mikkey of course).

The band graciously took a moment to honor their former drummer, James Kottak who recently passed away and dedicated “Send Me An Angel” to him.

Klaus Meine sounded incredible and was mainly stationed center stage. Although Klaus recently underwent a “complex spinal surgery”, he still managed to venture out occasionally to hold out his mic stand and toss out some drumsticks to the eager pit crowd that surrounded both sides of the walkway.

Rudy Schenker was the most animated of the band running to and from the front of the stage, jumping around, making faces and flexing his very impressive, (75 year old) guns.

Mikkey’s drum solo mirrored the one that he performed during the Rock Believer tour. Including a giant slot machine reel that would spin while he pounded. (Seemed a little more apt in this setting).

Matthias even played a few guitars that looked like they were specially made for their Vegas visit.

Pawel Mąciwoda on bass (Who has now been part of the band for over 20 years!) delivers precisions and power to the low end and his energy certainly elevates the overall Scorpions Live experience.

If you have the ways and means to get to Vegas for one of their remaining 5 dates, do it. With only 9 scheduled dates, this residency is a true event and a must-see show for any die-hard Scorpions fans.