NEW YORK (Sanctuary Records/ www.the-scorpions.com) -
Scorpions will return to U.S. shores to headline an arena tour in support of the new Sanctuary Records album Unbreakable. Special guests on this tour are hard-rock favorites
Tesla and the Keith Emerson Band featuring keyboard legend Keith Emerson.
The long-awaited Unbreakable has been hailed as a return to form for Scorpions. The Associated Press review of Unbreakable says Scorpions "clearly still pack a deadly sting." Scorpions are the most globally successful band to ever come out of Germany. In fact, Scorpions are one of the few heavy-metal bands to achieve worldwide stardom.
Vocalist Klaus Meine, rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker, lead guitarist Matthias Jabs, drummer James Kottak and new bass guitarist Pawel Maciwoda have given 'Unbreakable' a shot of the classic Scorpions sound.
For more than 35 years Scorpions have stood out in the world of heavy metal with a unique style. Meine and Schenker have been the core of the band since the 1972 debut Lonesome Crow; the former's distinctive voice and the latter's meaty guitar complement each other perfectly. Lead guitarists in the early days included Rudolf's brother Michael Schenker and Uli Jon Roth and they definitely provided individual styles; when Jabs joined for 1979's Lovedrive he provided a sleek, rich style and tone that pushed Scorpions to even greater creative heights.
Scorpions earned their die-hard fans the way every band with long-term careers does: nonstop touring and progressively stronger albums. Breakthrough success in the United States occurred with 1982's Top 10 album Blackout and its hit single "No One Like You." Upon the release of the 1984 smash Love At First Sting, Scorpions became a genuine phenomenon; "Rock You Like a Hurricane" earned a prime spot in the pantheon of rock 'n' roll anthems. 1990's emotional ballad "Wind of Change" from the Crazy World album was recognized worldwide as a symbol of the fall of the Berlin Wall that split Germany in two; the song became a worldwide hit, reaching No 4 in the United States and earning gold sales certification.
More than anything, Scorpions are primarily a live band. And crisscrossing Earth many times over like Scorpions is something that no other rock group has matched. In addition to monster classics like the previously mentioned "No One Like You," "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and "Wind of Change," fans will enjoy hearing favorites like "The Zoo," "Blackout," "Big City Nights," "Coast to Coast" and many others on this U.S. trek.
The band has toured throughout North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to name a country or region on this planet that Scorpions have not performed in. 2002 even saw Scorpions become the first Western rock group to perform a full-fledged tour of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (the countries that made up the former Soviet Union).
Some of the biggest concert events in history - literally - have featured Scorpions. Here is a partial list of these appearances:
* The first Rock In Rio show in Brazil in 1985
* Headlining Europe's Monsters Of Rock shows
* Michael Jackson & Friends benefit concert at Olympic Stadium in Munich in 1999
* Headlining a show for 750,000 people in Krakow, Poland, in 2000
* Moscow Music Peace Festival in 1989
* Roger Waters' presentation of Pink Floyd's The Wall in 1990 at Potsdamer Platz in the reunified Berlin
On a related note, Scorpions are one of the few bands ever to consistently sell out performances at New York City's legendary arena, Madison Square Garden.
The global appeal of Scorpions is even felt by the world's most important political and cultural officials. Mikhail Gorbachev, the last communist head of state of the former Soviet Union, invited Scorpions to take part in a rock music summit at the Kremlin on December 14, 1991. Scorpions joined the revered Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra to perform at the EXPO world fair on June 22, 2000, in the band's hometown of Hanover; the result was the Moment Of Glory album, for which Meine wrote the title song.
So far, the Scorpions story includes the release of more than 20 studio, live and compilation albums.
For all the latest news and concert updates, visit www.the-scorpions.com. Unbreakable tour dates with Tesla and the Keith Emerson Band include:
Thursday, October 21st Everett, WA Everett Events Center
Saturday, October 23rd Portland, OR Portland Memorial Coliseum
Sunday, October 24th Boise, ID Bank of America Center
Tuesday, October 26th West Valley, UT E-Center
Wednesday, October 27th Denver, CO Magness Arena
Friday, October 29th Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
Saturday, October 30th Detroit, MI Cobo Hall
Sunday, October 31st Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
Wednesday, November 3rd Cedar Rapids, IA Five Seasons Center
Thursday, November 4th St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
Saturday, November 6th Green Bay, WI Brown Co. Veterans Memorial
Sunday, November 7th St. Louis, MO Savvis Center
Tuesday, November 9th Grand Prairie, TX NOKIA Theatre/Next Stage
Wednesday, November 10th Houston, TX Reliant Park
Friday, November 12th Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
Saturday, November 13th San Antonio, TX SBC Arena
Sunday, November 14th Hidalgo, TX Dodge Arena
Tuesday, November 16th El Paso, TX UTEP Don Haskins Center
Wednesday, November 17th Albuquerque, NM Albuq. Convention Ctr.
Friday, November 19th Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
Saturday, November 20th Las Vegas, NV Aladdin Theater
Sunday, November 21st Tucson, AZ KLPX/Pima Co. Fairgrounds
Tuesday, November 23rd San Diego, CA Cox Arena
Wednesday, November 24th Fresno, CA Save Mart Center
Friday, November 26th Universal City, CA Universal Amphitheatre
Saturday, November 27th Universal City, CA Universal Amphitheatre
Tuesday, November 30th Bakersfield, CA Centennial Garden
Wednesday, December 1st Sacramento, CA Arco Arena
Friday, December 3rd San Jose, CA HP Pavilion at San Jose
Saturday, December 4th TBA
Sunday, December 5th Reno, NV Lawlor Events Center
