MSG will kick off their long-awaited US tour TONIGHT, September 27th, in support of their latest full-length, Universal! The trek will commence in San Juan Capistrano, California and run through November 6th in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tickets are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below.
MSG w/ Eric Martin, Images Of Eden:
9/27/2022 The Coach House – San Juan Capistrano, CA ***Sold Out***
9/28/2022 Goldfield Trading Post – Roseville, CA
9/29/2022 Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA ***Sold Out***
10/01/2022 Saban Theater – Los Angeles, CA
10/02/2022 Count’s Vamp’d – Las Vegas, NV ***Sold Out***
10/04/2022 Oriental Theater – Denver, CO
10/06/2022 Pop’s – Sauget, IL
10/07/2022 Des Plaines Theater – Des Plaines, IL ***Sold Out***
10/08/2022 Arcada Theater – St. Charles, IL ***Sold Out***
10/09/2022 Pabst Theater – Milwaukee, WI
10/11/2022 The Art Theater – Hobart, IN
0/12/2022 Piere’s – Ft. Wayne, IN
10/14/2022 The King Of Clubs – Columbus, OH
10/15/2022 Agora Theater – Cleveland, OH
10/16/2022 Harpo’s – Detroit, MI
10/17/2022 Jergels – Pittsburgh, PA
10/19/2022 The Vault – New Bedford, MA * MSG only
10/20/2022 Flying Monkey – Plymouth, NH
10/21/2022 Cabot Theater – Beverly, MA
10/22/2022 Sony Hall – New York, NY
10/23/2022 Newton Theater – Newton, NJ
10/25/2022 Keswick Theater – Glenside, PA
10/26/2022 Tally Ho – Leesburg, VA
10/27/2022 Sherman Theater – Stroudsburg, PA
w/ Damon Johnson & The Get Ready, Images Of Eden:
10/29/2022 Bogarts – Cincinnati, OH
10/30/2022 Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN
w/ W.A.S.P., Armored Saint:
11/02/2022 White Oak Music Hall – Houston, TX
11/03/2022 Concrete Street Pavilion – Corpus Christi TX
11/04/2022 Eaton Arena – San Antonio, TX
11/05/2022 Amplified Live – Dallas, TX
11/06/2022 Tulsa Theater – Tulsa, OK
MSG US Tour 2022 Lineup: Michael Schenker * Ronnie Romero * Steve Mann * Barend Courbois * Bodo Schopf
There are few rock guitarists on this planet who’ve had such a lasting influence on so many renowned musicians as MICHAEL SCHENKER. With his outstandingly fluid style, inexhaustible wealth of ideas, and instinctive feel for hooks and melodies, MICHAEL SCHENKER is a living legend who, despite his longstanding and distinguished history, still impresses with his unflagging energy and drive. The blond stringsman from Sarstedt, Germany began his international career in the early 1970s with the Scorpions, achieved worldwide fame after joining British rock group U.F.O., and then seamlessly continued his exceptional global success story under his own name, as well as with acts such as MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP (otherwise known as MSG), Temple Of Rock, and MICHAEL SCHENKER Fest. SCHENKER and his career, which has spanned more than five decades, are absolute exceptions in the otherwise short-lived music industry.
His latest MSG album Universal, released in May via Atomic Fire Records, features all the strengths of this exceptional musician: first-rate songs with anthemic melodies, catchy guitar riffs, and inspiring solos. As we have come to expect from him, SCHENKER has once again enlisted a number of prestigious fellow musicians for the recording of his new studio production, among them, as main vocalist, Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Vandenberg), who will also be MSG’s frontman on their upcoming tour, Michael Kiske (Helloween), and Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), keyboard player Steve Mann (Lionheart), drummers Simon Phillips (Toto, The Who), Brian Tichy (Whitesnake, Foreigner), Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow), and Bodo Schopf (Eloy), as well as legendary bassists Bob Daisley (Black Sabbath), Barry Sparks (Yngwie Malmsteen, Dokken), and Barend Courbois (Blind Guardian, Zakk Wylde), with Tony Carey as a very special guest. But more about that later.
First, let’s talk about the basic parameters of the new recording: Like its predecessor Immortal (2021) and the MICHAEL SCHENKER Fest albums Resurrection (2018) and Revelation (2019), Universal was produced by MICHAEL SCHENKER and Michael Voss (Lessmann/Voss, Mad Max) at Voss’s Kidroom Studio, which has become something of a creative home-away-from-home for SCHENKER. “Michael Voss is happy to wait until I have worked out an idea and takes the time to really get to know the song, simultaneously developing ideas for the vocals,” SCHENKER describes of the fruitful collaboration which has one cog intermesh with the other. “Then we work out the drums, bass, and some keyboard parts together. He always has plenty of great ideas up his sleeve.” Compositional highlights abound on Universal, from the haunting opener “Emergency” and the subsequent “Under Attack” with its casually driving groove to “The Universe,” featuring an atmospheric duet by Ronnie Romero and Gary Barden, “Wrecking Ball,” performed as brilliantly as ever by Ralf Scheepers, and “London Calling” with its homage to the British capital’s musical spirit.
The rock anthem “A King Has Gone” and its intro “Calling Baal” both have a special significance: The track, sung by Helloween frontman Michael Kiske, is a tribute to the immortal Ronnie James Dio, in particular to his performance on the 1976 hard rock classic Rainbow Rising. For this reason, SCHENKER has brought together an original Rainbow rhythm section consisting of Bobby Rondinelli and Bob Daisley, additionally enlisting keyboardist Tony Carey, who also played on Rainbow Rising, for a terrific Moog synth intro – a direct reference to the iconic intro of the 1976 album opener “Tarot Woman.” The impressive result “Calling Baal/A King Has Gone” is already considered to be one of the most important and successful songs in SCHENKER’s career to date, both musically and lyrically.
In line with all these highlights, the spectacular MSG album cover designed by Zsofia Dankova (Powerwolf, among others) features SCHENKER in a futuristic spaceship, floating high up in orbit. The artwork is based on the guitarist’s own visions, “I had the original idea for the album cover a few years ago, but only now does it seem to fit perfectly. So, I sent some older sketches to my label Atomic Fire Records and based on this the final artwork and album title were created.”
No doubt about it: The title, artwork, and new songs suit MSG as perfectly as his characteristic Flying V suits MICHAEL SCHENKER!
Universal is available as a CD digipak (including two bonus tracks), Earbook (CD including two bonus tracks), on vinyl, and digitally. Find ordering options at THIS LOCATION.
MSG:
Michael Schenker – lead guitars
Ronnie Romero – vocals
Bodo Schopf – drums
Steve Mann – keyboards, guitars
Barend Courbois – bass
