Scorpions/ Cinderella

It's been a while since I've seen Cinderella live. I always liked these guys so it was great to hear they were back in action. After many years of throat problems (which kept the band on and off the road), it seems Tom Kiefer is in better shape. Cinderella don't quite look the same as in the 80s...drummer Fred Coury has the longest hair, Tom's just shoulder length still wearin the Steven Tyler type fashion clothes, guitarist Jeff LaBar is going for the just to the collar straight with blond streaks looks, and bassist Eric Brittingham almost unrecognizable without the long flowing blond locks, now real short and dark black.

Hitting the stage with energy and a hard guitar sound, the Pennsylvania natives were met with an audience looking forward to their return. The setlist was nothing out of the ordinary including hits like ‘Somebody Save Me', ‘Nobody's Fool', ‘Gypsy Road', the excellent ballad ‘Don't know What You Got (till it's gone') where Tom as always sat at the piano and played, the acoustic ‘Heartbreak Station' and one of my favs ‘Comin Home'. Towards the end of their set Tom did struggle a bit hitting certain notes so maybe he's not completely out of the woods, yet, but maybe he just needs to grease the wheels a little more. Let's hope a new album is in the future.

After 30 years, over 20 albums (including live ones), with the release of "Sting of The Tail" in 2010 and the Get Your Sting And Blackout tour, the boys have decided to pack it in.

Due to circumstances beyond their control...for the opening night (tonight) of the U.S. tour, singer Klaus Mein wasn't feeling well and had problems hitting notes and sustaining others. He apologized to the crowd saying he would still put his heart into to the performance (which he did). The people were supper cool and very supportive giving Klaus a rousing applause which seemed to put his worries at ease. The rest of the band; guitarists Matthias Jabs and Rudolf Schenker, Pawel Maciwoda – bass, and James Kottak on drums picked up the slack going through their regular choreographed rock moves including the triangle formed when Klaus stands on the guitarist legs with guitars raised to the sky.

Being a farewell tour...it was unfortunate the setlist was still very American, and understandably cut short (no ‘Still Lovin You' or ‘Nobody Like You'), with no songs from the 70s. Closest thing was during the Kottak Attack drum solo where a video played with clips of several older Scorps album covers and the artwork came to life…when you saw the "Fly to the Rainbow" there was a guy sky diving and for "Lovedrive" the couple were making out in the back of the car. So that was a nice feature. And it was a bit much playing four ballads; ‘The Best Is Yet To Come" from "Sting In The Tail", ‘Holiday' which I can't argue with and is a classic, ‘Send Me An Angel' and ‘Winds Of Change'.

Great light show and performance from all the members, Kottak is a ball of energy, yet disappointing nothing was included (I was expecting a least a couple) from the 70s and albums like "Virgin Killer", "In Trance", and "Taken By Force". Well…maybe next time since the tour is supposed to last for a couple years.

Cinderella Setlist
Second Wind
Push Push
Somebody Save Me
Falling Apart At The Seems
Night Songs
Heartbreak Station
Coming Home
Shelter Me
Nobody's Fool
Gypsy Road
Don't Know What You Got (til it's gone)
Shake Me

Pics of Cinderella at the House of Blues in Atlantic City, NJ, here http://www.bravewords.com/galleries/397

Scorpions Setlist
Blackout
Bad Boys Running Wild
Best Is Yet To Come
Sting In The Tail
Raised On Rock
Make It Real
Big City Nights
Coast To Coast (instrumental)
Kottak Attack
Holiday
Rock You Like A Hurricane
Dynamite
The Zoo
Winds of Change
Send Me An Angel
Tease Me Please Me

Check out pics from the Cleveland show here http://www.bravewords.com/galleries/406