If you’re going to celebrate 50 years of being one of rock’s most influential and mercurial guitarists, it’d be smart to continue to lean into what made you a legend in the first place. That’s exactly what Michael Schenker did at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall on Sunday night, October 5, delivering a scorching set that focused exclusively on his tenure with UFO, the band that transformed him from a teenage prodigy into a bona fide guitar god.
For those unfamiliar with Schenker’s legend, here’s the quick version: This is the same player who turned down joining Aerosmith (after Joe Perry left in 1979), passed on replacing Randy Rhoads in Ozzy’s band, declined an offer from Thin Lizzy, and even turned down Lemmy Kilmister’s invitation to be Motörhead’s first guitarist. Legend also has it that the Rolling Stones even approached him to be Mick Taylor’s replacement, but again, he passed. Why, you ask, would any budding young guitarist making a name for themselves turn down offers from these top-tier bands? That’s because, Schenker, for better or worse, has always been a maverick, with a track record of following his own vision, even at the expense of mainstream superstardom. Instead of making his name supporting far more famous rock luminaries, he formed the Michael Schenker Group (MSG), the band he still leads to this day. It’s a career path that’s brought him both legendary status and a reputation for being a bit on the eccentric—and sometimes unpredictable—side. But when you hear him play, it becomes easy to understand why he felt confident enough to walk away from all those major opportunities.
Last year’s My Years with UFO album, celebrating five decades since his initial run with the British rock institution, featured an all-star cast of guest vocalists, including Axl Rose, Slash, Dee Snider, and Joey Tempest, all covering classic Schenker-era UFO tracks in a modern-day setting. The current tour supporting that release has seen Schenker focusing entirely on that catalog, and this past week’s show at the Great American was a masterclass in why those songs remain so vital.
Lights Out, San Francisco
With Los Angeles metal veterans Armored Saint warming up the crowd, the evening was already primed by the time Schenker took the stage. The setlist was a veritable greatest hits package from Schenker’s UFO years. Opening with “Natural Thing,” the band immediately established the evening’s template: driving rhythms, soaring melodies, and Schenker’s signature fluid, melodic leads that somehow manage to be both technically dazzling and emotionally resonant. His iconic Gibson Flying V guitar sang through classics like “Only You Can Rock Me” and “Hot ‘n’ Ready.” At the same time, cuts like “Doctor Doctor” and “Mother Mary” reminded everyone in attendance why UFO was such a crucial bridge between early ’70s hard rock and the NWOBHM movement that followed.
What struck me most about the performance was Schenker’s sense of urgency and precision. At 70 years old (he’ll turn 70 in January 2026), he’s playing with the fire of someone half his age. Tracks like “This Kid’s” and the ultimate UFO crowd pleaser “Lights Out” pulsed with energy, while the extended workout on “Rock Bottom” showcased why its instrumental section remains one of hard rock’s most revered guitar showcases. The crowd, a mix of well-worn rock fans who followed UFO back in the day and younger guests studying at the altar of Schenker’s technique, hung on every note. Schenker’s band was also no slouch, with touring vocalist Roberto Dimitri Liapakis handling UFO legend Phil Mogg’s parts with aplomb.
The Great American Music Hall, with its ornate Victorian-era interior and intimate capacity, proved to be the perfect venue for this sold-out, guitar-centric show. There’s nowhere to hide in a room that size, and Schenker didn’t need to. Songs like “Love to Love” (preceded by a Bodo Schopf drum solo), “Let It Roll,” and the raucous “Shoot Shoot” demonstrated that these UFO compositions have lost none of their luster over the decades. Closing the main set with “Too Hot to Handle,” the band left the stage to thunderous applause before returning for encores.
New album: Don’t Sell Your Soul
This UFO-heavy touring cycle serves as a perfect lead-in to Schenker’s brand-new album, Don’t Sell Your Soul, which dropped on October 3 via earMUSIC. The second installment in a planned trilogy (following last year’s My Years with UFO), this latest MSG offering features 11 tracks of new original material. With Swedish vocalist Erik Grönwall (formerly of Skid Row, and one of the best singers in MSG’s storied history) handling lead vocals and guest appearances from former Schenker colleague Robin McAuley, the album finds Schenker in a reflective but still fiery mood.
The title track, which Schenker debuted at this year’s Wacken Open Air festival, serves as a mission statement. “Don’t sell your soul, can’t have it all,” goes the refrain, and it’s hard not to hear it as Schenker’s validation of all those career choices that saw him turn down sure things in favor of artistic freedom. Tracks like “I Can’t Stand Waiting” and “Flesh and Bone” harken back to classic ’80s MSG, while cuts like the offbeat “Janey the Fox” with its dripping bass lines, odd-metered 7/8 groove, and melancholic chorus set against some of Schenker’s most melodic fretwork, prove that the guitarist is still willing to take risks and explore new sonic territory. Erik Grönwall’s layered harmonies in the closer “Surrender” also stand out as another example of Schenker stretching the boundaries of the original hard rock blueprint he helped create 50 years ago.
What’s striking about Don’t Sell Your Soul is how it complements rather than competes with the UFO retrospective tour. While the live shows celebrate Schenker’s past glories, the new album proves he’s still writing vital material. Produced by Schenker and Michael Voss with his longtime band (Bodo Schopf on drums, Barend Courbois on bass, Steve Mann on guitar and keys), the 11-track collection is refreshingly concise, with songs rarely topping four minutes, and Schenker’s solos are tasteful and melodic rather than indulgent, cutting straight to the heart of each composition sans the excesses that other guitar heroes often partake in.
Michael Schenker’s career has been anything but conventional. He’s walked off stages mid-song, left bands at the height of their success, battled addiction and anger management issues, and earned a reputation as one of rock’s most unpredictable talents. But he’s also inspired generations of guitarists, from Randy Rhoads to Kirk Hammett, and created a body of work that stands alongside anyone’s in hard rock history.
The recent show at the Great American Music Hall was a reminder that when Schenker is on, few guitarists can touch his technical chops and melodic taste. The UFO material sounded fresh and vital, played by a band clearly energized by both the legacy they’re celebrating and the new material they’re promoting. And whether you see his career as a cautionary tale of squandered opportunity or a triumphant story of artistic integrity, one thing is undeniable: Michael Schenker has paved his own road, for better and worse, and he’s still out there playing the hell out of that Flying V.
That, in the end, might be the most rock and roll thing of all.
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