The concert itself, as any Scorpions concert, was a pleasant, enjoyable event, more so for the mtv unplugged (i.e. acoustic) feature;
The Scorpions do have a knack of bringing families together to enjoy a good moment with cheerful, rhythmic, or nostalgic tunes. Heck, they've been around for a good 40 years (give or take) and their concerts are very much a family affair; the young fans of early years are parents themselves now -- some with grown up children! One of the advantages of being around long enough is that people of all ages know the lyrics to their songs...
What the Scorpions are not, is passionate, full of rogue, raw energy, ready to blow you away and the venue to smithereens. It's not Queen in their heyday, nor the young Who or the Stones (to name a few).
What the Scorpions ARE however is "middle" European. And their lyrics commemorate, sing, reflect and remind us of the times and events of continental Europe in the way no US or UK group has -- or can. The Scorpions sing for us, the unknown middle & East European: many of their lyrics strike a uniquely European chord. The Scorpions are part of this "old world". They capture the old world's rainy, overcast, small-time, stuffy and struggling Old World life; the quiet insufferable boredom behind closed doors; the sooty interiors hidden behind the luster of our purported artistic design, our supposed refinement, and our snobbishness; Europe is a plethora of tiny to medium-sized countries all packed together in a continent where 2 hrs plane ride will take you across 4 different national languages....
So when we see expansive cities, lit like Xmas trees, it is awesome. We may never admit it, but it is daunting .The "Big City Lights" captures that : the little European's awe at the Eastern light & technological structure extravaganza. I know, that: I have personal experience of these "big city lights".
It's not that we don't have big cities in Europe, it's just that for us, huge is about the size of an average apartment building on East 6th ave N Y. And the lights are usually low to save on energy. Oh yes: we are mostly in bed by ten on weekdays.
Take that same 2 hour plane ride a few years ago and you would have crossed 4 languages and 6 different political regimes... For continental Europeans, the long-forgotten "iron curtain" was part of everyday life.
For anyone who has lived in or experienced a Soviet country before the demise of that parody -- and I am one such person -- "The Wind of Change" lyrics speak to the heart.
It may not be Keats, but for us, the line "the children of tomorrow dream away / in the wind of change" is real: we have lived and breathed in that wind and we have met these children, now grown up. In fact we have breathed in previous winds as well, where "change" had been relegated to miracle territory.
For most of us it's the little things that count; that one little moment in time, that moment that will change everything.
Check out the Scorpions' lyrics: how many times Klaus & Co sing about "a moment (in time)", directly or indirectly?
Anyway, towards the end of the concert Klaus picked up a Greek flag, put it on his shoulder and, with Morten Harket, sang "Wind of Change". OK, so Greece is going through the toughest time in its modern history and the symbolic effect of singing the words "close like brothers" and "change (for the better)" is a winning PR gesture before the public of a debt-ridden country.
It's a small gesture so he didn't really have to do it -- but he did.
So I choose to believe that deep down, the Scorpions wanted to do it, PR or not.
