SCORPIONS ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL DATES FOR ‘GET YOUR STING AND BLACKOUT’ FAREWELL WORLD TOUR

Press Release Content:
DATE: APRIL 12, 2010

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/TODD BRODGINSKI/ANGELA VILLANUEVA/BARI LIEBERMAN

SCORPIONS
ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL
DATES FOR
‘GET YOUR STING AND BLACKOUT’
FAREWELL WORLD TOUR

CRITICAL PRAISE CONTINUES TO POUR IN
FOR NEW AND FINAL ALBUM
‘STING IN THE TAIL’

FIRST SINGLE “RAISED ON ROCK”
TOPPING CLASSIC ROCK RADIO

Scorpions at Guitar Center’s RockWalk on April 6, 2010 in Hollywood, CA
Photo Credit: Steve Macia (cinemacia.com)

SCORPIONS have announced additional dates for the two-month North American leg of their “GET YOUR STING AND BLACKOUT” farewell world tour. The German rockers will be taking over such cities as Gilford, NH, Pittsburgh, PA, Miami, FL, Tampa, FL, New Orleans, LA and Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre as they celebrate the success of their new and final album STING IN THE TAIL. As one of the most successful rock bands in the world, the Scorpions will be celebrating 40+ years in music during this final outing that will feature special guests including Cinderella, Dokken, Ratt and Tesla supporting along the way. Additional dates will continue to be announced soon.

Released March 23 via Universal Music Enterprises, Sting in the Tail entered the Billboard Top 200 charts at #23, marking the band’s highest chart debut in over 20 years. “Raised on Rock”–the album’s anthemic first single–currently sits at the #1 spot at classic rock radio and adds to their remarkable list of hits including “Rock You Like A Hurricane,” “Wind of Change” and “No One Like You.” Critical praise continues to pour in about the new album (see quotes below).

On Tuesday, April 6, the Scorpions–KLAUS MEINE (vocals), MATTHIAS JABS (lead guitar), RUDOLF SCHENKER (guitar), JAMES KOTTAK (drums) and PAWEL MACIWODA (bass)–were inducted into RockWalk at Guitar Center in Hollywood, CA, the only sidewalk gallery dedicated to honoring those artists who have made a significant impact and lasting contribution to the growth and evolution of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Blues, and R&B. Fans, friends and family–including Lemmy from Motorhead and Ratt’s Warren DiMartini–were all on hand to see the band put their hands in cement to be immortalized on Sunset Blvd.

MEINE spoke to the fans around the world, thanking them for their support, inviting them to come out to the shows for one final celebration and expressing their gratitude for the honor. “It’s an amazing moment in our career. Who would have thought in the early 70s when we left Hanover, West Germany, went all over the world, that so many years later, 2010, we would come here to Hollywood and put our handprints next to all these great rock n’ roll legends? This feels very, very special and it’s a great honor.”

See what’s being said about STING IN THE TAIL:

“Those who dug into Scorpions albums from the '80s like Animal Magnetism, Blackout and Love at First Sting will enjoy nostalgic twinges throughout these 12 new tracks, beginning with ‘Raised on Rock,’ a latter-day ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’…The title track and ‘No Limit’ offer galloping riff rock, while ‘Rock Zone’ touches on psychedelic blues.

–Gary Graff, BILLBOARD, April 10, 2010

“…the enduring quintet leaves us with its integrity intact…Sting is filled with straight-ahead arena metal such as ‘Raised on Rock,’ ‘No Limit,’ ‘Rock Zone’ and ‘Spirit of Rock.’ Sting in the Tail reminds us that after more than 40 years together, the Scorpions survived the rise and fall of hair metal without needing a new coif. They're still the same solid band that spawned air-guitar players with 1984's anthem ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane.’ They can retire with pride.”

–Mario Tarradell, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, March 22, 2010

“Sting In The Tail is a great way to finish…Scorpions still can write really catchy songs…Sting In The Tail is packed with arena ready anthems. Songs like ‘No Limit,’ ‘Rockzone’ and ‘Turn You On’ are bombastic and memorable. Meine gets a chance to croon on ballads such as ‘Lorelei.’ His distinctive voice doesn't seem to have lost much if any power or range.”

–Chad Bower, HEAVYMETAL.ABOUT.COM, March 2010

“From the opening track ‘Raised On Rock,’ Sting In The Tail shows off the trademark Scorpions’ formula: infectious riffs that dominate the musical intros, vocalist Klaus Meine’s powerhouse vocals (a feat pretty amazing for a 61-year-old), and instantly hummable choruses. ‘Raised On Rock’ in particular features an opening full of power chords that have a striking similarity to ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane.’ The final song ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ is somewhat of a tearjerker when the theme comes to light. Between the crescendo chorus and the lyrical content discussing how growing old doesn’t mean an end to loving life, it makes for a fitting – and extremely moving – finish for a band that is going out with grace.”

—ULTIMATE-GUITAR.COM, March 23, 2010

“Sting in the Tail is a varied platter of the Scorpions’ strengths and trademark sonic and lyrical attributes…it spans what made the band a sensation among heavy metal and rock fans, and most importantly, it does not sound dated or part of a trend. What you get is a photograph of the Scorpions on the top of their game…”

–Aaron Mayagoitia, 411MANIA.COM, March 28, 2010

“The CD opener, ‘Raised on Rock’ will bring smiles to the faces of the Scorpion faithful, quickly to be followed by tears as one realizes this is the last time the band will deliver such amazing musical moments. ‘Lorelei’ and ‘SLD’ are classic sounding Scorpions ballads that will have cell phones (the new millenniums version of the cigarette lighter) illuminating arenas around the globe…Sting in the Tail lives up to the hype…”

–Jeb Wright, CLASSICROCKREVISITED.COM, April 2010

“Sting in the Tail has that familiar formula and sound we have all come to know and love from the Scorpions.”

–Kelley Simms, SMNNEWS.COM, March 25, 2010

“…for their grand finale, the group has opted to go back to basics and re-embrace the straight-ahead heavy metal sound that earned them their greatest success.”

–Will Harris, ESDMUSIC.COM, April 5, 2010

“If you wanted the blueprint to build the perfect Metal band, you could simply line this band up against the wall and trace around them with a Sharpie. The Scorpions are second to none in producing rockin’, hooky metal songs and soaring power ballads. They’ve been doing it for a long time, and as this album demonstrates, they still have quite a ‘Sting’… If you want a good, solid working-man’s metal album that delivers on its promises, Sting In The Tail is it.”

–Jeff Markunas, CWG MAGAZINE, March 30, 2010

“This is a masterpiece in every sense of the word…Overall, I almost give this a perfect ten…Rudolf and his band have delivered the goods, fulfilled their promise and done so in the most emphatic manner possible. If this really is the last album they would ever record, I would say with a heavy heart that it's the perfect way to say goodbye to the fans.”

–Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal, METALASSAULT.COM, March 23, 2010

“The basic elements of hard rock music are ingrained in the DNA of the members of the iconic German hard rock band. And with their newest release, Sting in The Tail, they manage to redefine their signature sound and build an opus that not only resembles the characteristics of the past, but of the present too.”

–Robert Cavuoto, FURYROCKS.COM, April 6, 2010

“Klaus Meine's ringing voice, one of rock's most distinctive and frequently imitated, has lost nothing. Ding! The guitar tones of Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs bring the best that our technical world has to offer.”

–Greg Burk, METALJAZZ.COM, March 2010

“Sting in the Tail is all about the old times and the good times…they crank up the speed and the volume…Sting in the Tail is bread and butter Scorpions for their arena-dwelled faithful.”

–Ray Van Horn Jr, THE METAL MINUTE (blog), March 25, 2010

“Sting In The Tail [is] a slick, bombastic record that sounds like Crazy World meets Face The Heat meets Unbreakable–it is a strong album right out of the blocks…Guitarists Rudolf Schenker and Mathias Jabs tear it up and Klaus Meine has never sounded better than on this effort…Sting In The Tail is a near perfect album and one hell of a way to wind up a career.”

–Ruben Mosqueda, SLEAZEROXX.COM, March 2010

“Sting In The Tail a hard rocking return to form…Big guitars, big vocals, big drums, big fun!”

—REALROCKREPORT.BLOGSPOT.COM, March 22, 2010

“…every song is very good on this album. The first song on here, ‘Raised on Rock,’ right off the bat, kicks you in the head, with some good ol’ hard rock, I like it. If I had to rate Sting In The Tail I would give it a 10/10, an awesome Scorpions album…The Scorpions are a band that has hardly disappointed me.”

—1UP.COM, March 26, 2010

“The Scorpions are still alive and stinging on their latest.”

—GLAMROCK.COM, March 27, 2010

Check out the SCORPIONS on the “Get Your Sting and Blackout” Tour:

New shows in bold below.

DATE

CITY

VENUE

ON-SALE

** Fri

6/18

Holmdel, NJ

PNC Bank Arts Center

Now via Ticketmaster

** Sat

6/19

Columbia, MD

Merriweather Post Pavilion

Now via ticketfly.com

**Tue

6/22

Wantagh, NY

Jones Beach Theater

Now via Ticketmaster

# Wed

6/23

Gilford, NH

Meadowbrook Amphitheatre

April 16 via mdtix.com

** Fri

6/25

Quebec City, QC

Pavillion de la Juenesse

Now via billitech.com

** Sat

6/26

Montreal, QC

Bell Centre

Now via geg.ca

** Sun

6/27

Toronto, ON

Molson Amphitheatre

Now via Ticketmaster

Thu

7/1

Detroit, MI

DTE Energy Music Theatre

April 24 via Ticketmaster

Fri

7/2

Milwaukee, WI

Summerfest

TBA via Ticketmaster

Mon

7/5

Pittsburgh, PA

Amphitheatre at Station Square

April 17 via Ticketmaster

** Thu

7/8

Sarnia, ONT

Sarnia Bayfest Festival

April 17 via sarniabayfest.com

^ Sat

7/10

Nashville, TN

Bridgestone Arena

TBA via Ticketmaster

^ Fri

7/16

Miami, FL

Bayfront Park Amphitheatre

April 16 via Ticketmaster

^ Sat

7/17

Tampa, FL

Ford Amphitheatre

April 16 via Ticketmaster

^ Mon

7/19

New Orleans, LA

Mahalia Jackson Theatre

April 17 via Ticketmaster

** Sat

7/24

Oklahoma City, OK

Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre

Now via tickets.com

~ Mon

7/26

Albuquerque, NM

Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque Presents The Pavilion

April 24 via Ticketmaster

~ Tue

7/27

Phoenix, AZ

Dodge Theatre

April 24 via Ticketmaster

** Thu

7/29

Ontario, CA

Citizen’s Business Bank Arena

April 23 via Ticketmaster

** Sat

7/31

Los Angeles, CA

Nokia Theatre*

April 23 via Ticketmaster

+ Fri

8/6

Roseburg, OR

Douglas County Fairgrounds

April 17 via

http://www.co.douglas.or.us/dcfair/fair.html

+ Sat

8/7

Ridgefield, WA

Amphitheatre at Clark County

Now via Ticketmaster

** Tue

8/17

Denver, CO

1st Bank Center

Now via tickethorse.com

** denotes Cinderella supporting
+ denotes Dokken supporting
^ denotes Ratt supporting
# denotes Vince Neil supporting
~ denotes Tesla supporting

*Note: The Los Angeles date and venue have changed, current information above.

http://www.the-scorpions.com
http://www.myspace.com/officialscorpions

U.S. Press Contacts:
Todd Brodginski
Angela Villanueva
Mitch Schneider
Bari Lieberman (Tour Press)
818-380-0400

###

Press Release Date:
Mon, 2010-04-12 20:00

Press Release Link:
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Press Release Teaser:
SCORPIONS ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL DATES FOR ‘GET YOUR STING AND BLACKOUT’ FAREWELL WORLD TOUR