Written by:	D.T. Metal
Published:	January 23, 2017
Event:	Dirkschneider: Back To The Roots - Farewell To Accept Tour 2017
Location:	Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO, USA
Galleries:	Dirkschneider - Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO - 16 Jan 2017 by D.T. Metal (28)

"Dirkschneider: Back To The Roots - Farewell To Accept" says it all.

Udo Dirkschneider hasn't been a part of the German heavy metal titans Accept for eons now, and since his solo band U.D.O. has a rather extensive discography on its own, he decided it was time to finally close this chapter of his musical career.

If this is good or bad lies in the eye of the beholder, as crowd pleaser "Balls To The Wall" does sound great, no matter which band plays it live. But since I just saw Dirkschneider at last year's Metal Hammer Paradise Festival I knew the classic Accept songs would be a treat for the fans during the band's current North America Tour.

That's why I was actually kind of surprised that the gig at the Bluebird Theater in Denver, CO was not sold out. But then again, it's winter time here and the roads were rather shitty. On the other hand though, I talked with a metal head who came all the way from Casper, Wyoming to see the show. Kudos dude, since this is a roughly 270 mile (430km) one-way trip. Local support that night came from Denver's own Lotus Gait, but due to stuffing my face with a burrito and beers at a restaurant across the street, I unfortunately missed their set. Priorities; I know

Since Dirkschneider brought his own band U.D.O., the musicians were more than familiar with the Accept material. As a matter of fact, the set-list of the evening was almost the same as last year's Live Album Dirkschneider - Back To The Roots; sans "Burning".

Drummer, and Udo's son, Sven was the first to be seen, taking his place behind his kit, while the rest of the band entered the stage. As the first riffs came out of the guitars, Udo, the man of the night, came out fists pumping. Larger than life? well, maybe what Udo lacks in the "large" department , he clearly makes up for in regards to stamina. Holy crap! I hope when I am his age, I will have this much energy!

During the first song ("Starlight"), there were plenty of cheer alongs and also the first of many guitar duets by Andrey Smirnov and Kasperi Heikkinen. Like I said, the main focus was to bid farewell to Udo's Accept era and fans really appreciated the opportunity of hearing him sing some of the old classics.

Songs such as "Midnight Highway", "Restless And Wild," "Princess Of The Dawn", "Screaming For A Love-Bite" and of course staples such as "Metal Heart", "Fast As A Shark" and the crowd favorite, and also last song of the night, "Balls To The Wall", went down like butter to all in the crowd.

I have seen Accept with their current vocalist quite a few times over the years, and while I do enjoy hearing Mark Tornillo sing the old classics, it just doesn't compare to hearing Udo singing them. Yes, Udo might be less active and animated while on stage, but this doesn't take away from the fact that he still kicks ass in the vocal department. On the musical side, his son Sven was a beast behind the drums. And we don't even have to talk about the abilities of the bands guitarists and Fitty Wienhold on the bass.

One thing I thought was funny is that Udo sported an old style US military jacket, flag and all, while bassist Mr. Wienhold wore a German military jacket.





All in all, it was a great night for classic German heavy metal and if you get a chance, do go to the show. I just hope that after this tour, U.D.O. will be no stranger to the US and we will be able to sing along to his own awesome songs.