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Michael Schenker @ Le Trianon, Paris - February 27th, 2026
Michael Schenker brought his latest tour to Le Trianon, celebrating the material he forged during his years with UFO. It is slightly surreal to realize that some of those songs are over half a century old. With UFO now a closed chapter, the legacy rests squarely on Schenker's shoulders, and this tour makes no attempt to dilute that focus.
On paper, the lineup is solid: RD Liapakis on vocals, Bodo Schopf on drums, Barend Courbois on bass and Steve Mann on keyboards and rhythm guitar. In practice, the evening belonged almost entirely to the man with the Flying V. Schenker's playing was jaw-dropping, his tone rich and singing, his fingerwork fluid, his phrasing at once lyrical and powerful. Whatever adjustments he has made in recent years, musical or otherwise, they have paid dividends.
The backing band, however, rarely rose above functional. The rhythm section was rigid and heavy-handed, and the vocals, while competent, lacked the distinct personality these songs deserve. The overall impression was of a capable but interchangeable hard rock unit. They served the material adequately, yet one could not help imagining a more agile, less lumbering framework around Schenker's playing.
Still, no one packed Le Trianon to critique the bass player's tone. They came for those riffs, those melodies, those indelible lines. There is something genuinely arresting about watching Schenker navigate the extended passages of "Rock Bottom," each bend, sustain and volume swell landing with authority. And if you're not banging your head or pumping your fist when "Only You Can Rock Me" and "Too Hot to Handle" are blasting through the P.A., then you might need to call "Doctor, Doctor."
