From the Archives: Scorpions' feat: Fans stay on their feet
April 24, 1984: The Scorpions kept their fans on their feet during a two-hour concert at the Forum.
(Tony Barnard / Los Angeles Times Archive / UCLA)
The energetic Scorpions kept their fans on their feet for the entire April 24, 1984, concert at the Forum. Two days later, writer Terry Atkinson explained in the Los Angeles Times:
Rock 'n roll fans will stand for just about anything–literally.
Sometimes they get so caught up in the energy and excitement of a concert that they'll stay on their feet for four or five songs–despite attempts by ushers and security guards to get everyone seated.
Sooner or later, however, even the most enthusiastic audience tires of standing during a concert. The first slightly slow song is a sure bet to send the fans down in waves. Rarely does a crowd at the Forum stay up for a whole show.
But it happened Tuesday night, when the Scorpions played the first of two consecutive evenings at the Inglewood area (they also headline the San Diego Sports Arena tonight and the Pacific Amphitheatre Saturday).
Except in the far upper reaches, so distant from the stage that the people may have thought the band was the Lakers, the capacity crowd stood through the entire two-hour set, including two encores.
April 24, 1984: Guitarist Rudolf Schenker and singer Klaus Meine, founding members of the Scorpions, draw Forum crowd into their hard rock. Tony Barnard / Los Angeles Times Archive / UCLA
What is it about this German heavy-metal band that earns this response?
Respect for the group's longevity? After all, this quintet has been plowing the hard-rock field for almost 15 years, reaping its first U.S. top 10 album, "Blackout," only two years ago.
That may be a factor, but a more likely reason is that the Scorpions are the rare commodity: a rock group that actually improved after being around for more than a decade…
The Scorpions not only got a huge, fat metal sound at the Forum, they proved to be superior showmen, constantly drawing the crowd into the intensity of the performance. The band's own enthusiasm for the current state of its lively music was hard to resist…
This post was originally published on May 6, 2014.
April 24, 1984: The Scorpions' bass player Francis Buchholz during concert at the Forum. Tony Barnard / Los Angeles Times Archive / UCLA
April 25, 1984: The Scorpions in concert at the Forum in Inglewood. Tony Barnard / Los Angeles Times Archive / UCLA