Last week was eventful. It started on Sunday with a Michael Schenker concert. Schenker is famous for his Scorpions and UFO work especially for hits like "Only you can rock me", "Rock Bottom", "Too hot to handle". He played at one of the smallest club in Seattle – Studio Seven. MSG (MIchael Schenker Group) hit the stage at about 11.00 and the club was packed with Schenker fans who were singing his praises to no end. People could not wait to see their guitar hero in action. There was a lot of excitement in the crowd. MSG played a lot of UFO songs and had a solid stage presence. Schenker made guitar playing look very simple. I shall never forget the picture him kneeling and playing the guitar leads. Wow. A few months ago i had seen "Flight to Mars" – Mike McCready’s UFO tribute band play and I have to say that some of the gimmics that McCready did while playing were pretty much like Schenker. It was a fun concert and i am sure every fan got more than what they asked for.

The next show was that of Herbie Hancock. He was playing at the zoo which meant cheap tickets and general admission. I was late to get there but i anyway managed to get into the first row. Yeah, i know how to get there by now. 🙂 …yes, i was right by the stage. Well, Herbie is one of the greatest and his concert was simply superb. His music had an immence human touch. You could feel the music. It was like a conversation that the band was having with the crowd. Every note was carefully crafted. I was in for a big surprise at this show. I was very impressed with the drummer by the first song itself and guess what, it was nobody other than Vinnie Colaiuta himself hitting those drums . I have been wanting to watch this guy since a long time but i never really had a chance before. And it was such a nice surprise to see him play. His playing was indeed outstanding, what can u expect from possibily the best drummer, my day was made. The highlight of the concert was the jugalbandi between Herbie and Nathan East (bass) besides of course Vinnie’s contribution. They also played a song that was called "Seventeen" which stood for its 17/4 beat. Wow. The disappointing thing was that the band did not sign CD’s or post for photographs. 😦 If you dont know who Vinnie is read this, especially what Steve Vai has to say.

The last show was that of Derek Trucks, the young guitarist who is already a legend at the age of 28. Recognised as one of the top 100 all time guitarist by Rolling stone magazine. He is also hailed as the greatest slide guitarist since Duane Allman. He was supposed to play with Clapton during his concert here in Seattle but he did not show up (I think because of his health). The one song i wanted to see Clapton play with Derek was see "Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?", too bad Derek did not show up. But guess what, he played that song at this concert with Susan Tedeschi and it was well worth the wait. He is a genious. Watching him is like seeing two guitarists play. He can play the rythym and lead together and make it sound ultra sweet. Wow, that concert did give me a high. Five stars. Susan was very good with her vocals but her guitar playing lacked the edge. I guess thats what happens when you share the stage with Derek. Derek Trucks played at a big arena yet i was lucky to get a pic with him and Susan. Lucky me.