Suzy Quatro, Alice Cooper & The Scorpions @ Pinot & Rock Festival, Breisach 2024

Event 6 July, 2024

When I bought my ticket for this evening at the Pinot and Rock Festival, I did so mainly because I finally wanted to see the Scorpions live. Of course, I was also looking forward to Suzi Quatro and Alice Cooper. Suzi Quatro, dressed entirely in leather and wielding her enormous bass, seemed to me, as a young person just beginning to take an interest in music, like a being from another dimension. I never expected to hear “48 Crash” live one day. And Alice Cooper’s “Poison” is one of my favourite songs. I was curious about both acts. What I had not expected, however, was that they would thrill me quite so much that evening.

Pinot and Rock is a new festival. In Breisach’s Fritz Schanno Park, it has set itself the ambitious goal of combining live performances by major rock and pop stars from 4 to 7 July with high-quality cuisine and regional wine culture. The line-up features both national and international names.

The previous Thursday, the festival opened with a day devoted entirely to hip-hop, pop and urban vibes. Alli Neumann, Bahar, Black Sea Dahu and Paula Dalla Corte all performed that day. The first festival evening was brought to a close by headliner and crowd-puller Peter Fox.

The following day focused on German rap and indie pop. The riverside site was transformed into one vast dance floor. Alongside headliners Die Fantastischen Vier, who generated an exuberant atmosphere, Milky Chance, Aisha Vibes, NESS and Schorl3 also appeared on Friday.

This report is devoted in detail to yesterday’s Saturday programme.

Today, Sunday 7 July, the festival concludes with a grand pop finale. Alongside headliner Sarah Connor, Nico Santos, Joris, Rosaly, Sarah Bugar and Zartmann will help bring the four-day event to a close.

Pinot and Rock also takes its own path when it comes to food and drink. Instead of the fast-food stalls common at many festivals, it offers a street-food avenue featuring regional, vegetarian and Asian specialities. This is complemented by a wine village serving wines and sparkling wines from Baden wineries, as well as a premium area offering fine dining with the involvement of several Michelin-starred chefs, available to visitors with VIP tickets.

Suzi Quatro opened her show with “The Wild One” from her second album, “Quatro”. The fact that she had chosen one of the wild songs from the early part of her career was no coincidence. With a stage presence that at times reminded me of Tina Turner, she had both her band and the audience in the palm of her hand from the very first moment. The question of whether Suzi Quatro is still relevant after more than 50 years answered itself immediately. This was not someone on stage trying to warm up past successes. Rather, it was an impressively mature woman who still lived music just as intensely as she had in her youth, but who could now draw on the composure and experience of 74 years of life.

Suzy Quatro

The concert continued in the same vein as it had begun. With three more rock numbers from the early 1970s, she really fired up the audience. That was just as well, because by then the rain had set in, and it would stay with us until the end of the evening.

With a twinkle in her eye, she introduced “Stumblin’ In”, her 1978 power ballad with Smokie’s Chris Norman. The song had been reinterpreted the previous year by the Australian DJ Cyril. It showed once again how strongly the music of the 1970s and 1980s continues to resonate today. Suzi said she regarded that as a lovely compliment, but that tonight they would be sticking to the original. Although the original had to manage without Chris Norman, it nevertheless provided the evening’s first goosebump moment.

And then came “48 Crash”. By now I had long since arrived firmly in the here and now. There was no longer any thought of merely being served a helping of old hits. “48 Crash” rocked just as it always had — only better, because it was live and real.

Things continued in the same style. “Can the Can” was, of course, not to be missed, and CCR would surely have been very pleased with the interpretation of “Bad Moon Rising”. The encore, demanded with considerable insistence, was surprisingly a fantastic version of the Eagles classic “Desperado”.

Suzi Quatro left behind an extraordinarily happy audience, perfectly primed for the rest of the evening. She had impressively demonstrated that a good musician can still appear neither old nor obsolete after more than 50 years on stage. And that good songs lose none of their relevance as long as their creators continue to fill them with life.

During the following break, the stage was rebuilt for Alice Cooper while I visited the Gastro Premium World. It was an exceptionally tasty experience, unlike anything I had ever encountered at a concert before. At a wide variety of stands, and after pleasingly short waiting times, one could get very delicious small dishes. From pasta to meat and fish dishes, as well as vegetarian options, there was something for every taste.

Back in front of the stage, I wondered whether the pleasant surprise of the concert I had just seen would be repeated. When Alice Cooper and his band entered the stage, it was quite a sight. All the musicians appeared in classic shock-rock attire. And when three guitarists arrive together, that is already a very promising sign. Alongside Ryan Roxie and Tommy Henriksen, Nita Strauss stood out in particular. The line-up also included Chuck Garric on bass and Glen Sobel on drums. Alice’s daughter Calico Cooper was there too, accompanying her father on this tour as a dancer and performance artist.

Alice Cooper

As expected, things were considerably heavier than they had been with Suzi Quatro. The show began with “Lock Me Up”, “Welcome to the Show” and “No More Mr. Nice Guy”. The musicians were in their element from the very first moment. The clothes and make-up come with obligations: either you embody them convincingly, or things quickly become embarrassing. But anyone booked for nine shows in Las Vegas clearly knows their craft. This was rock music at its finest, and hugely entertaining too. Each member of the band repeatedly moved into the centre of the action, while Alice held court as the grand master of spectacle.

Nita’s way of playing guitar differed markedly from that of her two bandmates. While the men laid the foundation with powerful riffs, Nita dazzled with nimble-fingered solo acrobatics. Together, it was guitar rock as close to perfection as one could wish for.

Calico has the same stage talent as her father, and she was great fun to watch. Musically, the setlist focused mainly on Alice Cooper’s peak period in the 1970s and 1980s. “Poison” and “Black Widow” were interpreted extraordinarily well and with a modern edge, and the audience thanked them with genuine storms of enthusiasm. And of course, towards the end of the show, the guillotine also made its appearance.

Naturally, there had to be an encore. And naturally, it was “School’s Out”.

It is fascinating how someone who brings a shock rocker to the stage so convincingly can at the same time seem so likeable. And this music, too, was no reminiscence of days gone by, but a modern rock concert with everything one could wish for: fantastic songs, outstanding musical quality and a hugely entertaining live performance. Once again, I had received far more than I had expected. I would go and see either of these acts as a headliner without hesitation.

While the stage was being rebuilt for the Scorpions and I once again enjoyed the delicacies of the Gastro Premium World, a slightly uneasy feeling crept over me. First Suzi Quatro had truly thrilled me. Then Alice Cooper had taken things up another notch. Would the Scorpions be able to live up to such a high standard?

We stood in front of the darkened stage and waited. Suddenly Rudolf Schenker began playing the chords of “Coming Home”, and Klaus Meine’s voice could be heard singing. Slowly, he and the rest of the band stepped onto the stage.

Scorpions

There are concert moments when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and your throat tightens. This was one of those moments. And one thing was clear in that very second: this was not going to be a disappointment.

The Scorpions are no strangers to Las Vegas either. In both 2022 and 2024, they completed a residency there consisting of nine concerts. They are the German rock band that has earned the highest respect all over the world with their albums and performances. Only in their home country did it take an unusually long time for them to receive the same recognition.

When people like Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker have been playing together for 55 years, they develop an almost instinctive understanding of one another. Guitarist Matthias Jabs has also been part of the line-up since the 1970s. Paweł Mąciwoda on bass and drummer Mikkey Dee, formerly of Motörhead, joined in 2003 and 2016 respectively.

You can sense that familiarity in the band. As with the two shows before them, there is never a moment when it feels as though ageing rock stars are trying to resurrect their youth. These musicians are far too alive, active, passionate and quite simply too good for that. And the songs themselves have far too much class. This is not music from yesterday, even if today’s charts are largely dominated by other styles. Any classical music fan would probably smile with amusement at the claim that 50-year-old music belongs to the past and has lost its relevance.

Of course, the Scorpions did not disappoint their fans, and there were plenty of songs from the legendary albums “Animal Magnetism”, “Lovedrive” and “Love at First Sting”. But there were also more recent songs, such as “Gas in the Tank” from their 2022 album “Rock Believer”. From tracks sitting somewhere between hard rock and heavy metal, such as “Make It Real” and “Blackout”, to beautiful ballads like “Send Me an Angel” and “Wind of Change”, there was something from every part of their repertoire.

And the Scorpions have never shied away from taking a stance. “Wind of Change”, for many the soundtrack to German reunification, was at the same time a message to a new world order that then seemed possible. The song was inspired by the impressions the band had gathered at the Moscow Music Peace Festival on 12 and 13 August 1989. Since 2022, however, the line performed on stage has no longer been “I follow the Moskva / Down to Gorky Park / Listening to the wind of change”, but “Now listen to my heart / It says Ukraine, waiting for the wind to change”.

In any case, Klaus still delivered the epic whistled intro effortlessly. And his voice? To expect a 76-year-old to have the same voice as a 30-year-old is an absurd idea. The many comments that accuse older singers of precisely that are, in my view, nonsense. Klaus sang his songs superbly. And quite honestly, I would not have wanted any other singer for these songs.

Despite what had by now become torrential rain, which the organisers tried to keep under control with ever more layers of wood chips, the atmosphere reached its peak when the Scorpions officially brought the concert to a close with “Big City Nights”. And of course, they followed it with an encore demanded at full volume. With “Still Loving You” and “Rock You Like a Hurricane”, this festival day ended with two absolute classics of rock music. Not all the moisture on the faces of those in the audience came from the rain.

Pinot and Rock has undoubtedly created a superb festival: an exquisite selection of bands, paired with a culinary offering directly on the Rhine and set against a magnificent backdrop. I would very much like to see it return next year. If I were allowed one wish, though, a slightly drier edition would not go amiss.