"Above all, it was a fun night with a crew from Def Leppard and Judas Priest, and Scorpions couldn't remember all the details the next day, even with the best of will. A complete 'Blackout'," reads the official statement by which Scorpions announce the album recorded live on July 5 in Hanover, at a sold-out stadium concert held on the occasion of the band's 60th anniversary.
"Blackout" is the name of the first single from the upcoming "Coming Home Live" album, and it perfectly sums up the powerful, virtuosic and magnificent moments that more than 45,000 loyal fans experienced live that night in their city. The vocal experience will be shared with fans on the album, which will arrive on November 14.
The concert motto "Coming Home" resonated so strongly that they decided to name the announced live album from the big concert celebration as well - where it all began. Although Scorpions have performed countless times in large stadiums around the world, this was the first time that the five rockers held a stadium concert in Germany, in the hometown of Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs.
In addition to "Blackout", the popular rock band presented a cross section of the biggest hits at the concert, along with musical surprises, so that evening, on July 5, according to one of the most important German media, t-online, the band "celebrated the biggest home match of its career". "A great annual performance", adds NDR, and the local Hannoversche Allgemeine concludes that this concert is simply a triumph.
Scorpions, Universal Music promo
"Initially, we just wanted to be part of a global rock family - that was our dream," said guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who founded the band six decades ago and added: "Since then, we have shared the stage with groups such as Aerosmith, KISS, Metallica, AC/DC and many others, and we are still particularly fascinated by the collaboration with the Berlin Philharmonic."
Wherever they performed, including the world's biggest arenas, the band always felt at home. More significantly, Scorpions have influenced generations of rock fans over the years, undoubtedly shaping the style and music of younger artists and colleagues.
"They are the best thing that could have happened to hard rock or heavy metal", says Jon Bon Jovi, while Kirk Hammett from Metallica admits: "I still clearly remember how enchanted I was by the album 'Tokyo Tapes'. Since then I became the biggest Scorpions fan and searched everywhere for any information about this band". Along with them and many others, the members of Smashing Pumpkins, Mötley Crüe and Green Day, as well as Guns N' Roses and KISS, all stand out, who all stated that Scorpions' songs had an extremely large influence on their music. The fuel that drives them comes along with the adrenaline of live performances.
That's the most important factor," says singer Klaus Meine, "And the strongest: Scorpions is a band that from the very beginning saw its place not only on stage but on some of the world's biggest stages, in the biggest stadiums and arenas. It was always a challenge to win over fans and play a great live concert. But Scorpions always pushed their boundaries and overcame that challenge every time." The creativity that marked the band's career has now become a rich musical treasury, bridging the gap from the past to the future, from 1965 to the band's historic concert at the Hanover Stadium on July 5, 2025.
Scorpions, foto: YT printscreen
60 YEARS OF THE SCORPIONS GROUP:
More than 120 million records have been sold.
They performed at the first edition of the Rock in Rio festival — in front of 1.3 million fans.
As the first "band from the West", they recorded 10 sold-out concerts in Leningrad, followed by a performance at the Moscow Peace Music Festival.
They sold out New York's Madison Square Garden three times in a row.
More than 20 studio and concert albums, which, among other awards, were awarded with nine gold and four platinum awards in Germany.
More than 5,000 concerts held around the world.
They have their own brand of drinks – for whiskey and beer.
There is a special series of Scorpions postage stamps, a street in Madrid is named after them, and in Los Angeles October 6th is celebrated as Scorpions Day.
The accolades are numerous, including the Word Music Award, the Echo Award, entry into the Hall of Heavy Metal and a star on the Hollywood Rock Walk.
A new species of spider-like arthropod discovered in Brazil was named after the band, while the names of the band members are shared by many children around the world, named in their honor.
All over the world, their music has achieved valuable certificates: 58 platinum, 67 gold and 2 silver. Most of these music awards came from France (18) and the USA (14). The hit song "Wind of Change" is the best-selling single of a German band. It has sold more than 15 million copies, and the song and accompanying video have been viewed more than a billion times worldwide on Vevo alone, more than any other song by the German band.
In addition, it reached #1 on the charts in 11 countries, and in total was on the charts in as many as 78 countries.
