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'WE PLAY WITH OUR HEARTS'

and in an instant the aura inside the hall changed from pin drop silence to the outburst of thunder — in the form of a rapturous applause, of course. The much-awaited boys of "classic rock n' roll" — Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Matthias Jabs and James Kottak — strutted in one after another bringing with them years and years of 'hardcore', 'daredevil' legendary.

City Times caught up with Klaus Meine the band's lead vocalist to find out what has kept them together for so long (39 years) and why their music is still very much alive and thriving. "Music is everything for us, and all we have has been given to us by music," Meine, 56, stated, his voice sporting his unique brand kind of onstage energy.

"We are one of the few bands who have survived for so long and that too together." Very few in this business can actually boast of a record like the Scorpions — nearly four decades of life on the road in which they released 18 albums.

"We came together for a common cause because we all loved to play and sing but the popularity and fame we received on the way did not go to our heads. We kept together and stuck because of the kind of relationship we maintained. We lost a couple of our original members on the way, but James came along and we kept going. It's been a long road."

Formed in 1965, by the Schenker brothers — Michael and Rudolf — the Scorpions were later labelled "Germany's No. 1 Rock Export" by the international Press. Their onstage wizardry caught the attention of rock enthusiasts and in time Germany's No. 1 rock band went on to become one of the most sought-after musicians in the world.

However, while the world enjoyed anthems churned out by the Scorpions in English, the band continued to work out material for their fan base at home. But nothing caught up quite like their English acts. "We still have a huge fan base in Germany. But through English we could reach out to the whole world and it was important to get there. And we have got there now." One thing for sure, no one will stand up to debate that statement from Meine. He recalls, "We were performing in Siberia once and I was just taking a peek out of the hotel window, because a big crowd had gathered out there. They knew we were in the hotel and people wanted to catch us. Just then the radio guys began airing 'Winds of Change' and one of the attendants said: 'Hey Klaus, how does it feel to hear your voice?'. I did not know what to say. It just struck me that we had come a long way."

Indeed, 39 years is long. They may have started as opening acts to a whole lot of already established acts visiting Hannover, Germany, but hearing themselves on the radio in Siberia may have been out of the heavens even for them.

With hits like 'Still Loving You' and anthems like 'Rock you like a Hurricane' and the legendary 'Winds of Change' (the song that marked the fall of the Berlin Wall), this leather-sporting band sensationalised the concept of rock with a whole lot of romanticism. Scorpions were one of the first bands to inject that vital dose of 'romance rock' into mainstream music. It is argued that the Scorpions shot their videos by involving a lot of romance, but how could lyrics like the ones in 'You and I', 'When you came into my life', 'Still Loving You' and 'Winds of Change' not inspire people to love, to heal and to forgive. Meine supports the band revealing, "I am a very romantic guy and that is why when I sing certain songs that huge emotion finds itself an opening. It comes out naturally, because we do things with our hearts. We hope that people learn to love one another because that is an important thing in today's world. Music can heal and I'm not just saying it."

At least their attitude does. Signing autographs they begot love and respect from everyone present in the conference hall. Not one fan seemed to be turned down. Obliging as usual.

In the past, Rudolf Schenker had aptly summarised their years of band history: "My father taught me that you should do what you enjoy doing, and success is bound to follow. We never thought about the money, the only thing that mattered to us was the vision that the Scorpions would count among the 30 greatest Rock bands of the world one day, a goal that the band has certainly achieved!" Don't you think so?

There is great synergy between them and its evident if you ponder over the statements on the band's achievements made by Rudolf and Meine.

They echo each other in saying that the Scorpions are big today. When their thinking is alike, how could their set-up not work? How could the boys not grow up together to be men? And why won't they blow Dubai away this evening? Truly 'Unbreakable'.