UDO , the voice of iconic German Heavy Metal band , Accept has not been with his former mates since their reunion with the 1996’s Predator album. As the face of a band for over 17 years he was responsible to his public by doing Accept material even after he did his solo music starting in 1986. When asked about his decision to perform classic songs from his time with his current band , he say’s “ it has always been for his public”. What makes this tour very different from any UDO tour is that he will be doing these songs for the last time under the “Dirkschneider” brand.
Who could blame him, with 15 studio solo albums he could have just done his solo material. So in closing his chapter with Accept, UDO released a double live album in 2016 aptly titled “Live- Back to the Roots”. He even does the exact live set list for the entire 24 tour dates. The classics “Im a Rebel” allowed the audience to sing along with UDO’s Accept one last time. The youthful drums coming from the stage did justice to the song “Fast as a Shark”, reminding the audience of what a tinge of thrash drums can do for heavy music. Of course the obligatory “Balls to the Wall” was performed with a 9 plus minute version that exemplified what hard rock and metal music is about. The intro riff of the song ‘Starlight’ kept the intensity for all of the 20 plus song set list. While UDO wears his battle scars on his body , his voice is still the same and was solid throughout the evening. Throughout the evening the fans in attendance who came in droves to hear Udo/Accept era for the last time has come to “accept” that they are witnessing heavy metal history while another fan base for the Dirkschineider era will continue. Thank you UDO for showing us the meaning of a “Rebel”
While we all see UDO as this tough guy persona, a few people may notice the uncanny resemblance of his young drummer Sven, who is not only the drummer of Damage but is the son of the ‘Ballmeister” himself , UDO.
