Dirkschneider at the Gramercy Theatre

Udo Dirkschneider

Born in Wuppertal, Germany, vocalist Udo Dirkschneider grew up in nearby Solingen and there started his musical career in 1968 at age 16 with Band X. The band's name was changed to Accept in 1971, but with numerous changes in its initial years, Accept did not solidify as a band until 1976, achieving worldwide success in the mid-1980s. After seven albums with Accept, the heavy metal band fired Dirkschneider in 1987, and he formed U.D.O., which would record new music but also perform many Accept songs in concert. Dirkschneider rejoined Accept for three more albums in the 1990s, left in 1996, and Accept split in 1997. Dirkschneider rejoined Accept in 2005 for a short-lived reunion, but the band split again, reassembling in 2009 with another singer. U.D.O. has released 15 studio albums, the most recent in 2015. In 2016, Dirkschneider announced that he would form a new band, called Dirkschneider, in which he would perform his Accept catalogue for the last time. Dirkschneider released a live album, Live - Back To The Roots, in 2016, and extended its tour into 2018 to include more Accept songs. The band Dirkschneider presently consists of Dirkschneider, guitarists Andrey Smirnov and Bill Hudson, bassist Fitty Wienhold, and Dirkschneider's 24-year-old son, drummer Sven Dirkschneider. At the conclusion of this tour, the vocalist will reconvene U.D.O. and never again perform Accept songs live.

The audience tonight at the Gramercy Theatre chanted "U-do, U-do, U-do," the lights darkened, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown's "Fire" boomed from the speakers, and the musicians began taking their places and launched into "The Beast Inside." Dirkschneider began his vocals off stage, finally coming center stage to the cheers of his fans. The band Dirkschneider performed a fast-paced all-Accept two-hour concert, highlighting both the strength of Dirkschneider's vocals and Accept's discography. The 65-year-old singer charged into the set with his coarse, snarly voice, and the band supplied roaring guitar leads, thick metal riffs and driving rhythms. The combination was ideal. The band performed all of the Accept mainstays, including "London Leatherboys", "Living for Tonite", "Screaming for a Love Bite", "Metal Heart", "Fast as a Shark," and "Balls to the Wall," but deep cuts that had not been performed for a long time, including "Can't Stand the Night," "Aiming High" and "Russian Roulette," made the show far more than a cash grab. Fans upstairs left with a trajectory for the future: a sign in the balcony read "Dirkschneider returns to U.D.O. - new album coming August 2018."

Visit Dirkschneider at www.udo-online.com.

Setlist:

1. The Beast Inside (Accept cover)
2. Aiming High (Accept cover)
3. Bulletproof (Accept cover)
4. Midnight Mover (Accept cover)
5. Another Second to Be (Accept cover)
6. London Leatherboys (Accept cover)
7. Fight It Back (Accept cover)
8. Can't Stand the Night (Accept cover)
9. Amamos la Vida (Accept cover)
10. Up to the Limit (Accept cover)
11. Breaker (Accept cover)
12. Screaming for a Love-Bite (Accept cover)
13. Love Child (Accept cover)
14. Objection Overruled (Accept cover)
15. Russian Roulette (Accept cover)

Encore:

1. Princess of the Dawn (Accept cover)
2. Metal Heart (Accept cover)
3. Fast as a Shark (Accept cover)
4. Balls to the Wall (Accept cover)