Swaying rhythmically, bent at the waist, trim and sinewy, blonde hair flapping unceremoniously from beneath a well-worn wool cap, topped with rock-star shades, grinning as if he just told himself a joke nobody else would understand is the Blonde Bomber himself, Michael Willie Schenker. Willie?! Opening the set with the UFO classic “Doctor, Doctor” seems an odd choice, but the throng (How many in a throng?) of old-heads at Trees Friday night didn’t seem to care. They were rockin’ out without a trace of irony or self-consciousness. Deep Ellum Hipster Contingent be damned!
Michael Schenker has always been somewhat of an enigma to me. Growing up, I remember reading Circus magazine, which consistently mentioned a band called UFO. I don’t recollect ever seeing photos of the band members or finding UFO albums in my not-so-local record store, though. I certainly don’t remember hearing the band’s music anyplace. Yet, seemingly every guitar player I was discovering at the time cited this guy as a huge influence. I recall thinking, “What does Michael Schenker even look like?” “If this cat is so great, why can’t I find the music anyplace?” I was an idiot.