Sting Operation

Our flashback status: Almost Famous. All we needed was a band, on tour8212;somebody big, somebody who has featured in every kid8217;s rock appreciation class, somebody we could tag on to. In the last three months, the country has seen a slew of international artists coming down to perform, but Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas and Akon didn8217;t exactly make our exalted grade. So when news came out that Scorpions, the 8216;ambassadors of rock8217;, was touching base in India, we knew this was it. So what if our fathers shared birth years with most of the band members? Isn8217;t it just about music?

To begin with, getting in touch with the organisers was easy. E 188217;s Farhad Wadia was the man in charge and over a couple of emails, we got the news: we were in, we could be 8220;groupies8221; or 8220;band-aid8221; or whatever they call it these days. Considered the capital of rock music in India, Shillong was going to be rocked on December 12 and we knew we had to be THERE.

Our present status: December 9. We headed for the venue, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the next day. When we got there at 6 in the evening, it was pitch dark, except for the stage that had at least 50 workmen pounding away at the wooden ramp. Yes, ramp, said one of the German crew members, for the guitar solos. 8220;Can we help pick up the amps or something,8221; we asked cheerfully, ready to get into our roles as the hands of the band. 8220;Well, there are cranes to lift the lights, the sound guys will kill you if you touch the equipment and you8217;re no good with a hammer, are you?8221; Err8230;alright, there must be other ways to stick around. Taking a walk around the city was not the best way out. Stopping people randomly to chat them up on the Scorpion-o-meter was worse.

December 11. Nobody was telling us for sure when the band was coming, apart from the fact that there would be a press conference at the beautiful Ri-Kyinjai Resort by the lake on December 11. Besides accommodating the band at the resort, the organisers were instructed to make sure that none of the band members felt uncared for. So there was Chivas Regal and Jack Daniels8217; for lead guitarist Rudolf Schenker and 24 bottles of beer for drummer James Kottak and bassist Pawel Maciwoda. All the members insisted on a selection of fresh fruit and sparkling water in their dressing rooms, but vocalist Klaus Meine said he would stick to fruit juices and assorted chocolates. Barring Meine, all other members also asked for orange and green Gatorade a sports drink along with two bottles of white and red wine. If this wasn8217;t enough, their after-show requirements included 15 cheese and ham sandwiches and more beer. All this, for a show.

We set out for the press conference at a seemingly unmapped resort. Suddenly, in the foliage on the roadside appeared a Scorpions poster and we followed it to the resort. The band walked in and smiled. Yes, yes, they are happy to be here, they8217;ve heard so much about Shillong. 8220;What we love about touring in different countries is that we get to know the culture and we8217;re excited to know India.8221;

Post conference, we hung around, adamant that we wanted to meet the band8212;not as journalists but as 8216;groupies8217;. Band publicist Nicole came out. 8220;What about after dinner,8221; she asked. We knew we had to wait. According to the band requirements, dinner was to be a warm three-course meal with chilled alcohol.

Meine ate fruits and little food, Matthias Jabs, the quick eater, pushed aside his plate and walked to a corner of the room where his guitar was kept. Though it was an electric guitar, unplugged, that did not deter him from strumming tunelessly. Kottak hobbled to the desert section for the third time. We he heard Jabs strumming, he picked on a note and whistled the famous opening of their biggest anthem, Winds of Change. Suddenly, everybody emptied their glasses and the band mates collected guitars from their hotel room and sat around the table jamming. Nobody spoke but each followed the other8217;s music and improvised and matched each other note for note. Jabs, clearly the showman of the group, played a mid-eastern riff that had everyone nodding to it.
He looked up and watched us watch him. He smiled, we smiled back. Soon, we were invited to join them.

We met Meine and the band and told them that we came to be groupies. They looked zapped first till somebody started laughing and they all joined in. 8220;You8217;re thirty years late, but you8217;ve got enthusiasm,8221; said Meine to more laughter.

That little fellow Meine is charming, we thought, age hasn8217;t taken away the twinkle in his blue eyes. Kottak walked over the two guitars that will be autographed by the band for some lucky fans. He8217;s the boy who never grew up.

In Rock you like a hurricane, Meine croons that his 8216;cat is purring/And scratches my skin8230;8217; We ask him about the album cover and the song lyrics. 8220;We were young then and the record label wanted us to break through to the global market. Those were bad days, when people stopped buying the album,8221; said Meine. 8220;After that, we decided to get more involved in our albums.8221;

And well-behaved too. Looking back through the hallowed corridors of rock history, the band members have been good boys8212;they have had a clean slate so far. 8220;Oh no, we did some crazy stuff as well, but not collectively,8221; says Meine, as he recounts how former percussionist and fellow song-writer Herman Rarebell once threw a television set out of their hotel window in New York.

The band members keep talking about the 8220;sting8221; in their music but over the years, their sound hasn8217;t really changed. 8220;We don8217;t want it to. When we experimented with Eye II Eye, it turned out to be disastrous. We were written off by the critics, and yes, it wasn8217;t the Scorpions sound,8221; said Rudolph. With their latest offering titled Humanity Hour 1, the band hopes to not only touch base with their older fans but to reach out to the younger ones as well.

This wasn8217;t helpful. While we were talking to the band, Nicole, the publicist, seemed to be keeping the minutes. It8217;s like being on a rocket launch. We tried smiling at the band members and hoping they8217;d relent and let us stay. 8220;It8217;s been a long day for them, they8217;ve got the show tomorrow, you see,8221; said Nicole.

Before we left, we asked Meine, who had been nice and patient with us, what music he listens to when he8217;s not making it. 8220;I like The Killers a lot. They8217;ve got great sound. And the old stuff8230;8221; he chuckles, referring to Aerosmith. We were ushered out before we even know it.

But all said and done, December 12 is the real deal8212;when a group of aging rockers will be put to test by the spiked-hair, t-shirt-clad, brand-conscious youth in Shillong. 8220;The only guy who can beat Scorpions in Shillong is Bryan Adams,8221; laughed Ming, of Centrepoint Entertainment, the local event partner. He8217;s nervous, he8217;s just promised the band a full stadium in the heart of Shillong.

We took the cab back to our hotel. 8220;Madam, what I don8217;t like about English music is that all emotions sound the same in their songs. Not like our Hindi music, everything is about the mood,8221; said Vikas, the cabbie. We thought of taking him to the concert the next day, December 12. It just could be love at first sting.