During a recent chat with Talkin’ Rock with Meltdown, Mark Kendall, the guitarist of Great White, recently took us on a trip down memory lane, recalling an unforgettable encounter with Rudolf Schenker, the guitarist of Scorpions, a moment that significantly impacted his performance style.
In the early 1990s, following the release of their fifth album, ‘Hooked,’ Great White toured Europe and Japan with Scorpions as the opening act. This tour seems to have left some memories on Kendall, as he recalled in his interview.
The guitarist reminisced about a particular night during the tour when he had what he referred to as ‘the not-so-greatest show’ of his life. This was a night when technical difficulties took a toll on his performance, and he was not at his best. Unbeknownst to Kendall, his subpar performance did not go unnoticed.
Rudolf Schenker noticed Mark Kendall’s struggle. Instead of letting it slide, Rudy took it upon himself to give Kendall some invaluable advice. He led Kendall aside, put his arm around him, and told him in no uncertain terms that he needed to up his game. He emphasized the importance of playing hard and delivering a memorable show, despite of technical glitches or other distractions.
Back in those days, before the advent of cell phones, Mark thought he had gotten away with a less-than-stellar show. After all, there were no instant tweets or viral posts to worry about. But Rudy’s advice resonated with him, making him realize that every performance mattered, not just those that might make headlines the next day.
He understood that when the spotlight’s on and the crowd is waiting, you’ve got to give it your all, no matter what’s going on behind the scenes. No technical snag or inner turmoil should take precedence over the show you’re there to deliver.
Here is how Kendall recalled Schenker’s advice:
“[Scorpions] went the whole night. They want the crowd to get their money’s worth. So, touring with the Scorpions, one night, I didn’t have the greatest show of my life, and Rudy said, ‘Mark, you have to play hard and kick a**’ and all this. I never forgot that, and it was before cell phones. So I’m thinking I got away with one.
It was a bad technical night, and then he took me down this hallway with his arm around me, going, ‘Mark, you’ll have to play hard, man’ because I was distracted. When everything’s going wrong, and your amp’s not working, you get in your head, and it’s just horrible, and he noticed that I thought I got away with it because it wasn’t like it was going to get 200,000 hits the next day. What I mean – we didn’t have stuff; we didn’t have cell phones. Thank God, that’s over now. We can move on to the next show. That’s done.”
The Scorpions’ incredible longevity in the rock music scene is no accident. It shows their unwavering dedication, a characteristic that Rudolf Schenker highlighted when he took a moment to mentor Mark Kendall. The story the guitarist shared about this influential encounter encapsulates the very essence of Scorpions’ secret to long-standing success: a relentless commitment to delivering the best performance possible, no matter the circumstances.
