Rudolf Schenker Recalls Getting Arrested While Partying With Iron Maiden

Scorpions rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker joined another episode of uDiscover Music’s animated video series ‘Beyond The Bus’ and remembered a crazy story, including Iron Maiden members. Schenker explained how and why he got arrested after their crazy party with them.

‘Blackout’ is Scorpions’ eighth studio album, released on March 29, 1982. The band already started their Blackout Tour to support the album on February 19, 1982, in the UK. The tour ended on December 18, 1983, in Dortmund, and several bands, such as Iron Maiden, Blackfoot, Quiet Riot, and Rainbow, joined them for the concerts. Scorpions and Iron Maiden members stayed in the same hotel in Corpus Christi for one of their performances.

It’s not surprising that the musicians started to party in the hotel’s bar on the roof, and their behaviors probably made its security uncomfortable and panicked. So one of them asked Schenker to come to his office, but the band’s fans unexpectedly began shouting outside the office to convince them to release the guitarist. Then, the police arrived, which didn’t stop the dedicated fans either; the party ended in jail for Schenker.

Schenker stated that he had to stay there until the tomorrow morning, and the fans didn’t stop chanting his name until he was free. The guitarist still couldn’t understand what he had done wrong, and he realized that the security guard was suspicious of him. After paying $68 for his infraction, the rocker left the police station. However, he took photos and signed autographs for the officers before that.

In Schenker’s words, he said:

“We were on the Blackout Tour in 1982 with special guests Iron Maiden. We were all staying in the same hotel in Corpus Christi. Scorpions founder and guitarist Rudolf Schenker. We all went up to this bar on the hotel’s roof and partied like crazy. The hotel’s security came to me and asked me to come with him. I didn’t think there was anything bad about it, so I went with him. As soon as I left the rooftop bar, he took me to his office.

They were shouting outside of the office, ‘Let him go!’ A second guy entered the office and asked what was going on. The police came, and people were still shouting for my freedom. The cops asked my name and told me I had to stay in jail until tomorrow. Fans were still chanting my name, but the police took me out the doors, and we went to the station.

I can’t believe I spent six hours in jail! In the morning, someone asked me to go with him, and I went to the police officer. He asked what was going on with me, and I said, ‘What’s happening with me? What are you guys doing!’ The security guard at the hotel was scared by how we were behaving.

You can check out the episode below.