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Two guitar giants on one stage: On Thursday (July 31), UFO guitarist Michael Schenker had a surprise guest in store: Slash during his appearance on the Wacken Open Air. For the UFO classic “Mother Mary”, the Guns-N ‘-Roses guitarist appeared on the “Faster” main stage to the surprise of the fans.
Two clamping buddies side by side
Instead of the cylinder, the curly world star wore an upturned baseball cap. He preferred to leave the unusual headgear to the “German Wunderkind” Michael Schenker, who was wearing a Russian Fell-Auschana. “See there, two damn legends. Make noise!” Michael-Group singer Erik Grönwall called after Slash and Schenker dueled with her guitar solos.
Watch “Mother Mary” here:
Under the thunderous applause of the Wacken audience, Slash said goodbye behind the stage again. His own band Guns N ‘Roses should perform a 3.5-hour set on the main stage in a few hours. This had caused a sensation in advance. With a slot of this length, the Wacken debutants would go down in the history of the festival. Since its existence in 1990, no band would have played for so long.
Schenker and Slash – master and apprentice
The cooperation between the two guitar heroes is not brand new: Slash, who has described Michael Schenker as one of his formative influences since its early days, was already on Schenker’s current album “”To hear My Years with Ufo ”, which was published in September 2024. There he also played the guitar parts to“ Mother Mary ” – the song that now also made Wacken to shake.
Last updated on July 31, 2025 at 19:45 – Image Source: Amazon Affiliate Program. All statements without guarantee.
Michael Schenker himself is an old hare of rock music. As a teenager, he shaped the early Scorpions with his virtuoso guitar game and then became known worldwide with the British band UFO. Songs such as “Rock Bottom” or “Lights Out” made him one of the most influential hard rock guitarists in his generation and influenced musicians such as Slash, Eddie van Halen or Zakk Wylde. On the Wacken Open Air, he and his band reviewed the years at UFO in a show tailored to his latest album.