In These Pandemic Survival Days with
Udo Dirkschneider of U.D.O.
Interview by Ken Morton Udo Dirkschneider live full page photo by Jack Lue While the year of 2020 saw a lot of pandemonium and hardly any live shows, in the midst of it all, the almighty U.D.O. would perform an absolutely epic concert at an opulent amphitheater in Bulgaria. The show has been documented on Live in Bulgaria 2020 – Pandemic Survival Show - now available on DVD and CD via AFM Records. Playing the very best of the U.D.O. songs along with a few Accept classics, this is an event that will be remembered long after the dark reign of Covid-19 concludes. Highwire Daze recently had the honor to interview the legendary Udo Dirkschneider to find out more about the one-off show in Bulgaria, a recent album U.D.O. did with the Music Corp Concert Band that resulted in the reunion of two other Accept members, a bit of news on an upcoming U.D.O. studio endeavor, and other raging topics... So, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, how does a live show in Bulgaria come about? We had this offer last year in July to the show in Bulgaria. Don’t ask me why they wound up asking us. I know we are quite popular in Bulgaria. So, we had the offer from the government and our promoter in Bulgaria. The thing last year from July on to September, everything was possible – there was not a big lockdown – there was no problem to fly – restaurants were open – bars were open – and you HIGHWIRE DAZE
April/May 2021
could go on holiday – everything was okay. Not the full thing but beginning stuff blah blah blah. So then why said “Yeah, why not? If everything is possible, then we can do that.” But then we said “Yeah? A show? Hmmm.” And then they came up with the contact and we said “Yeah, okay no problem.” So, they came up with a location – and then when we saw the location – this old Roman amphitheater – and we were like “Wow! Is this show really happening?” I mean, we want to record it and also do a DVD of it. So, we prepared of everything, but then we were thinking let’s see if it really happens. Everyday it was changing – lockdowns and they were closing restaurants, they cancelled flights and all that stuff. And then was it possible to get together as a band – we are not living together in one country – one guy was from Russia, one guy was from Romania, I live in Spain, and two people are living in Germany. So, then we said “Okay, we want to be prepared – so we meet each other in Germany to start rehearsing.” And also, we said okay, nobody knows when we can come together again, so we were already doing the photo session for the upcoming U.D.O. album this year. And yeah, we did the rehearsing – and then in the end it was happening that we were flying to Bulgaria. For us it was like Wow! The only show in 2020 – but we didn’t expect that much people were coming. And then when we came to Bulgaria, everyone was well prepared – the hotels, wearing masks and everything was fine. And then they said the only thing we cannot do – there will be no people 23
