38 Special hit the road after their Wild-Eyed Southern Boys album was released in January of 1981, and their worldwide tour landed them at Freilichtbühne Loreley amphitheatre in St. Goarshausen, Germany on August 29, 1981. The concert was recorded by the popular Rockpalast German music television show, and the rest of the world will finally get to experience the performance 38 Special - Live At Rockpalast 1981.
The 11-song collection will be available Friday, June 30, as a CD/DVD set and on digital streaming services and can be pre-ordered/saved here. Watch an official video trailer below.
MVD is the US distribution partner, and worldwide distribution is handled by Believe.
“We are very proud and happy to see this historic live concert finally getting released,” said Don Barnes, who co-founded 38 Special with Donnie Van Zant in 1974. “We had such a rockin time! It was a memorable experience for 38 Special and our first time in Germany.”
The 38 Special rocket ship was well into orbit, when they arrived in Germany in 1981. The band’s third studio album, Rockin’ Into The Night, had yielded the arena anthem of the same name. Wild-Eyed Southern Boys sent “Hold On Loosely” up the charts as another smash hit, and the music video was the 13th clip aired the day MTV launched on August 1 of that year. Germany was primed for their arrival four weeks later.
38 Special - Live At Rockpalast 1981 is all energy, kicking off with “Turn It On” from the Rockin’ Into The Night album. The young fans adored the band’s signature hits “Hold On Loosely,” “Wild-Eyed Southern Boys,” and “Rockin’ Into The Night” and more. The concert and album wrap with a rousing encore of CCR’s “Fortunate Son.”
“Every song, every solo, all the energy was balled up in an explosive presentation,” added Barnes. “It felt like we had strapped ourselves in and the crowd took us up higher and higher. It was an exhilarating experience! After our full set and before the encore, I remember being soaked and toweling off before we went back out and took them for that last ride.”
In addition to Barnes and Van Zant, the 38 Special lineup the day of the recording included Jeff Carlisi on guitar, Jack Grondin on drums, Larry “LJ” Junstrom on bass, and Carol Bristow and Lu Moss on background vocals. Fans of the band with a keen eye may notice, that Don Barnes plays the same Gibson electric guitar today as he did at Rockpalast.
“On behalf of Donnie Van Zant, myself and the band, we send our thanks and best wishes to all involved with the presentation of this show from so many years ago. We’re still out there bringing the heat and hope to be for many more years!”
38 Special continues to tour at least 100 dates a year. At each and every show, thousands of audience members are amazed by the explosive power of the band's performance. Their many Gold and Platinum album awards stand in testament to the endurance of a legendary powerhouse. With sales in excess of 20 million, their timeless hits remain a staple at radio, immediately recognizable from the first opening chord, and paving the way to their present-day touring regimen.
Rockpalast (Rock Palace) launched as a live music television show in 1974. Almost 50 years later, the show continues to highlight rock, heavy metal, folk and jazz airing on German television station Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) and throughout Europe on Eurovision.
(Photo - Manfred Becker)
