UDO DIRKSCHNEIDER Performs ACCEPT Classics: Video Footage Of Entire Thessaloniki Concert

Former ACCEPT and current U.D.O. singer Udo Dirkschneider last month embarked on a special tour during which he is performing ACCEPT songs one last time before he closes the chapter for good.

Fan-filmed video footage of Dirkschneider's entire March 18 concert at Principal in Thessaloniki, Greece can be seen below (courtesy of Industry Kills).

Dirkschneider's setlist was as follows:

01. Starlight
02. Living For Tonite
03. Flash Rockin' Man
04. London Leatherboys
05. Midnight Mover
06. Breaker
07. Head Over Heels
08. Neon Nights
09. Princess Of The Dawn
10. Winterdreams
11. Restless And Wild
12. Son Of A Bitch
13. Up To The Limit
14. Wrong Is Right
15. Midnight Highway
16. Screaming For A Love Bite
17. Monsterman
18. TV War
19. Losers And Winners

Encore:

20. Metal Heart
21. I'm A Rebel
22. Fast As A Shark
23. Balls To The Wall
24. Burning

Asked about his decision to perform classic songs from ACCEPT for the last time in 2016 under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner, Udo told rock journalist Mitch Lafon: "A lot of people ask me, 'Why do you do this?' And I said… Always people are asking, 'Oh, can you play this ACCEPT song and this ACCEPT song and this ACCEPT song?' I mean, I have fifteen U.D.O. albums out, and, for me now, U.D.O. is U.D.O. Of course, I know that the people like to hear ACCEPT songs with my voice, but I wanna close something — I wanna close, like a book, and say, 'Okay, that's it. I read it.' Sometimes you have to come to an end with something. I wanna close up everything with ACCEPT. And this will be the last time. And I said, okay, I'll do one more tour. It will be a world tour. Hopefully we can do this also for America, around maybe a couple of shows. And yeah, that will be the last time that you… When we are on tour with U.D.O., we'll never play any ACCEPT songs again."

He continued: "I also wanna stop to be compared with… Now ACCEPT is still on tour, and they have a new singer, and they are doing also 'Balls To The Wall' and they are doing also 'Metal Heart', they do 'Princess Of The Dawn'. And I don't wanna be always compared and have to say, 'What do you think about this and this and this?' This is also another reason. I wanna close the ACCEPT chapter. I mean, it was a great… I mean, in a way, I was creating this band, you know. Sometimes you have to say, 'Okay, that's it.' I have enough U.D.O. songs, so I can play more U.D.O. songs and be U.D.O. I can say without being arrogant, U.D.O. has its own fan base now. Sometimes you have to say, 'Okay, that's it.'"

Udo went on to say: "There is a band called ACCEPT. And please, if you wanna hear these songs, please go then to [see] ACCEPT. [Laughs] So that's the only thing I can say. Now you'll have the chance next year to hear it with the original voice, but Mark [Tornillo, current ACCEPT singer] is doing a — I would say — really good job on it, so please go there and listen then to ACCEPT and U.D.O. is then U.D.O."

Regarding what makes the classic ACCEPT songs so special, Udo said: "I don't know what is special. You never can tell it, really. Like [DEEP PURPLE's] 'Smoke On The Water', in a way, something like this. Sometimes there's a song that, in a way, that stays forever."

The April 2 DIRKSCHNEIDER concert at Kaminwerk in Memmingen, Germany will be professionally filmed and recorded for a DVD and CD release later this year.