Michael Schenker/Armored Saint: The Canyon Club - Agoura Hills, CA - 10/2/25
German guitar legend Michael Schenker announced his “My Years With UFO” tour where he would celebrate 50 years of his music with English rock band UFO. The setlist would naturally consist of some of UFO’s best songs that were performed by Schenker. Support for the second half of the tour would be Los Angeles heavy metal band Armored Saint. California showed their love and support for Schenker so much that all the shows were either super packed or sold-out. The stop on this tour would be at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California. This was one of the sold-out shows, so it was guaranteed to be a loud and unforgettable night.
Armored Saint is a heavy metal band from Los Angeles formed in 1982 by brothers Phil (guitar) and Gonzo (drums) Sandoval. Since then, they have released eight studio albums with the latest being Punching the Sky which was released in 2020. The lights went out, and the sold-out venue cheered with excitement as Armored Saint made their way to the stage and started their show with “March of the Saint,” their most famous song. Armored Saint rocked it from the start. Up next were two more great songs which were “End of the Attention Span” and “Long Before I Die.” The audience was a mixture of people rocking out, singing along, or sitting down and just enjoying the show. Armored Saint are currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of their second album Delirious Nomad. For the occasion, Armored Saint decided to do a micro set of songs from the album. The first song played from the album was “Nervous Man.” Vocalist John Bush took a quick break to talk about the band as well as introduce everyone in the band and how it was an honor to play with Schenker as they were all kids when they first started out. More of their setlist included “Over the Edge,” “Win Hands Down” and “Can U Deliver.” No matter what song was played, they were all played with precision and there was never a dull moment in their performance. The last song of the show was “Reign of Fire,” and it was a banger of a song to end their set. Armored Saint thanked the audience, then left the stage. Already off to a great start and the show was just getting started.
The now fully packed venue waited in anticipation for Schenker to come out. The lights went out once more, and the crowd cheered with excitement. The band members came out one by one with Schenker being the last one. The first song performed was “Natural Thing.” A great way to start the show. Schenker wasted no time in showing off his guitar skills that has made him one of the most influential guitarists of all time and one of the greatest guitarists of all time. The next song was “Only You Can Rock Me,” and it had the crowd singing along to the chorus. Things were heating up and getting hot and what better way to keep the heat going than to next play “Hot ‘n’ Ready.” Up next was one of UFO’s best songs, “Doctor Doctor.” Easy to sing along to and is most noticeable to fans of Iron Maiden who always play the song right before they go on stage. Schenker continued to shred through UFO classics like “Mother Mary,” “This Kids,” and “Love to Love.” The audience got a surprise when the band was about to play “Lights Out” and the guest was Jeff Scott Soto. Soto sings a cover of “Lights Out” featured on the 2024 UFO covers album titled My Years with UFO. One of the best songs performed was the fan favorite “Rock Bottom” and it too had the audience singing along to the chorus. The final song of the performance was “Too Hot to Handle,” and it made for a perfect ending. Schenker thanked the audience for coming out then left the stage. Even though it was a Thursday, that didn’t stop fans from coming out and selling out the venue. Who says rock is dead? This tour is proof that rock is still alive and rolling. If you see this tour coming to your area, be sure to go and check it out.
