Scorpions: Live in Munich 2012

Four-decades-plus into the Scorpions career (while the band formed in 1965, vocalist Klaus Meine didn't join until 1970), the group is in fine form for this 2012 concert from Munich's Olympiahalle. The 20-song set starts with the hard stuff before segueing to power ballads, starting with the anthemic "The Best Is Yet to Come," which has surely brightened up a senior prom or two. Meine, who sports his signature newsboy cap, keeps the stage patter to a minimum, concentrating on his vocals, which remain as distinctive as ever (lightly accented English with a touch of vibrato). When he isn't singing, he's encouraging the audience to clap along during "Make It Real" or whistling the opening melody to "Wind of Change." His band mates include guitarist and founding member Rudolf Schenker, lead guitarist Matthias Jabs, bassist Pawel Maciwoda, and drummer James Kottak. For "Send Me an Angel," they all assemble at the front of the stage to play acoustic instruments and add harmony vocals, even Kottak, who trades his drum kit for a set of shakers and a music case (or amplifier) on which he taps out a beat. Near the end, the band serves up their biggest hit, "Rock You Like a Hurricane," with the audience singing along as flash pots blaze away. Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, this is recommended. (K. Fennessy)