"Dirkschneider" is a name that means much more than just the second name of lead singer Udo Dirkschneider and his band U.D.O. and the second incarnation of the "D.U.D. With this name and this form, the German rock quintet pays tribute to the musical history of their legendary singer. During the upcoming world tour, Dirkschneider will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Accept's legendary and most popular album, Balls To The Wall. To celebrate the occasion, they will play the album in its entirety, adding as a cherry on the cake a number of songs from the cult German band that are well known to all heavy metal fans. The concert will take place at the Vilnius club Kablys on Saturday 8 March 2025.
Dirkschneider - Balls to the Wall (Live Graspop 2023)
https://youtu.be/w5txviWzpWA?si=jxuA1rGmQNV7ReXo
As a songwriter, and even as a founder member of the band in the 1980s, Udo was a major force behind the cult success of the Accept. The newest member of the U.D.O./Dirkschneider family, bassist Peter Baltes, was also a member of the legendary "golden" line-up, contributed many of the songs that made Accept famous, and during their time together the cult album Balls To The Wall was born.
DIRKSCHNEIDER - Living For Tonite (2017) // Live in Brno // AFM Records
https://youtu.be/mhoO-OKhHYc?si=-WWq-Ce6hIhmp2g7
"Balls To The Wall" is a very fitting description of the band's live stage show, which is also created and complemented by the clockwork precision of drum monster Sven Dirkschneider and the talented duo of guitarists Andrei Smirnov and Fabian "Dee" Dammers. How fortunate that the 40th anniversary of the aforementioned studio album, which is Accept's best-selling and best-known studio effort, coincided with the current anniversary of "U.D.O." / Dirkschneider's heyday! Naturally, the band doesn't want to let this anniversary go unnoticed - that's why Dirkschneider is excited to not only announce a full live performance of Balls To The Wall, but also to announce a full tour to celebrate the anniversary of what has already become an iconic album for metal fans in the spring of 2025 across Europe! Plus, on stage, bassist Peter Baltes and I will be sharing the pleasure of performing Balls To The Wall in its entirety live for you all after a long break. It will definitely be one of the highlights of my career!" As if the 45 minutes of Balls To The Wall's iconic tracks such as the title track, London Leatherboys, Love Child or the final ballad Winterdreams weren't enough to create a feast - Dirkschneider will also add additional musical surprises to the list of songs to be performed at the concert, and will even create a new stage set and special and extraordinary technical solutions for the tour. All efforts will be made to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Accept's undisputed musical masterpiece and to ensure that evenings together in concert spaces are an unforgettable celebration for every fan of classic heavy metal music.
