Former KINGDOM COME Guitarist Recounts Getting Kicked Off SCORPIONS Tour

Former KINGDOM COME guitarist Danny Stag (photo) recently spoke to Regis Behe of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about the experience of playing with VAN HALEN, DOKKEN, THE SCORPIONS and METALLICA as part of the Monsters of Rock tour that took place during the summer of 1988.

"We actually lost money every show," said Stag. "VAN HALEN paid us $4,400 and our expenses were $5,500. We lost $1,100 every show."

KINGDOM COME eventually linked up with THE SCORPIONS again for a tour as a supporting act.

"It was very cool," Stag said. "We were out with them for two months, and they treated us really well. We ate dinner with them with their caterer, and they weren't stingy about stuff."

There were some conditions that every opening band has to deal with — less power, Stag said, so the band didn't sound as loud as THE SCORPIONS — and KINGDOM COME was also restricted to a smaller portion of the stage. Specifically, KINGDOM COME lead singer Lenny Wolf was told by THE SCORPIONS' manager, Paul O'Neil, to stay off the runways.

For a while, Wolf abided this restriction. One night, the runways proved to be irresistible.

"Paul said very nicely, 'Look mate, I really meant what I said about using the runways,'" Stag said. "He said he'd have problems if Lenny continued to use them."

So the next show, the same thing happens: Wolf goes crazy on the runways and O'Neil, a little more adamant but still civil, reminds him of the restriction.

"Lenny said yeah, yeah, whatever," Stag said.

The next night, of course, Wolf went for the runway the first chance he got. Stag said O'Neil was furious and Wolf calmly stood there, smoking a cigarette. Then, Wolf made a remark about Nazis.

O'Neil was half Jewish.

"I don't know if Lenny knew the guy's father was Jewish or not, but we got kicked off the tour the next day," Stag said. Read more.