SCORPIONS Singer KLAUS MEINE: 'No More Farewell Tours'

In a brand new interview with "The Rick Lewis Show" on 103.5 The Fox radio station, SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine once again assured fans that there is no more talk of retirement, as there was back in 2010 with what was purported to be a final album and a farewell tour that never quite took hold.

"We don't wanna know about 'farewell' anymore," the 71-year-old vocalist said (hear audio below). "No more farewell tours — that's it. I don't know. Back then, it might have been the wrong decision, but somebody had the feeling, 'This is it. And this should be a farewell tour.' But three years [into] this farewell tour, we realized there's a whole new generation [of SCORPIONS fans]. We had an offer to make an MTV unplugged album. And there were tons of good reasons just to stay and to keep going. And thanks we did. It was a good decision to just hang in there and keep going.

"Last year, just a couple of months ago, in October, we played Rock In Rio [festival] in front of over a hundred thousand Brazilian crazy fans, and then you go out there and realize, 'Wow! There's still so much gas in the tank,'" he continued. "And we enjoy it way too much. And it would have been totally the wrong decision to stop and give it all up — give up what is a very unique history, considering we're a European, we're a German band; there are not too many of them around in the world. And it's a good thing we're still out there. But growing older, of course, I'm realistic enough to know this will not go on forever, and who knows what's waiting around the next corner? But right now, we all feel good, we're healthy, we're strong. We have a new drummer in the band, Mikkey Dee, who came from MOTÖRHEAD, who kicks our butt and brings a lot of new energy. And it's a lot of fun. And we enjoy every day being out there. And it's a privilege — it's a huge privilege — to play in front of three generations and that we still can do this on this high level."

SCORPIONS will enter a Los Angeles studio this spring with producer Greg Fidelman (METALLICA, SLIPKNOT) to begin recording its new album for a tentative late 2020 release. The upcoming disc will mark the German hard rock legends' first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of SCORPIONS' new and classic material.

SCORPIONS' last full-length collection of new recordings was 2015's "Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016.

Earlier this month, SCORPIONS announced that they will be taking over the Las Vegas Strip later this year with their exclusive headlining residency show. Promoted by Live Nation and Caesars Entertainment, SCORPIONS "Sin City Nights" kicks off Saturday, July 4 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. SCORPIONS will be joined by special guests QUEENSRŸCHE.

SCORPIONS previously played a Las Vegas mini-residency in May 2016, consisting of five shows at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Support on those dates also came from QUEENSRŸCHE.