Status Quo are to finally hang up their electric guitars in December at the end of a gruelling farewell European tour. Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt have decided to call it a day after nearly fifty years on the road. They feel that age has caught up with them and they are finding it difficult to put in the physical effort required for a “typical” Quo concert.
Rick Parfitt stated that they could scale the shows down but both he and Francis Rossi feel that it just wouldn’t be Quo so they have decided to retire from the electric scene. They do have plans for other ventures in the future which they are looking forward to.
Quo started out in 1967 and have been successful in both the singles and album charts throughout their whole careers. Whilst line-ups have changed, Parfitt and Rossi have remained together as the driving force of the band. Perhaps their finest hour was when they opened the Live Aid concert in 1985, setting the tone for the remarkable event by belting out ” Rocking All Over The World.”
They have managed to combine their unique style of rock with some catchy , melodious songs which has made them popular with music-lovers of all ages. At one time it was fashionable to be a ” Quo Basher” with snide comments of “three-chord” wonders being hurled at them by so-called aficionados of rock music.
However, the truth of the matter is that Quo never pretended to be anything other than an honest band who loved what they were doing and made damned sure that everyone else had a great time as well. Just put on your best denims and have fun ! My sister reminded me about one of their concerts she attended and was asked by a lady behind her if she would mind sitting down as she couldn’t see !!
Sitting down was NOT an option at a Quo gig ! I have seen them many times and have taken a number of “sceptics” along with me, offering to pay for their tickets if they did not enjoy the experience. My wallet NEVER had to leave my pocket !! And I know a number of people will be saying , “So what’s new ?”
I am disappointed that I will not be able to see them one more time when the tour kicks off in my beloved Blackpool on April 28. Quo will play concerts in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Croatia and Poland. The final concert is in Liverpool in December.
A full itinerary can be found on www.statusquo.co.uk/tourdates.html#.VxXDj0foQ_4 So if you’re in Europe between now and Christmas, do yourself a favour and go and see a truly good-time band give it their all . Good luck fellas for the future and thanks for some great music and wonderful memories.
There appears to be a problem with the link above. Click on it anyway, click on “Back to Quo home page.” Scroll down to under the UK dates and click on “Quo tour dates” in yellow.