Band(s): Status Quo
Venue: Fairfield Halls, Croydon
Date: 07 October 2008 & 08 October 2008
Website: statusquo.co.uk
MySpace: myspace.com/statusquo40
Label: Whichever label Quo is on now!
Featured on: Loucifer Speaks exclusive
I always seem to love seeing Quo at Croydon - nice sounding venue and no barrier, so I have the pleasure on leaning on the stage getting up close to them to take that great picture or to receive plectrums or most the time just chatting away to them.
But this year didn't disappoint after the re-vamp setlist in the summer I was really looking forward to these gigs.
So night one 7th October 2008, 8.30pm, the drone starts. (this is the music quo go on stage to) No matter how many times I have heard the drone it still makes my hair stand on end. Quo come on stage and it's 0 to 100MPH. They opened with "Caroline". This song because of it's intro is the best damn opener then straight in to "The Wanderer". I love the new ending to this it merges with the song "Rain" its very powerful and effective.
This is the bit I love when Francis talks to the punters and banter. He was talking about hardcore fans and the floaters. Then he asked us punters the casual fans should be called as every time he said floaters he was getting visions.
They went into the fan favourite done drive my care. Then into "Mean Girl" and oh my god "Mean Girl" sounded good live. I have never heard them play it live and it was just class. Then into softer ride which they haven't done since 2001. Its great live and more I listen to it the lyrics seem to be how I'm feeling about my job at the moment. Then they moved nicely into the "Beginning of the End". This song is off their most recent album "In Search of the Fourth Chord". By this point I had only just taken notice of the video wall.
Francis talks to the punters again. He said when we recorded this next song someone gave us a gift which made us play faster (speed) so we cant play as fast as we did on the record. But then again I think "Down Down" is too f*cking fast. This is, Is their a better way.
"Is there a Better Way" is another one I aint heard live before and it rocks like F*CK. The original bass player used to do the vocals back in the 70s but Rick sings it better in my honest opinion. Then its into a medley containing "What your proposing", "down the dust pipe", "little lady", "red sky", "dear john" and "big fat mama". The medley always goes down well and it's a good way to get a lot of the hits played for the floaters.
Medley over and its into 2 songs I have never heard live before and once begged their bass player rhino 3 years ago to make them do them . Francis goes centre stage and starts the riff to "pictures of matchstick men". I had died and gone to quo heaven and then straight into "ice in the sun". I could not contain my huge smile and rhino mouthed to me took me 3 years ;-)
Now into the 2 songs from the "heavy traffic" album "the oriental" and "creepin up on you". 2 great live tracks.
Now Francis tells the punters a story of how they where recording a song and it wasn’t moody enough. So their producer sent them for a brandy and along comes Rick Parfitt dressed as a woman and as Francis explained they don’t know where Rick got the clothes from as there was no woman in the studio or the pub.
This song was "in my chair". Another one I aint heard live. Quo have really treated their fans on this tour.
Then into the lovely "living on an island" and then "in the army now". Then Matt rips into a kick ass drum solo. Matt at the moment is ill - Get well soon Matt
Drum solo over and into "roll over lay down" a good one to jump too. Then into "down down", "whatever you want" and "rockin all over the world".
Quo go off stage. The crowd are going nuts for quo to come back. They of course do and play "rock n roll music" and "bye bye johnny" with audience participation.
Quo shake hands with the front rowers and go.
This was the best gig in years.
8th October 2008
11am at backstage door with the one and only RICK PARFITT who signed my albums and chatted to me. Thanks Rick.
Set was the same. But the band played even better. The crowd was better and for some reason it was better than the first night.
Looking forward to seeing them in Brighton in December and Ireland in February