The Skids Middlesbrough Rock Garden and Newcastle City Hall 1979
The Skids were an amazing live act, much better in my view, than the late Stuart Adamson’s later and much more successful band, Big Country. The Skids had all the uplifting guitar anthems of Adamson, with some tinges of Scottish folk, coupled with the power of punk and the charismatic front man and vocalist Richard Jobson. The rest of the line-up of the original Skids was William Simpson on bass and Thomas Kellichan on drums. I first saw them on 24th March 1979 at a crazy, wild gig at Middlesbrough Rock Garden.
The Skids were high in the charts at the time with the anthemic “Into the Valley” and were incredibly popular, much too popular for the tiny Rock Garden. I figured I needed to buy tickets for this gig, something I didn’t usually do, so drove down to Middlesbrough and got a couple for me and my mate Dave. We drove down for the gig, stopping off for a drink in a pub near Billingham, where we ran into some mates. The conversation went something like this: Me: “Funny seeing you down here. Where you going?” Friends: “We were going to see the Skids at the Rock Garden in Middlesbrough, but its sold out and we were turned away, so we are on our way back home”. Me: “Yes we are going, but we have tickets”. Friends: ” I doubt you will get in, even with tickets. It is rammed packed and they physically can’t get any more people in there. There are fights at the door and the police have arrived and are turning everyone away”. Me: “Wow. Lets drink up and get down there”. Which we did. Our mates were correct. There was pandemonium at the door, and the bouncers first reaction was to say “No chance, not even with tickets”. However after a bit of persuasion they allowed us to push our way in. We could hardly get into the venue, it was completely crammed so that no-one could move. 
They kept the doors at the front, and the fire doors at the back, open to let some air in; it was so hot in there. The open doors were also useful so that the bouncers could throw people out, when fights broke out, and there were lots of those. This was one of those nights where I feared for my life; it was so full, so edgy, pretty dangerous. I think the support was local Borough punk band No Way. Anyway, the Skids came on and the place went totally wild, crazy, punks pogoing, beer everywhere, glasses being thrown about, fights down front. A room full of punks singing along to “Into the Valley” and “The Saints are Coming”. Incredible. I wish I could have bottled nights like that. From then on, we were Skids fans and saw them a couple of more times in the brief career.
The next time was, according to my ticket, at a concert on 12 June 1979 at Newcastle City Hall. However, the Skids gigography lists no such gig, but does list a Skids gig at the City Hall on 29 October 1979. And my programme also lists the gig as being on 29 October 1979. Another mystery for my fading memory. Was the gig perhaps rescheduled? Did they play in both June and October? And if so, where is my ticket for the October gig? Who knows. I have stopped thinking too much about such puzzles; it drives me crazy if I do. My ticket shows local art-rock band Punishment of Luxury as support along with a band called The Edge. I don’t know who The Edge were, but looking at the Skids gig list they supported them a lot of times. By the time of this gig Alistair Moore was on keyboards and Rusty Egan (ex-Rich Kids) had joined on drums. What I do remember was another packed wild, uplifting gig.
I saw the Skids once more and will blog on that gig tomorrow.
Update. Thanks to Mitch for solving my puzzle. The Skids did indeed play Newcastle in June and October 1979. I must have been at both gigs. Mitch has provided the set lists below:
The Skids set list at Newcastle June 1979: The Saints Are Coming, Six Times, Out Of Town, Scale, Scared To Dance, Charles, Melancholy Soldiers, Integral Plot, All The Young Dudes, Of One Skin, Sweet Suburbia, Masquerade, Night And Day, Into The Valley. Encores: Reasons, Masquerade, TV Stars, Of One Skin, Into The Valley.
October 1979 set: Animation, Out Of Town, Melancholy Soldiers, Working For The Yankee Dollar, Dulce Et Decorum Est, Masquerade, The Olympian, Pros And Cons, Scared To Dance, The Saints Are Coming, Thanatos, Home Of The Saved, Charade, Into The Valley. Encores: Charles, Of One Skin, All The Young Dudes, Masquerade.
And how could I forget TV Stars which was the B side of Into the Valley and one of the highlights of their shows at the time, and often the start of great singalongs in the Rock Garden.
“Ena Sharples
David Hunter
Meg Mortimer
Stanley Ogden
ALBERT TATLOCK
ALBERT TATLOCK” (TV Stars, The Skids, 1979)
Posts Tagged ‘concerts’
4 Jun
The Skids Middlesbrough Rock Garden and Newcastle City Hall 1979
3 Jun
Status Quo Dublin & Newcastle in 2006, Harrogate in 2007
Well you will be pleased to know that I have finally come to the end of my ramblings on Status Quo. My writings over the past week sort of mirror my relationship with Quo. I started quite enthused about the band, recalling just how amazing a live act they were in the early 70s. Working through those early 70s festival gigs and the 70s tours brought back great memories of an age which is long gone. An age when denim and simple rock and boogie were fun, and it didn’t matter if it was cool or not. When Status Quo were a serious player, and quite simply on a good night, the greatest rock’n’roll band on the planet (OK I know, I will have said the same about Zeppelin, The Who, The Stones, Slade and one or two others…but when I was in the City Hall, and they were playing Backwater or 4500 times, I did believe that they were the best band in the land, just as I believed it about Zeppelin when they played Communication Breakdown or Dazed and Confused…oh well, you know what I mean 🙂 ). Then there was the break-up in 1984, the comeback in 1986, my loss of faith in the band during the 90s, and then a renewed energy in Quo, and my renewed interest, with the release of Heavy Trafficin the early 2000s. Well my renewed interest stayed for a few more years until perhaps 2009, or 2010. But I am afraid I have to report that the sets and the tour became too similar, and I started to lose faith again. I saw Quo at Dublin in The Point on 25th October 2006. 
I was over for work and Quo were playing (result! 🙂 ). They were also doing a book signing at a large department store in O’Connell Street the day before the concert, so I went along, bought a book and got it signed and met Francis and Rick!! Then I was back to see them again at Newcastle City Hall on 2nd December 2006. The following year I saw them at Harrogate International Centre on 25th November 2007, as I couldn’t make the Newcastle gig (I think I was away in London that day). Great gigs, but as I say, a few years later I started to tire of it again a little. However the recent reunion tour renewed my faith again, and I missed last years Winter tour to have a rest for Quoing. However, I will go along and see them on the Winter 2014, and am looking forward to it, after writing these blog entries, and after not seeing them for almost 18 months (wow).
That takes me to my 33rd Quo experience. I’ve seen the band 6 times since these gigs, taking my total to 39 shows; I blogged on those gigs at the time. So that concludes my Quo blogging marathon 🙂 The next instalment will be in December when I go to see the guys play at Newcastle Arena on their Winter tour (which will be my 40th Quo gig….now can I get to 50?)
2 Jun
Graham Parker and the Rumour Newcastle Academy 1st June 2014
Graham Parker and the Rumour Newcastle Academy 1st June 2014
A few weeks ago I was writing about my memories of seeing Graham Parker in the 70s. At the time I wrote” “there was no better band than Graham Parker and the Rumour in the late 70s. They exploded out of pub rock and were part of the scene, and sound, which influenced punk and new wave. Graham Parker was the coolest guy on the planet and rocked and sang white soul and R&B like no-one else (OK maybe that’s a little unfair on Van Morrisson who was clearly a strong influence on Graham). The Rumour came with all the right pub-rock credentials featuring the legnedary Brinsley Schwarz (lead guitar) and Bob Andrews (keyboards) (both ex Brinsley Schwarz), Martin Belmont (rhythm guitar, ex Ducks Deluxe) and Andrew Bodnar (bass) and Steve Goulding (drums).”
At the time I didn’t know that I would be seeing them again, for the first time in 30-odd years. In 2011, Parker called up his old Rumour band mates and asked them to work with him again; they produced a new album that was their first together in over 30 years, and went out to play some shows. Last night they made their way back to Newcastle. Graham Parker explained how, outside the venue, a guy caught him and showed him a ticket for their concert at the City Hall in 1979, which he had signed at the time. He asked Graham to sign it again; which he duly did. He recalled those nights at the City Hall and other venues (the Poly as I recall) to cheers from the crowd, most of whom were surely at those gigs themselves. 
Of the reunion Parker says: “This has not been about touring for touring’s sake, or about making money….but we felt we had to get out there for a short while at least and be a part of the “This Is 40″ entourage….and bash some instruments around for the heck of it.” The tour has been having rave reviews; for example: “There was no need for any concerns over the 35-year gap. GP and the Rumour resolutely remain one of rock’s great live acts and the intervening years have done nothing to diminish their enduring powers. ” (the Birmingham Mail)
Well he didn’t let us down. Parker is still the same cool, cocky, energetic guy that he always was. From the moment they opened with Fool’s Gold, you just knew it was going to be good. The Rumour are still the tightest, hottest, rock, soul and reggae band on the planet (skanky beats, as Parker called them) and Parker is as animated and soulful as ever. Great stuff.
The setlist was something like this; I may have missed some: Fool’s Gold; Hotel Chambermaid; Snake Oil Capital of the World; Coathangers; No Holding Back; Howlin’ Wind; New Song; Live in Shadows; Lady Doctor; Love Gets You Twisted; Stick to Me; Watch the Moon Come Down; Get Started, Start a Fire; Discovering Japan; Nobody Hurts You; Pourin” it all out; Local Girls. Encore: You Can’t Be Too Strong; Don’t Ask Me Questions. Encore 2: Soul Shoes
1 Jun
Status Quo: Rick’s return after his cancer scare Birmingham NEC 21st May 2006
Status Quo: Rick’s return after his cancer scare Birmingham NEC 21st May 2006
The publicity at the time was pretty scary: “singer/guitarist Rick Parfitt feared that the title of the band’s latest album, The Party Ain’t Over Yet, would prove sadly ironic when a cancer scare forced the cancellation of their traditional pre-Christmas UK tour….group faced the possibility of winding up the party and calling it a day when doctors discovered a growth on 57-year-old Rick’s larynx.” Rick himself said at the time: “For a week I didn’t know whether or not it was malignant – it was the worst week of my life,” The good news was that the growth was not cancer, but Rick was worried that he may not be able to sing again: “It’s been a long slog, going from just being able to whisper to singing on stage again….the first show was last month at a ski resort in the mountains of the Austrian Tyrol and when I opened my mouth to sing Something ‘Bout You Baby I Like nothing came out…All I could think was ‘is my career over? Will I ever sing again?'” When I got an invite through the post from the Quo fanclub to go and see Rick’s UK return concert with Quo at the NEC, Birmingham, I couldn’t resist going. 
More from Rick at the time: “Seriously, I must be the luckiest man on the planet. My voice is pretty much back to normal just in time for the NEC show. I’m now in a much better frame of mind. The concert was recorded and released as a live DVD. From the official Quo shop: “Kings of rock ‘n’ roll Status Quo released their explosive concert DVD ‘Just Doin’ It Live’….filmed at their sell out concert at Birmingham NEC, the DVD is the band’s first ‘live in concert’ release for an incredible fifteen years. The concert marked Rick Parfitt’s return to full Quo duty since his health scare last Christmas, 12,000 loyal fans ecstatically welcomed him back on stage with long-time partner Francis Rossi. ‘Just Doin’ It Live’ features the full rocking concert of over 2 hours and includes all of Quo’s most memorable hits…..”
The gig itself was a pretty emotional experience. The NEC is a old Quo stronghold, and the denim hordes turned out in their masses to welcome Rick back, and show him how glad we were that he was ok. I had a seat in one of the front blocks with a pretty good view. Quo played a blinder. I was still on a Quo high, and they could do no wrong for me at the time.
Setlist: Caroline, Somethin’bout you Baby I Like, don’t waste my Time, 4500 Times, Rain, All Stand Up, Solid Gold, The Oriental, Creepin’ up on you, Mystery Medley, Belavista Man, The Party Ain’t Over Yet, Gerdundula, Roll over lay Down, Down Down, Whatever You Want, Rockin’all over the World, Proposin’ Medley, Junior’s Wailing, Rock’n Roll Music/Bye Bye Johnny.
Quo gig No 30.
31 May
Fred Frith & Michael Chapman The Sage Gateshead 30th May 2014
Fred Frith & Michael Chapman Lau-Land The Sage Gateshead 30th May 2014
Last week I saw the great guitarist Jeff Beck at Manchester Bridgewater Hall. Last night I witnessed performances by two very different guitarists, Michael Chapman and Fred Frith, in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall of the Sage Gateshead. The concert was part of the Lau-Land festival, an event organised with, and by, the folk group Lau. The Sage announced the festival like this: “Following huge acclaim for their recent ‘Race The Loser’ album and a fifth nomination for Best Group at the BBC Folk Awards, free thinking visionary folk trio Lau curate their own festival at Sage Gateshead. Lau-Land invites you to enter into Lau’s musical world and experience some of the inspiring artists who have influenced Lau’s inventive approach to their own music.” The festival had a few days of concerts, who had influenced Lau. Last night’s gig brought together folk-singer/guitarist Michael Chapman and experimental musician Fred Frith.
The Northern Rock hall is the smallest of the three halls in the Sage, and last night it was quite respectably full. Michael Chapman was on stage when I arrived, shortly after the start time of 8pm. Its been some years (probably almost 40) since I last saw this guy in concert. I saw him a lot during the 70s, either supporting major touring acts like ELP, or once headlining at the Mayfair with his own band. 
Dressed in T shirt, cap, and jeans Michael’s set last night was entirely instrumental, the songs interspersed with the stories that lay behind them, usually about fellow guitarists. Michael is an excllent acoustic guitarist; his songs are very strong on rhythm, and also very melodic, some with an almost hypnotic quality, a fact which he acknowledged when introducing one piece: “this one can get quite hypnotic, wake me up if I fall asleep”. Chapman concentrates much more on his guitar playing these days, back in the 70s, he sang more. Great to see him again, and a nice opening to the evening. The crowd gave him a warm reception.
After a short interval, Fred Frith took to the stage. I had been looking forward to this, as I knew it was going to be something quite different. The last time I saw this guy he was fronting Henry Cow and they were supporting Captain Beefheart. I found them quite challenging musically at the time, very strange and experimental. I didn’t quite get it. Last night I went with an open mind. Frith continues to play experimental improvisation of a unique nature using the guitar as his instrument. I had read about his concerts which involve him laying “a couple of his homemade guitars flat on a table” and playing them with “a collection of found objects (varying from concert to concert). He would drop objects, like ball bearings, dried beans and rice, on the strings while stroking, scraping and hitting them with whatever was on hand.” (from his Wikipedia page). Frith started by telling us that in 1967 he saw Michael Chapman play at Hull University, and that he was great then, as he was last night. He went on to recall that his first professional, paid, engagement was playing with his band at Jarrow Working Men’s club, and that he played a guitar improvisation that night, which didn’t go down too well at all with the local club men. 
He sat with his guitar laid flat on his lap, a table beside him covered with a variety of objects. Ill try and describe some of Frith’s technique. Tapping the guitar to create rhythm. Sliding his hand up and down the strings. Tapping on the strings rhythmically. Hitting the guitar to get a deep booming sound. Playing the guitar with objects, perhaps a brush (I was sitting at the back, so couldn’t quite make out everything he was using). Drumming the guitar with a paintbrush. Using a couple of drinking straws, placing one between the strings and then using the other to drum on the guitar and the straw. Placing a ribbon between the strings and pulling in back and forth creating a scraping sound. Playing with a violin bow. Heavy use of echo. Detuning his guitar while he played. Clever use of harmonics up and down the neck. Playing the guitar through a tea towel. Lots of effects pedals; fuzz, noise, reverb. Dropping a necklace onto the guitar, then a chain, puling them up and down in turn into a metal bowl laid on the guitar. Two bowls with grains (of rice? sand?) , and pouring the grains from one bowl to the other on top of the guitar. Singing, squealing, whispering strange sounds into the mike; quite creepy. All of this sounds crazy, and it was, but it was also quite musical, hypnotic. Elements of eastern music, heavy rock, all came through. I know I have said this before, but it was truly unlike anything I have seen before. Mind blowing. After almost an hour, the sound slowly went quiet and then stopped. He stood up, bowed and walked off stage. The crowd stood and applauded. Wow.
Thanks to Aaron for releasing the image of Fred Frith for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license. The picture is of Frith performing in Wallingford, Seattle, on 25th April 2009.
The Michael Chapman image is from one of my ELP programmes.
30 May
Status Quo Winter tour Newcastle City Hall 2003, 2004 & 2005
The next three Status Quo tours all called at Newcastle City Hall. These were: the Riffs Tour on 6th November 2003, the XS All Areas Tour 17th February 2005 (rescheduled from 19th December 2004 due to Francis being ill) and The Party Ain’t Over Yet Tour on 3rd November 2005. David came with me to the 2003 gig, still somewhat under sufferance. We had tickets in the front row, right in the middle. We ended up resting on the stage, looking straight up at Francis and Rick. The experience was incredible, watching the energy of the two guys; Rick in particular was on fire and a relentless rhythm machine. But the sound was awful; because of our position directly in front of the massive backline all we could hear was Rick’s guitar at screeching volume, and no vocals at all. I am not joking when I say that I sometimes didn’t know which song they were playing. My old gig mate John was over in the UK from the States with business and joined me at one of the 2005 gigs. Just like old times 🙂 !
The setlist changed little over this period and would usually be something like this: Caroline, Somethin’bout you Baby I Like, don’t waste my Time, 4500 Times, Rain, All Stand Up, Solid Gold, The Oriental, Creepin’ up on you, Mystery Medley, Belavista Man, The Party Ain’t Over Yet, Gerdundula, Roll over lay Down, Down Down, Whatever You Want, Rockin’all over the World, Proposin’ Medley, Junior’s Wailing, Rock’n Roll Music/Bye Bye Johnny.
In fact, the samey nature of the setlist became (and remains) an issue for some fans, who longed to see some radical changes in the songs played. Me, I was still in my “back into Quo” mode, and they could do no wrong by me at the time. I just had to hear the first couple of bars of “Caroline” and I was away again, back in the Quo zone. On a good night there just isn’t a better band in the land.
Then the unthinkable happened.
On December 8th 2005 we all learnt that the remainder of the UK tour had been cancelled due to the discovery of a growth in Rick’s throat. The press release read: “Guitarist and Founder member Rick Parfitt has been suffering from a throat problem…….This morning he saw a Consultant surgeon at the Nuffield Hospital in Plymouth who has expressed concern with a growth in Rick’s larynx and has recommended that it requires urgent investigation. Consequently all 9 remaining shows on the current sell out UK tour have been cancelled.” The newspapers were full of it: “Rick has throat cancer”, the stories went. We all feared the worst, and thought this might be the end of the Mighty Quo. Of course the news was, thankfully, ultimately good, and Rick didn’t have cancer. The next time I saw Quo was at Rick’s UK comeback gig at Birmingham NEC in May 2006. I’ll write about that emotional gig tomorrow.
This takes me to 29 times
29 May
Status Quo Dalby Forest Yorkshire 22nd June 2003 Heavy Traffic
Well I guess Quo had to find their way again and, in 2002, it happened with the release of “Heavy Traffic”. Heavy Traffic was the twenty-fifth studio album by Quo and made No 15 in the UK charts. The album was released following a reunion between Rossi and his writing partner Bob Young, who was the guy who would come onstage and play mouth harp during “Roadhouse Blues” and who also co-wrote, with Francis, many of the band’s great songs between 1968 and 1980. This is was also the first album to feature new drummer Matt Letley. The album was welcomed by fans and critics alike, and is generally recognised as a return to form and, at the time, Quo’s best album for 20 years or so. “Heavy Traffic” sees the guys returning to their rock and boogie roots, with some classic Quo heavy rockers that stand up alongside the tracks they turned our during their 70s classic rock period. Particularly strong tracks are opening song “Blues and Rhythm”, “All Stand Up (Never Say Never), “Creepin’ Up On You” and “Jam Side Down” which was released as a single. Several of the tracks made their way into the live set and have become favourites.
David continued to come to see Quo, still somewhat under sufferance. This time it was to another National Trust open air gig, deep in the forest (Dalby Forest to be exact) in Yorkshire. Dalby Forest is located somewhere near Pickering and on the road I would take if driving to Flamingo Park (anyone reading this of a similar age to me, and from the North East is likely to remember Flamingo Park as a regular destination for school trips in the 60s). I bought “Heavy Traffic” and my faith in Status Quo was renewed, to the extent that from here on and for the next 10 years, I went to see them any tour, and sometimes more than once in a year. I saw the old Quo again, and felt a renewal of energy in the band, and the fans who went along to the gigs. The Dalby gig was another fun rocking night. David and I stayed in a nearby hotel and were awoken at 3am by the alarm going off….the hotel was evacuated and we were all standing outside, half asleep and half dressed. I can’t remember what set the alarm off, but we had to wait until the fore engine arrived and we were given the all clear to go back to our rooms and back to sleep. Not the best nights sleep that I have had 🙂
Setlist: Caroline, The Wanderer, Somethin’bout You Baby I Like, Don’t waste My Time, 4500 Times, Rain, All Stand Up, Solid Gold, Heavy Traffic, Creepin’ up on you, Mystery Medley, Gerdundula, Big Fat Mama, Roll over lay down, Down Down, Whatever You Want, Rockin’all over the World, Anniversary Waltz / Oh Carol / Junior’s Wailing / Bye Bye Johnny.
PS That makes Quo gig No 26 for me (there is an end to this, I promise)
28 May
Suzi Quatro Special guest for Status Quo at Middlesbrough Ormesby Hall 24th August 2002
Status Quo and Suzi Quatro Middlesbrough Ormesby Hall 24th August 2002
My next Quo encounter was at a National Trust open air show held at Ormesby Hall, Middlesbrough on 24th August 2002. I bought two tickets cheap on eBay (result! 🙂 ) and took David along, somewhat on sufferance. We made our way down to the front, right next to some hardened Quo fans who were playing their inflatable guitars (I kid you not) and pushing us around in the scrum. Great fun. One of the highlights of the gig was the support act Suzi Quatro who was on great form, as usual.
I’ve just realised that I should have written about Suzi Quatro before now; she deserves her own blog entry, so here we go.
In the early 70s there were a few bands who seemed to come back and play again and again at our local Mecca ballroom. They were all fun acts, chart toppers of the time, and you just knew you were going to have a good night if they were appearing. They were: Roy Wood’s Wizzard, Mungo Jerry, and Suzi Quatro. Oh, and possibly Geordie too. I first saw Suzi Quatro when she had just arrived in the UK; this was before she hit No 1 in the charts with “Can the Can”. It must have been late 1972. I remember this tiny lady, dressed all in leather, with this massive bass guitar slung around her, and a strong raunchy rock’n’roll performance. A few months later and she was No 1 and “Can the Can” was being played everywhere.
Between “Can the Can” and her next No 1 hit single “Devil Gate Drive” which was a couple of years later, she played at the Mecca a number of times. It was probably 3 or 4 times, possibly more. The place would always be packed to the walls; I can here her screeching voice now: “Hey, you all want to go down to Devil Gate Drive? Well, come on”!
Lots of high kicking, silly choreographed dance routines, guitarist and husband-to-be Len Tuckey always at Suzi’s side and towering above her. Happy days.
Roll forward almost 30 years to 2002. Suzi still looked and sounded great, rocked as she always did, and warmed the crowd up for Quo and their fans. Suzi was a trail-blazer for many female rockers who followed her, and although she was as much pop as rock, she was still pretty cool, and those singles are still fun, and her live shows were great too.
Philip Norman (1974) said “Of all female rock singers, she appears the most emancipated: a small girl leading an all-man group in which she herself plays bass guitar. The image is of a tomboy, lank-haired, tight-bottomed and (twice) tattooed; a rocker, a brooder, a loner, a knife-carrier; a hell-cat, a wild cat, a storm child, refugee from the frightened city of Detroit.”
Frank Oglesbee writes (2008) that “The rebellion of rock music was largely a male rebellion; the women—often, in the 1950s and ’60s, girls in their teens—in rock usually sang songs as personæ utterly dependent on their macho boyfriends…”….and describes Quatro as “… a female rock pioneer, in some ways the female rock pioneer, …, a cornerstone in the archsheology of rock.”
And of course she was Leather Tuscadero, and she knew The Fonz. Now you can’t get cooler than that 🙂
A Suzi Quatro setlist: I’ve Never Been in Love; The Wild One; Tear Me Apart; She’s in Love With You; Stumblin’ In; 48 Crash; All Shook Up; Rock Hard; Can I Be Your Girl?; Leather Queen; Can the Can; Devil Gate Drive. Encore: If You Can’t Give Me Love; Sweet Little Rock & Roller; Sweet nothing
Status Quo Setlist: Caroline, The Wanderer, Softer Ride, Paper Plane, Hold You Back, Old Time Rock and Roll,4500 Times, Rain, Never Say Never, Solid Gold, Mystery Medley, Gerdundula, Big Fat Mama, Roll over lay Down, Down Down, Whatever You Want, Rockin’all over the World, In the Army Now, Anniversary Waltz/Junior’s Wailing/Rock’n Roll Music/Bye Bye Johnny
“Well, at the age of five they can do their jive
Down in Devil Gate Drive
And at the age of six they’re gonna get their kicks
Down in Devil Gate Drive
Well your mama don’t know where your sister done go
She’s gone down to the Drive. She’s the start of the show
And let her move on up. Let her come let her go.”
(Devil Gate Drive, Chinn & Chapman, 1974)
Reference: Oglesbee, F. W. (1999). Suzi Quatro: A prototype in the archsheology of rock. Popular Music & Society, 23(2), 29-39.
PS Just noticed both acts have the initials S Q (not sure why I mention that)
PPS That takes me to Quo show No 25 for me…..not far to go now…
27 May
Status Quo Newcastle Arena 6th December 1998
Status Quo Newcastle Arena 6th December 1998
It had been five or more years since I had last seen the mighty Status Quo. I has lost some of my faith in the band, largely as a result of some substandard releases, which saw the band recording covers of some old rock’n’roll classics. But I couldn’t go on too long without seeing the band. So when I saw that they were playing Newcastle Arena on 6th December 1998, I persuaded a mate to come along with me to see them again. Support came from T’Pau. As soon as I heard the first few bars of “Down, Down” I was back in the Quo zone again. I remembered how great this band were, and why I had been to see them so many times. 
This show at Newcastle renewed my faith in Status Quo, and got me back into them again. Having said that work, and family commitments meant that I missed the next few tours, and I didn’t see them again until 2002, which I will write about tomorrow.
Setlist: Down down, Hold You Back, Backwater, One man band,Softer Ride, The Wanderer, Living on an Island, Dirty Water, Gerdundula, Roll over lay Down, In the Army Now, Whatever you Want, Mystery Medley, Caroline, Rain, Burning Bridges, Anniversary Waltz.
26 May
Quo are back! 1986
Quo are back! 1986
You can’t keep a good band down. It wasn’t much of a retirement for Francis and Rick. The “End of the Road” in 1984, back for Live Aid in 1985, and then in 1986 a new version of Status Quo emerged with front men Rossi and Parfitt, Rhino Edwards on bass, long time keyboard player Andy Bown, and Jeff Rich on drums. They released the album and single “In The Army Now” and went out on tour yet again. Quo supported Queen on their “It’s A Kind Of Magic UK Summer Tour 1986”. I saw them at the Queen gig at Newcastle St James Park on 9th July 1986. I then saw them headlining at Whitley Bay Ice Rink on 11th December 1986; I won tickets in a competition in a local newspaper. Support at Whitley Bay was Waysted featuring Pete Way and Paul Chapman from UFO. “In the Army Now” is a great single, quite different for Quo and a departure from their usual heads down boogie style, but it worked well live, with use of gunshots at an appropriate point in the song.
I also have a programme for the “Ain’t Complaining Tour” which called at Whitley Bay on 29th June 1988, although I have no recollection at all of that gig. I do however recall seeing Quo at the massive Knebworth show which took place on 30th June 1990. 120,000 people attended this festival for the “Silver Clef Winners Award” and to see Status Quo alongside Cliff Richard and the Shadows, Robert Plant, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Elton John, Genesis, Paul McCartney and Pink Floyd. Quo were one of the highlights of the day at Knebworth, with major singalongs particularly for “Dirty Water”. The next Quo performance I saw was when they played as special guests for Rod Stewart at Gateshead Stadium in 2nd June 1991. The great Joe Cocker was also on the bill. I also have a vague memory of seeing them at South Shields Temple Park Centre in December 1993.
Typical setlist of the period: Whatever You Want, Paper Plane, Roll over lay down, Dreaming, Little Lady, Mystery Medley, Hold You Back, Don’t drive my Car, Dirty Water, In the Army Now, Rockin’all over the World, Big Fat Mama, Don’t waste my Time, Roadhouse Blues, Caroline, Rain, Down Down, Bye Bye Johnny.
Quo continued to be a great live act but, for me, things were never quite the same after Alan Lancaster left. This takes me to 23 times I’d seen the band up until 1993. Although live there was still great, their recorded output was ot great, and the band had lost its way. Singles like “The Anniversary Waltz” (1990) which was a medley of rock’n’roll covers, and the “Don’t Stop” album which was an album purely of covers, and featured the band in suits (now imagine that I the 70s…:) ) on the front sleeve, let themselves down in my view. I have to admit I lost faith a little at this point and missed the next few tours. The next time I saw Status Quo live was 1998. I’ll pick up at that point tomorrow. The 90s were not the best years for Quo, but donor worry a return to form for our heroes was yet to come.
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