Status Quo 9 September 2009

Many years ago a great friend of mine became a Status Quo fan, he was a bit of a rocker and it was in 1973 with the hit single Caroline when he really started pushing this band with songs that rocked but really all sounded a bit similar. Caroline was their first real hit and it wasn’t until the end of ’74 that they had their one and only number one single with Down Down albeit there was a lot of top 20 hits in between and around these. (Technically incorrect I know.)

But that’s all bullshit really, as what they are really about is live performances. Since the early 70’s they have had a loyal following of fans and more recently they have packed arenas including Glastonbury with their fantastic live performances. These guys, 2 of which (Rossi and Parfitt) have been the mainstays of the band since 1968 opened one of the biggest concerts of all time and actually created the Live Aid anthem with their rendition of Rocking all over the world. Watching them perform at the Palma Arena you understand why they have done so well and why they have such a good following. A bit like Deep Purple who appeared in the same venue last year they are pros. They have spent their careers making and performing music and their professionalism and sheer enjoyment shines through. In reality the music is a bit samey but because of the execution you find it difficult to fault. If you are any sort of music lover, and I am, you just could not help but shout, cheer, whistle and clap to what is one of the best live bands to have come out of the UK. Yes I loved Deep Purple and thought that their classics were classics but they did not have me jumping like these guys, just wonderful stuff and I could always do with more like this.

The biggest disappointment for me was the lack of numbers, probably around 2000, at the concert. including the lack of locals at the concert, was this because they felt the tickets were too expensive or something else?