Review: Status Quo return to Wolverhampton Civic Hall
They didn’t play Again and Again . . . but here was Status Quo’s original '70s ‘Frantic Four’ line-up back at the Civic . . . again.
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Less than a week after last Thursday’s concert - which was actually the reunited Quo’s ‘second’ Wolverhampton gig, after this one, announced first, sold out in minutes - it was another night to savour.
And it was business as before as former drummer John Coghlan and bassist Alan Lancaster, joined Quo stalwarts Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt to treat the Wolverhampton Quo army to a real blast from the past, with a set-list built largely around their classic 1977 Live! album.
Some fans may have been left a little puzzled by the exclusion of Quo classic Caroline, but they revelled at the inclusion of a headbanging Down Down, a song which was mysteriously dropped from the Live! album even though it was recorded at the time.
Fans leaving last night’s concert could pick up their own double CD of the gig as a souvenir and what a set - kicking off with Junior’s Wailing and taking in fan favourites like In My Chair, Is There A Better Way, Forty-Five Hundred Times and Most Of The Time.
It was as if the Quo-lite that the band has veered into at times - producing the likes of Marguerita Time and, er, All Around My Hat - had never existed. This was business as it was meant to be . . . the proverbial heads down, no nonsense boogie, with the fans roaring their approval.
There has been talk of the band not quite hitting its stride on some of the earlier dates on this reunion tour, a little ring rusty. But last night there was no sign of that, there was a wall of sound and energy pouring off the stage as the band took its leave with The Doors’ Roadhouse Blues, Quo’s own Don’t Waste My Time and Chuck Berry’s Bye Bye Johnny.
Review and photos by Ian Harvey
Comments for: "Review: Status Quo return to Wolverhampton Civic Hall"
JIWAL
Good to see them back together but £50 for an 85 minute concert is far from good value. The Robin in Bilston is a better bet these days to see live music...Nazareth, Magnum, Slade and Barclay James Harvest all lined up for half the price of this...apart from that the Wulfrun is acoustically superior to the Civic and sound mixing in here is awful...saw Motorhead and Thin Lizzy of late and it's just atrocious
Wayne
I didn't go to Wolverhampton, but did go to Glasgow on the 10th and the tickets were priced at £38, the same as Wolverhampton iirc. 2 or 3 more hits may have been worth putting in the set imo.
Andy1961
I thought tickets where £30..something??? Not 50
Great night as said not great sound(Never is)
Hope I can go like that for 85 minutes when I am in my 60th Decade
lemmy is god
I wanted to see the Quo as they are one of the great British greats, they played well but i think on a reunion tour more of the familiar hits should be played, i mean with a 40 odd year back catalogue, why play covers?? and i couldn't believe i was back in my car for 10 past 10! poor value and an opportunity missed. Civic needs some investment too.
paul
If you want ITAN, BB, WYW etc I suggest you go to the LG. Have a look on the SQMB and you will see what the real Quo army have to say about this reunion tour. You should have stayed at home and let true fans see the band we love and follow.
hoot
spot on, after 109 shows and the second in a week they did not dissapoint. as for 85 mins , most bands mess about between tracks, always give 100% and always will.
Rock On lads
Boycey
Tried to sell tickets - 2 for £50 once I realised it wasn't greatest hits. No Quo fans wanted them.
Lemmy is god
Oh, i'm sorry, did i take someones place at the gig? By staying at home a 'true fan' would replace me? I am a true fan mate, of real music and legendary rock bands and the whole genre. Anyone can get a crowd rocking by playing shuffle grooves and 12 bar blues, Quo redefined this in the 70's. But on last nights performance they are wide of the mark, and Parfitts body language confirms this.
Quoman & Saddler
Paid £37 for one hour 35 minutes. Saw them play a good number of hits at the LG Arena with the current band in December but nice to hear some of the old album tracks again. The sound not the best but its always great to see the Quo especially at he venue where I first saw them in the 70's.
Richard Cropley
Tickets were £50!!!
I have just got back to my home in deepest Wales after travelling to Wolverhampton to see "the frantic four" and my god what a show!!!
Rick P looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him up, there was virtually no interaction between the band, NO humerous banter aside from a small bit at the start.
They played for about 80mins, NO Caroline NO Rockin' All Over the World NO Whatever You Want No Paper Plane.
The music sounded great but it wasn't the gig I thought it would be. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing, if it was bad in the camp on the "End of the Road" I dread to think what the atmosphere is like now. They all looked like they couldn't stand each other. Francis & Rick didn't even interact and Rick did not smile once.
The only thing frantic about them was how quickly they nipped offstage.
I expect the beer goggles for most Quo fans will mean they had a great night and that Quo were fantastic, but believe me they were not.
I just hope this is not the real beginning of the end for all things Quo.
I am a die hard Quo fan but I felt cheated but above all utterly disappointed.
One high though point was the support act The Treatment they were great.
Gaz
Your a muppet mate and clearly haven't a clue. You're not a die hard fan! How many gigs you done this tour? I will have done 4 of the 9 and I've been blown away I'm 29 years old never saw the original lineup until this tour but they showed they are better than panto quo warts and all
Richard Cropley
Quality not Quantity
50 gig Quo fan.
Richard Cropley i bet you don't read the SQMB do you?
oldrocker
You missed off In The Army Now, All around My Hat, Marguerita Time . . . . If you want those go to the NEC.
Get in early and you may catch Roy Wood singing I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday !
Richard Cropley
all I am saying is I was disappointed with what I saw on Wednesday night the body language as stated above by "Lemmy is God" said it all. I expected for this one off tour to be seeing them playing all their classic tunes, up until the split and having a ball, they didn't do either.
I thought what they did play was fantastic as usual but it finished too soon.
I started seeing them in 1974 all the way up to the "End of the Road Tour", I missed the "Cabaret Corporate" Years and then got back into them properly with the "Heavy Traffic" album.
some of you seem to be unaware that Francis R and Rick P are the same people who do the xmas gigs and tour with the"new QUO" as you seem to be slagging them off - whats that all about!
QUO STILL ROCK BUT I WANTED MORE - WHATS WRONG WITH THAT.
(I also go and see other bands!!!!!!!!!!!!)
David
It was great to see the band back together again after 30 years, the sound wasn't good and the show in my opinion was under rehearsed, quite a few mistakes but it was good to hear the old classic early 70's material again. I think they missed a trick in not addiing a few hits in addition to the set list - it was a short set for £40
Nick Hall
Picked up my ticket on e-bay for £32 so no complaints there, thought they were awesome, and great to hear a lot of stuff from their best 2 albums Dog Of Two Head & Piledriver. Worth the admission price alone for In My Chair. As for playing covers, if it hadn't been for chancing on Steamhammers' Juniors Wailing, Quo as we know them might never have come about, also Roadhouse Blues has always been a massive song for them, Parfitt's intro is Telecaster heavan. I didn't think Wilko's performance at The Robin last Thursday could be matched but Quo pulled it off last night, long may they boogie on.
hoot
spot on mate, the place was rockin
JulieC
the place WAS rockin' but I agree that this was the most down I have ever seen them. I have seen Quo for more years than I care to remember, the original Quo and the post '84 Quo and I have always come away with a smile on my face a stiff neck and ringing ears but not last night. I was just getting warmed up when bye bye johnny started and I knew that was that and yes I was disappointed too. I thought that the whole point of getting back together and doing a tour was to be to pull out all the stops and give ALL their fans whatever they want (geddit!).
Still love QUO and will do my best to see them again in whatever configuration but at best I can only give last nights performance 7/10 and I wanted to give it 20/10.
Whoa Whoa Whoa!!!!!!!!
50 gig Quo fan.
Richard Cropley
What gig was he at?
Lemmy is god
The same one i went to mate. Not disputing the musicianship, and the mix wasn't that far off, but It was a bit 'Francis Rossi and his backing band'.
I am a huge rock fan, but this gig disapointed. Fact.
Quozone
£38.50 a ticket for 1 1/2 hours of brain chrunching classic 70's Quo, not a whiff of cheese in sight, no medleys, no RAOTW or MT or Wanderer just full on Rock n boogie - just how we like it. Excellent value for money I'd say. And they were all smiling and having a great time on that stage.
Quoling
Richard C sounds like he has an axe to grind!
This was 90 mins of classic Quo. Rick Parfitt was drenched in sweat as these songs are hard work and he played like a steam train non stop. No piano or synths to fill in, it was down to him. Time for 'banter'? I think not.
Francis and Alan were messing about and it was a joy to see them smile and laugh with each other on stage after years of lawyer lead acrimony.
Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan on bass belied their age. Thundering drums and bass took us back to those heady days of 1976. The crowd was 16 again and more vocal and lively than any Quo gig of the past 25 years.
The only ones disappointed were the cardigan and slippers brigade expecting the jaunty Xmas style show. This was a very, very different beast and all the better for it.
Richard Cropley
no not at all
no axe to grind except my air guitar
it is hilarious that people are thinking i dig the panto shows i don't, bonnie tyler and kim wilde on a Quo Bill come off it, but thats not saying the "new QUO" are bad they are not but................well enough said.
Last gig before this, SABATON in Cardiff and they did ROCK, so lay off the cardigan & slippers comments.
I am making informed comments from nearly 40 years of gig going and wednesday night disappointed ME. If you dug it then great.
Thank you and good night.
Lemmy is god
What he said.
nikki o
You make a lot of sense and its a shame you have to waste so much time jusitifying a perfectly balanced view.
I was there too by the way and have folowed them from the proper rock days of the 70's.
macccquo
For me it was worth every penny and more, took me back to the days following The Mighty Quo on loads of different tours. Great to see the Vox & Marshalls mixed together on stage. Sound wasn't perfect but it was loud and as for the ROAR of the crowd when the hello stage curtain dropped just awesome.
Paul (Derby)
I only went to see Quo on Wednesday 13 because of the ''Old Stuff'' they played.I was a die hard Quo fan until they started playing ''POP music. I mean The Wanderer whats that all about?. It was so nice to hear the REAL Quo again.They have had loads of different Drummers/Bass players over the POP years but I could'nt name one.
Great night but as a Guitarist myself for 40 years, I must agree with other comment .....loads of mistakes.
Kev
I saw the band last night at Hammersmith in London. The whole gig was excellent, sound and lighting as well. Good to hear the early stuff played with such energy, the band were clearly working hard and so what about the lack of banter!? There was some small talk anyway but surely you're there to listen to the music, not the inane chatter between songs! The crowd loved it and it was well worth the money.