Turning his back on the big Status Quo tours, Francis Rossi now seems in his element touring UK theatres with his succession of solo shows. I saw him three years ago at Hastings White Rock Theatre on his ‘Tunes & Chat’ tour and we’re at Bexhill De La Warr Pavilion to see him on the last night of his ‘Quo Song Book: Past, Present, Future’ tour.
The format is pretty much the same. Rossi, his musical collaborator and guitar tech, Andy Brook, two plush red armchairs and a selection of acoustic guitars. There does seem to be a bit less chat on this tour and, after some opening thoughts on the musical backdrop in the 1950s home of a London-based Italian family and his enduring love for the boogie shuffle, the focus is firmly on the music.
Starting at the very early days with ‘Pictures of Matchstick Men’ the classic Quo material comes thick and fast. And just to prove a point about just how durable that famous boogie shuffle proved to be over the years, we have an extended medley of ‘The Wanderer’, ‘Railroad, ‘Rollin’ Home’, ‘Dear John’ and ‘Hold You Back’. For all the ridicule that Quo received for sticking to their trademark formula over the decades, the stripped-down format does allow you to really appreciate the simple beauty of those classic songs. The theatre-show format clearly suits Rossi at this stage in life and is an entertaining way of celebrating Quo’s music in a live setting.
After a short interval the second half kicks off with the 1980 hit ‘What You’re Proposing’. A significant milestone for me as this single definitely marked the point at which Status Quo went from being a familiar sound of my childhood, pumping out of my dad’s stereo, to a band that I became a dedicated, record-buying fan of in my own right.
As well familiar hits like ‘Marguerita Time’ and some celebrated album tracks like ‘Dirty Water’ and ‘Roll Over Lay Down’, Rossi announces the second half is also the place for “what the PR people call deep cuts” and he gives us ‘Someone Show Me Home’ from the If You Can’t Stand the Heat album and ‘Tongue Tied’ from the In Search of the Fourth Chord album.
Although there’s less emphasis on the chat with this tour, there’s still the occasional nugget of hilarious homespun wisdom. Noting that his eldest son is gay, Rossi expressed bafflement when others would tell him they weren’t sure how they’d be able to handle it:
“What’s the problem? It’s not going to be your cock he’s using is it?”
So there’s definitely a few laughs along the way, but no shortage of really great songs. Things draw to a close with a triumvirate of big Quo hits and the chance for a big communal sing-along to ‘Rockin’ All Over The World’, ‘Down Down’ and ‘Caroline’, with the audience implored to sing along to the guitar parts, not just the words. Of course, we all did.
Set-list:
First half:
Pictures of Matchstick Men
In My Chair
Spinning Wheel Blues
Wild Side of Life
The Wanderer / Railroad / Rollin’ Home / Dear John / Hold You Back
Gerdundula
Don’t Waste My Time
Rock ‘n’ Roll
Burning Bridges (On and Off and on Again)
Second half:
What You’re Proposing
Dirty Water
Marguerita Time
Someone Show Me Home
Tongue Tied
Roll Over Lay Down
Rockin’ All Over the World
Down Down
Caroline
Related posts:
Francis Rossi – ‘Tunes & Chat’ at White Rock Theatre, Hastings 2023
