Frankfurt gig - 21st November 2016

So it was a bit samey? Now there's a surprise.

And some more great pro shots from the Frankfurt gig:

www.nnp.de/bilderstrecken/Status-Quo-und-Uriah-Heep-rocken-in-der-Frankfurter-Jahrhunderthalle;cme67801,1707221

Andy Bown looks and sounds like Hugh Laurie, and I imagine he has an equally high opinion of himself.

My third gig on the German tour saw me queuing outside the spaceship venue that is the Jahrhunderthalle in Frankfurt before 4pm on 21st November. "VIP Golden Circle" ticket holders had been emailed to arrive by 4pm and there were already about 15 in front of me when I arrived at shortly before 4pm. It was soon after that we were let in to be issued our wristbands and lanyards, then forming our own queue for early entry. It was a nice warm way to queue inside the venue and we were finally let into the auditorium at about 5.45. The venue looked large from the outside but the interior space for standing and seating were surprisingly small and the stage not particularly wide so the barrier spots were quickly taken, with a spot between Francis and Rhino being my barrier real estate for the evening.

Other fans were let in at about 6pm and the venue filled quickly so the openers, DRDW, played to a nicely-sized audience and got a great reception for their entertaining (but still bizarre) brand of accordion-based rock. Their reception was so good that the lead
singer came back out after their set to take photos of the audience still applauding (see here).

Uriah Heep again got an excellent reception for their energetic hour-long set. A trio of Quo fans on the barrier provided a challenge for them, with Mick Box and Bernie Shaw working on them throughout the set to get involved. They stubbornly refused, however, and earned a few choice words from the drummer as he left the stage!

Quo appeared at just after 9pm (after a very short drone intro) and played the same LNOTE set as at the previous German gigs. The venue was full by the time they took the stage and the audience got involved from the get go, albeit without the size to generate the same kind of noise as the Koln gig a couple of days before. The band were again in good form after a day off and Francis in particular seemed to really enjoy himself. The fine architectural interior of the Jahrhunderthalle was nice for us as an audience but Francis complained about their (underground) facilities. The standout song of the night for me was "Down Down", it's become such a big song in the set and Francis clearly loves the audience interaction. The bye-bye's came way too soon, but it was a very enjoyable gig, especially enjoyed from such close quarters (the pit was very narrow at this gig).

Another good performance from Quo in a superb venue (with excellent organization and easy entry & exit), next stop Oberhausen for me.