|
|
Post by therockdoctor on Dec 12, 2016 10:45:11 GMT
A massive crowd for Quo last night at the O2, my first time seeing them in a London venue other than Wembley Arena. Same LNOTE setlist as Bournemouth and the German tour. Lots of band friends & relatives in the audience for this one and Lloyd mingled in the pub before and after the gig. Although it was a huge crowd, the atmosphere didn't seem to be there for me and being a long way back (row 12) made it a less engaging experience than the other shows I've been to recently. Full review to follow.
|
|
|
|
Post by lazypokerblues on Dec 12, 2016 10:52:16 GMT
Lee, was the Nottingham setlist different from Bournemouth & London?
i.e. Paper Plane/Slow Train swap around?
|
|
|
|
Post by therockdoctor on Dec 12, 2016 10:54:23 GMT
Yes, Nottingham had "Slow Train" as the last song of the medley and then "Paper Plane" opening the encore, plus "Burning Bridges" then no "Rock 'n' Roll Music" but a full "Bye Bye Johnny" (as in singing the verses of the song). Seems it was a one night only change, though, it's back to the familiar set again now...
|
|
|
|
Post by lazypokerblues on Dec 12, 2016 11:01:27 GMT
They must have thought they needed to tweak it for the UK audience, but then fell quickly back into the comfort of the EU shows.
|
|
|
|
Post by markquo on Dec 12, 2016 11:06:08 GMT
Reo speedwagon were excellent best support Quo have had in years.
Cheers
|
|
|
|
Post by therockdoctor on Dec 12, 2016 13:02:58 GMT
They must have thought they needed to tweak it for the UK audience, but then fell quickly back into the comfort of the EU shows. Sounds about right, it was a small change but a welcome one. Oh well, it is what it is. |
|
|
|
Post by therockdoctor on Dec 12, 2016 13:07:17 GMT
Reo speedwagon were excellent best support Quo have had in years. Cheers Saw them in Nottingham and Bournemouth (no choice as it was standing) but opted to enjoy socializing with friends at the O2. REO didn't do anything for me but many in the audiences seem to enjoy their set. |
|
|
|
Post by threechordboogie on Dec 12, 2016 15:44:51 GMT
A massive crowd for Quo last night at the O2... Although it was a huge crowd, the atmosphere didn't seem to be there for me and being a long way back (row 12) made it a less engaging experience than the other shows I've been to recently. Agreed. I went in a party of five; we were also a long way back, and we all felt the same about the atmosphere.  O2 Arena - Harvester restaurant ran out of beer! What a waste! Merchandising - none of the stalls had a polo shirt in XL size - another waste! Nor did the Quo website. Lounge Kittens - who? REO Speedwagon - loud and squeaky. Great if you like that sort of thing. I'm not a fan. Took a while to work out that they were all blokes! Status Quo - solid show. + Very disappointed in Francis Rossi. He introduced Richie Malone, but didn't acknowledge Rick. Could have said something like 'Rick sends apologies for not being here tonight, but please welcome...' + Rhino: Love him. Great guy. But he can't sing Rick's parts like Rick. Didn't do 'Big Fat Mama'. Can't imagine why. + Richie Malone: Very capable. + Francis Rossi: most jovial I've ever seen him in nearly 40 years. What was he smoking? + Overall, a bittersweet occasion. Great to see them one last time, but it made me feel that they should have quit a year ago. Go out on a high, not a whimper. + Score 7/10. Valiant effort, but it's not as good without Rick |
|
747727
Rocker Rollin'
Posts: 88
|
Post by 747727 on Dec 12, 2016 17:07:22 GMT
I though the band were in good form but I felt very hollow not having Rick there. Richie is a good replacement but he is just not Rick. Rhino singing ricks songs is terrible. Why bother with creeping up on you if Rick isn't there. Why not play bad news at least that suits rhinos limited vocal range!
The set is so stagnant there is no reason a few changed can't be made.
I also agree Rossi could have have Rick a mention it's almost like he doesn't care he is gone!!
Also I hate that new green guitar he's been using that last few years it sounds and looks terrible.
I don't usually moan but I've had enough now.
|
|
|
|
Post by powerage on Dec 12, 2016 18:10:49 GMT
I enjoyed it for what it was, same as it's been for ages.
I could pick it apart but I can't be arsed. I've made it this far, I'll stick with them to the end, which knowing Francis, has now moved a lot further away now he's in complete control haha.
|
|
|
|
Post by markquo on Dec 12, 2016 18:47:53 GMT
It was a solid show from Quo,thought rossi was talking too much gets a bit tiresome.I guess that's for the DVD release playing up to the cameras there.No mention of Rick was a bit off IMO
We were stood right in front of Richie on the barrier,so got a good chance to see/hear what he's about.
Certainly a very capable guitar player and not a Rick clone,has his own style but really not much chance for him to change things so he replicated the parts to a decent standard.
Something was definitely missing though,Ricks stage presence and vocals alone are a big part of CQ.
A tight version of the band,still think the keys are way too high in the mix.
Had an enjoyable evening out,I'm sure thousands of people in the venue went home happy and will continue to follow the band,but it's Quo in name only now and far removed from anything Alan and John played with the band even 2 years ago in Dublin.
Me,I'm quite happy with my memories now and will continue to follow the individual projects but as a live concern I'm finished attending Quo gigs.
Cheers
|
|
|
|
Post by therockdoctor on Dec 12, 2016 19:01:46 GMT
The Winter tour rolled into London unusually early in the calendar, just the third gig on the LNOTE UK tour, at the O2 Arena on 11th December. We took the chance to enjoy an afternoon of Quo music before the "official" gig by joining the packed house at the White Horse pub in Woolwich for a couple of hours of fine old Quo tunes courtesy of Stated Quo (also joined by Jackie Lynton). It was a fantastic atmosphere and a great meeting place for fans from all over the world, a fine start to a full Quo day!
Heading to the O2 about 6pm, it was already obvious that there were a lot of people around for this show. We socialized some more in the All Bar One pub (guitar tech Lloyd was in there with his wife too) and opted to enjoy good company over the support bands, so didn't take our seats until after 8.30pm. The arena was packed, even to the really steep top tiers of seating - with a fairly small back area curtained off, the crowd must have been in the region of 12-15000. The gig was recorded not only for audio (as other recent shows have been) but also for video (as evidenced by boom cameras in operation throughout) and with no screens showing the video feed at the gig, my assumption is an official release of this gig on DVD sometime soon.
Quo kicked off a little earlier than recent gigs, back at their old time of 8.45 and it was good to see much of the floor standing from start to finish. Having said that, the atmosphere wasn't as strong as it has been in other recent gigs, especially in Germany and maybe the size of this enormous venue doesn't help. The big songs got more crowd involvement but even then, it didn't reach the heights of other shows I've attended this year. Being further back than usual (12th row), it was a good chance to see the full lighting setup and hear the full sound, but also to be surrounded by people that didn't really want to exert themselves too much during the gig. The band stuck with the same set as Bournemouth unfortunately and it felt like a bit of a sprint, with not too much extra Francis chat or waiting around for big audience participation. I was expecting more of this big gig and it just felt a bit flat to me.
The band played just as well as other recent shows (and Francis appeared to be fully recovered from his throat problems) and were playing to their friends and relatives at this their "home" gig, so I think it was a combination of a fully-seated massive room, being further back than usual and a less enthusiastic audience that let this gig down somewhat for me. It was still a fantastic day out though, with the pub gig in the afternoon and meeting up with so many old friends from all around the world.
Next stop Brighton - and this gig will be 30 years to the day since my first Quo gig at Birmingham NEC on 13th December 1986, it's been a great journey!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2016 20:13:04 GMT
I also agree Rossi could have have Rick a mention it's almost like he doesn't care he is gone!! Perhaps he doesn't? |
|
|
|
Post by madtom on Dec 12, 2016 20:31:37 GMT
I also agree Rossi could have have Rick a mention it's almost like he doesn't care he is gone!! Perhaps he doesn't? I don't think there's any "perhaps" about it. Even if Rick is still getting an income from the band, I bet it will have been reduced because he isn't performing. And I bet that reduction is more than Richie's wage. Therefore more money in Rossi's grubby little mitts. |
|
|
|
Post by Mrs Flittersnoop on Dec 12, 2016 23:50:33 GMT
I tried to think what I would think if this was the first time I had seen them. (Though it's not really possible.) There's no doubt they are a good band, with lots of ideas and lots of energy. I would go again. Though possibly not at top fan ticket rates. Whoever said Richie doesn't play Caroline like Rick, is right, though I can't put my finger on it. The emphasis on the riff is different. I wodnered if R's guitar is down in the mix a bit, as Francis' guitar was very loud and sharp. Some of it was stunning. Softer Ride was the best thing last night, no doubt about it. They showed so much power. In fact, I had a strange thought, if Francis wants to sing Country, he should sing country like this, with lots of energy and powerful guitars behind him. We've seen and heard him sing country for a few years now, since Rossi/Frost, and his solo work, and though he has a musical talent, it is not up there with the country greats. Where is the impact? Well, there was the impact. I love Rhino, but I am not sure he should sing with Quo. OK Andy can't cover all Rick's stuff, his voice is like Rick's ballad voice. So Rhino has to do the gruff stuff. He got better as the evening went on, but he can't hit the top notes, he either avoids them or goes flat. Trying to replace Rick is a condundrum, it's not like replacing a good singer or a good guitarist, you had one person who does both. They now don't have anyone else who does both. It's just as well they didn't try BFM. Francis was singing really well. Richie is so self-effacing it's almost embarrassing. They worked well as a team, Francis and John are doing a bit more formation dance stuff, and I distinctly saw a three-way at one point (!), but it had a scattered look, as if they are trying to break the band in. Can't imagine why that is  The audience were clearly into it, but very quiet. Hardly anyone was standing down our end of the hall. That felt a bit strange, but they were all attending and there was a lot of singing along going on around us up the side tiers. There was a guy with a Dave Ling hairdo trotting up and down the stairs all evening with beers. DL said he wasn't doing Quo again after the FF gigs, so it can't have been him Is this the End of the Electrics? I don't think so. Nobody is actually dead, and there are plenty of good excuses for doing gigs in the years ahead, but maybe not on the conveyor-belt pattern they have been doing these last 30 years. They may be playing to a different audience. |
|
