[ti]happy[/ti]Australia and New Zealand 2017

I'd be very surprised if Alan was involved especially after that last interview he did where he called Francis the anti-Quoist, along with the reason he sacked John and Alan was to get more money with them not being in the band. No, I reckon the old hatred came back during those 'nostalgic' reunion gigs. 

I'd think it's much more likely that Alan would make the trip to attend the Butlins convention at this time than go to see the band. I was also intending to go to the convention, but the chance to see Quo live right here in Australia one last time is an opportunity I'm not willing to miss.

I’ve been in NZ since 04. In 06, Quo announced their double header with Deep Purple and I was interested – but Quo didn’t do the NZ gigs – only the ones in Oz.

I was offered complimentary Deep Purple tickets for Wellington by Don Airey. But I turned them down and arranged a trip to Oz to the Twin Towns, Brisbane and Newcastle gigs. 

Quo were ok – but largely going through the motions in the middle of their “not changing the set list at all for 10 years“ era - very much a 6/10 performance. The best part was meeting many Oz Quo fans and European Quo fans who had made the trip too.

Due to circumstances/family visiting from the UK, I wasn’t able to do the 2010 Oz gigs. I would have loved to do the FF reunion gigs but just couldn’t justify a trip half way around the world.

NOW and only now do Quo come to NZ!! – they could have come in 97, 03, 06 or 10 – but they didn’t.

I won’t be going – I’m really not that interested in the “Francis + 4” anymore.

My Quo spirit ebbed after 84 but I went to more Quo gigs through the years until 03 in the UK and then 06 in Oz. Other than the FF reunions, what Quo have done in the last 6 to 7 years doesn’t inspire me to see them again – especially without Rick.

I think it’s all too late – and especially now that Rick is no more.

NZ gig?

If I was an NZ promoter I probably wouldn’t be putting my efforts and money behind Quo – there simply isn’t the demand – even in Auckland our biggest city of 1.4 Million.

The Vector arena holds 12000. It’s totally the wrong venue for Quo – it could be an embarrassment.
They'd be better doing the outdoor vineyard tours as a 3 band bill in Jan/Feb.

Vector Arena is the natural choice for Springsteen, Foo Fighters, GnR, Ozzy, ACDC, Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Crowded House/Split Enz etc

But Quo?...sadly I think they’ll struggle to sell 3000 to 4000 tickets.

The logistics of getting them and their gear here will result in a thumping loss ( unless a tax write-off was the intention anyway!! )

I fear you might be right – I wouldn’t be surprised if the Auckland gig is pulled before it happens.

You beauty. Tickets for Hamer Hall Melbourne secured. Very much looking forward to one last fix of Quo live electrically speaking. Come on Gaz , make the effort. Rhino has been in band over 30 years and Andy longer than that. Well done to the guys for continuing to make this fan happy. looking forward to seeing Richie Malone in action. Good on him for keeping the music alive. No one will ever replace Rick but give the fella a go.
Rockon Wilquo

New Coles advert on the way?

  Yes it was I located it.

  Some of that is a bit odd. John has said over and over that he behaved impossibly, and walked out of the band saying he was leaving. It's not really an oust.

  (But there seems little doubt that once he had walked out, he was helped on his way "outta town" by the management at lightning speed ... )

I wonder if that bit about "we're getting someone else in" actually happened after John flounced, and A&R were expecting him to flounce back again at some stage, not knowing that he had been flown back to blighty ... but I'm guessing here.

  "Francis didn't like the management" ... but it was Alan who was telling the others that the C&C management was ripping them off in some way, and Francis who (until considerably later, when he quietly acknowledged that Alan had been right) supported them.

 And he didn't really oust "us all one by one". John left because he left ... Rick wasn't ousted in any way shape or form - Alan was the only victim of rug-pulling. There doesn't seem to have been any "plot" to re-constitute the band after they met their existing recording obligations, it was Rick who brought John and Jeff in, and encouraged them to stay on.

 As for the "brotherhood", everyone likes to think of that, but the reality was that Francis and Rick thought seriously about ditching Alan on at least two occasions well before this. John Shearlaw implies, well states actually, that there was some friction between Alan and Francis right from the start. Francis hates noise and fuss unless he's creating it, and Alan seems rather to generate it. When he was younger, anyway.

As for the money ... I imagine it would be "cheaper" to hire in a new drummer than split with Spud as a full member - I don't know how they were structured then, I'm guessing. But there's no virtue in getting rid of a productive member of the band just because you can get someone else in on a wage, if they aren't equally productive, and there is no sign that Francis had any such thing in mind. Alan wass still writing releasable songs. Also Alan and John would both have needed paying off to some degree (even before they started sueing) so it's not a cheap option.

And sorry Al I really don't think you can park any failure of quality of the 1982 album at Pete's door. (People's main target is Big Man, but I like that meself.)