Status Quo

Ian Clarke
Saturday, June 7, 2008
3:58 PM

Thetford Forest

And so they packed in yet another full house. And so they gave yet another faultless 100-minute performance of non-stop entertainment. And yet again they got people aged from five to probably 65 bouncing madly in a damp clearing in the forest.
Welcome to the enduring world of Status Quo.
Will Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt and Co ever stop being able to turn it on for the masses?
They are half way through their 40th anniversary year since their first chart hit and many of the 6,000 concertgoers who lapped up every minute of the show had not even been born when Quos musical journey started.
Yes, there were a few ponytails, leather jackets and ageing rockers in the arena but the crowd was surprisingly diverse, showing the breadth of their appeal.
Caroline kicked off the set and by the time the encore was completed including Rockin All Over the World and Bye Bye Johnny it was hard to see anyone standing still.
In between the band mixed favourites from down the decades with up to date numbers and the 20-odd song set included Wanderer, Rain, Hold Your Back, Paper Plane, What Youre Proposing and Roll Over Lay Down.
Rossis rapport with the audience was as sparkling as ever and his choice of witty gags ranged from the inevitable mention of the summer weather to Jelly Babies.
Of the six gigs in Thetford Forest this summer, Quo are the only one sold out.
In the next 50 days they have 18 concerts in 11 countries as well as a host more forest gigs in England.
They were billed on the Thetford PR material as a rock n roll institution.
I wont pretend to be their greatest fan by any means. But I and no-one else in Thetford Forest on Saturday could possibly argue with that label.

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