The Last Gig Of The Decade

Certainly feel like I'm on the treadmill at the moment. It's always a hard slog at work in December for me, and this year is no exception. I've been doing pretty much nothing else but work and sleep over the last couple of days, and now I can feel a cold coming on. I'm just living from day to day at the moment until I can finally rest up and chill out next week with a four day long weekend. Which will be welcome, I can assure you. How I managed to post something every day in December last year I have no idea, but I did. And if you weren't here in 2008, then why not check them out once you've finished with today's entry?

I've been to some fantastic concerts over the last ten years. The first one of the 00s would have been a local band called The Richard Head Band (they prefer a casual trouser, as the posters used to say - along with showing the band in the style of the album cover Deep Purple In Rock) They were a rock cover group who used to play pubs and clubs around here, they did fantastic renditions of hits like "Highway Star" (where the lead guitarist would get off the stage and stand on the bar during the solo) I even found one of their albums on a website in Japan, believe it or not. How did it get there?

If you asked me what was my best gig of the decade, I'd really have to think about it. I mean, there's been events like the Monsters Of Rock festival in Milton Keynes, or the sensational performance from Lordi, the Finnish hard rockers who won Eurovision 2006 (pyrotechnics and all) or maybe the Australian Pink Floyd's re-enactment of The Wall back in May. All fantastic nights. Not sure I could pick just one.

However, on Tuesday night I was stepping out with GroupieGirl to attend what would be my last concert of the decade, and what better way to see the 00s out than with my favourite group of all time - the legendary Status Quo. I've enjoyed their music for about thirty years and they were making records for about a dozen years before that... and given Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt are both about sixty now, there's always a feeling in the back of your mind that this could be the last chance to see them live, although I hope they carry on for years yet.

It had been a while - as I mentioned here, I planned to see them last year, but got sick at the last minute and had to give someone else my ticket. This year there would be no such worries. And supporting the Quo was none other than Roy Wood, of Wizzard fame. He's another one who's been in the business over forty years and still sounds great, and he was on top form that night singing hits like "See My Baby Jive" which holds a special place in my heart as it was the UK #1 on the day I was born. It was great to hear that live, and I said to Groupie afterwards "that's how it all began, and I'm still rockin' on!"

We had brought some props - a Santa hat each for Roy, because of his most famous hit "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" which he naturally played as his last song, and a couple of inflatable guitars for the Quo. There were a few people with them, and a few more with foam ones which you could get from the merchandise stands. I usually buy a T-shirt from there at the gigs I go to - I've got quite a few in my wardrobe - and for a change, I bought a Roy Wood one as I've got several of the Quo already.

Status Quo once again lived up to the billing, with a great set. Apparently last year, to commemorate 40 years since their first chart hit, they'd added some video screens which showed pictures of the band from 1968-2008 while they played, and they obviously liked the effect as they'd kept the screens for this year's gig, now with iTunes "visualiser" effects and the occasional shot from their videos down the years, such as when they played on a pod in the London Eye for "The Beginning Of The End".

At the end of the gig we both held our guitars aloft crossed over like the Status Quo "crossed guitars" logo as a salute to the band, and bassist Rhino clearly saw us and acknowledged us with a wave, which was really nice. There was the usual hassle with public transport (or the lack of) with a gig at the AECC which you just don't seem to get elsewhere but we did manage to get home by about midnight. I'd been up since 05.00 - and I had to get up at 05.00 for work the next morning, so a LONG day with little chance to recover, but worth it!!

One of the tracks they played was this one, "Living On An Island", and given that this was the last concert of the decade for me, I found myself thinking back about all the great things I've seen and done - by myself, with GroupieGirl, and with others - in various places around Great Britain over the last ten years. I've had a lot of fun. Here's to much more in the next ten!!

STATUS QUO - LIVING ON AN ISLAND
(from the album "Whatever You Want", 1979)