THE last time Status Quo were in Llanelli was at the Glen Ballroom.
The line-up of Parfitt, Rossi, Lancaster and Coghlan, as well as the outfits, remained the same for most of the band’s life, denims, white trainers, waistcoats and collarless shirts.
It was a warm muggy night in Llanelli as the fans waited patiently for the Quo to appear on stage.
The crowd had already been treated to superb performances by two fantastic bands The Jokers and The Departed. With youth on their side they gave us all what is expected of a good hard rock band.
There was plenty of noise, lots of thrashing of hair and guitars, lots of leather, tight trousers and superb music. Just before the Quo were about to take to the stage an announcement was made which stated that Rick Parfitt sent his apologies for not being able to play at the gig. The mood and the scene was set as darkness fell and the Quo walked on to a crescendo of noise.
Around 6,000 Quo faithfuls had packed into the South Stand with around 1,000 or more in the pit.
During the evening Francis Rossi invited those seated in the stands to join the hardcore fans in the pit. It appeared that some did try only to be turned back by security. There were people of all ages in the audience, many sporting Quo t-shirts and plastic inflatable guitars, which ultimately came out along with a bit of head banging for most of Quo’s performance.
The set included many of the band’s biggest numbers including Rocking All Over The World, Whatever You Want, Paper Plane and In The Army Now.
The band line up on the night was, Francis Rossi (Lead Guitar, vocals), Andrew Bown (keyboards, guitar) John ‘Rhino’ Edwards (Bass guitar), Richie Malone (Guitar) and Leon Cave (Drums).
Despite Parfitt’s absence, the sound remained the same: classic hard rock boogie with a sprinkling of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Status Quo smashed it on the night and proved why they have been in the industry for so long and are still ranked as one of the UK’s top rock bands.
