Blue or black jeans? It’s a crucial question!
Last weekend was a first for Pete and I – we went to see the “mighty” Status Quo in Inverness. 30 years ago when Cairns had hair down to his waist and his neck and back joints were just a wee bit looser, he’d have been in there with the throng of headbangers in their stonewashed denims and black waistcoats. I never fancied it way back then but hearing endless tales of Quo gigs from Hammersmith Odeon to Manchester Apollo, I’d imagined that 30 years on, little would have changed. Wrong!
Yes there was a hardcore of slightly overweight and balding Quo fanatics with denims that had frankly seen better days and rarely a washing machine, but the majority opted for black jeans, an altogether more sensible, contemporary look. The gig was outside and it rained constantly. I know that in yesteryear Pete would have shrugged that off and wouldn’t be seen dead at a Quo gig in waterproofs but he, along with thousands of others, went for the very middle-aged option of goretex to go with their black jeans.
Even Quo (Rossi minus his legendary ponytail and Parfitt with a few extra pounds) had been told by their PA that faded blue denim was no longer a look befitting of an ageing rock band. The headbanging was slightly reserved (more of a head nodding and foot tapping really) and the whole affair was more rock than roll. The band, I have to say, were superb and if you closed your eyes, it could indeed have been 3 decades ago. It was great to switch off for a night and wet and weary, we returned not to the gutter or railway station bench that would have historically provided post-Quo accommodation, but to a rather plush hotel nearby. We enjoyed a nice cup of tea before turning in and you’ll be glad to hear that Pete’s black jeans dried very nicely overnight (in case you were concerned about his arthritis). I wonder if Led Zep are still touring?
0
0
0
Pariff with a few extra pounds? More like a few extra stone….. when I saw him at the local petrol station here in Gaucin (Spain) a couple of months ago….. good to know they are still rockin! Manchester Apollo brings back memories of seeing the Quo and witnessing there rock star antics at the Pownall Arms, Bramhall, Cheshire where they stayed for 6 nights….. only seems like yesterday that I can remember Alan Lancaster lying flat out in the toilets (-:
Ha ha. Amanda, after 10 years I’ve polished up the Les Paul and dusted off the ol’ Fender and got a bunch of old has beens together and hope to start gigging again. I must get a pair of black jeans.
Is macho Pete entering the male menopause? Taking you to see Status Quo – Taking you to Yellowstone WITHOUT HIS CAMERA!!! I mean he is 50 next year! Poor old soul.
Nope – the Zeppelin has burst – the gig at the o2 in December ’07 was the last time you’ll see Plant, Page and Jones together on stage (and it was a great night!). Plant and Jones don’t get on and they’re doing other stuff now (Plant with Krauss and Band of Joy, Jones with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme in Crooked Vultures) – so you’ll just have to wait for the Quo to wend their tired and aching way back up North, catch the latest incarnation of Deep Purple or perhaps introduce P to the delights of Mud and Showaddywaddy – wheelchairs and zimmer frames de rigeur!
Just so long as you put the stoppers on Pete going to the Gary glitter reunion concert, I’m sure the spandex catsuit and high heel boots wouldn’t fit him anymore anyway, would they?