Status Quo & Uriah Heep @ O2 World – Hamburg – 12.11.2013

It was a celebration of their music-faves  and recall to their youth for many  fans, most of them male and  50 plus… They were amused to head-bang again and to whip their fat bellys to the rhythm – Old Boys Gone Young & Wild Again!

Very special guest on the SQ-Tour 2013 were classic-rock dinosaurs Uriah Heep. They were really mighty by the big backdrop with their logo, their loud live-sound and musically by the intro guitar-solos by the only remaining original member Mick Box by ‘Against The Odds’. He’s still a magician on axe! But when  Bernie Shaw, lead-vocalist since 1986 was and singing his first tunes, there was no aha-experience. He was not hitting the right tones and by the high ones there was a strange distortion effect in his chant. Astonishing, as on former tours he was always the excellent, powerful vocalist. Additionally it was very strange to witness that he was escaping from stage while his band-mates were playing the songs instrumental sequences.  By ‘Gypsy’ it was off course the special-tread for Phil Lanzon by his Hammond plays. He was the posing guy by his mimics, his solos were just floating and humming. Not comparable in any way to the unrivaled ones of the one and only original wizard Ken Hensley.  Very positive indeed was the bass-play of  Davey Rimmer, who had to replace unfortunately Trevor Boulder – R.I.P. after his death. He did a versatile, rhytmique and fervent job. After one hour Uriah Heep were saluted “On The Road Again” by the end-applause to their greatest hit ‘Lady In Black’. No glorious Uriah Heep celebration that night…

After 30 minutes it was time for the boogie-gentlemen of Status Quo to hail the stage at the tightly filled O2 World and to start after a spacy, futuristic sound-intro by the hooky  ‘Caroline’. It was off course Rick Parfitt to kick-ass by his guitar-intro. Hey, he looked utmost good by his longer hair again and he was very vital. And Francis Rossi was his congenial string-partner and the main, excellent man on lead-vocs. The bunch went immediately crazy. By the ultimate live-boom ‘Rain’ Mister Parfitt proved that he was also in the splendid mood for ardent singing. He’s currently in the best condition since years. Francis made afterwards his beloved singing-animations and jokes with the freaks and they responded in hellish manor. There was  NO “Go Go Go” by this song from the actual opus “Bula Quo” and later the ‘Beginning Of The End’; the Party just got started and utmost excessive – Hell Yeah! The Quo boys got very thirsty, so it would have been a very nice extra and visual delight if some bikini-girls would have served these to them on stage…   By the notch-boogie-cracker ‘Big Fat Mama’ John ‚Rhino‘ Edwards proved what manimal on bass he was. He was trenched in sweat by his hard work. By ‘Creepin Up On You’ Andy Bown really did so coming to the stage-front and changing from keyboards to rhythm-guitar and specially he was exciting by his harmonica-solo. He was ever so fascinating, outstanding and multi-instrumental. The biggest SQ hit was naturally due by ‘In the Army’ featuring big-time and beastlike background-chant. Leon Cave who joined Quo in 2013 twirled his sticks by his drum-solo after it, he’s a great addition; by his style more into fascinating technique-,  than powerful, heavy body-drumming. SQ are always ‘Rockin’ All  Over The Wold”, but this unique night it was specially the city of Hamburg to rock*** The honky-tonk piano-solos of Andy were an extra delight. By explosive applause the Quo guys returned to the stage to rock near to exhaustion and full-speed by the first encore ‘Junior’s Wailing’. The light-show was utmost creative by it. By the Chuck Berry covers ‘Rock And Roll Music’ and ‘Bye Bye Johnny’ they turned the O2 World into a final madhouse,  tormented by sweetest pain of the seemingly never to end blast-applause.

Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the biggest  Rock’N Roll Band in the land? SQ off course! Live at the moment in the current line-up. In 2014 there will be by heavy storm-demand in Germany, UK & The Pays Bas again – Status Quo – The Reunion of the Frantic Four! These original guys will always be the absolute Number One & All-Time-Kings!

Setlist:

Caroline

Paper Plane

Hold You Back

Rain

Looking Out for Caroline

Go Go Go

Rock ’n‘ Roll ’n‘ You

Beginning of the End

What You’re Proposing / Down the Dustpipe / Wild Side of Life / Railroad / Again and Again

Big Fat Mama

The Oriental

Creepin‘ Up on You

In the Army Now

Drum Solo

Roll Over Lay Down

Down Down

Whatever You Want

Rockin‘ All Over the World

Encore:

Junior’s Wailing

Rock and Roll Music / Bye Bye Johnny