Francis Rossi on the future of Status Quo: “I don’t think we will go again”
Status Quo’s Francis Rossi has indicated that he does not think the band will play together again after the end of their current tour.
The band, who formed in 1962 and are among the most prolific touring acts of all time, are scheduled to play in Europe and the UK over the coming months, with the final announced show set to be in Vivary Park in Taunton, Somerset on August 23.
And now, Rossi has told the Mirror that he expects that to be it for the band.
“I don’t think we will go again,” he said. “And as far as the rest of the band are concerned it’s the last tour too. I just can’t see us doing it one more time.”
Explaining why he has kept the potential end for the group so low-key, he added: “I didn’t want to put this current tour out, saying it’s the last one ever. I did it once and was then coerced into coming back, but that’s another whole other fucking story.”
“Who knows they might offer a huge amount of money to do the Quo again but I don’t think so,” he continued. “I am hesitant to call it the last ever but I just can’t see it continuing to be honest.”
The full list of remaining Status Quo live dates can be found here, and any remaining tickets are here.
Rossi’s Quo partner Rick Parfitt died on Christmas Eve 2016 from sepsis after being admitted to hospital for a shoulder injury. He was 68 years old and had played with the band since their formation.
Two years later, Muse’s Chris Wolstenholme shared an essay about Parfitt, who he described as his “hero”.
He recalled one instance where, in 1997, he was invited along to Quo’s soundcheck in Plymouth. “On the day Rick was unwell and couldn’t do the soundcheck,” he said. “Whilst I was disappointed, something incredible then happened. I was asked to fill in for him and took to the stage to play his parts, on his guitar!
“Quo and I ran through ‘Don’t Waste My Time’, though I knew the material so well I could have played the whole set. I’d joined Muse by that stage, but we were still unsigned, and at the age of 17 it was the most incredible musical experience of my life. As soon as we’d finished, I ran off and called my mum!”
In September 2021, Alan Lancaster, Quo’s founding bassist, died in Sydney, Australia, aged 72.
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Max Pilley
NME
