'After 'Rockin’ All Over the World' for 60 years, Status Quo have secured their place in the pantheon of Rock 'n Roll. However, few would have predicted they'd make their way down to Bootle for a sold-out open-air concert - but that's what happened last night. Not long ago, the thought of Tom Jones and Status Quo belting out their hits into the Bootle nightscape would have seemed fanciful.
However, here we are and Bootle's residents are certainly enjoying the new reality. Friday night saw legendary rockers, Status Quo take to the stage at the Salt & Tar venue on Washington Parade and they did not disappoint. Playing to a packed audience, the riffs and melodies rang out across the Bootle sky and could be heard for miles around.
If Salt & Tar had a roof (it doesn't) then they would be sending out a search party for it this morning. One thing made me say 'oh my God' when I went to Salt and Tar Salt and Tar issues warning to fans ahead of Tom Jones gig Salt & Tar is the new 3,000-capacity multi-use venue launched earlier this year by chart-topping local band, Red Rum Club. It has been backed by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and delivered by Sefton Council as part of its new regeneration programme for Bootle town centre.
The venue is very family-friendly and has a food court with a selection of street food traders, bars open from 4pm and live music and other entertainment. Salt & Tar has already played host to a number of high-profile events since opening, but this weekend has always been the one to look out for due to the profiles of the performers. Status Quo was formed more than 60 years ago when they all met in a southeast London school, but there is still a vitality to their 'boogie rock' sound.
Of course, it's just Francis Rossi who remains from their seventies heyday, but both keyboardist Andy Bown and bassist John ‘Rhino’ Edwards have been Quo regulars since 1981. The only notable and saddening absence was co-frontman Rick Parfitt who passed away suddenly in 2016. Word about The Quo's venture to Bootle certainly spread far and wide as I spoke to Quo fans who had travelled from Scotland, Germany and the Netherlands.
Needless to say, there were also plenty of people who had come from around the country as well as lots of hard-core Quo fans from Merseyside. The Quo didn't disappoint and played through a wide-ranging set list from their discography. Hits like Caroline and Rain are big fan favourites and still possess that driving rhythm for which they are famed.
There was also a place on the playlist for Hold Ya Back, In the Army Now as well as heavy hitters like Roll Over Lay Down, Down Down and Whatever You Want. Although Quo's back catalogue is stacked with hits, on a beautiful evening in Bootle, it was perhaps their most accessible hit which drew the most cheers. Rockin’ All Over the World is a stone-cold classic and everyone present was singing along to every word and throwing shapes as the sun went down.
After it had all finished, a roar of approval went up and the band were applauded off the stage. It was surreal to see such a huge named band playing in the open air in Bootle but also brilliant at the same time. Hopefully, events like these will become less surreal and more the norm for Bootle - starting with Sir Tom Jones performing tonight and tomorrow at Salt & Tar.
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