Veteran rockers Status Quo being lined up for isles gig
Shetlanders could be getting down, down, deeper and down this summer if a local charitable fund’s plan to bring veteran cockney rockers Status Quo to Lerwick comes off.
The Callum Younger Reach Fund is looking to gauge demand for the concert before confirming the date, pencilled in for Wednesday 22nd August at the Clickimin Centre. In order to cover the cost of bringing the sexagenarian band’s 16-strong crew to the islands and raise some funds, tickets are to be priced £75. Support would come from local band No Sweat.
Status Quo, led by Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt, first hit the UK charts way back in 1968 with Pictures of Matchstick Men. They enjoyed huge success in the seventies, reaching the number one spot with Down Down in November 1974.
Other smash hits down the years have included Rockin’ All Over the World, Whatever You Want and In the Army Now. All told, Status Quo have sold over 118 million records.
Businessman Malcolm Younger, who established the fund after his son Callum’s sudden death in 2005, said it was essential to establish that enough people were willing to stump up for a ticket before going ahead.
Mr Younger said he had done some research and “the feedback I’m getting is quite positive”. Anyone interested in tickets is being asked to complete and return a form printed in tomorrow’s Shetland Times by next Thursday.
“We can’t risk any funds, so we have to make sure that we can cover our costs and hope to make a profit on it for the benefit of the fund,” he said. “I’m a keen fan of Status Quo myself, and it’d be fine to get a band of that calibre to Shetland, and a different way of raising money for the reach fund in memory of my son Callum.”
Mr Younger said that over the past six years, the fund – which organises the annual carnival in Lerwick, due to take place next weekend – had dished out more than £50,000 to help young Shetland folk realise their dreams.
Alison Bain
That would be awesome! Save us the trip to see them on the mainland which we often do! Please make it work – although I think you’ll need to persuade them to do 2 gigs as the first will sell out within minutes!!!!!!
Cindy Edwards
As great as it sounds……£75.00 for a ticket, plus the cost of getting there, plus accomodation for most of the likely Quo fans in this particular financial climate I think is expecting a bit much, plus it is only a couple of months away, not enough time to sort out time off work , etc. etc. Sorry a bit pessimistic….
Ann Wiseman
I wid go, but I widna pay 75 pound for it, especially as it wid be 150 for me and my man, maybe 40 tops, sorry.
ian tinkler
O yes! Quo forever, many an old age rocker would sell their souls for that. Open air would be better “Gilbertson Park, Flawton Croft?, go for it Malcolm, time for independent thinking and hard Rock and Role. Shetland Rocks? It does and should go worldwide with that.
Yvonne Hanvey
Would be great for me, as I am up in Wick that week.
However, charity events like this rarely go ahead for financial reasons. I hope it does go ahead, I will be up for 2 tickets:)
Hazel Langstone
Would love to go if it comes off. This has been tried before though and it all fell through. Hope it works!
Hazel
Debbie Gunn
£75.00 per ticket is perfectly reasonable to see a top band like Quo. Would definitely buy one (and one for hubby !!)
michael wells
good luck with the Quo gig we see them 13/14 times a year so i think we would come. A bit of a journey we live in middlesex england. get the hotels ready
michael & sandra wells
Peter W. Anderson
Lot cheaper than going south to see them, which I’d planned to do at some point anyway
Paul Woolford
I would make the trip up from leeds,seen them loads of times,can i book a hotel now?
James Irvine
Sounds awesome…. but…. it would be better if there was 2 nights, it’ll be sold out really quickly.
Also…I would try to have it somewhere like the Gilbertson Park might get more people. At Clickamin its a 45-60 minute wait to get to the bar and the doors become a bottle neck with people trying to get in, out, to the toilets and to the bar.
Weather wise… this is Shetland… we’re used to this stuff, even people at Download Festival enjoyed the event during the extremely bad weather they got.