Rick Parfitt hopes Francis Rossi isn’t serious about retiring from Status Quo – but he’s ready to keep going if their partnership ends.
And he’d like the band to keep going until at least 2017, so they can celebrate their 50th anniversary before bowing out.
They recently completed their Aquostic UK tour, featuring a nine-piece orchestra playing classic tracks in an alternative format. And they’re gearing up for a full-power Quo trip at the end of the year.
Rossi tells Classic Rock’s Johnny Sharp: “I think I’ve almost finished running. I’m coming up for 66. I’ve still got that itch to be liked and the urge to play for an audience – but I think I’m over it.”
However, he admits he loved the acoustic experience, which brought the band their highest chart ranking in decades. “I’ve enjoyed it immensely,” he says. “I’d really like to do this again.
“We’ve lost money, but there’s something about talking to the crowd. You don’t have to shout so much because their ears haven’t been deafened. And I just love playing acoustic – I started out wanting to be the Everly Brothers.”
He adds: “I’d like more people to see it. I wish I was 40 so I could take it somewhere else.”
Rossi has discussed the possibility of retiring several times in the past. Quo guitarist Freddie Edwards notes: “He’s always like this. Before every show he says: ‘No, this is a bad idea. Shall we pull the show?’ Then as soon as he gets up on stage he loves it.”
Lifelong colleague Parfitt is prepared for the moment to arrive – but hopes it won’t happen for at least two more years.
He reflects: “Francis always wants to say this tour will be the last. And if he does want to quit, I’ll do something else.
“But it would be such a shame to bow out at the 11th hour and 59th minute, before making 50 years of hits, which is just around the corner.
“To me that would be such an achievement. If we made it, and he wanted to call it a day then, I’d shake his hand, cuddle him and I’d say, ‘Thank you. It’s been amazing. What a ride!’”
The full story appears in the latest edition of Classic Rock, on sale now in print, digital and via TeamRock+. Quo tour the UK with Wilko Johnson at the end of the year:
Nov 28: Blackpool Opera House (without Wilko Johnson)
Nov 29: Manchester Palace Theatre (without Wilko Johnson)
Dec 01: Liverpool Echo Arena
Dec 02: Aberdeen AECC Oil & Gas Arena
Dec 04: Glasgow SSE Hydro
Dec 05: Birmingham Barclaycard Arena
Dec 07: Sheffield Motorpoint Arena
Dec 08: Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
Dec 10: Bournemouth International Centre
Dec 11: Brighton Centre
Dec 13: London O2
