Updated: Status Quo prepare for electric farewell tour

Update: Status Quo have announced the UK dates for The Last Night of the Electrics tour, which will be promoted by AEG Live and visit 11 arenas in England, Scotland and Wales. They’ll be joined by REO Speedwagon and novelty covers band The Lounge Kittens:

British rock band Status Quo will hang up their electric guitars for good at the end of 2016 after almost 50 years of constant touring.

Tickets for their final tour, The Last Night of the Electrics, which will kick off in October and include UK dates in December, will go on sale before the end of the month.

“We’ve talked about it for some time and have decided that it’s time for us to hang up the electrics,” explains Quo frontman Francis Rossi. “It’s getting harder and harder for us to play those shows. It’s 30 years since we last said we were stopping but this is a final decision.

“It doesn’t mean we won’t do other things – perhaps the odd special – but we’re agreed that the moment has come. There’s more to come from us in the years ahead, but we won’t tour the electric set ever again.”

“The show hurts now, physically. It’s hard to maintain that level of energy, and without that it’s not really a Quo show, so we don’t feel we should continue”

Guitarist Rick Parfitt adds: “We always thought we’d see a red light when it was time to stop. The show hurts now, physically. It’s hard to maintain that level of energy, and without that it’s not really a Quo show, so we don’t feel we should continue.

“This is definitely the end of our lives on the road with the electric set. Life won’t be the same for us – or many of the fans – but we can’t go on at this pace any more.”

Status Quo’s last mini-tour, 2015’s Aquostic, and their album of the same name, were – uncharacteristically – all-acoustic affairs.

The band, represented by UTA’s Neil Warnock, will perform at a number of festivals this summer, including Wirral Rocks in May, Isle of Wight Festival and Rock i Lunden in Denmark in June, Leuvan Festival in July and Open Air am Marktplatz, Stars in Town in Switzerland and Somerset Rocks in August.

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