Suzi Quatro at The De Montfort Hall, Leicester on 20th November 2024

23 November 2024

The temperature outside is rapidly approaching sub-zero but inside the confines of The De Montfort Hall things are hotting up nicely as we await the living legend that is Suzi Quatro. For some strange reason Suzi isn’t acknowledged as a trailblazer in the same was as, say, the gals in The Runaways. Maybe it was because Suzi didn’t play on her femininity or maybe it was because she had a bunch of songs that could out box the boys but whatever the reason tonight’s gig, celebrating sixty years in the music business, shows why Suzi remains the original, and the best.

Suzi Quatro – Leicester De Montfort Hall – 20th November 2024

As the final stage checks are made and an excited chatter fills the air, the lights dim and the scene is set for the Queen of Rock, an icon whose posters graced a million bedroom walls. To say that the applause that welcomes Suzi to the stage is thunderous would be something of an understatement. Backed by a three-piece brass section and two backing vocals, Suzi and band are given a warm, luxurious sound and they put it to good use of fiery opener ‘The Wild One’. It’s an animated performance which ensures that this is not only a feast for the ears, but the eyes too as Suzi prowls the stage like a lioness in her natural habitat. She certainly knows how to work a crowd and gets everyone fired up for a raucous rendition of ‘48 Crash’ which finds her in full force, performing all sorts of vocal gymnastics along with her trademark kicks.

Tonight’s set bounces around Suzi’s career like a silver ball between the bumpers stopping at all points along her discography and throws up plenty of surprises for the hardcore fan (such as ‘I Sold My Soul Today’ from the QSP project) and hits for the fair-weather follower alike. Suzi bookends the songs with tales from her career, but not to the point of overkill, it doesn’t alter the flow of the gig and makes a nice change to the usual banalities rock singers usually shout out between songs. One of several covers that peppers the set, Suzi puts her own stamp on Neil Young’s ‘ Rockin’ In The Free World’ (which is how all covers should be handled) and segues nicely into her own ‘Can I Be Your Girl?’ which brings the first half of tonight’s set to a poignant conclusion.

Suitably refreshed the crowd return, soon followed by Suzi who is attired in her trademark leather suit, it rolls back the years, still fitting like a glove it has reenergised Suzi for the second set and opening shot ‘Motor City Riders’ picks right up where she left off. This half of the show follows the first with choice covers (‘Bad Moon Rising’) sitting alongside original classics (‘Ain’t Ya Somethin’ Honey’), yet the biggest revelation is Suzi’s bass solo. I’ve often wondered why Suzi chose the bass over the six-string, she certainly has the schmaltz and chutzpah (and let’s face it, talent) to have become a guitar hero, but this bass solo provides the answer; roll over Gene Simmons…meet the real God Of Thunder!

As we reach the evening’s end, ‘Can The Can’ gets the whole venue on their feet and grooving (well, what did you expect?) before ‘Devil Gate Drive’ takes things off the scale. A pair of well-earned encores follows including a spirited version of Chuck Berry’s ‘Sweet Little Rock & Roller’ before Suzi returns, sans bass and band, for a tear-inducing cover of The Eagles’ ‘Desperado’ that leaves nary a dry eye in the house.

She came, she saw, she conquered!

Set List:

Set 1: