An avid pair of Status Quo fans thought they’d be Rockin’ all over the UK after making a 700-mile round trip to see frontman Francis Rossi perform in a special one-man-show – only to be left feeling Down Down after finding the theatre they had booked tickets for lying in complete darkness.
Roy and Pam Roberts made the lengthy trek from their home in Torquay to Barrow in Furness to see the veteran rocker perform a solo acoustic show at the town’s Forum Theatre as a 70th birthday treat for Roy.
But when they arrived they found a pitch black venue with only a ‘closed’ sign pinned to the front door.
To their horror the couple discovered the theatre had been shut down earlier in the year due to asbestos being found and the show had been moved to the next nearest town of Ulverston.
In panic they rang for a taxi but were told not only was there a 30-minute wait but the journey – costing £50 – would take a further 30 minutes meaning they would miss a huge portion of the show.
Unsure their tickets would even be valid the couple resigned themselves to consoling themselves with a drink in their hotel bar before making their sorry way home the next morning – around £500 out of pocket.
Emails informing ticket holders of the change had been sent but the couple had opted out of receiving information due to the Forum being such a long way from their home and so did not receive one. They also missed reading announcements about the show’s change of venue posted on social media.
Retired engineer Roy said: “We are absolutely gutted. The show was a present from my wife after we missed out on getting them for the previous tour. We were on holiday when Francis announced extra dates so we just booked them on the spot. It was only when we looked at a map we realised just how far away Barrow in Furness was.
“I was so excited to see the show and just couldn’t believe it when we found the theatre shut. It was a total disaster.”
Pam, 68, added: “We’ve seen Status Quo a few times and love their music but really wanted to see this more intimate show.
“At least the train journey was absolutely beautiful but for a romantic night away there are probably better places to stay than Barrow in Furness. Ironically we passed through Ulverston on the journey up.”
Francis , 77, told the Daily Express he was bemused the couple had chosen to travel to the opposite end of the country to see him after playing over 50 solo dates last year.
He said: “This is very unfortunate. I know that warnings went out about the venue change, but this kind of mistake is easily made. Having said that everyone else made it: the venue was banged out!
“At least they got a drink and a night away. Hopefully I will be turning up at all the right venues when my next tour kicks off in April next year – luckily I have a team who make sure I get to the stage in the right building at the right time. I’ll get a message to Roy and invite him along to one of the snappily titled “An Evening of Francis Rossi’s Songs from the Status Quo Songbook and More…” shows.
“I’ll also find out why he was travelling that far anyway, we do shows all over the country, there must have been one nearer than that!”
The Francis Rossi 2025 UK tour kicks off in April – https://www.francisrossi.com/tour