Suzi Quatro – Birmingham: Genting Arena – 15 October 2017

This is most decidedly a review of Suzi Quatro, the support acts Hot Chocolate, The Osmonds and David Essex being out of genre for us. That being said, I will add just a brief comment that The Osmond's opener 'Crazy Horses' was surprisingly Rock and Roll, and with Jimmy Osmond spraying pyro out of the end of his crossbody electronic keyboard, it was a bit of a Kiss moment – well at least for the Osmonds! In addition, David Essex gets full marks for simultaneously managing to flirt with an entire arena full of the ladies!

However, I am here to see Suzi Q and can report she's still ass kickin', guitar swingin', leather and lace wearin' (what a heroine) and still the 'Wild One' which is incidentally her opener – start as you mean to go on! Totally getting away with it all, she comes on smiling and immediately encouraging the audience to get louder! Sporting a diamanté guitar strap and all in one leather jumpsuit, she's still looking like a woman almost half her age and the voice and stage presence are still all there! During '48 Crash', she lets rip a trade mark "woooooahhhhh" scream and gives us the high licks and guitars held aloft mimicked by so many since she first did it over forty years ago!

Surprisingly Birmingham seems a little shy at first, but she's not going to let them get away with that! With hands aloft and taking a strong stance, she points at the crowd and launches into 'Rockin' In The Free World'. The female backing singers are pounding forward with fists as Suzi Q demonstrates the strength of her voice and we get a blistering Metal guitar solo. With a "hey hey hey" chant and almost Operatic backing vocals, we also get a big Rock finish.

Things are starting to warm up as we get into 'She's In Love With You' which showcases Quatro's Rock 'n' Roll rasp vocal as she stomps back and forward, not content with the microphone and bass, she gets the crowd roaring by playing the drums. Commanding them to get louder by the time we are into 'Can The Can' (her first #1 in 1973 as she reminds the audience) with a cavalcade of high kicks, she has them clapping as she does a bit of a hand jive and laps up the applause hand on hips.

Before 'Devil Gate Drive' she tells everyone she wants to take a piece of everybody home and what everyone to make her feel good. With that she easily gets the audience to put their hands up and clap over their heads telling them "That's what Suzi Quatro Rock 'n' Roll looks like and don't you forget it!" The crowd are madly waving from side to side in a collective hosanna to 'If You Can't Give Me Love' and by this time an initially reluctant audience is eating out of her hand. My only complaint about this show is it was too short – this woman is Rock 'n' Roll history.

Words and picture: Dawn Osborne