Rock legends Status Quo turned Knockhill into a forest of air guitars in 2003 after a frantic race to the starting grid.
The band were booked to headline the open air festival Rockhill which was the first time a music concert was staged at the Fife racing circuit.
Nazareth and Fish were among the support for the Quo whose guitarist Rick Parfitt said he expected a “great gig” when he arrived to promote the event.
Ferrari test drive
Parfitt took a Ferrari for a test drive and said the Quo were looking forward to playing in front of a “feisty” Scottish crowd and putting Knockhill on the music map.
He said: “This is the first time we have played outdoors in Scotland in the summer and, weather permitting, it should be a great gig.
“Generally, Scottish audiences have always been a very feisty lot and Quo over the years have become very popular up here.
“Hopefully people will like this venue and we can put it on the map so that more people will come here in the future.”
The Knockhill date on August 23 2003 was part of the band’s Heavy Traffic world tour.
But it wasn’t heavy traffic that almost stopped the band, it was a broken down tour bus, which prompted a frantic dash from their Dunkeld hotel.
The band was bundled into the back of a small van, cramped up with their gear, which sped off to Dunfermline in time for them to bring guitar-driven cheer to 10,000 fans.
Young and old surged to the front from the moment the band threatened to take to the stage, clapping solidly until they arrived, and filling every pause with chants of “Quo”.
Lead singer Francis Rossi emerged and told the 10,000 crowd: “The bus broke down and we had to come in a little van.”
Opening with old favourites Caroline and The Wanderer, Rossi, Parfitt and their band-mates ensured the packed crowd was bouncing up and down from the get-go.
Wayne’s World
Knockhill was a sea of stone washed denim.
Quo’s army of fans played their inflatable guitars or air versions in unison, looking like extras from Wayne’s World.
Parfitt said: “We hope we’ve got the right set to suit everybody.”
There was no doubt that it was spot-on.
The band churned out hit after headbanging hit in their trademark V-legged formation and proved they were still in pole position after 40 years in music.
Rossi was in top form, with a dig, aimed as much at their critics as themselves, when he introduced one song, which he explained was recorded in the 1940s.
Something ’Bout You Baby I Like and Don’t Waste My Time had the audience dancing and clapping before they played a medley of songs from their new album.
Heavy Traffic – the title track – was the highlight of four new numbers which went down just as well as the more established classics from the Quo’s back catalogue.
The song’s lyrics were especially fitting given the band’s false start at Dunkeld.
“I want to drive, yeah drive,” Rossi sang, with just a smidgeon of irony.
“I want to drive but I can’t get nowhere.”
Grand finale
Mystery Song, Wild Side of Life, Rollin’ Home and Roll Over Lay Down took the band racing towards the chequered flag for the grand finale.
The Quo Army lapped up the closing hits which started with Down Down.
The 10,000 crowd supported Rossi’s vocals nicely by singing: “Again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again…”
“You Jocks, you’re alright,” Rossi told the crowd afterwards.
There was to be no let-up from the band as they worked the crowd into a frenzy with Whatever You Want and Rockin’ All Over The World before the close.
The band finished with a medley of Rock and Roll Music/Carol/Bye Bye Johnny which gave a nostalgic reminder of just how hard this band rocked in the 70s and 80s.
Andrew Barbour from Dundee was among the crowd and said the two-hour gig demonstrated why the band is a national institution.
“I’ll never forget standing on the race track watching the Quo in 2003,” he said.
“I was surrounded by denim jackets and waistcoats, mullets and inflatable guitars.
“Knockhill proved to be the ideal rock venue and Status Quo, Nazareth and Fish played hit after hit throughout the day and sent us all home happy.
“It seems like yesterday but then again the Quo are timeless.”
How long will they go on?
Parfitt was dogged by ill-health and had a quadruple heart bypass in 1997.
He collapsed on tour in Turkey in the summer of 2016.
Before Parfitt’s death aged 68, the toll taken by his heart attacks was such that he was told he could no longer do live shows.
He gave his blessing to guitarist Richie Malone stepping in as his replacement.
Rossi continued touring under the Status Quo moniker following his untimely passing and the band will embark on a headline UK tour in February and March.
The 72-year-old, who opened Live Aid and collected an OBE, first graced the hit parade in 1968 but he still shows no signs of slowing down.
When, however, Rossi does finally decide to retire his iconic waistcoat, white trainers and jeans, British rock music will have lost another great institution.
But the memories will never fade away.
Especially for those who were there the day Knockhill became Rockhill.
