Who Are You?
I’ve been waiting a long time to see The Who.
I wanted to see them when they weren’t
pushing anything.
I guess I was waiting
for a ‘hits’ show.
This was the closest
I guess I will get.
I got tickets in
August when they first went on sale.
Originally I was supposed to go with my Aunt, who later bowed out,
leaving me with an extra ticket.
So I
found my music loving neighbor wanted to go, and she did.
On our way to the city it was warmer, but
after we got off the train, the temperature dropped and the wind was cutting
through my windbreaker.
After a sub-par
BBQ dinner, we were on our way to The Garden.
This was my neighbor’s first time visiting the behemoth arena.
After a brief bag check and perusal of the
merch table, we were on our way to the 200 section seats I had secured with a
Chase pre-sale.
I was not aware there
was going to be an opener, but after the first few bars of the opening song, it
was clear this band was not my cup of tea.
The only opener I like is when it’s a big artist, like when Knopfler
open for Dylan or CSN opens for Tom Petty.
I walked around the beautifully restored NYC landmark.
I chatted up a friendly usher and found out
that The Who would take the stage at 8:30 and be done by 10:45.
In the back of my mind, I was thinking that I
would be able to catch the 11:22 and make it an early night.
I made it back to my seat for the start of
the main event.
I have never heard the
Quadrophenia
album before.
While I know both of the
original members are in their late 60’s, I was shocked with how good both of
them sounded.
Pete has been very rough
the last decade or so, and Roger has been straining for quite a while, but
miraculously, both were in good spirit and voice.
Roger and the production team did a fine job
of bringing the opus to life on stage.
There were big screens so everyone could easily see the show.
Quadrophenia
dragged on, there were a lot of fans who loved hearing the album from start to
finish, but most of us were there for the hits at the end.
There were some touching tributes to dearly
departed members Keith Moon and John Entwistle.
After an hour and a half, Pete thanked and introduced the
band, thanked Roger and they launched into the hits.
Roger’s voice was a little tired during the
hits.
Maybe they should start doing shorter
shows to save his voice a bit.
The
backup singers were cutting through and holding the notes in the background for
Roger.
During
Pinball Wizard when Roger was twirling his mic by its cable, he inadvertently
tripped over Simon’s (Pete’s brother) wedge and tumbled, but didn’t miss a beat
and came back in when he was supposed to.
I happened to have the camera rolling at the
exact moment and it is quite comical the way they kept playing.
Both and Pete and Roger were cracking up and
trying to finish the song with some decorum.
The show took a morbid turn when Roger and Pete were talking about 2
dear friends who died in the span of the week.
But after that they closed the show with
Tea & Theatre.
I would
have rather had
Substitute or
something fun, but Pete asked me to stop making the set lists.
A southern rambler named Stratton Lawrence
who was sitting next to me during the show, asked me to send him some pictures I
took, so check out his review on his website, strattonlawrence.com
I Am the Sea
The Real Me
Quadrophenia
Cut My Hair
The Punk And The Godfather
I'm One
The Dirty Jobs
Helpless Dancer
Is It in My Head?
I've Had Enough
5:15
Sea and Sand
Drowned
Bell Boy
Doctor Jimmy
The Rock
Love, Reign O'er Me>Band Introductions
Who Are You
Behind Blue Eyes
Pinball Wizard
Baba O'Riley
Won't Get Fooled Again
Tea & Theatre
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