Been away for a couple of days.
Sorry if this has created a bit of a grey spot for the more devoted followers of the Blog.
As a result, like those good ol' number 15 London buses, you may find 3 postings turning up at the same time.
Last night was all about going to The Who.
At least the 2 surviving members - Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, augmented now by Zach Starkey (son of Ringo) on drums - the spirit and sound of Keith Moon live on! - and Pino Palladino on bass (a phenomenal bass player, and with about the same degree of stage presence as John Entwistle).
They were supported by local oldies band from the 70s, Hello Sailor, and Counting Crows (American band - some lovely musical moments).
Our thanks go to Mike Barker, who organised transport for us and helped with organising a wheelchair, and his daughter Sarah Fleming who did a lot of the wheelchair access donkey work.
A special night!
They began with "I Can't Explain" and their background screen showed shots of the old, old Who.
What followed was a wide variety of rocky, reflective and classy songs (classic songs, no less), and after 2 hours we still hadn't heard all the hits!
Tommy was presented as an encore (a few songs, kicked off with Pinball Wizard sounding as fresh as 40 years ago - 40 years!!!!).
Roger has lost little of his vocal power and sensitivity, and Pete is still a wonderfully creative and powerful guitarist who now threatens his amplifiers rather than annihilating them.
And the sense of humour is still intact.
However, one cannot help but be struck by the irony of the lines "hope I die before I get old"....
Favourite song "Behind Blue Eyes"....phew!
....by the way, if anyone would like their concert reviewed by me, just send me the tickets and I'll be there!
Time to go now ....catch the next bus.
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Wow - must have been something else!
ReplyDeleteSomeone said the other day, "Who's teh vicar of your church - is it Roger Daltrey or someone? Don't know where I got that from - is it Roger Daltrey?"
I said, "No, it's me, Richard Dormandy"
She said, "Oh right, it's you. Who is Roger Daltrey anyway?"
"Oh he's some singer guy," I said.
"Oh," she said, "Bye then."
is this for real?
ReplyDeleteand did you give her a blast of "see me heal me touch me feel me" or "listening to you" or "love reign o'er me".....ha ha ha !!!
Hi Gerald -- the Who were magnificent -- true artists still able to perform with power and passion 40 years on. You could hear the onset of heavy metal AND punk in all their songs from the 60s, so they are a foundational band. Great sound too and surprisingly complex texture. My favourite was "Teenage Wasteland". So glad you could experience them.
ReplyDeleteRichard.
Richard, where were you? And yes, you are right about the punk and heavy rock roots lurking therein. Perhaps not disco tho....I loved the reworking of My Generation as well, with the graphics screen showing us dance from around the world...Baba O'Reilly (Teenage Wasteland), Behind Blue Eyes and Won't Get Fooled Again are all on that Who's Next album...a treasure of music history...oh, and don't forget the Who as roots of concept albums and rock operas!
ReplyDeleteAnd to think I turned down a chance to go to the Who concert. Clearly a huge mistake. I'm so glad you were able to make it, Gerald! You're a smarter man (and more dedicated fan) than I am. Love Helen
ReplyDelete...and to think we HAD a spare ticket too! ouch!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention on the phone that the Herald reviewer was also impressed with Roger Daltrey's voice.
ReplyDelete