re: Why I WON'T be seeing you at MSG

Mark, re:

>I think you might be mistaken there. Given the amount of unusual live
>material they've been doing solo of late (actually, that trend began with
>`89 with the inclusion of ICSFM, Join Together, and others) I think that we
>will be treated to some "rare" live songs, like The Relay for instance.

If it's on MCA's dreadful "Who's Greatest Hits" I hardly think it can be
counted as "rare."  I'll grant you that it may be rare LIVE, but it still
made the greatest hits package, which means that it's something the "idjits"
are at least passingly familiar with. . .

>(and was pleasantly surprised and
>impressed by both the RCMH show and then the Raleigh show I attended).

I was at the same Raleigh show, where I think (and my memory is rusty), that
apart from Tommy the only "rare-ish" song they played was "Trick of the
Light."  They did play some rarer stuff like "Mary Anne With The Shakey
Hands" at earlier shows, and when I was lucky enough to get a brief interview
with Pete before the Raleigh show this is what he said on the topic:

Q:  I've heard you're playing some older material that maybe not a lot of
people are familiar with.

A:  Yeah, well that was the intention anyway.  Like some of the solo songs
that I've brought in, songs that I always felt deserved to get played, songs
I always wanted to play.  Roger and John were going to do the same thing,
pick some songs they wanted to play that maybe we wouldn't ordinarily do, and
they did to some extent, but you get up there and the crowds are yelling for
"Baba" and "Boris" and they DON'T WANT to hear a "Sunrise" or a "Water."
 Some of them would appreciate that sort of thing I imagine, and maybe
someday I'll sit down somewhere and play them, but the audience that's come
to see "The Who" in 1989 just doesn't want it.

The general impression I got from that interview was that Pete was very tired
and very contemptuous of the audience.  He still put on a good show, sure,
but he wasn't going out of his way.  However, I think that NOT performing
under "The Who" banner has given them the ability to play those rarer
tracks--the FREEDOM to "sit down somewhere and play them."  But if the
abortive "Who's Left" tour had happened, I can almost guarantee you that all
you would've heard was Baba, WGFA, BBE, etc. . .

>I don't think you're giving the boys enough credit. We know that all three 
>are able to put on great and satisfying shows by themselves, so why would
>you think that together they couldn't exceed that? They have ALWAYS been
>better together, performancewise.

I certainly hope that's the case this go round.  Maybe that's why they AREN'T
using "The Who" banner this time--Pete really HATES being The Who.  Roger and
John just want to perform, and god bless 'em for it, but we all know what a
old grump Pete can be.  If you do go, I SINCERELY HOPE it's fantastic.
 Myself, I'd rather wait to see Pete sit down somewhere and play "Sunrise"
and "Water."

The chances I've lost, opportunities tossed
Away and into the blue. . .
AThosWhite