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The Who In Atlanta



So I finally get to write a review of a Who show instead of just reading
about it. Yes it’s my first time to see them together since ’89!  Here
goes:

THE APPROACH
Now here’s the weird thing.  About a week ago I went to the website of
Z93 (the
local classic rock station).  They had a contest for John’s art show and
also a page for "we’ll play 12 of your favorite songs.  List them below."
 So, of course, I sent in a list of 12 Who songs.  I heard nothing.

On Wednesday, Max the Mod and I are driving to the show followed by the
Vidra brothers from Ohio.  When we stop, Dan yells out, "quick, turn on
Z93, they’re talking about you!"  So we turn it on and they’re playing my
Who songs and saying between each song, "These Who classics are brought
to you by Brian Cady!"

THE GET-TOGETHER
The Firehouse, which I had picked for the get-together, was packed. 
Every few 
minutes, another person would come up saying, "are you guys on the list?"
 So many people were there, it could have been a convention!  It
shouldn’t have been an hour meeting, it should have been 2 days minimum! 
RW Nomad and Bernd and Chris Hinkle of Chris’ Who links and Shannon and
Liz and Dana and on and on.  Sorry if I didn’t mention you.  There were
just so many Who fans around me I went nuts!  At 7:45pm, we marched out
toward Lakewood Amp with me carrying my homemade Who flag (black with
"The Who" logo from the Leeds poster).  We could have been a mod army off
to take on the rockers.

THE OPENING ACT
As we marched across we could hear the opening act, Drivin’ and Cryin’
already
playing.  I had heard they wanted a longer set since they come from here
so the
start time was pushed back.  But first, souvenirs!  T-shirts and a
program please.  But they had no mouse pads!  I hope someone sells them
over the Internet later.

Drivin’ and Cryin’ played very well.  The singer looked a little like
Gerard
Depardieu in a track suit but he played guitar much better.  Obviously,
the
drummer idolizes Stewart Copeland as he had chosen to look just like him.
Their material was good, but as an old-time Who fan, my one complaint
was that they had absolutely no stage presence.  Come on, fellas, work
the
crowd!

QUADROPHENIA
The Who explode out with Pete blazing away on electric.  Wow, electric
from the top!  But he soon went to his hollow body acoustic and, you
know, I didn’t miss his electric a bit.  His arm was pumping back and
forth across those strings like any second he’d reduce it to kindling.
Roger took the stage and held it.  But it was different.  He was an
actor now, sunk into the character of this teenage mod.  More surprising
was Pete’s acting during "Cut My Hair."  He used his body and face as
well as his guitar to capture the anger at the heart of the song.  Why
hasn’t anyone cast him in something?

>From all the things I’d read and heard about P.J. Proby, I wasn’t
expecting
much.  But he was rather good.  The facial hair threw me ‘tho.  I thought
the full moon must have come up.  Oh and Proby looking as if he’s about
to sing the first words as Roger buts in is a deliberate effect.  Roger
is
supposed to be singing from the audience and Proby looks taken aback
at this Mod upstart lecturing him from the pit.  Later on "I’ve Had
Enough,"
Proby came out dressed as Elvis with a guitar with "Elvis" on it.  Have
they
been doing that through the tour?  I hoped it was a dig at all the Elvis
hysteria we’re going through this week.

I loved the film leading into "Helpless Dancer" showing the Queen waving
intercut with miners going down into the pit.  One gets so used to
politically
cynical rock that being confronted by a heartfelt statement is
breathtaking.
Roger seemed to me to be having a hard time with the high notes, but
he puts so much of himself into it, that it affects you more than other
singers.  Pete’s voice was "pure and easy."

What can I say about John’s solo in "5:15" that hasn’t already been said?
I liked the build up with John just plucking slowly on the top string,
teasing 
the audience and then, woosh! away he goes!  "Drowned" was moving,
especially with Pete’s additional lines, "I want to drown! I don’t want
to die! I don’t want to die before I get old!"

"The Rock" is Simon and Zac’s showpiece.  Simon made the guitar sing
through the "Helpless Dancer" theme, all the while making faces at the 
audience.  Look out Pete, your brother’s coming up right behind you.
Zac then takes over.  At this point I realize I haven’t paid the
attention
to Zac I should have.  But there was too much going on!  And that folks,
is exactly the feeling you used to get with the old Who.  Pete finished
up
with "Love, Reign O’er Me" and took the stage back from Simon.

THE ENCORE

We got the short version of the standard encore.  "Won’t Get Fooled
Again," "Behind Blue Eyes," "Substitute," "Who Are You" and "I Can’t
Explain."  During ICE, Pete windmilled violently and somehow hit his
shirt
and tore the thing off!  It was torn out from under the coat and was
crumbled
around his waist.  He tore it off and for once it was Pete, not Roger
with
the bare chest on stage (Roger was in a tank top).  At the end of the
show
as he was walking off he gave us a tit flash.

Before that, as he was introducing the band, Roger knelt down and began
untangling his microphone cord from Pete’s.  Pete stopped the
introduction
and said "what the hell are you doing?"  Roger yelled back, "someone’s
got
to tidy up the stage!"  Pete replied "it’s because you’ve got to be
f**ing
moving around" and laughed. Pete also made some remark about "Austin 
Powers" but I didn’t catch it.  Anybody know what he said?

Everyone seemed in good spirits despite the oppressive humidity.  Pete
said,
"thank you for coming out here and sweating with us."  By now the
humidity had caused a letter or two to droop on my flag but I waved it
anyway as Pete, John and Roger put their arms around each other’s
shoulders.
I looked up at the monitor and their was my flag waving back and forth
on the big screen superimposed over their faces!  A great personal ending
to 24 years of seeing The Who.

- -Brian in Atlanta