Re: Atlanta

["Scott Schrade" <schrade@akrobiz.com>]

First of all, I'm on the plane flying down to Atlanta & the stewardess notices
the WHO pin on my jacket, stops the drink cart prematurely, & blurts out, 
"Oh my God, are you going to the show?"  "Yes,." I reply.  "I'm going, too,"
she screams!  "I'm 47 & my husband & I are going to relive our youth!  I'm
so excited!"  

After some more conversation, she turns around & yells to the rest of the
passengers, "Who's going to see The WHO?!!  Who's going to see The
WHO?!!"  It was a big to-do.

Next thing I know, I got a lady in her seventies leaning across the aisle asking
me what songs this WHO group wrote!  Oh boy.  What WHO song might this 
seventy year-old lady know about.  "Pinball Wizard," I feebly mutter.  She just
laughed, evidentally thinking this was a funny-sounding phrase.  That pretty much
ended that conversation.

Oh well, Atlanta is a really nice city & I had great time.  The pre-show at Reggie's
was great; met Brian, of course, Mark Leaman, Awesome Jon Dawson, & quite
a few others.  Plus Joe McMichael who co-wrote the wonderful WHO CONCERT 
FILE.  Great fun & great people.  Would've liked to have hung out *after* the 
show but Reggie's had become Closey's, so that never happened.

The concert was brilliant.  I had upper-level seats, fairly close to the stage, on OX's
side.  Since I knew I wouldn't be standing & gyrating in this section, I brought my
Dad's binoculars & watched that way (until my eyes would start hurting).  I had
the perfect Pete angle to watch him solo.  Like Mark said, Pete was on fire.

It's like The Pete Townshend Show.  He's outta control.  Lunging, lurching, straining,
grimacing, laughing, cursing, talking (a lot).....  Usually Entwistle steals much of my
attention, but not at these shows.  I can't stop looking at Pete.  He has beautiful
movements (no potty jokes, please).

Daltrey sounded great.  I keep expecting some scary moments, but he delivers each
time.  

OX was too low again.  A bit too trebly.  Bright red jacket with matching boots - 
nuff said.

Pete wore his I-guess-they're-polka-dots button-down shirt.  The shirt tail would
often flip over onto his strings & he'd have to that quick-tuck-back maneuver that 
really, by now, should also be considered one of his "moves."  He kept rolling his 
right sleeve up, only to have it unroll during the song.

Like I said, he talked a lot.  You get lots of Pete-stories on this tour.  Those are 
always fun & it's nice how he communicates with the audience; makes the show
seem more personal & direct.

He said "fuck" quite a bit.  Towards the end of the show he said he felt bad for
swearing so much because he just noticed a couple of boys around the age of his
son & he would never swear in front of his son.

And yes, he said he whacked his bike-injured wrist & it felt funny.  Didn't he say
it was "stinging?"  But that was it.  He mentioned it & then went right on pummelling
the hell out his guitar.

My first time seeing the acoustic "Drowned."  That was nice. No "Naked Eye."
Ouch.

Oh well, we'll see how the wrist affects his playing in Cleveland.  Until then....


- SCHRADE in Akron