Rockin' with old folks

["Jeff House" <whocasa@hotmail.com>]

Since the discussion on this list is pretty quiet, I thought I would share a 
completely unrelated experince and try to tie it back to The Who.  It 
certainly relates to the recent discussion about the rights of old people to 
perform and listen to live music.  It also gave me a glimpse into the future 
of the rock and roll boomer generation.

This weekend Mrs House and I went to see Tony Bennett perform.  This event 
was a first-of-its-kind for both of us.  2,300 people in a round 
ampitheater.  Very little amplification used by the 75-year-old Mr. Bennett 
and his talented quartet of musicians.  Drums, bass, guitar and grand piano. 
  Lots of old people.  Brightly colored country club golf clothes, big hair 
on the ladies, some semi-formal clothing.  We may have been the youngest 
couple in the crowd.

We had two nuns sitting in front of us.  The one in front of me was very 
tall and kept standing up and blocking my view.  I had no idea how to handle 
this situation.  Should I have yelled "sit your holy ass down"?

An ancient lady sitting just behind us had a stroke during the first set and 
had to be carried out during the intermission.

The crowd was very quiet and respectful.  They gave two standing ovations - 
one when Mr. Bennett took the stage, and the second when his young drummer 
went off into a Gene-Krupa-style swing solo.  (I got the feeling they were 
applauding his youthful energy, the solo seemed like a musical low-light to 
me.)

We had our doubts about spending our time and money on this thing for 
obvious reasons.  We was wrong to have such low expectations, we both had 
fun.  The songs don't mean much to me, but most of the audience gasped when 
he trotted out some of their sentimental favorites.

It was fun because Tony Bennett is still a gifted performer.  His perfect 
pitch and timing were beautiful.  He was especially inspiring in the Duke 
Ellington section, with a fantastically jazzed up version of "Mood Indigo".

Maybe I'll have something Who-related to talk about later.  I am bummed 
about the lack of any Who performances this year.

Jeff

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