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My Favorite Year Pt. 1
Been debating whether to bother doing this, since it is more for me than for
the masses, but I decided What The Heck...there is always the DELETE key,
kids.
Since the HOB shows last November I was fortunate enough to attend 20 shows.
When I try to find a word to describe what this year was like, I can't. The
emotion is right off the scale of any language. Ever since I missed that
single show at the Garden in 76 when I was 13 years old, I swore there
wasn't ANYTHING that was going to keep me from attending any show I wanted
to see...not time, not money, not distance....NOTHING. So, when this all
started, I kept looking at each set of shows as the 'last'...until next
time. At first, the addition of the SBE shows caught me off guard. After
that, I knew in my heart there would be some kind of tour and from there, it
was all...well...decided. I learned a lot about what my own personal
determination level was. I did something I always wanted to do, my whole
life. Now, it feels like I can do anything. OK...for the details:
This part contains details of my experience for the House Of Blues shows
through the opening night of the 2000 tour in Tinley Park, Illinois.
HOB 1st show:
Wow were these puppies expensive! For the sake of convenience and sanity we
booked the HOB Hotel as well so we really laid out some cash for 4 days. We
lucked out great with the weather, which was a relief. Standing in line in
Chicago in November can be quite the chilly process. We met at the airport
Thursday, had a cocktail and snack and then tried to sleep. I remember
saying 'I feel like I have an IV drip of adrenaline' before I basically just
laid there for 7 hours. Up at 6 am to get in line. Once we were in, I had
a really big shock seeing that the stage was about 7 feet tall, and at that
point was really glad I wasn't 'first row'. That curtain swung back and I
thought for sure I was going to faint. They were at turns under-rehearsed,
out of tune, self-conscious, uncomfortable and absolutely fucking amazing.
I was crying and laughing at the same time. When Pete introduced Pure and
Easy I thought for sure I was dreaming or dead and in heaven. It was a very
important show in the respect that I was feeling it was so
once-in-a-lifetime and so very much
the beginning of something all at once.
HIGHLIGHTS: Just seeing them all together, so close. The dream now a
reality. Brief moments with Pete after. Meeting Christian, who is a true
WHO fan and a real sweetheart. Gettin In Tune and Pure And Easy- these
songs alone had me in tears. Eddie Vedder's big goofy
"I'm-on-stage-with-The-WHO!!!" grin...I will never forget that look on his
face; say what you like about PJ and EV, but I saw it: Eddie is one of us.
BUMMERS: Christian not getting in for this show. Being so fucking tired I
couldn't see straight. Crying myself to sleep.
HOB 2nd show:
And doing it all again the next day, just to make sure it really happened!!
I actually slept, which was great because there was no way to survive
another day without it. I ended up with basically the same spot in the
audience as the night before, after having dealt with "High Stage Neck
Syndrome" , this was a good thing. Pure and Easy and Gettin in Tune...I
listen now to Gettin In Tune and have to remind myself that it was really
real....I did see them playing this song. It was so magical,
so...impossibly beautiful that it still doesn't seem as though it were real.
This show felt much more relaxed to me,
except we could tell Pete's ears were really bothering him, he looked most
unhappy. He played better though, a typical PT contradiction. I had been
joking about the CE, Sub, BO'R etc. set list for months, saying if they
played the same old stuff I was going to be pissed. It didn't matter.
Those of us who are the 'blind adulation' folks get a lot of crap from
others who are not blind on this list, but I realize now that they can play
whatever the fuck they want, wherever the fuck they want to play it and I
swear I will crawl
on broken glass to get there. Go ahead-persecute me. I listen now to the
CDrs of this show and just flip through that stored forever photo file in my
mind of the images of them all at particular moments: Pete actually smiling
at Roger, Rabbit taking his bow, Zak and John
exchanging cues during 5:15...it's all here, locked up tight for all
eternity. It was priceless and magical; if I had any inkling how great they
were going to get by the end of the tour....
HIGHLIGHTS: Pete dancing. Magic Bus. Christian got in! Yea!!! Gettin In
Tune.
Eddie Vedder's little ditty he wrote on Pete's 'Substitute' acoustic his
wife gave him that day.
BUMMERS: Being too tired to drink with friends after the show. I just
wanted a shower and sleep.... I must be getting old.
SBE 1st show:
I have the most magnificent friends in the world, there is no doubt about
it. I was able to attend the SBE shows because someone GAVE me a airfare.
Just gave it to me. After I messed up something at my job, my friend says
"What's the matter with you, still thinking about that concert? When is the
next one?" I told him about the Christmas shows. "Are you going?" Don't
think so. "Whatsa matter? No money?" Nope. "Need airfare? I'll give you
airfare." Good God. Merry Christmas to me. It was unbelievably
cold. Sunny, though. It was in line at SBE that I met Bjorn for the first
time. We spent about 5 hours talking about our obsession, I found him to be
a kindred spirit. I had been told that European audiences aren't as
fanatical about being at the front of the stage as US audiences are. Well,
I don't think so. It was quite a crush! Pete and John were both ill, John
with the flu and Pete with a cold. How they can do a show sick I have no
clue. Rogers voice was quite creaky due to all the smoke and dry air. They
seemed more comfortable than in Chicago, despite their problems. This was
the night the gold guitar died. It was my first smash, not counting the
impaling of the acoustic at Jones Beach in 1993. It was the most
beautifully violent thing I have ever seen. After it stopped working and I
saw he was going to change guitars(again) I thought "Oh just smash the
fucking thing it don't work anyway." and then watched in amazement as he put
his left hand over the top of the neck, about three-quarters of the way up
and lifted it over his head and turned around to the right in one liquidly
graceful movement and slammed that baby flat into the floor, shattering it
into a good many
pieces. It's great on the CDr: you hear the guitar cut out and then about a
minute later everyone goes "AHHHHH!"
HIGHLIGHTS: Pete's hug; the smash; Anyway Anyhow Anywhere (!) Talking
with Zak for the first time. I told him none of this would have happened if
it wasn't for him, embarrassing him greatly. Gettin In Tune
BUMMERS: The crush; annoying everyone around me by shrieking; the cold
weather
SBE 2nd night:
At this point I was starting to get a little scared. What if this was it?
The end? What if it wasn't? That was equally scary. If there was going to
be more shows, how could I afford to go? I didn't know what was going to
happen, but trying to accept that something like this was never going to
happen again was hard. The reception they were getting from the fans was
unbelievable. I think everyone was feeling better the second night, the
comfort factor kicked in, the set list was starting to gel (after 3
performances!!). I wasn't up front for this one, I ended up having a much
better time not crushed into a knot, too, although the view wasn't as good.
But it was easier to concentrate without breathing being a chore! They
still looked a bit unsure of themselves, even though you could tell they
knew it was working. It was like they were afraid to get too excited about
it as well. It's my guess that right about halfway through this show that
Pete decided he 'might be able to handle' a tour...a small one...
HIGHLIGHTS: Naked Eye and Pete saying The Only Thing That Can Save You Is
The WHO!!!
BUMMERS: Flying home Christmas Eve and having the pilot announce over the
intercom that we would need to stop for gas in Canada. I remember thinking
I am glad I am too tired to worry about flying across the Atlantic with NOT
ENOUGH GAS.
Sadler's Wells - LIFEHOUSE 1st show:
"the place is beautiful like an angel place...like a brand new sky...this is
the man remembering music, strange like funny birds....He's got the notes
inside him and to make he music extra best he's got to go inside...."
This was kind of a last minute thing because I was having a hard time
finding the money and then I just said FUCKIT and booked the whole thing in
2 days. I ended up with a front row seat for the second show, that is what
clinched it. It was my first time I did a weekend in London (for SBE I was
there the 18th - 24th) so showing up Friday the day of the show after an
overnight flight left me feeling quite similar to the way I felt in Chicago-
FUCKING TIRED. What lovely weather in London, though. I waited outside
about 5 hours to give Pete a book and a letter to thank him for working so
hard for these shows. I had been watching the video diaries of the
rehearsals, just pulling for him, wanting this to feel like a success to
him. As we all
know, what he thinks is the only important influence on the future. I kept
thinking he just needs to know that we all really care, we all love him and
want him to be happy and creative. It was right about now that I and
everyone around me started to realize there wasn't much I was not willing to
do for this man. The clip where he says "Am I nervous about these shows?
Of course I am." I thought how brave to admit that. And I complained to my
husband "What is my problem? He doesn't need me, he needs his mother!! Why
am I so determined for him to realize that we all care so much?" He replied
"Because that is what love is." As I type this I am listening to the
Orchestral Baba O'Riley from the first night...it is positively majestic.
It is like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time; or Stonehenge, for
the historians among us. It brings an unequalled stirring to the soul, one
that so few of us feel once in a lifetime, never mind a few dozen. (If you
were expecting a blow by blow review of these shows, I guess it is obvious
by now that this is not the place. Sorry. Just gathering my memory
publicly) For those of you who were there, I don't need to explain. For
those of you who weren't, I can't.
HIGHLIGHTS: Going Mobile will never be the same for me! Chyna is
magnificent. Song Is Over and Time Is Passing.
BUMMERS: After an overnight flight with no sleep and a show to attend that
very night, getting into the shower at 9:30 am at my 4th floor walk-up hotel
and seeing the shower head was level with my chin. All this for the mind
bending cost of 35 pounds per night!! Europe!!! ;o(
Sadler's Wells - LIFEHOUSE 2nd show:
This was my front row seat show. I was 2nd from the very end on John's
side, but the first row, nonetheless. It was most interesting to watch
Pete's expression as he scanned the audience, looking, it seemed, for
allies. I will always remember how pleased he looked, as his eyes went from
one end of the row to the other, ending at my seating area. His expression
belied his thoughts,
and I knew at that moment he had read the letter I had written...his usually
guarded expression softened when he realized we all came back again for the
second show, that we really loved it, loved him, and we were there to hear
more. We were going to stay.
Even after he completely mucked up Baba O'Riley-coming in too early and
throwing everyone off, and poor Chyna preparing for her "Don't Cry...Don't
Raise your eye" line by swallowing a fly!!! Finally he just aborted and
started over. I can't imagine how much nerve that took. And then another
foul up for WGFA. The 2 most played songs in his catalogue, I couldn't
believe it!!!!! Maybe it was because of our reaction to these songs; they
are intense songs, dearly loved by WHO fans, and they did get the most
applause. As I listen to the CDr now, I hear how it went wrong and am
amazed by what a mess it was. He finally calls it quits right before
'They're All Wasted.' The whole thing just falls apart, it was so sad. We
applauded maniacally anyway, and the retake is what made it onto his
official release. I remember Chucho joking about it afterwards, saying when
we started to clap he thought "the audience is thinking 'the poor fuckers
finally got it right!' ." Pete made a very brief appearance at the party,
probably feeling a bit embarrassed. I wanted so much to thank Gaby Lester
and Chyna for their contributions but I was feeling too intimidated. That I
can speak and write to Peter about anything but cannot express my feelings
to these other artists speaks volumes of my love and trust for him.
Watching Gaby play the solo, you knew she is a WHO fan. She put her time in
listening, she didn't miss a fucking note.
HIGHLIGHTS: Gaby's solo; meeting Liam the conductor; Rabbit telling me I
looked just like his cousin.
BUMMERS: Getting lost on the way back to the Hotel-wandering around God
knows where babbling to Bjorn about God knows what. Remembering at about
2:30 in the morning that I didn't ask for a wakeup call to catch the train
the next morning and having to stay awake all night so I could get to the
airport on time.
"one note sounds like a light ray...one note, sounds like a new day...one
note holds all the others, millions of colours.....so...ONE NOTE IS BEST."
Jacob Javits Convention Center - Robin Hood Foundation Charity Concert:
I didn't even intend to be at this one, but fate intervened and before I
knew it I was standing 4 feet from Robin Williams (Who I really admire)
listening to him thank the bigwig that 'convinced' THE WHO to play that
night. I ended up about 6 bodies from the stage, a wonderful spot. There
were quite a few serious fans there, I learned later. I had written a brief
post on this before, and I noted that I could have tripped over Malcom
Forbes and not known it, as I was just there to see the WHO. I missed what
would probably be my only chance to thank Robin Williams for The Fisher King
(If you haven't seen it, do so.), I was so intent. As 50 or so fans
shuffled about in front of the stage right before they came on, I allowed
myself one single minute of absolute and utter pure bliss about the upcoming
tour. I had been trying so hard to stay focused on getting the cash
together, working, and living what I think of as 'regular' life that up
until that point, the tour didn't seem real. I knew in my heart that it was
going to take place, I was just nervous about how I was going to handle it.
This WHO thing is quite consuming for me. (in case no one has noticed!) So
the lights went down and Can't Explain hit us in the face, and the
realization that this was a prelude
just knocked me out. It was a shorter set, they cut the Gettin in Tune/Pure
and Easy elements and didn't jam -played most of it really straight. And
then they had the stage invaders, 2 intoxicated middle aged women who
clambered up on the stage to dance. Yikes. I went home to wait for the end
of June with a knot in my stomach.
HIGHLIGHTS: Just going was a fucking miracle. I wish I had a photo of
John's expression when he realized there was a stage invader dancing
dangerously close to his 'spot'. It was priceless.
BUMMERS: Short set, but then again, what does one expect for $2,500?
Tinley Park IL:
Another one that I didn't plan. Janet says "I have an extra front row seat
for you if you want it." What on earth do you say to that? The opening
night of the tour of my dreams? I say, "Yes, thank you." We were all
surprised that they were bunched up in the middle of the stage...most
unfortunate for those of us who expected to be right up John's ass. We had
a nice view of it (hi Jan!) but it was way too far away. Still, I will
always remember the moment I grabbed poor Christian by the shoulders when I
heard the opening synth track of RELAY shouting THEY ARE PLAYING SOMETHING
ELSE!!!!!! No, I wasn't shouting, I am sorry, I was shrieking. Yes,
that's it, shrieking. Fucking RELAY. And then DEKM. I thought they were
trying to kill me. Who can handle this? Not me. The Fucking Seeker. Yup,
this is cardiac territory. That night and every other I went completely out
of my mind by the 5th song. I remember being so amazed when I heard AAA at
Chicago. That was nothing compared to hearing Relay and Don't Even Know
Myself. They got to "I have been gone and some prison warden knows my
scream" and that was it. I was lost. I think a video of my reaction would
look similar to the bit in the Exorcist when poor Linda Blair is flailing
about on her bed screaming Mother Make It Stop. It's embarrassing, but
the absolute truth. I am possessed by the demon that is THE WHO. I had a
brief conversation with Roger before this show, telling him if he saw me
dancing that night like my life depended on it, it was because it did.
These are the things that are just confirmations for him. He knows. He
feels the same way. I once told him the music of the WHO saved my life and
he laughed and said, "Me, too."
HIGHLIGHTS: Being in the front row; Relay; Don't Even Know Myself; getting
to know Jan and bunking with Terry
BUMMERS: Finding out Chicago is not that easy a city to navigate (not like
NY, anyway) forgetting I was supposed to fill the rental car with gas and
having to pay 3.95 per gallon to fill the tank!!! Ouch.
follow remaining chapters if not dying from boredom.....
jacqueline