My Favorite Year Pt. 3

["jacqueline" <jacquelinek@monmouth.com>]

By now, I have had a few months off.  My next shows were in September at
West Palm Beach and Tampa and then there were the 4 Madison Square Garden
Shows.  I was exhausted from working all day at my office job and then
driving almost every night, sometimes very late, as the Rock-N-Roll limo
girl...trying to earn $$to pay for this incredibly expensive tour.  But I
swore that nothing was going to stop me...not money...not time...there
wasn't any fucking way I was not going to be there when the WHO was rocking
the house on the 2000 tour.  Nuh uh.


West Palm Beach FL:
When I was just entering the 8th grade, my WHO fandom was all of, oh, 2 and
some months old.  I hadn't met another soul on the planet that understood
how I felt. I spent the summer of 75 in the movie theatre...watching
'TOMMY'...knowing my life was changed forever.   On the very first day of
school, September of 1975, I was sitting in the gymnasium, completely
uncomfortable, wishing I was anywhere else, when some girl came up to me an
pointed at my T-Shirt.  I was wearing the original hideous orange w/black
iron on visage of the TOMMY movie poster...it was 2 sizes too small, I
remember, but it felt like a suit of armour to me walking into that foreign
threatening territory of Junior High School..she said "I saw that
movie.....that was a good movie...isn't Roger Daltrey gorgeous?"  And she
has never, I am proud to say, been able to get away from me since.  My
friend Karen was my very very first WHO buddy.  The love between us goes
much deeper than the band's music, after almost 26 years;  but I truly
believe that I never would have gotten the chance to have this wonderful
friend if it wasn't for the WHO.  SO....since miraculously the band is
playing on her Birthday, of all things in the state that she has lived in
since 9 months after our blessed and eternal friendship has begun,  I say to
her "Howdja like to go see the guys for your birthday?" to which she
responds...well... she said "OK."  God bless her.  But that isn't about the
show review, now is it?  We drove from St.Pete to West Palm the day before
the show....it was a giddy and unbelievable trip.  We were going to see the
WHO together.  We had never done so, because she had moved away so soon
after we became friends.  We ended up with 2nd row seats (thanks to VIP
seating) and proceeded to have the time of our lives.  Dream after Dream has
come true for me with this band.....MSG in '79,  Tommy in '89,  Quad in 96
and 97...and now this.  I have had front row seats, I have heard and seen
Bargain...to have my friend Karen, my original WHO buddy, with me there
through all the crap that life hands us...there in row  B...with Bargain,
Baba and all the others was just unreal.  I have to look back and say it
hasn't happened.  No human  being gets what ever they want here in this
life.  No one.
But me.
HIGHLIGHTS:  Are you kidding?  After that review!?    Actually, my one
highlight is the look on Pete's face when he saw  me preshow to hand him a
gift I had chosen for him.  His expression was priceless-the look of
disbelief was worth all the cash it took to put me there.  Incredulous, is
the word that comes to mind.  The video of this show (God Bless those who
filmed it!)  is all the confirmation one needs to see that this was one show
that was on on on!
BUMMERS:  Missing the first 2 songs because I didn't pick up Karen's ticket
from the hotel desk....only took my own.  Tells you how long I have been
lonely in my WHO ventures!!

Tampa  FL:
So we have one day to get (more) sunburn and then truck all the way back
across Florida for the Tampa show.  For those of you who have never had the
pleasure, there is absolutely fucking nothing in between the 2 overcrowded,
overdeveloped shores of Florida on route 66 from West Palm to Tampa.
Nothing.  Bugs, that is it.  Anyhow, between the lack of sleep and the
incredible amounts of alcohol, the shows and the heat, life is starting to
feel a bit unreal.  Karen and I both agree we both feel and look like we
were hit by trucks.  Our hotel at Tampa was the Wyndham resort, which cost a
fortune and sucked, but was within walking distance of the Ice Palace.  By
Tuesday afternoon we were lying by the pool, whining (ridiculously) that the
4 feet it would take to walk and get wet was way too far!  I reminded Karen
that this time next week we would be wishing desperately that we would be
able to get up and walk 4 feet to a pool......
We picked up our tickets a little late (7:45) and in legendary VIP fashion,
they had forgotten to make up an envelope for us, so we had -shucks- fifth
row tickets instead of second row.  The setup up front was funky anyhow,
reminiscent of the way the Quad front row were at Philly....there were no
aisles in the first 4 rows, they went straight across.  So in a way it was
good that the tix we got were where they were.  We were on the aisle,
anyway, which left me room to do my WHO calisthenics.  This show wasn't as
extraordinary as West Palm, at least it didn't feel that way to me.  Someone
wasn't feeling 100%, I think it may have been each of them at a turn.  It
was a  nice one though.  I have to get a video of this somehow, because at
the end, Pete pointed at me and scolded "YOU ran out of steam!!"  What he
didn't realize is the security guard that was assigned to
keep the aisle clear there left.  Just went away.  So everyone moved up.  I
had no room to dance about without jostling into people, and I don't like to
do that.  I remember getting completely pissed off that some grimy scumbag
came and blocked right up against my chair and elbowing him severely in the
ribs telling him all the while he didn't fucking belong there.  I guess I
would have had a much better time if the area didn't get so unpleasantly
crowded.  What can one do?  You would think after HOB I would be used to the
invasion of space thing.  Actually I think it was just training for Glasgow!
(OUCH!!!)
HIGHLIGHTS:  Don't Even Know Myself;  Pete's gray shirt;  being able to walk
to the show
BUMMERS:  No fucking room to dance;  not seeing the band afterward.  They
were rumored to have gone all the way back to West Palm, and I can't say I
blame them. Tampa sucks.  I never sat at so many fucking red lights in my
life.  I would rather drive in New York City any day!

Am I making this sound too much like work?   There are no REAL complaints
here....my sense of humor is quite bizarre.  Anyhow, we are on to MSG and
Glasgow....

jacqueline