MSG Notes

[Sigel James Civ 10 ABW/LGCW <James.Sigel@usafa.af.mil>]

Wholigans...

It's good to back yet again; this time I got bumped off the list for a few
weeks and missed out on much of the banter, but I just got today's digest
and I am back.  And amused as you all usually make me...

On MSG last Saturday night, you guys kill me.  Only a bunch of knucklehead
Who-fans like ourselves would bitch about The Who's set list.  We want Naked
Eye!  How 'bout Pure and Easy!?!  Remember Kids, that concert t'weren't for
you - it was for others.  Most of whom wouldn't know Pure and Easy any more
than they would have known Relay, So Sad, Naked Eye, etc...  This was
STRICTLY an FM classic rock radio crowd and The 'Orrible 'Ooo delievered
exactly what they should have delivered.  The moment would have been LOST
had they pulled out anything new or obscure.  They did what the cops/fireman
wanted and stood out above the rest as a result.  And some wonderfully
powerful moments...  A few of my goofy observations:

Roger - YOU are the weakest link.  (But not good-bye of course)  What was it
with RD??? Someone mentioned perhaps a cold, and I must agree that SOMETHING
was off with him.  He looked extremely self-conscious which is completely
out of character for the former sheet metal worker.  His voice was awfully
weak and that high-pitched scream at the end of WFGA came close to ruining
the song - "close" but not quite.  It must really suck being a rock singer
and getting old; you can't hide it.  Age showed up in all of the older
singers - especially RD and Elton John.  I couldn't believe how bad EJ's
voice sounded.  Okay, enough criticism.

Most magical moment:  For me, it was sound and vision.  During WGFA (which
incidentally was a PERFECT choice of song; lyrically it has a TON of
relevance in light of today's situation), Pete was soloing most beautifully
and the video screen behind the band showed images of WTC.  Pete was SO into
the music that he was lost in the moment, throwing his head back, closing
his eyes, etc.. and the imagery gave me chills.  Specifically, the almost
spiritual performance by Pete with the images above him...  If anyone has
found a pic of that moment - PLEASE share it with us.  Only the Who can do
that and not look pretentious.

Funniest moment:  Opera Man (aka 'the man in the opera cape'/Adam Sandler)
doing the Who reference:  "...The Who re-unita; Pete and Roger no
fight-a..." sung to the tune of Baba.  Hilarious.  Honorable mention:  When
the ballad of BBE became the gutteral hard rocker during the end, a crowd
shot showed the immediate confusion of the audience.  People began to dance
as BBE revved up, and were obviously confused at the lack of a "dance" beat.
The confused looks exchanged by some of the audience just cracked me up.

Most emotional moment:  Behind Blue Eyes (before the funny audience
reactions!)  Like most on this list, I am SOOOOOO friggin' sick of BBE, that
I was disappointed when they started into it.  But something magical took
over and the emotion of the song was transmitted from the band to the
audience right before our eyes.  The image of the firefighter singing along
to the song and holding up the picture of a lost firefighter was stirring.
The song seemed to sum up the free world's feelings presently; the
disillusionment, the anger, the despair.  "But my dreams, they aren't as
empty as my conscience seems to be..."  The people connected with BBE so
undeniably, that the song has been reborn in my humble blue eyes.

Random observations:  The International Silver String Submarine Band could
have performed and got a warm ovation from this crowd.  Musically, you could
have banged pots and pans together like a monkey on speed and they still
would have cheered.  BUT...  The Who brought pure, crystalline energy and
raw emotion and NO other band, act, or group could touch them.  Indeed the
audience was on its feet during the Who's set, but there were some in the
crowd ABSOLUTELY going ballistic.  The Who were the ONLY act that you could
see people just letting themselves go with the music.  Hmmm... may have been
the booze, but I'm rolling here.  The Who once again reaches a primal
element in people that other bands only dream about reaching.

John Cusack is OBVIOUSLY a Who fan.  Makes me like him even more...  Whoever
said that he looked really fucked up was right!  Which brings me to another
idiotic observation:  Was every "celebrity" who introduced bands or films,
fucked up?  I mean, I got the impression that there was an old fashioned,
'70s backstage party going on.  Seriously, Harrison Ford looked as drunk as
a Viking on shore leave.  Jim Carrey, John Cusack, Mike Meyers, the list
goes on - ALL looked fucked up.  I thought I was watching a college kegger
instead of a concert...

And why were our boys so quiet?  In between songs, I mean.  Only a few
mutterings between songs or after the set.  Every other band or group said
something appropriate for the night, but I was suprised that The Who didn't
say much at all.  They must've let the music do the talking, I suppose.

Lastly, you just GOT to love the fact that the Who/Stones rivalry goes on
nearly into its 40th year.  The Who get four songs and Jagger/Richards got
two???  I just loved it.  The fact that our boys got to play the longest set
says a lot about The Who.  I was telling my wife that very thing as we
watched.  I was very suprised to see four songs out of them, so I just
assumed that from that point on, all of the "top" acts would get four songs.
Heh-heh... not so.  Unless you are the greatest rock and roll band in the
world.

And now, in closing - the set list.  As I said above, I thought (IMHO) that
the set list was appropriate for the venue and viewing audience.  These
non-believers don't know Pure and Easy and would have gone to the kitchen
for more popcorn.  They DO know "teenage wasteland" so that is what they
got.  Okay by me I suppose given the circumstances.

Before they played, I guessed what they might play and was off by only one:
Baba.  I was very suprised at that.  Like some of the folks here, I thought
See Me/Feel Me, Listening to You would have been highly emotional.  I knew
BBE was gonna come and WGFA too.  WAY I was kind of 50/50 on that one but
when they opened up with that and rocked, who the fuck cared?

All and all The Who get an "A" for their performance with a little note from
the teacher:  "Roger needs to apply himself a little more..."  What started
out as being a set by the only band with any teeth on the bill turned out to
be a very moving, mystical and magical set.  That's a lot out of four songs,
isn't it?

Jim in Colo Springs

And yes, I too was delighted to see Buddy with Clapton.  I've met Buddy many
times and he's a good guy (no pun intended).  I agree, it's too bad nobody
mentioned his name...  Peace and love...