MSG Performance

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

> On TV you could hardly hear the guitars, but Roger came through okay--though 
> just barely.  I thought the sound guys just got his mike level too low--same 
> as the guitars.

OK, a week & half after the fact, I've finally seen The Who's performance at
the MSG benefit show.  Regarding the mix:  you gotta remember there are two
mixes going on.  One dude mixing the sound for the people in MSG, & one dude
mixing it for the T.V. audience.  Plus, Pete & John can turn themselves up or 
down from the stage!  And each act had to be handled differently.  More head-
aches for the sound dudes.

WAY, despite the opening mix problems, was pretty good.  But my first thought
was, "God, I hope Zak's drums ain't gonna be that quiet-sounding for the whole set."
They weren't.  And Roger with the acoustic didn't bother me at all.  It kinda fit
somehow.  What did bother me was his "who-wa who-wa's" during the bridge.
Aren't the backing vocals on the backing tape anyways?  Trying to harmonize at
that point is risky business & maybe shouldn't be attempted.  Lord knows I could-
n't do it either.

It's obvious right off that Pete's "live-Who-playing" mode is set high, just like it was
during most of the 2000 tour.  He's gonna get rough.  He's gonna bang that fucking 
guitar.  He's gonna jump.  He's gonna windmill.  He's gonna machine gun.  He's 
gonna smile.  He's gonna grimace.  And he's gonna channel all those audience emo-
tions right into his body & out through his guitar.  Must be nice to have that  kind of
power, huh?

I like Zak.  I watch Zak.  Zak is great.  Zak is good.  Zak is Who.  And Who is Zak.
Zak is cool.  Zak is Who.  God bless Zak.

BOR was....er....OK.  Actually it was better than OK.  They pulled it off.  OX was
a little off with the backing track at the beginning & Roger had problems.  He start-
ed the harmonica solo awkwardly &, yes, had to catch his breath in order to continue.
Didn't really matter though.  The genius, power, & beauty of that song poured out
wonderfully over the audience.  The cleansing Who bath!!

BBE was awful & if I never hear The Who play it again live I won't be sorry.  Daltrey
sounded like he was singing with his throat & not his chest.  Pete was forced to pro-
vide some backing for him.  And while anguishing over Roger's problems I was also
warmed by Pete's kindness & caring, attempting to come to his rescue.  I can read a 
lot into a Who performance!

WGFA was great.  Pete's guitar was finally loud enough as the mix seemed to have
settled in.  After so many years, Pete can still surprise me.  During the first break in
the song (the arm-swinging part before "There's nothing in the streets.....") he got a 
simulated toggle-switch effect by rapidly pounding on the string-side of the neck, in 
time with the song.  And they call Clapton God.  Idiots.

I don't believe they purposely left out "Meet the new boss...."  Daltrey was out of
breath after that crazy, three-tiered scream & just plain skipped it.  They wouldn't
censor their music.  Daltrey just skipped it.  They used to do versions of WGFA 
where, after the scream, they'd play a measure before Daltrey started the "Meet the
new boss...."  But now, it's gone back to the old way:  singing the verse right after
the scream.

And whatever noodlings Jon Carin was doing on keyboard, at best, didn't really 
work &, at their worst, sounded like tinny, annoying feedback.  What?  Tim Gor-
man was busy that night?!

But didn't the audience just love The Who!  Jumping.  Dancing.  Throwing their
fists in the air.  And these were adults!  Any chump, hard-rock band can get a 17
year-old to throw his fist in the air.  How many bands can get the 30, 40, & 50
year-olds, *as well as* the teenagers, to throw their fists in the air?  How many 
bands can completely galvanize a disparate audience, making everyone "one?"  
How many bands can steal a show from the "greats" of rock & roll?  Even on
an "off night?"

I can think of one.  Can't you?

LONG LIVE THE WHO!!


- SCHRADE in Akron