[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

RAH reviews from O&S



Figured I'd go ahead and copy these over......
These are posts courtesy of Kim+Lester and Kempo at O&S:
Kevin in VT

From: "Max" <max@networks50.freeserve.co.uk>
Subject: Royal Albert Hall, 7 February, 2002 (short)

Tonight's theme: PT; I just get bored don't ask me why.....

Quite a subdued set, compared with the 'warm up' shows.
Pete was VERY quiet for a long time, maybe a reaction to the press
he's been getting, (hard to believe, though), or something
else is troubling him.

Before 5:15 and John's solo, which he said was 'usually
interesting', he then said 'but I think I'm going to find it
boring tonight..........'. He did confess later that it was in fact
'interesting', however.

The main ever present topic on the agenda tonight was in fact
Pete stating he was bored at very juncture. So much so that
Roger said 'Wake me up when you finished, Pete', and
'John and I have left the band, Pete'.

Roger offered to bring Pete a magazine to read to ease his boredom
tomorrow night, 'how about a copy of Hustler'. Pete just pulled
as face and said 'Hustler?'.   PT then went very quiet, and Roger
asked what was bothering him. 'I'm trying to think of something
better than Hustler'.

After consulation with the crowd, Roger decided that '40 plus',
fitted the bill, but Pete looked singularly unimpressed.

He even looked pissed during the Drowned/I'm One solo
slot, starting the former 2/3 of the way through, and then saying
'I'll make the words up', and he improvised most of the
vocals from that point!

Before the encore, and just after WGFA, Roger stayed on stage and
gave a political speech on how people should lobby their MP's for better
NHS facilities for kid and teenagers - quite a serious pitch, really.
Pete came nack on and said, 'I don't know what Roger just said, but it was
all lies'.


They did YMB. Pete started playing it in F as he did in Watford,
stopped, and said, 'I'm always doing that these days, it's in E
isn't it?', and promptly restarted the song.

While the overall perfromance, despite all of this, would very probably
still see off most, if not all, of the competition currently on the planet,
it did dertract from some of the highs we saw just a week or so ago.

The songs were picked froma mixture of the 3 warm up shows.

I Can't Explain
Substitute
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
I Don't Even Know Myself
Amazing Journey / Sparks
Pinball Wizard
I'm Free
My Wife
Who Are You
Getting In Tune
Behind Blue Eyes
Drowned/I'm One (Improvised lyrics, Pete on J-200)
Baba O'Riley
You Better You Bet
5:15
Won't Get Fooled Again (with extended jam ending once again)

Roger's TCT speech

Encore:
TKAA
Summertime Blues - rocking version, played a second time as soft rock
version
until PT got bored
                               and stopped dead, followed by the band
Young Man Blues ('whenever I go to see Mose Allison, he treats me like a
king).
My Generation

Kim+Lester
............................................................................
..............

From: benn kempster <bennkempster@yahoo.com>
Subject: A View From A(very)far............  RAH 07/02/02

OK.  So, forgetting that I'd been to Portsmouth and
Watford (as hard as that seems), I attended the 1st
Teenage Cancer Trust Who show.

I guess my mind had already been made up by the time I
got there, bu thow the hell could anything be anywhere
near as good as the previous two show's I'd attended?

Meeting up before the show with fellow listers and
fans means as much to *me* as the shows themselves;
after all, where would I have met so many people as
crazy about this band as I am?  I'm hopeless at
remembering names, so sorry to all those I can't name
check here, but Bjorn (the tie-die's great; make sure
it gets to the US this summer!), Hans, Gitta, Ian,
John, John, Ian, Matt, Steve, John, Sean & Reggy - it
was great to see you all.

I have to say that I'm glad I didn't miss the shows on
27th and 31st Jan.  Tonight has to be the worst Who
show I've ever seen.  I know I was in the Circle and
miles away from the band, but there jus seemed to be
no ENERGY coming from the band at all.  I lost count
of the number of times I looked aroung the hall and
saw only small pockets of people actually moving
around.  I may be wrong, but it just seemed that
people were simply there to see 2 hours of music,
rather than The Who.  I hope that someone who went to
Portsmouth and / or Watford will post a review that
completely contradicts this, but somehow, I don't
think it's gonna come..........

Roger was as enthusiastic about it all as ever.  His
thank-you's to the people behind the TCT and their
sponsors was moving.  We do need to get behind this
charity so that kids with cancer can have something to
help them through their tough times.

Pete must have made half a dozen references to being
BORED - what the fuck is all that about?

I hope that what is goign to be taken to the US this
summer is infinately better than what was on offer
tonight; maybe the days of The Who playing to
arena-sized audiences are over and they can only
function as a band that plays to club-sized audiences?
 I don't know, but what I do know is that they deserve
to exit the UK on a higher note than this.

My friend Mark has my *better* ticket for tomorrow.  I
hope he feels more energy and fun from the band than I
did tonight. I just get the feeling that (especially
Pete) they felt obliged to go on stage at the RAH, as
opposed to actually wanting to be there.

Set list (I think) was.........

I CAN'T EXPLAIN
SUBSTITUTE
ANYWAY ANYHOW ANYWHERE
AMAZING JOURNEY
SPARKS
PINBALL WIZARD
I'M FREE
MY WIFE
GETTING IN TUNE
WHO ARE YOU
DROWNED / I'M ONE - Pete fucked Drowned up big time -
barely remembering the words and then segueing to I'm
One.
5:15 - The incomparable JAE!!!!!!
You Better You Bet
Won't Get Fooled Again
The Kids Are Alright
Summertime Blues
Young Man Blues
My Generation

I hope I haven't pissed anyone off, but I'm more than
prepared to be defeated in my opinion on tonight.....

Maybe this is 2 shows too far for The WHo.  I hope not.

=====
Kempo
"This is a rock and roll concert, not a fucking tea party - right!"
Pete - The Arena, Long Beach 10/12/71