BOSTON CALLING !!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jim M]

Despite having been to a couple of Who shows in September and knowing
exactly what the setlist would be, Saturday held a lot of questions for me.
I was holding a pair of 10th row dead center tickets for The Who at Boston
Garden.  I hadn't been that close at any show in ages, and never for The
Who.  I had heard great things, but wasn't sure what to expect from the
Pretenders.  I hadn't seen any shows since the endless wait for Endless Wire
had finally ended, so I didn't know what the crowd would make of it.  And,
most worrying, there seemed to be lots of tickets left on Ticketmaster just
days before the show.

What was certain was that Kevin in VT & his buddy Jess had scored the seats
next to me and we were going to rip the roof off the place.

After a brief get re-acquainted session at Jess's nifty South Boston pad, a
Faneuil Hall cheese steak and a massive glass of Sam Adams, we headed over
to The Harp.  I got to meet some lovely Who ladies this time, which, no
offense chaps, was a nice change.  After a few stories, a few more Sams and
a stroll around the block to take in the air, it was time to head in.  I was
still concerned about bringing in a brand new camera, especially since Kevin
had my pockets bulging with confetti, which we would spring on the crowd
later on, but we passed through the gates with no problem.

As soon as I came through the tunnel to the arena, I knew this was gonna be
good.  I don't have to tell most of you how much more intimate it is being
up close for the show.  But, I couldn't believe how much smaller the stage
seems from up there.  I was worried I'd be too far to Roger's side and
wouldn't feel that close to Pete, but it gets very cozy when you get that
close.  You front row folks must feel like you're in their shirts.

Chrissie Hynde strolled on right on time, looking every bit the ultra-cool,
bad ass rock chick she is.  Her band stormed through a great set and I got
my first answer.  The crowd were ready to go.  Chrissie made a couple of
mentions of how pumped we were and it seemed genuine.  She said they usually
had to work for that kind of response.  The guitar player has a big solo in
one of the songs and he kept coming back for more until she told him, "Ok
don't get greedy."  What a difference it made having a real band to warm us
up.  It also helped that I was standing right where her gaze landed, so it
felt like she was singing the whole set to me!

After the Pretenders walked off it was time to get ready for the big show.
I passed Honeybee & Tommy on the way out of my row and patted her on the
back, but she was focused on getting out and back to her seat.  I couldn't
tell where they had come from, but I found out later.  Back at the seat in
plenty of time for the opening chords of I Can't Explain, which answered the
next questions.  This crowd was pumped.  And there were very few empty seats
visible from where I sat.  I'm sure the upper sections had some space, but
it was a pretty fine turnout for such a quick return.

Once the show started, the first thing I noticed was what a great mood both
Pete & Rog seemed to be in.  Lots of smiles all round.  I know that doesn't
always translate into the most electric of Who shows, but this one had
plenty of energy.  Also, as the show went on, it became clear that this band
is really playing its way into form.  There were none of the total screw ups
I've seen in previous shows.  This show was clean and tight.

After the three oldies, the tinkling of Fragments started and it was time to
pull out the confetti.  Kevin & Jess grabbed big handfuls and I had the
rest.  As soon as the 'snowflakes falling' chorus started, we tossed the
confetti up in the air and I couldn't believe the blizzard it created.
Everyone around us was covered and seemed to get a real kick out of it.

What a difference having the album out made.  I didn't notice any dip in
energy during the new material.  I don't know if that affected their
decision or if they planned it all along, but they played Black Widow's Eyes
for the first time in a while as well as Mike Post.  We got Purple Dress
first, though, which came across a lot better than I thought it would in
such a large venue.  Definitely no let down with the new stuff now the
album's out.  Then Pete starts saying they're going to play a *really old*
song and I figure they're going straight to My Generation, but he was
teasing us.  He was talking about You Better You Bet, joking about the young
folk that think it's a real oldie!  Then on to a great My Generation.
That's really developed nicely with the Cry if You Want jam.  Very
passionate in that part.

I'm always a little sad when Won't Get Fooled Again starts, because it's the
beginning of the end of the show.  This time, the energy carried me through
and I felt nothing but elation.  But a couple of times in the middle of the
song, I heard this rumble from stage right that literally made me
reflexively turn my head and look.  Good God, what the hell got into
Pino?!?!  He was bringing it, big time!

After the main set, I saw Mr. Snuggles the bear and a couple of greeting
cards fly up on stage.  That had to be Honeybee, I thought, but I didn't
know until later that it was!

After giving us time to catch our breath, the band took it away again with a
blistering Tommy encore.  Amazing Journey seemed to go on and on.  Pino kept
pulling my gaze to the left.  I'm not kidding.  Damn, where has *that* been?
I know it's easy to get blasé about it, but that music *defines* The Who to
me.

Tea and Theatre was bittersweet as ever and brilliantly delivered.  At the
end of the show Roger seemed genuinely moved by the crowd response.  They
both seemed truly taken aback by how 'up' we were.  Roger started talking
about how Boston's been great to them over the years, going back to the old
Boston Tea Party venue.  Pete gave him a look that said, 'let's just leave
them with their mouths hanging', so Roger cut it short with a 'be lucky' and
that was it.  The perfect end to a perfect evening.

Jim M