Why I WON'T be seeing you at MSG

I'M AFRAID TO SAY I won't be one of the thousands flocking to New York this
summer to see The Who (or WHATEVER the hell they're calling themselves)
perform music from one of my favorite albums of all time.  I must admit that
I held my Amex in my hand for quite some time, staring at the phone, but in
the end the card went back into my wallet, and I turned my attention back to
my work.

I do not mean to "de-legitimize" the latest output from Mr. Townshend & Co.
 I'm sure it will be an enjoyable event for many.  Despite my irritation at
the horn fanfares in WGFA, at Steve "Boltz" Bolton's horribly inappropriate
solos and guitar tone throughout the abbreviated rendition of "Tommy," and
the needless addition of extra percussion from the freakish creature perched
above Mr. Townshend I greatly enjoyed the 1989 version of The Who who played
a thrilling 3-hour set at my local football stadium.  My jaw hit the floor as
John pulled off yet ANOTHER stunning solo in "My Generation."  I laughed out
loud as Roger lost control of his mic at one point and sent it sailing mere
inches over an oblivious Simon Phillips' head.  And I stood spellbound as
Pete ripped off a nasty, distortion-laden solo in "I'm A Man" to end the
show.  It was great.

I don't expect this new set of shows will differ all that much from the 1989
set.  They will be playing Quadrophenia instead of Tommy for the first set,
but I expect the second set will be much the same.  Mercifully the dreadful
Mr. Bolton will be missing, but other than that it will probably be about the
same.  So if I enjoyed the 1989 show so much, why am I not going?

I'm not exactly sure.  I've been struggling with that question for a while
now.  It's true I don't like New York much, but that's not enough to keep me
away.  I was a little outraged over the Amex thing (and I'm surprised that
more people on this list weren't as well), but that's not enough to keep me
away.  I'm concerned by that fact that Pete said he won't play guitar much
(though not overly concerned--compare what he said he'd do in '89 to what he
actually did.  As much as he claims to dislike performance, he can't seem to
turn off his showmanship), but that's not enough to keep me away.  No,
there's got to be something else.

I should back up and say that I ALMOST didn't go to the 1989 show.  I'll
admit that I was very worried.  Would "The Who Rolling Thunder Revue" make a
mockery of the band I had loved so much for so long?  I was fairly certain it
would.  I was also fairly certain (and, as it turns out, wrong) that this
would be my last chance to see The Who perform together.  I just didn't want
the last show to leave a bad taste in my mouth.  Say you love fresh peaches,
and you head down to the farmer's market and buy half a bushel.  For the next
week you eat peaches on and with everything.  But by the time you get to that
last peach, it's been sitting in the bottom of the basket for a while and has
gotten a little mushy,
maybe it's starting to mold a little bit.  You bite into it, and instead of
the sweet fleshy peach you love so much you might get a mouthful of rot.  For
the next several weeks or months, when you think of peaches you're going to
think of that bad mouthful--not the week of pure peach joy that preceeded it.
 

But I pulled that last peach out of the basket, and it tasted pretty good.
 It made my "memory" of peaches even better.  If I never eat another peach,
I'll always remember them fondly.  But wait!  There's one more peach in my
basket!  THIS is the last peach I'll ever have the chance to eat.  What
should I do?  The last one was great, sure, but this one has been in the
basket for a LONG time.  There's an even better chance that this one could be
rotten.  What to do?

This time I believe I'll leave it in the basket.  Maybe that makes me a
coward.  Probably it does.  I'll continue to eat canned peaches, and pureed
peaches, and bits of peaches, but I just don't want to ruin my memory of big,
soft, sweet, fresh peaches fresh off the tree.  So that's why I won't be
going to New York this summer.  I truly hope that those of you who do go
enjoy it, and give lavish reports to those of us who don't or can't go.  I
hope your peaches are still sweet.

Movin' to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches. . .
AThosWhite