Portland show

General notes:

1)  Skip the opener.  Stay out in the foyer and drink.  They are called   
Hovercraft, and sound like they never got the needle past the part of   
Pink Floyd's "Echoes" where they go into the weird synth sounds, 'cept   
this band has actually added a bass and varyingly heavy drum beats.   
 Entirely unlistenable, but would make a good science experiment.

2) Sound: The Rose Garden has a decent sound, but the mix wasn't that   
great.  I couldn't hear John very well, nor Pete or Simon.  Zak was   
un-fucking-believable.  Miles better than Simon Phillips.  He played very   
true to Moon's original performance without coming off as a copycat.

3) Gary Glitter and Billy Idol:  One word - WHY?????!!!!!!

4) The narration occasionally annoyed me, but my wife (non-Who fan) said   
it helped bring the story together for her.

5) I believe Roger has made some pact with Satan so that he will not age.   
 His voice never ceases to amaze me.  He missed a few notes, but   
generally sang within his limitations for the whole evening, but kept a   
high level of passion throughout.

6) Had to wait until "Love, Reign O'er Me" for the One Windmill of the   
evening.

7) Ah, to see Pete playing a Rickenbacker 12-string on Substitute....I   
wouldn't be surprised to hear TKAA this tour.

8) Boris was back, but had some interesting sections added, thank god.   
 Sure wish he'd picked Whiskey Man instead.

9) Highlights of the show: Punk Meets the Godfather - they pounded the   
hell out of this song.  Drowned - Pete acoustic solo, and we all saw God.   
 5:15 - John's solo was not up to his usual brilliance, and it was STILL   
better than any other I've ever heard from anyone else. The Rock - Simon   
and Pete paying double solos during the "Helpless Dancer" segment.  LROM   
 - just great...  WGFA - Rog and Pete acoustic solo, anyone who thinks   
these guys couldn't do an Unplugged is daft.  Naked Eye - Rog sounds good   
on guitar, he & Pete both really nailed the vocals.

10) Biggest Disappointment: Waiting twenty years to hear Pete sing "I   
have to be careful not to preach/ I can't pretend that I can teach/ And   
yet I've lived your future out/ By pounding stages like a clown" and   
having to listen to Gary Glitter moan them like a stuck whale...Get a   
JOB!

More from Tacoma tomorrow...

OK,
KLW