Re: Anyone catch the Florida show at the Coral Sky 8/16?

[amck@thenetdr.com (Alan McKendree)]

At 20:53 8/17/97, The Who Mailing List Digest wrote:
>Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 21:38:17 -0400 (EDT)
>From: Sam Rotmen <p027014b@pb.seflin.org>
>Subject: Anyone catch the Florida show at the Coral Sky 8/16?
>
>Hey all- just wondering if any of you were at the 8/16 show in West Palm
>Beach. I was there, and I thought it was incredible!! It was my 1st time
>seeing the Who as well. The crowd level was high, except for the section
>I was in!

I was in John's section, fairly well off to the side.  The audience there
was fucking lame.  Most of the people around me seemed more interested in
sipping glasses of beer or wine and yapping to each other, not letting a
little thing like a Who show distract them from their soiree.  Many of them
were wearing paper lapel stickers that said (ironically enough) "STAND"
along with a logo and some text...it looked to me like some civic movement
sponsored by the Tampa newspaper.  (If anyone in Tampa know what this
sticker was all about please explain, and if you get a chance invite them
to kiss my ass.)  The guy directly in front of me was actually into the
show and I encouraged him to keep standing so I could too, but
unfortunately he was too polite :-) and again most of the section seemed to
take every opportunity to sit.  BTW, I thought the audience was pretty flat
elsewhere too...the center section was standing but they were pretty
stationary (although from where I sat I couldn't tell how much noise they
were making.  Finally when the encore started I managed to move all the way
across the section, from the far side to the center aisle, and down about 8
rows, because a lot of wankers left when Quad ended.  From my new vantage
point I could see the show pretty well, and had the bonus of watching an
actual punch-up about three rows down!  Woohoo!

>Eventually security came out,
>and the lady left.

The security there bordered on the Nazi-like.  They were constantly
checking ticket stubs and making people return to their seats, even when
they were sliding into abandoned seats during the encores (I felt lucky I
didn't get booted out of my new location).  I even saw them eject someone
from a new/better seat as Pete was literally hitting the last chord of Who
Are You :-(.

I was sorry to see the last show, but at least I had a chuckle when Roger
managed to hit himself in the nuts with the mike :-D.

Roger specially thanked the road crew, Pete, and Bill Curbishley; I'd like
to thank them all for a great set of shows.  Long Live Rock, and Long Live
The Who.

Alan

"When I'm on stage, it's not like bein' possessed...it's just...*I* *do*
*my* *job*."                 - Pete Townshend