Pete Townshend at Saddlers Wells, 25 Feb 2000

["Martin Bailey" <mobailey@cwcom.net>]

Last night Pete performed the complete Lifehouse set, live for the first
time.  I was there.  It was the first time I've ever seen Pete/The Who live,
despite being a big fan for 15 years.  Simply put, it was great.  No one
went home disappointed.

I'd had a great day - leaving work at lunchtime, taking the train from
Brighton to London (reverse-Jimmy style).  I also walked past Carnaby
Street; bought 2 Who Import CDs (Daltrey's Celebration and Townsend's Deep
End); rode the tube through White City and Acton.  (Later, Pete talked about
growing up in Acton and being in a gang, aged 4.)

We arrived late, due to an extensive drinking session beforehand on the
wrong side of London.  We walked into the theatre 10 minutes into the set,
across the front of the stage, and took our seats in the 2nd row (I hate
people like me).  Luckily, Pete hadn't yet come on stage, it was only the
London Chamber Orchestra playing B'OR.  The seats were great - it was a
large(ish) theatre, and we were one row from the front - just off centre.
Pete came on a few minutes after, with the stage in darkness; I was the only
one who noticed - I started screaming & clapping wildly, and it was a while
before anyone else knew what I was clapping at.

Highlights of the night:-

	- the vast majority of LifeHouse was played, from Teenage Wasteland to the
Song Is Over.  It took around 3 hours (including a 20 minute interval after
Act 1).  All of the arrangements have been updated and improved upon.  For
example, good use was made of the 3 backing singers (including Billy Nichols
and Chyna).
	- Mary was performed with just Pete and another (electric) guitarist. This
song was transformed into a great guitarist's dual.
	- Baba O'Riley: the best song of the night.  About half way through the
song, I noticed a female violinist standing on the stage, waiting.  Sure
enough, she played the violin part of the finale beautifully.  The Who
playing this song live with the harmonica is great, but having a live
violinist on stage is infinitely better!  I had tears in my eyes.  It was
the first song of the night to get a standing ovation.
	- Behind Blues Eyes came straight after BO'R: I was still in such a state
of shock that I barely noticed the first half of the song
	- Bargain: Pete explained at the start of this song that he was going to be
playing over a tape of the guitar part from the demo, as this rendition had
never been bettered.  In order to start playing at the same time as the
tape, he had to get on the floor and stick his head in the monitor to hear
the cue!
	- Join Together - Pete played harmonica on the start of this
	- Lets See Action - lots of clapping along to the beat
	- Who Are You - rocked.
	- Goin' Mobile: just played by Pete and the Crazy Dancing Harmonica Player
Guy
	- WGFA: Pete continued to softly play his guitar throughout the synthesiser
break (kinda like on the Who's Next version, but all the way through).  At
the time when Keith used to come in with the drums, Pete started playing
harsher, louder chords.  The whole song has been transformed yet again into
a new arrangement - different even to that played on last year's Live album.
	- during Teenage Wasteland, Pete pulled a pained, embarrassed (but amused)
face when having to sing about turnips.  He pulled a similar face when he
later had to sing "come on all of you elves."
	- Chyna, dressed in black PVC, raunchily singing "Laying on my back, on
newly mown grass..."
	- at the end of the 'last song' (The Song Is Over), the orchestra played
one long, single note.  Pete just stood there, holding up a single finger.
	- for an encore, Pete did a solo rendition of Can You Help the One You
Love?
	- Crazy Percussionist Lady (just in front of me on the stage) hitting
numerous percussion instruments with other percussion instruments.  To get
the 'One Note' effect, she started vibrating huge glass bowls on the stage.
	- After Pete came in a bit early on one the lines, Rabbit explained that
it'll be better tomorrow night.  Pete later also commented on the lack of
rehearsal time they'd had, explaining that a song was "not so much performed
as busked".
	- Pete asked for a tissue, and, after being offered a handful of tissues,
he explained that he only had the one nose - to much amusement from the
audience
	- just before starting a song, Pete looked blankly at his guitar and asked
"What's This?" "It's a guitar!" came the audience response.  "Yes I know
it's a f***in guitar..." he trailed off.  He came back with a different
guitar, and started doing a weird impression.  "I do nasty things to
guitars.  I'm very dangerous.  Do you want to know what I do to guitars?"
The whole audience stifled the words "smash your guitar, Pete" and refused
to play his game.

What didn't happen:-

	- the only LifeHouse songs that weren't played were Slip Kid (groan) and
Music Must Change (no great loss).
	- no rapping during WAY or any other song
	- Pete used many guitars, none of which were electric.
	- No guitars were harmed during the performance of this concert.

During the evening Pete and the band would occasionally take a break, and
let the orchestra play such tracks as Hinterland Rag, Tragedy and Tragedy
Explained.  This was OK, but it didn't really fit in with the evening - the
audience just wanted to rock!  But the orchestra sound did work well on many
of the other songs, and made a worthwhile contribution overall.

I believe there were four songs that had never been performed live before:
Mary, Greyhound Girl, Teenage Wasteland and Can You Help the One You Love?

The performance was all filmed, in a non-intrusive manner.  I understand
that it's planned to eventually be released on DVD; I certainly won't
hesitate in buying it.

-MB