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That '89 Shite
I was watching a video boot of the Cleveland '89 show (a show I was
at - my first Who concert!) & it struck me (again) just how horribly
limp & lifeless that show (and tour) was.
Townshend was adopting his "Pete pissy-mood" role even despite the
huge dollar signs that must've been floating around in his head.
Daltrey looked weak & anorexic. And he wore another one of those
silly scarf-thingies he seemed to be fond of in the 80's.
Those back-up "singers" were almost always appallingly out of tune.
I counted one good drum fill by Simon Phillips, when for two seconds it
actually seemed like he became a drummer & not a goofily smiling time-
keeper. For two seconds he seemed to actually feel the music. Then,
instantly, he switched right back into his "grinning robot" mode.
The giggling horn section's parts seemed forced & intrusive. Everytime
I started getting into the music they succeeded in jarring me back into
reality. They were like salad dressing on a salad that already had three
salad dressings on it.
Whatever happened to Steve Bolton & is he still holding on to his wham-
my bar?
Rabbit looked like he had a stomach ache.
Instead of randomly whacking oddly-shaped things, Jody Linscott should've
just sat in her "cage" & counted money. That would've made more sense.
And, as usual, the only one I could depend on for excitement was, iron-
ically, The OX. What would we do without him?
Poor Daltrey & Entwistle looked almost as if they were being held host-
age by Pete - made to go through the necessary motions lest he storm off
the stage & quit the tour.
Pete knew it all sucked, too. And it was obvious he didn't care. He was
playing some kind of fucked-up, evil mind game with the Who's audience
on that tour. "You want The Who? I'll give you The Who. The Anti-Who!
The Bloated Who. The Giggling Who. The Weak Who. The Sterile Who.
The Bigger-Yet-Softer Who. The Diluted Who. And guess what?! All you
demanding fans will take it........right up the arse!!" And so we did.
Gee, I wonder why attendance at Who concerts dropped off considerably
after that tour?
- SCHRADE in Akron