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who DVD idea /TOMMY MSG '89



>so, this is my idea.  might sound stupid, or a bit stupid, but it should
>leave ya thinking. ; )

I think that's a fantastic idea.  I'm not sure, but I don't think there's any
definitive compilation in any "contemporary" form, of The Who with all of the
touring and activity over the last several years.  And there's a LOT of stuff
out there.  You know, come to think of it, I really feel pretty blessed with
all of the Who activity of recent years.  Makes the loss of John all the
greater too.  But I think your idea is something that's GOT to happen
eventually and you should get a contract to spearhead the project before one
of us here starts pitching to a financer.  In other words, your idea is more
like a prophecy.

With "The Kids" and 30 Years Max we have a few forms of Who compilations in
video and audio.  But they stop abruptly at the end of the Kenney Jones period
basically.  Since then, there's been a relative ton of activity for us to
feast on.  And it's all pretty much available in some way shape or form - all
waiting to be gobbled up by the next Jeff Stein.  (One of you guys has to know
if there's any rehearsal footage one can get his greedy little mitts on, from
the last couple tours; especially w/Ox.)  Come to think of it even more, as a
fan I DEMAND such a thing be done to complete my personal archives
immediately.

But getting back to the context of your wonderfully stupid idea, it really did
get me thinking like you intended.  In the last few years, TED and the Everly
Bros. have really fed THIS starving fan's appetite for live Who.  I've gotten
to purchase a couple of shows I've attended from Pete's site and that's like a
junkie getting fed after a drought on the street, when you get to hear those
guys play live.  And I got to see them do it too!  I guess with all the
distractions of late, I took that wonderful eruption of modern Who music for
granted.  Your topic/idea made me think back and be very glad about it.  And,
there's a bittersweet melancholia about it all too.  I miss John Entwistle,
man.  I really do.  I'm still very sad about him.

My very first concert, at the ripe old age of 16, was The Who at the Rosemont
Horizon on the "farewell" tour in '82.  They only played live again at Live
Aid in...when was that?  '86?  That was four very formative and very Who-rabid
years later.  And to make that dry-spell worse, I was camping and MISSED the
live radio telecast.  And still worse, one of my camping buddies swore before
God and all Creation that his sister was recording the TV telecast, from start
to finish, on as many video tapes as needed, so there wasn't a chance in Hell
that I would miss such a magnificent occasion as The Who's triumphant return
to the stage because I went camping instead of watching and recording at
home.

His sister recorded the entire concert EXCEPT The Who's performance, and a
couple acts I don't even know of.  I still don't trust her to this day.  But I
digress...

The Who on ice came along and I was there for as much of that as I could, but
by the time the phenomenal Quadrophenia tour came along, I, at last began to
feel that this was probably "the last time I'll ever get to see The Who".
Somehow, I just felt they were just going to stop and Quad was probably a last
hurrah of sorts.  And then suddenly we had a charity gig at the House of Blues
and it's been pretty much steamrolling since.  And would you friggin believe
it, Pete and Roger are recording?!?  You know, for me, I've gotten one helluva
present from those guys and I haven't even stopped to smell the roses if you
really want to get down to it.  And Lord knows if I would have stopped and
smelled the music if you hadn't made me stop to think about it.  (Editor's
NOTE:  You can blame  JOELTLE515@xxxxxxx for this terribly long spiel.)

One show on your DVD idea list made me think of that.

>disc 2: "TOMMY"
>
>- - "tommy" Live at the universal amphitheater w. special guests. 1989
>- - interviews and universal amphitheater rehearsal footage (it does exist)

Okay, one last thing and I'm outta here.  The truth is, I really thought this
show sucked.  Not because of the band or the guest musicians, but because I
thought the audience was a horrible distraction in the video.  And
unfortunately, I think that's the only available footage, either video or
audio, that would be acceptable for a "definitive" collection of The Who on
DVD.  I just thought the audience shots, which were many, looked like a
stereotypical "Hollywood" crowd; more there to be seen at an "event" than for
a Who concert.  There were too many people sitting down and kind of just
looking at each other instead of getting into it.  Maybe I'm the only one who
feels like that about that particular show, but it really did bum me out about
it.  But either way, the Hollywood show should be included in your DVD set.

But again, your idea made me think even more!  Amazing actually...  And, I
digress even further.

The show I'm INTERESTED in, is the performance of TOMMY at the Garden in '89.
That's a very special show to me.  At the time, it represented another
triumphant return to the stage, after another long break from a vast void of
Who-silence for me, and I cherished the cassette tapes I had of it, recorded
from the live broadcast on WXRT in Chicago.  Notice I said the word "had".

I... uhhh... lost them somehow...(sniff)...all of them; all the copies...and
the copies of the copies...(HACK!...sniff...)...must've...(sniff)...given them
away or some shit...(CHOOK!...sniff...)...I even made special covers for the
cassette boxes that I drew on there with my very own hands!!!!!  (Loosing it
all together and blubbering all over the keyboard.  I hope you're happy now
you bastard.)

(Editor's NOTE:  I hope you realize that this is a plea for someone out there,
on this very list, to help this poor man find a bootleg of this show, a GOOD
bootleg like his used to be, in order to ease his suffering.  Can't you see
the poor guy's broken up about it?  Have you no feelings?  You MONSTERS!)

Back now.  Unable to go on any further...sorry for this terrible ranting and
raving.  I haven't written this much in a long time.  I just started working
again after a very rough year and better still, my mother-in-law and
sister-in-law are supposed to move out by next week...  Must get rest...  Oh
the euphoria...  Apologies if I took up a few hours of your time to get to the
end of this ramble...or if you want to be honest, this rambling stream of
semi-consciousness...

Jim in Colorado