Re: Pino on Bass

[Alan McKendree <amck@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2004 10:10:09 -0800 (PST)
> From: Ollie Cat <ollie1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> I have to agree with Jo on this one.
> Pino had guts to get up there knowing what people are thinking. Yet he 
> still gets up there and does what he has to do. Plus if Pete and Roger 
> think and feels confortable with it well so do I. I have faith in 
> their choice. As we all know there will be no one like John ever. So I 
> saw give Pino a chance don't be so quick ot put him down. His style is 
> different so what. He is Pino let him be him. Hell I would not want to 
> see any one but John there. But some one must step in why not Pino.

Because he's already had his "chance", if you want to call it that.  I 
don't blame Pino for this decision, I blame Pete.  I say this with full 
respect and love for Pete.  His songs have literally changed my life.

I won't say my first show without John was unbearable, but it was a 
huge bummer, for lack of a better word.  Seeing that stage and hearing 
that music without John was like a stab.  Pino did a great job at that 
show and all through 2002 by just being there.  Someone had to do it 
and I give him all credit for doing so, under the worst circumstances. 
I'm sure he's an upstanding human being and never kicks the cat.  I'd 
love to buy him a beer.

*However*. In 2002 it was an emergency.  Now?  Not.  Pete and Roger 
have had time to carefully consider who to choose (ask) to play the 
tour. I've said before that my first choice would be Jack Bruce, but 
there are a number of others that I'd also like to see (Greg Lake, Jim 
Lea, Lemmy, Victor Wooten, and Chris Squire, to name a few.  Heck, Flea 
might spice thing up.).  But the unifying factor about all of my 
choices is that they are famous in their own right and would be 
expected to carry some of the burden of the show and probably take a 
solo.

The point is that with John gone, there  is *no one* onstage to 
challenge Pete musically.  To make him mad.  To give him something to 
think about or to top.  To pull audience focus.  At first, when John 
started playing his solo during 5:15, the song was played pretty much 
straight, then John solo, then back to the song and end.  Later, when 
Pete saw how the place erupted after John's solo, he started doing his 
own solo afterwards.  Even that 2 minutes of individual flash by 
someone else had to be papered over with Pete's answer.  At this point, 
with the choice of Pino for the upcoming show, the show is The Pete 
Show.  It's Pete with sidemen.  Roger's essential for what he does, no 
one's arguing against him.  He's the frontman and gets the audience 
focus.  But when Pete wants to shine, he knows and the audience knows 
that all eyes are on him.  Expect to see a Zak solo?  Nyet.  He 
supports, he doesn't challenge.  Pino?  He might (and might not) get My 
Generation to do the obligatory bass solo, but other than that he's 
been a black-clad, competent placeholder. Pete has wanted control of 
The Who since its inception and now he's got another huge chunk of it, 
and the choice of Pino shows he's not about to give any of it up.  The 
choice of Pino shows that Pete's playing it safe.  I want someone in 
there who will surprise not only me, but Pete, and I don't expect that 
from Pino.  He's never done it yet.

Cheers,