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Re: Fiddle about



> I still haven't figured out how I feel about the fact that they're 
> playing Tommy to begin with.  Didn't most of you think that would be 
> something to do with the new music?

Well, I thought they might debut one or two new songs.  But not some
lengthy new concept album of Pete's.  It's hard to tell sometimes what
exactly is going on with them.

The only thing we know is that they made a recording of *one* new song.
With Greg Lake on bass.  Pete drops hints that he's working on some new
concept album.  Fine.  But did he demo the material for the band?  Did 
the band set aside rehearsal time to work on this new material?  Who 
exactly is in this fucking band anyway??!!  

I would've been more surprised if Pete made a statement saying:  "We've
rehearsed a brand new piece of music.  Ten new songs.  Based on a concept
of mine.  The band is set.  We're ready to go.  You'll hear the new piece,
plus a handful of classic Who songs, & a few rarities."  Things usually
don't occur that smoothly in the Land of Who.

> Isn't Tommy, one more time, kind of a let down? 

Sort of.  But a bigger let down would've been if they simply used the
2002 setlist.  But yeah, it seems like, again, they've fallen back into 
the safety net that is TOMMY.

Why TOMMY?  It's obvious that this was Pete & Roger's decision.  I don't
think people are making decisions like that for them.  So, perhaps it
*does* have something to do with Pete wanting to make some sort of state-
ment, indirectly, about his pedo mess.  Or maybe Roger wanted to sing it....
one more time.  Who knows.

My guess is, they didn't have enough new material ready to make up the
bulk of a 2 1/2 hour concert.  They didn't want to just repeat the 2002
setlist.  QUAD was toured & performed just 8 years ago.  TOMMY fits the
theme of the benefit:  sickness will surely take the mind.....  So they
chose TOMMY.  They can't escape TOMMY!  

> I'll have to pull out my Encore discs and listen to the Tommy sections.  
> My initial feeling was that it was a weak part of the set that year.  
> How about those of you who were there?

I didn't think the TOMMY segments in 2002 were weak.  I mean, for us freaks,
it's hard getting too wound up about hearing "Pinball Wizard" for the 40-
millionth time, but "Amazing Journey/Sparks" was quite nice, even if I
would've preferred to see Zak go crazy a bit more, especially on "Sparks."
But it was nice seeing Pete go into the Birdman pose!  That did it for me!


- SCHRADE in Akron

The Council For Secular Humanism
http://www.secularhumanism.org/