Typically on May 19th you can find me thinking about Joey Ramone. But this May 19th was all about Pete Townshend. Although Joey and Pete share birthdays, a Who concert at Oracle Arena really made for a unique night. The show was initially supposed to happen in December but Roger was having throat issues. Joan Jett was also the opener but the concert delay changed things up. Thankfully I've seen Joan Jett twice and this was my first time seeing The Who.
A pretty cool group called the Slydigs opened for The Who. They had a solid rock sound, a good vibe and a lot of talent. They were a good pairing with the Who. When they hit the stage we were still in the club eating dinner. I knew it couldn't possibly be the Who on already but I swore I was hearing Roger singing. I shoved that sandwich in my mouth faster than I'd like to admit and high tailed it to the seating. It was not the Who on already, it was just me being over zealous I guess! *sigh*
After the openers finished, the feeling in the room changed. The crew came out and began to set up and people stayed in their seats. Barely anyone that I saw got up to get a last minute drink or bathroom break. Sometimes at concerts I'll bring something to smoke, but remembering it bothers Roger I left it behind. I remember the stories I've heard about it bothering Roger Daltrey's throat and that he didn't like it. So I left it at home, and I noticed a lot of other fans did the same. Normally at concerts I seem plumes of smoke coming up from different directions. Last night I would occasionally see a puff come from the surrounding audience. It was very pronounced, largely because no one else was smoking.
 |
| A photo from the show |
The lights went out and a projection appeared on the backstage screen "Keep calm here comes the Who" and that's when the crowd (of course) lost it. Pete and Roger entered the stage like humble rock royalty, with the memorable Simon Townshend and Ringo's talented son Zak Starkey. The first song was "Who are you." Pete mentioned how it was his birthday, and that he loved the Bay Area and that it's gotten even better since he was last here. They began to play and out came their wall of sound. The powerful sound that I've always heard when I listened to the Who was right there in front of me. It immediately felt like I was having a beautiful daydream just like I've done hundreds of times before. The visuals behind them were some of the best I've ever seen. Roger did his signature microphone swinging, Pete did his signature windmill and Zak kicked the drums ass.
They did a concert of nothing but their hits and probably about 5 songs from Tommy and 4 from Quadrophenia. "The Rock" was probably my favorite, They mentioned Keith and John and how they were missed. I saw grown manly looking guys having what I could best describe as a "Beatle Mania moment." They were totally wrapped up in the music, and sometimes emotional. It made me smile, because I know that feeling and it's great. Being in the presence of a band you've listened to religiously for most of your life is one of the greatest experiences.
I found another video from the show! Check out this great footage of "Baba O'Reily"
Comments