Apart from looking at some tiny
dots playing Quadrophenia in the far distance at Hyde
Park in 1996, I hadn’t seen The
Who live since they played two nights running
at Newcastle City Hall in 1972, when I was 17. Can you imagine
being 17 and seeing The Who on stage at the absolute height of
their powers? Complete with Keith Moon on full song, Townshend,
consumed with passion and anger, smashing up not only his guitar
but also the PA, and Daltrey, fringed and god-like, making the
girlies swoon?
I don’t mind saying that I was terrified of sullying those memories.
It was a terrible night, lashing, freezing rain, no-where to park, and some doubt about whether there would be a ticket there for me. Eventually, I abandoned the car under a railway bridge, and made a dash for the box office. I asked whether there was an envelope for me, and there was! The guy pushed something under the window, and didn’t ask for any money! ( A friend had arranged the tickets, but I was expecting to pay). Things looked up from then on.
I hate these barn-like arenas
- they make the audience feel like cattle, but my tickets were
right at the front, and the 
venue
was packed with row after row of very hard looking guys! There
were some women, but not all that many. The atmosphere was crackling
with anticipation. These people were mostly, like me, long time
fans who hadn’t seen their heroes for quite a lot of years.
Definitely not a Simply Red crowd.
A very workmanlike set was in place, no frills. The band came on to little fanfare, but a massive macho roar went up from the crowd. Roger and Pete both looked very fit. Roger has always kept in shape, but Pete has lost quite a bit of weight recently and looked much more like his old self.
First up was I Can’t
Explain! The audience erupted, crowding the aisles and standing
on their seats. I haven’t ever seen
that at the arena before, when it was seated.
They followed that with Substitute which just about blew
my head off with nostalgia. There were about four or five younger
people dancing just in front of me. They knew all the words,
and one of the lads turned to me and said “ You can ‘keep’
your Oasis for me...THIS is the real thing.” I asked
him how old he was. The answer was 28.
Roger’s voice has held up very well, but he was never the main focus of this band for me. I was literally praying that Pete wouldn’t have lost his fire. As they warmed up, some of the old magic began to show through. Those trademark jumps. Those weird shakings of his head, as if trying to get rid of something awful. And, joy of joys, the windmill guitar arm. There they all were, and what’s more, the sound coming out of the guitar was as precise and uniquely thrilling as ever.
His between song patter was cutting
and funny. After a couple of songs, he remarked that he normally
hates arenas, but that the sound in ours was really good! He
had been wondering what was wrong with the sound, and then realised
that it seemed odd because it was actually excellent. “Last
time I was here, I met a girl”, he said, laughing. It was
in the early 80’s and resulted in a 
paternity suit.
Highlight of the night for me was a song Pete did without the rest of the band. Just him and a guitar and one spotlight. It was Drowned. He was hunched over the guitar, intent on extracting every inch of feeling from the sound, and his whole body was tensed and jerky, as he poured out his passion into the song. I knew I was in the presence of greatness.
Pinball Wizard had the whole crowd on its feet, the house lights were on and everyone sang along and air guitared like mad....lol
Introducing You Better You
Bet, Pete said that he had bumped into Bono recently,
and noticed he had had his hair cut. “ Not going on TOTP
are you?” he asked him. “They were!! They fuckin were!!”
he said with derision. “They will get a hit though”
he added. “Last time we went on TOTP, we got a hit”
and of course You Better You Bet was it.
Last song of the main set was Won’t Get Fooled Again. We got the full range of trademark Who effects. Daltrey swung the mike like a demon, Pete windmilled like mad, and Zak Starkey did a great job in Moony’s shoes.
They returned for a four song encore, which included two pared down songs reminiscent of very early Who. The Kids Are Alright, and Mary Anne. If you closed your eyes just a little bit, you could imagine you were at a Mod convention in 1964.
Of course they had to end, with
massive braggadocio, with My Generation. Its funny, you
know, because we thought we
ruled the world in
1972, and that the older folks could just get stuffed because
they were never going to do anything as great and good as we
did. Now that we are the older folks, naturally, we still think
the old songs are the best. But, Pete Townshend is right to maintain
that confidence. He IS the maestro still, and can wipe the floor
with many of his younger emulators with just one flash of towering
talent. His commitment and fervour and sheer skill remain undimmed.
I walked back to the car, memories intact and new ones added, and what do you know...I didn’t even get a parking ticket.
:))
More about The Who at www.thewhodirect.com
More about Pete Townshend, including his great diaries about this tour at www.petetownshend.com
Photos : Ross Halfin 2000, Tour programme.