DC ROCK CLUB
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Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Fool me twice - won't get fooled again

The Who - Monday, November 3rd - Verizon Center $120

I never thought I would see The Who in concert. When I first embraced their music as a youngster, the three surviving members had officially disbanded and were well on their way to middle agedom with all of their influential work behind them.

I was a sophomore in high school during The Kids Are Alright tour in 1989 - neither savvy enough nor in possesion of a credit card to score a ticket. I likewise missed their Quadrophenia tour in the mid 90s, and was unwilling to deal with last year's Virgin Festival.

With one foot in my own middle agedom, but with decent credit, I finally came to my senses in July of this year, vowing to see The Who before anyone else died (myself included).

I was trying to keep my expectations low for Monday night. This isn't your father's Who. Half of them are gone, so is Townshend's hair, and after watching the abysmal Rolling Stones live film, Shine a Light, the thought of a mediocre show was looming large in my mind. Jimbromski wasn't helping either. Here's a bit from an email he sent hours before the show, suggesting that Daltrey was going to choke, literally.

yeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh we don't get fooolllleeeddd agaaaaaaiiiiinnn-COUGH-COUGH-COUGH-HACK-shoobie-doo-waa, doobie doo
Daltrey can't hit the high notes anymore. But that's not what I wanted to hear anyhow. Here's how it actually went down.



Obviously the video isn't high quality, but The Who were. I think Jimbromski was just bitter that he didn't have a ticket for the show. sacklunch and I were close enough to see Townshend's windmills, and Daltrey reeling in his microphone, and it didn't cost us $200/ticket. It was a little odd (though not surprising) to find ourselves adrift in a sea of 60-year-old dudes. I half-expected my ticket would read, "Flomax presents: The Who - Nov. 3rd @ Verizon Center."
And going from smaller shows at the Black Cat to a large arena show takes some adjusting, but I was comforted to see a familiar figure occupying the same spot he takes up at the 9:30 club.


Rob Corddry loves to dance

A bunch of us got together on Saturday night to watch Quadrophenia, in preparation for this show. The film was so moving, Jimbromski jumped on eBay and secured himself one of those green rain coats the Mods wore while riding their scooters.

Duh-cut took in a bit of the film with us and reminded me of his ingenius plan for the ultimate nostalgia super group. His idea: take Paul McCartney, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, and Ringo Starr, put them together on tour (you have a bassist, a guitarist, a singer, and a drummer - a complete band), and they just happen to be the remaining members of the Beatles and The Who. They can play songs from both catalogs, or even combine the two in some cases (Won't Get Fooled on The Hill Again; Who Do You Love Me Do; Getting Better, You Better, You Bet; etc). It really is genius.

I was particularly excited to hear The Who play The Seeker. And they played it second. Yeah! Alright! ... Okay.... That was quick. No matter, they kept the hits coming, and I couldn't have been more excited.

Here's the set list as far as I could decipher:
  • Can't Explain
  • The Seeker
  • Relay - (both sacklunch and I were expecting this to morph into Eminence Front. it didn't)
  • Fragments
  • Who Are You
  • Behind Blue Eyes
  • Real Good Looking Boy
  • Sister Disco
  • Baba O'Riley
  • Getting In Tune
  • Eminence Front
  • 5:15 (I thought I smelled pot during this one. Noteworthy for the crowd and venue.)
  • Love, Reign O'er Me
  • Won't Get Fooled Again
  • My Generation
  • ?? (bathroom break - I heard a guy puking in a stall behind me - arena rock inspires vomiting)
  • Naked Eye
  • Pinball Wizard
  • See Me, Feel Me
  • Tea and Theatre
Fantastic. Honestly. Except for Real Good Looking Boy, which is a super ghey song, but I can live with it. Like I said, I never thought I would actually see The Who in concert, and now I have. And it wasn't a watered down version. They rocked like it was 1972. Okay, maybe not 1972, they didn't break anything. But they didn't hold back at all and Daltrey was most impressive.

Wow. I'm all worked up now. It's been quite a week. Monday: The Who. Tuesday: Oback Barama.

Where am I and what year is it again?

16 comments:

sacklunch said...

I concur with pretty much everything Posty said. A couple of things to add:

1. I agree on "Real Good Looking Boy". lame song, super ghey, and cheesy video of Elvis on the video screen. Lame. The other lowlight for me was "Sister Disco", which came right after. I thought this was going to be a longer stretch of unfamiliar material, but they busted into Baba O'Riley and that notion was instantly dropped. It rocked.

2. There was a point during the beginning of the set when Daltrey was apologizing for his voice and he needed "to take a break" or something to that affect. Dude, don't apologize, just sing the best you can and I guarantee 90% of the crowd won't notice or give a fuck.

3. I went to the bathroom during "Real Good Looking Boy" and the dude next to me tried to balance his beer on the top of the urinal pipes. It was sort of this rounded top, so the beer came crashing to the ground. It was pretty funny and the guy was complaining how they need like a shelf or something to put your drinks on, or perhaps a cup holder. I agree.

4. Good call by Jimbromski to watch Quadrophenia before the show. The movie was a bit better than I thought it would be and they even showed some of it on the big screen during "Reign O'er Me".

All in all, a great night out. It's too bad these arena rock shows are so fucking expensive(even though we saw a guy outside trying to sell an upper level ticket for $20), because it was such a different experience then the normal shows we tend to see. Also, recognizing pretty much every song that was played that night didn't hurt either.

Jimbromski said...

My parka arrived yesterday, it's too goddamn big. I'm going to sell that one and get a medium.

I'm fed up with clothing sizes, they make no sense. I'm 6'0" and 200 lbs and yet sometimes a large is all tight on me and sometimes it's as baggy as your mom's ass cheeks. If Obama wants to make an immediate impact on America he should have the Feds step in and rationalize clothing sizing procedures in the USA and then go multilateral and see if he can't extend his reforms to foreign clothing.

/off soapbox

Anonymous said...

I love CSI!

And dudes, do you REALLY want your beer that close to microscopic flecks of urine/toilet water that inevitably make their way into your beverages?! Eww.

P.S. This was a very good review. I DO read them for the content, you know. Sometimes.

Dumbek said...

That bald guy drives me crazy. I see him at every damn show I go to. I call him "The Whooping Guy" because of that really annoying sound he makes when he gets excited - which is often.

Jimbromski said...

he's the one who does that pogo dance the whole time, right?

Potsy said...

Yeah. That guy is a distraction for sure, especially when you find yourself standing next to him. Strangers with nicknames are fascinating.

Jumbo Slice said...

Was The Who better than the Van Halen concert?

Did you hear Led Zeppelin (Page, Jones, Bonham Jr) might tour w/o Plant? Doesn't sounds like a great idea to me. Unless they bring in someone like Rick Astley. Then it'd be awesome.

Anonymous said...

I know more Rick Astley songs than Led Zeppelin songs, so if Rick toured with them, I might go.

Potsy said...

The Who were better than VH. No doubt.

Anonymous said...

Lemme just say that whoever Duh-cut is, he is a genius. Good footage, even if the crowd is a bit geriatric.

Anonymous said...

not that it has to do with anything, but for some reason, potsy, i pegged you as an eager 20-something :)

Potsy said...

hmmm. you're only a decade off, Heather.

Anonymous said...

He's actually 13.

Jimbromski said...

and smooth, pink and hairless

Anonymous said...

just the way i like 'em!

Jon said...

I had a pertinent comment, but after 'smooth, pink and hairless' ...I need a wet nap.