If you think a 300$ ticket at Hollywood Bowl to see a legendary rock band, The ”˜tommy can you see me' Who, comes with a free Patina's andante dinner and a picture taken with the band members, you are off, or you are not financially half way successful, or simply not a Who believer who thinks, kids who use to be alright, must be supported these days, or you are basically out of touch with the entry prices to legends ball...
~~~
The Who…, on me.
If you think a 300$ ticket at Hollywood Bowl to see a legendary rock band, The ‘tommy can you see me’ Who, comes with a free Patina's andante dinner and a picture taken with the band members, you are off, or you are not financially half way successful, or simply not a Who believer who thinks, kids who use to be alright, must be supported these days, or you are basically out of touch with the entry prices to legends ball…
That was the first culture shock to find out that our 300$ a piece ticket and seats were not head turners and nobody really cared who we were when we arrived to our 4 person 6’ x 6’ parceled no glory box where we had to sit behind two large die hard the ‘kids are not alright’ Who fans we didn’t know and who didn’t like us to begin with. Plus they had to see the concert standing up but without leaving their designated box.
Tina and I have taken some calmer downers before the concert and simply moved outside the box (npi), instead of probably telling the big guys "sit the fuck down" after every song. We, instead, wondered around the terrace box seat area region and take some pictures of the concert where Pete Townshed and Roger Daltrey made their grandpa crowd feel that they were still pinball wizards, goddammit…
Anyway, you will see our gift tickets at 300 each, weren’t front row and you will estimate the distance with your keen scaling eyes.
The concert itself had that tired sound of bassmike’d delivery of, ah so familiar lyrics with audience sometimes filling the blanks and Roger doing his microphone fly / catch and Pete doing his right arm propeller moves going rounds and setting the rhythm with that time between the full circle and when pick meets the strings, I was really disappointed that he didn’t breake his guitar like he used to. Guess who was the drummer?
Yep, Ringo Starr Jr. hard working kid that resembles his dad from distance but not as calm as his father in his drum attacks.
They played all the best of the Who except anything from Quadrophenia to my disappointment because for me, the Who existed only in that one.
I don’t know if it is only me but I find only certain bands of rock music sound good in live concerts. Also I am certain that the Who had a message in Woodstock, now, they just have memories and caring fans.
And, of course, probably more lawyers.
Stage set was very minimally done with a dynamic and well designed graphics which was great for me because I followed the concert through them. Otherwise I’d be bored more. I think I hear the Who song ‘who are you’ once a day somewhere somehow, whether at the stop lights on next car’s radio, or during wait for an operator music on the phone for overdue bills or just in an offensive e mail in which somebody telling me I write trash followed by w.a.y (who are you? As in who am I which makes me think of that melody).
It was a balmy hot night at the Bowl and no matter what I say, most of the crowds seem that they got their money’s worth. I got two contraband tee shirts in the parking lot @ 10$ a piece, one for Tina’s brother and one for an undecided recipient, which gave me an idea of selling knocked out Architecture Sucks tee shirts in next AIA Convention if I find some initial investors which I doubt I will. Like, selling John Jourden’s Le$$ t shirts for Less. When you are broke, your morality tends to break down too.
We sent a thank you note to Mary Ann’s mom who send us those tickets from Hawaii, for being good friends to her only daughter. Thanks madame.
If you want to know, my favorite concert band is Cure.
Now the Pictures from the concert;
Nov.5,2006
8 Comments
they were some pretty nice graphics. fun story, o, as usual, though a little less voyeuristic. no eavesdropping or going in places you weren't supposed to be?
since two of the original members have croaked they should have charged you 150. are those guys in the bottom pic Bachman Turner Overdrive???
you ain't seen nuthin yet...n n n n n no you ain't seen nuthin yet. yay for canadian content.
very nice graphics. weird to see old rockers flashing pics of their youth. must be a trip for rog and pete to see so many old folk rockin on in the audience.
Orhan, I'll be an investor in your contraband Archinect T-shirt scheme, simply because I want to produce a version of the "team" T-shirts that say "liberty" on them.
Kidding, Archinect, kidding!! Please don't ban me!!
Excellent reportage as always, dear abra dear.
Oh and I love the shot of the restroom.
miss the bowl- was their any 'smoking' in the audience- or were they just getting buzzed from the wine?
Part 2.;)
it was mostly beer buzz and wine. i sniffed two or so pipe hits of potent humbolt county weed. it would be almost lighting up a joint during the la philharmonic performing in disney concert hall. holybowl is a max. control pit. woman next box got a ticket for cigarette. there were no fights either. people in the front rows were all dressed in all black and looked super wealthy. rog and pete personally shook hands with some of them.
we don't drink or smoke no more.
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tina is half british from her mom, therefore more protective of the band without being a big fan either. she told me to stfu couple of times on the way out when i was murmuring;
"tommy you'll hear from me,
i got the picture for you,
i got the music tommy",
or something like that to the rhytm of the actual song or imaginary melody. on and off we, mostly i, sang it all the way to the car, in some kind of childish mental way. like imitating and being a friend of tommy, deaf,dumb and blind boy. really stupid...she was a little pissed off when i didn't stop in public and i said couple of negative things about the band.
but that doesn't mean i didn't make her laugh at it either. she can really sing, her english is perfect and got a real good voice and gets the notes right of way. good ear for music. one those people who still sings in the shower.
~
you have to wait all the people come to the cars and traffic move, there are no isles in the parking area.
cars are parked like the tile layout.
the parking lot became a tail gate party area. tina got in the car in the large and luxurious back seat, she was bothered by the assholes next car who turned their stupid stereo up listening some generic beer blast music.
while t is in the car resting, i got some t-shirts from the black guys, moving fast around the parking area selling fresh print unauthorized Who shirts which some of them are better than the official ones.
i never find those guys illegal because they have a completely different market and clientele, their products are cheaper and cruder adding a heavy metallic /punk quality. so i got two after tina rolled down the window and approved my picks. that is when i heard that she was listening to the only cassette tape we have in the car; abbey road, playing 'octopus's garden' to kill the tailgate chatter.
tina is a buckeye prencess in every sense.
Tina is my new hero. She seems amazing and certainly must be so.
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