The most recent concert that I have seen was The Who at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC back in November of 2008 (I know it’s been a while, I’m too poor to buy concert tickets). This was not the first time I had seen The Who live, but it was certainly the best performance I’ve seen by the two surviving members.
The first time I saw them was in 2004, not long after the death of John Entwistle, and they seemed to be running out of steam. With no new material and declining health, the two musicians gave a lackluster performance that I could have gotten by listening to their greatest hits on full blast.
The second time I saw them it seemed to be just the opposite. Their first new album in years had just been released; Endless Wire, and they seemed revitalized. But the crowd was what brought this show down. Naturally everyone was excited to see the legendary band, but by the time they got to the middle of their set they were playing almost entirely new songs. I enjoyed their new album for what it was, but honestly, most people go to see bands like The Who play their classics, and the relative disinterest in their new material brought the entire mood and atmosphere of the show down.
This time was amazing. They had been touring for about a year and a half with their new material, so they had slimmed down the live selections and made room for some more rare classics. Songs like “The Seeker” and “Getting in Tune” were unexpected treats for non-greatest hits fans, but the set list certainly included all of the crowd pleasers as well. Ever the activist, Pete was also especially fired up, being that it was the night before Election Day. It may have been that my friends and I had been at the bar for a few hours before the show and had sneaked a few flasks into the show, but I had one of the best concert experiences of my life that night.
-Ronnie Tracey
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