We’re a triple story family. My husband Brad was at the Sunday show at BCT. It was an ear-shattering, life-changing event for him. He and friend had to hitchhike home to SF as the AC Transit buses were on strike. The next day he had to start a new accounting job but soon realized he had to work in music business. So he walked into Bill Graham’s office and immediately got a job. Only he found out later he was working for legendary producer David Rubinson ( they shared offices with BGP). He was with him for decades.
I did not know him then. I was a junior at the experimental school Community High School at Berkeley that year, and our classes were held in the lobbies surrounding the BCT. So it was quite the buzz to come back to drama class on the same BCT stage. But the next year I was at SF State, and the biggest phenomena was Lone Mountain College and John Pasqualetti’s dance concert performances of Tommy, then moved to a venue out on the beach for the entire summer. The Examiner even did a huge article on its cult. Great band and breathtaking dancing. But The Who themselves shut it down by September. A great pity, since the movie done of it is a pathetic indulgence.
According to rock legend, if Keith Moon felt the audience wasn’t paying attention, he’d stop playing, wave his sticks, and scream “Stop laughing! This is a fucking opera!” I tend to believe it - after all, that’s pretty tame compared to a lot of things Moon is known to have done.
Hey, Nate..........Never a massive fan of The Who, but I do remember buying "Tommy" shortly after its summer 1969 release (I was 14). And, in my first year away at college (N. Texas State, Denton, TX), I saw their Quadrophenia tour, late November in Dallas, a month after the album's release (I believe it was a quad concert....I know I saw Emerson, Lake & Palmer right around that time, too, and THAT was a quad concert....a fad for a time, but one that faded fairly quickly after starting)! Here was The Who's setlist for that Dallas show: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-who/1973/dallas-convention-center-dallas-tx-33d65cbd.html
That's about all I got on The Who. I appreciate them for how they influenced a lot of the power pop bands I ended up loving, and knowing that 'twas The Who that clearly influenced them! Plus, songs like "I Can't Explain" (and Bowie's cover), "Won't Get Fooled Again," and a couple off "Tommy" became faves!
Thanks for chiming in Brad. I would love to have seen prime Who live. They have been my favorite band since really getting into them during my college years in the early 2000s.
We’re a triple story family. My husband Brad was at the Sunday show at BCT. It was an ear-shattering, life-changing event for him. He and friend had to hitchhike home to SF as the AC Transit buses were on strike. The next day he had to start a new accounting job but soon realized he had to work in music business. So he walked into Bill Graham’s office and immediately got a job. Only he found out later he was working for legendary producer David Rubinson ( they shared offices with BGP). He was with him for decades.
I did not know him then. I was a junior at the experimental school Community High School at Berkeley that year, and our classes were held in the lobbies surrounding the BCT. So it was quite the buzz to come back to drama class on the same BCT stage. But the next year I was at SF State, and the biggest phenomena was Lone Mountain College and John Pasqualetti’s dance concert performances of Tommy, then moved to a venue out on the beach for the entire summer. The Examiner even did a huge article on its cult. Great band and breathtaking dancing. But The Who themselves shut it down by September. A great pity, since the movie done of it is a pathetic indulgence.
That's quite a memorable story. Thanks for sharing.
Bless The Who for making spiritual enlightenment look like an acid trip at an arcade.
Did pinball become cooler because of Tommy, or was it already sexy and we just didn’t know?
https://open.spotify.com/track/6LbbHFEajG9e4m0G3L47c4?si=14afeb09f3484660
Oh, it became cooler 🤘
According to rock legend, if Keith Moon felt the audience wasn’t paying attention, he’d stop playing, wave his sticks, and scream “Stop laughing! This is a fucking opera!” I tend to believe it - after all, that’s pretty tame compared to a lot of things Moon is known to have done.
It absolutely is believable with Moon.
I wouldn't know, but The Who feels like a band that would have been an amazing live show. They had killer theatrics.
100 percent!
Nice post Ned! The Leeds performances of Tommy, which are on the expanded released of Live at Leeds, are mind-blowing.
Agreed! Thanks.
Hey, Nate..........Never a massive fan of The Who, but I do remember buying "Tommy" shortly after its summer 1969 release (I was 14). And, in my first year away at college (N. Texas State, Denton, TX), I saw their Quadrophenia tour, late November in Dallas, a month after the album's release (I believe it was a quad concert....I know I saw Emerson, Lake & Palmer right around that time, too, and THAT was a quad concert....a fad for a time, but one that faded fairly quickly after starting)! Here was The Who's setlist for that Dallas show: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-who/1973/dallas-convention-center-dallas-tx-33d65cbd.html
That's about all I got on The Who. I appreciate them for how they influenced a lot of the power pop bands I ended up loving, and knowing that 'twas The Who that clearly influenced them! Plus, songs like "I Can't Explain" (and Bowie's cover), "Won't Get Fooled Again," and a couple off "Tommy" became faves!
Excellent 👌
Thanks for chiming in Brad. I would love to have seen prime Who live. They have been my favorite band since really getting into them during my college years in the early 2000s.