So Sad About Us

So, yesterday at work, I was offered free tickets to last night's "Rock Band" video game party at the Orpheum Theater in downtown LA. A special mystery guest performer was promised, and rumor had it that it was going to be Guns N Roses. Not wanting to see fat Axl backed by the few LA session dudes and/or hair band cast-offs he hasn't yet alienated, I declined. Turned out the special guest was The Who — and they played for two fucking hours. D'oh!

Ran into a co-worker in the parking lot this morning who had been there, and he was still completely buzzing from the experience. "I was ten rows away from Pete Townshend," he gibbered, "and they played everything you'd want to hear!" Of course, when I responded to that grand statement by if they'd played "A Quick One," "Call Me Lightning" or "Dogs" (yes, I know, I'm a dick), he looked at me with a completely blank expression. I can't get a bead on the actual set list, because all the gaming bloggers who breathlessly wrote up the show only mentioned hits like "Who Are You," "Pinball Wizard" and, er, "Teenage Wasteland" (sic)...

So I've been trying to take comfort by reminding myself that a) The Who probably just played the obvious stuff (when they weren't inflicting embarrassing recent crap like "Tea and Theatre" upon the audience); b) Keith and John obviously weren't there; c) Townshend no longer looks, dresses or plays guitars as cool as in the above photo; d) Townshend's playing has seriously deteriorated since the early 80s; and e) the last time I was ten rows away from Pete Townshend, it was for the Who show at the Rosemont Horizon in 1982, where I got to watch my friend's older brother go totally chop-socky on some drunken doofus who had spilled beer all over us. I'm guessing I wouldn't have witnessed carnage nearly that entertaining last night. (Though I did read that Keifer Sutherland was "in tha house," so the drunken doofus factor was at least present and accounted for.)

But mostly, I'm just pissed at Axl Rose. Fuck you, Axl, for being such a boring, bloated, perfectionist, egocentric, windbag whackjob. Not only did you ruin Guns N' Roses, but the very thought of having to endure a live preview of Burmese Damnocracy caused me to run screaming in the other direction, thereby missing out on seeing one of my all-time favorite bands. In a small theater. For free. Fuck you.

Comments

[Greg Barbera]

yeah fuck you axl for making dan miss the who especially when dan finds out they played "A Quick One"...

[Dan E]

Bullshit — I know they didn't play "A Quick One". Why do you lie, Greg? Why do you lie?

[Stuart Shea]

I just hope they didn't play "Athena."

[Suggadelic]

I would be especially pissed if I were you for missing "Sister Disco," (just to see if Pete still scowls at Roger during that song's performance).

And as for Axl, fuck that guy. Never liked him. Never will...

[Rabbi Adam]

I was in the mezzanine of that 1982 Horizon show.

Highlights--An excellent rendition of "Naked Eye" during the encore.

Lowlights--Blackfoot as the opening act; the stampede to the exits when the audience figured out that "Baba O'Riley" was actually "Eminence Front; not catching up with my ride and having to call my mom from the Holiday Inn on Mannheim Road; and finally, the following quote from Roger: "This is a new song from Jon Entwistle and it's called 'DANGEROUS!'"

[Dan E]

Different show than the one I was at, Rabbi. The Who played the Horizon on two separate tour swings in '82 — four shows in all, I think. Our opening act was t-Bone Burnett, who actually was fairly good; he had Mick Ronson on lead guitar, so that was the only time I ever got to see the great Ronno live. (Though I was sorely disappointed, because I'd heard that the Clash were going to open.) And Entwistle did "The Quiet One" that night...

[Vinnie Park]

That's an insanely cool photo of Pete Townshend, Dan. Is that from like '65 or '66?

[Dan E]

Hmmm... not completely certain, Vin, but I'd guess '66, or maybe early '67.

[Reed]

When I saw them at the United Center a couple years ago, Emminence Front ended up being the best song of the night. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Also, So Sad About Us is and will always be my favorite Who song. I am certain I will never see it peformed live.

Also, why wouldn't have you gone to see Axl Band? I don't understand. It either would have been supremely mediocre or hilariously bad.

[Dan E]

Well, Reed, my money was on them being "supremely mediocre" — and life is too damn short to sit through "supremely mediocre". (Which is also the main reason I almost never go to movies anymore.)

Agreed on the brilliance of So Sad About Us, though. Genius song that never really got its due.

[Bob]

I'm slogging my way through Amazing Journey (the book) and can only say, one should always take comp tickets, when able. "Welcome to the jungle"...

[Gary Poole]

"Ruining" Guns N' Roses? That's funny stuff. You can't ruin what sucks ass piss to begin with.

Remember when the bros on the bus used to call Eric Guns N' Roses? "Hey, Guns N' Roses, 'sup?"

That's really funny stuff!

g

[Dan E]

Nah, that was ME who always got the "Hey, Guns N Roses!" Eric was either "Cookie Jar," "Beatles" or "Ain'tchoo Brand New Heavies?"