Fortieth thing – For the next thing that makes me happy in this series, there is only one thing I could choose given the events of this weekend.
I finally got to see The Who!!!!! This is a bucket list item for me, now completed.
There were times that I wasn’t sure it would happen. Keith Moon, their wildly talented drummer, passed away in 1978 followed by the passing of John Entwistle, their bassist, in 2002. Sadly, I wondered if I would get to see Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend perform. After buying our tickets last year for an October concert date I received a text alert cancelling the concert indefinitely. Roger Daltrey was taken ill with meningitis. This was scary news indeed and I opted to hold my tickets while praying for his recovery.
Prayers answered, Roger recovered fully and I received another alert that the concert was back on for February 27th. Happy days indeed.
A little backstory….I fell in love with this band back in 1969 with the release of “Tommy”, listening endlessly, memorizing every lyric and nuance. Genius! When “Who’s Next” came out in 1971, I was at the record store with cash in hand. My first love bought me “Quadrophenia” in 1973 which I thought was pure brilliance. The die was cast, I loved these guys and my love never wavered. I dreamed of seeing them in concert, never imagining I’d be 59 before it happened.
On Saturday, 2/27/16, we boarded the Detroit People Mover and headed for the Joe Louis Arena.
It was a windy 46 degrees as we waited to enter, I noticed that the majority of the attendees were somewhere between Spence and my ages, not surprising.
As with all good things, we still had a wait on our hands….the opening band had to perform and then the stage reset for The Who. At almost 9:00, the house lights dimmed…
The opening number had the massive crowd on it’s feet. And unlike any other concert I’ve been to – NO ONE EVER SAT DOWN FOR THE NEARLY TWO HOUR SHOW! Seated on the aisle, I moved into the aisle, singing and dancing my 59 year old ass off – as was everyone (except Spence, who enjoyed it but tends to not sing along, nor dance at concerts).
There are no words. To say this was epic understates the joy I was experiencing. I felt like I was 16 again.
Losing my mind a bit……
In my 59 Candles, 59 Things series, this is probably the largest post (at least so far) but it was hard to edit myself. Suffice it to say, attending this concert with Spence at my side made me incredibly happy!
Rock on……
Sounds like a great experience! 🙂
It exceeded anything I could have hoped for. 😊
Finally caught up with your post also (I reviewed the Toronto show) — excellent! Was a relief they were able to reschedule these. They’re still so good.
(And you like Adam Lambert, too! Truly a woman after my own heart. He’s amazing.)