On the eve of the first LV Quadrophenia concert…

Wow, didn't realize it had been so long since I last blogged. Hmmm... And it's The Who bookending the gap.

Often comes the question, “Which do you like (or think is) better – Tommy or Quadrophenia?”

It depends.

To me, Tommy is more inspired, whereas Quadrophenia is more intellectual.

Tommy is more touching with raw emotion (though not sentimental!), while Quadrophenia is more refined and mature.

Tommy has more tenderness and playfulness, while Quadrophenia has more of an angry power.

Tommy is more spiritual with an element of innocence even as it flirts with themes of hypocrisy, whereas Quadrophenia is more grounded in the grit and disillusionment of real life.

Tommy is more natural and organic, while Quadrophenia is more determined and driven.

As far as Quadrophenia goes, I feel that Punk and the Godfather, and perhaps Helpless Dancer, could belong just as well as Lifehouse songs. But I could be wrong. J

A friend who attended the concert in San Diego the other night told me that Zak Starkey did not play due to a medical issue. I truly hope he plays this weekend, as I love the way he plays these challenging compositions with such an appearance of ease, and the history/lineage he shares with the band which makes him a fitting and uber enjoyable member.

Having experienced the outrageous awesomeness of Roger Daltrey and Simon’s Townshend's Tommy tour a bit over a year ago, I am still a rookie when it comes to being in the presence of “The Who” as an entity.

Yes, this is my first time.

I came to my appreciation of them later in life – a pity, since they have been hugely influential for me. Here’s why: Because their songs aren’t formulaic. They don’t revolve around typical song topics. In the words of someone else about a different artist (I think it was the White Stripes guy)…. “I didn’t know you could DO that!” When I was starting to write, the feedback I received was derision because my work “wasn’t like what you hear on the radio.” Wrongly, I thought you had to write like that. I let the derision put me off-course. A major, and tragic, life error which I am hoping to still rectify.

In the meantime, I know my fantasy of singing backup with The Who is not going to happen. My dream of playing guitar (even with my elementary skills) with them on I Can’t Explain, The Kids are Alright or Substitute will also go unrealized. And my dream of casual conversation with them… yeah, not gonna happen either. At least, I hope, not in the form of my actual dream, in which I met Pete Townshend and we were involved in a discussion where he went off on an intellectual tangent that I couldn’t follow, and so I sat there trying to act as if I knew what he was talking about and desperately trying not to “look stupid.” So perhaps it’s a good thing if some dreams don’t come true. ;)

That is all for now.

~~LV’s #1 Female Who Fan