Ok, those wannabe posts from my phone really sucked ….
Here’s the real scoop. We arrived at Scotiabank Place and as we were standing at the stairs to our 3rd level seats (the bleeds, but I paid only 36 bucks a ticket, taxes in) there was a young lady handing out replacement tickets. They had already hung the curtain to hide the empty seats at the top far end.
So off we went to the other end of the arena and got up to our seating area when we noticed that the front row was completely empty at the direct side of the stage. We went there and grabbed the seats and enjoyed a clear view of the stage from something like 100 feet. Not bad.
When we got to our seats there was an opening band playing.
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I don’t remember their name (and strangely, not one article reported on them at all) but I thought they were alright.
Update: Thanks to Richard Butler, one of the editors / staff at DPReview.com, I now know the name … “Vintage Trouble.”
The venue went all out for these guys, with a full blue light show that was to repeat when The Who played.
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I actually shot too many images of them because – unknown to me – I had very little battery remaining since I have not yet pulled the charger out of the box to charge the remaining batteries. All my other chargers left the building during the great compact sell off (which I regretted today, as the F550 would have done a great job.)
Anyway … a final shot of these guys …
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After a fairly substantial intermission:
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… The Who then came on stage and started straight into Quadrophenia.
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The lighting was astonishingly clean … look at the total clarity of the band and instruments …
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Every once in a while, Roger would turn to face us and in this case I got a good capture of his face.
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Here, we see Roger with the tambourines while Pete is adjusting the sound of the guitar again and his brother Simon is singing (foreground in the black toque.)
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And finally, a view of the audience and the band …
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So what about the music? Well, it was magnificent. Roger and Pete were in fine voice, probably the best I’ve heard them in the three times I’ve seen them so far …
Quadrophenia was excellent, but the real treat was the five songs they sang after the rock opera ended. Five of their greatest hits and they sounded just like the CDs :-) …
Here is the setlist for you to drool over …
Roger hit every note that mattered, far better than I’ve heard in the past. The scream in Won’t Get Fooled Again completely blew my mind. I was simply astonished.
Great concert. The best that 36 bucks can buy. Anyone who missed this one because it’s too expensive needs their head read.
