I was hit by a heavy dose of Pre-Pete Mindlessness Syndrome. I put on his pajama/long underwear shirt (sorry, I can't remember where I saw him wear it, but I know he did). I wore my Who pin and pretended that it was a picture of Meher Baba. I donned my freshly cleaned jeans and tennis shoes and was ready to see PETE. I WAS READY TO SEE PETE!!

The others bungled around for a torturously long time. They put on their makeup and jewelry. Ana, Erika, and Jo-Keith, however, looked totally BUTT (that's a good exclamation for those who don't know). Ana wore her John Entwistle Zebra striped pants with a perfect black tank top, silver earrings and beautiful face highlights. Erika wore the ultimate female Roger, leather, open-backed shirt (minus the fringe), and her Amazing Journey Roger pants with the cute butt and the mirror and airplane. I'm sorry that I'm not very good with descriptions. Jo-Keith was cross-dressing Keith. Need I say more?

Five thirty, we were in the Starship/Magic Bus. I held my breath. Andrew was wearing his Peter Grant shirt (the Led III one) and he knew the way. We arrived at the theater. Even though we arrived earlier than we had the night before, the parking lot was already much fuller than it had been then. It was a perfectly sunny warm evening and we were ready for the concert experience of a lifetime. We climbed out of the Magic Bus. My breaths came shallowly. I moved slowly. Every movement was a new experience. Every motion brought me that much closer to PETE. I savored every flinch, every step, every glance around. I could hardly walk. I just stood and stared. Was it all a dream? It felt like one of those dreams where you see your lover and he's calling to you, but you can't move and you can't shout.

Someone came up to us with a load of PETE's Elements posters. He said that they were free and that we could have some. I didn't believe him. I just blinked. Someone poked me and said, "Becky, don't you want one?" I just moved my mouth inaudibly. Then the man with the posters asked, "Becky, would you like two?" I managed to say, "A little is enough, just one, thank you. wow." Now I kick myself. Why didn't I get two?? Oh well (today I have six -- If you want one, e-mail me at lovelyrita64@hotmail.com. They made nice wallpaper for my dorm room last year).

After rolling up the Elements posters that we had collected, I unrolled my British flag and sat down behind the Magic Bus with John, Roger and Keith for our Kids Are All Right photo shoot. We posed. Grant took our picture. I had done my nose stretching exercises that morning and had worked on thinning my lips.

Next we moved to the turn styles. I felt like an old pro at the New World Theater experience. I shook out the flag so that the monitors could see that I had no pot and I handed the man at the turn style my $100 ticket and took the stub. I was sure to accept the order form for the concert CD this time. Last night I had left it behind in the rain, but this time I knew that I'd need it. We were in! We were going to SEE PETE!!

I was still in that barely moving dazed state. I made my way to the ever-so-familiar lawn to find seats for those in the group who had less fortunate seating than I. We claimed their seats and John (I will refer to Ana as John, Erika as Roger, and Jo-Keith as Jo-Keith from here on-keep in mind that I am in full PETE mode now), John and I went on to find our own seats. They were beautiful. Second row of the second section, PETE side! There was a whole section of even more expensive seats in front of us, but I refused to punish myself for not realizing that I was really going to see PETE and therefor not getting into that section. How could I have realized back in April that I was going to SEE PETE on this day?

Next John and I hunted up Roger and took him for a gimp walk. We brought along Mick Jagger and had a lovely stroll around the venue. Then Roger and John and I were ready, but we were missing Keith! The moment had come. Roger and John scoped out the perfect wall and I ran off to find Keith.

I came up behind him and said, "Keith, are you up for a good spectacle?" Naturally his reply was, "Take me to it!" I said, "Come on then, we're going to cause a spectacle!" I brought Keith to the wall and he hollered with delight. It was at a forty-five degree angle to the crowd passing it and would be seen by hundreds, maybe even thousands of passersby. I sat down with Roger on my left and John on my right and Keith on Roger's left. I spread the flag over us and said in a loud enough voice, "And now a quick nap, brought to you by The Who." We assumed the sleeping Kids pose and pretended to sleep for about five… seconds. Keith of course was the one to interrupt first. I really can't remember what he said, but we traded insults for several minutes.

We had many comments from the passersby. Some people asked if we were going to the concert in Detroit because they're taking their camera to that one. I wish we were. But since we weren't, we had to get the most we could out of this concert of a lifetime. More than once we heard the comment, "That should be on a post card!" The one comment that wins the Punniest of All award was, "Those kids aren't all right." The comment that wins the Dumbest of All award was, "Oh, heh heh, I get it." Roger's response to that one was, "Whoever doesn't get it ought to be taken out and shot in the parking lot." John said, "I hope they find them dead in a ditch." I said, "I hope they stretch them on the rack." Keith said singingly, "Look who's crawling up Roger's le-eg!" Roger's response, "Keith! Stoppit! Dammit, Pete, he's crawling all over me!" John just snickered. I sang quietly, "Boris the Spider," and smacked Keith's creepy crawly hand. "Now he's rolled up in a ba-all." Then John joined in, "Doesn't seem to move at a-all. Pelaps 'e's dead, I'll just make surle. Boris the Spider!"

After about forty-five minutes of this, it was time to move on. We made our way back to the lawn, where I grew a little anxious. The audience didn't seem to be as energized as I had expected. After all, we were about to see the best live band ever! We were about to SEE PETE!

So I took a deep breath and began to bellow, "Alright, All, this is what we're going to do! Everyone on this side of the steps is going to stand up and yell at those people on the other side 'Who Are You!' okay? So everyone stand up, stand up, that's right. And now get ready, are you ready?" They didn't look ready. "Here we go!" And a handful of people (okay they were my friends and traveling buddies) stood and yelled, "Who Are You!" Naturally we didn't receive a response, but we did get some stares from the other side, so I knew that we'd been heard. I trekked over to the other side of the steps and took a deep breath so that I could bellow once again, "All right now I know you heard that. They just asked you 'Who Are You?!' Well, you don't care if they know who you are, this is a contest of loudness now. So you're all going to stand up, you're going to stand up and yell back at them, 'Who Are You!' okay?" Well, it didn't look okay. Some people seemed a bit interested, others were perplexed. So I said, "We are about to see the best live band ever with PETE Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle (and Zac Starkey) and they are famous for their competitive loudness, so now, this is a very appropriate game. It's a game see? It's fun." It was then that someone asked me, "What are you on?" And I replied, embarrassingly enough, "Duuude, I don't dooo that. Man." And then I went right back into PETE mode. "Alright, everyone ready? Ready? Here we go, one two three, WHO ARE YOU!" Well, needless to say, no one joined in and I looked rather silly. Keith had come over to help out the spectacle and we had a fairly grand time of it. The other side (my handful of traveling companions) responded, but I saw that the people on this other side of the stairs just wanted to see me make a fool of myself, so I clomped back to my side. I turned around just to see if the crowd had picked up on the idea, and they hadn't. My final response was to stomp back to the stairs and to shout, "Well fine then, I'm just going to take my ticket and go sit up THERE!" And I pointed to my precious seat. I must admit that I was a little surprised as the whole section, even more people than I thought could hear me clapped and cheered at my departure. As I walked in front of the lawn, Roger shouted to me, "Hey, Pete! No one want's to play your stupid games. They never want to join in with you." I thumbed my nose at him and walked on to have my private PETE sulk.

I sulked while the loud speakers played Revolver all the way through Yellow Submarine. Then the music faded out and UnAmerican took the stage. I clapped, I think. I looked around for John, who was coming to sit with me. I had to give him his ticket so that he could get past the security. Reunited at last we sat down and he attempted to pull me out of my sulk. He was successful, and we talked about what great seats we had. We clapped occasionally for UnAmerican and pointed and made faces at the guitarist when he pretended that he was Pete. He was some fun to watch, but somehow my eyes wouldn't focus quite right.

Suddenly UnAmerican left the stage. I don't think that they even introduced themselves properly. The crowd clapped a little for them, but the anticipation was up and you could sense the tenseness flowing through the audience as we awaited the appearance of THE WHO. There was about a fifteen-minute intermission, though it seemed like half an hour. I just sat and stared at the stage, hardly blinking. I suppose it was here that the characters left us and we became Ana and Becky again. Andrew joined us during intermission and the three of us watched the stage.

The house lights went down and I saw a bald head make his way on stage left between some amplifiers. I thought, "It must be an impostor. It can't be PETE!" and it WAS PETE!!! Naturally the crowd went WILD. We screamed and shouted and clapped and whooped and were about to scream and shout some more, but they started up right away with "I Can't Explain." I shut up and listened and looked. There, only yards away from me, was PETE TOWNSHEND in PERSON! He seemed much bigger than my thumb and I was glad. He bounced around and jabbed his way to front center stage. He played amazingly. The night before I had thought that no one could play like Jimmy Page, and Pete didn't play like Jimmy Page, but he did play just as amazingly. That's all I can do in my effort to describe it. Next they went straight into "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" and then into "Substitute." Somewhere in that transition Pete windmilled and the crowd screamed again. The audience sang every single song, yet you could still here The Who over them all. I'm not a frequent concert goer, so I was surprised that the volume levels were just perfect for me to hear every note, every vibe, every word above the din of the audience, and yet I didn't get an earache or a headache, like I do when Andrew turns his bass up too loud.

I saw Pete go into his guitar playing trance and I thought to myself, "He's really into it, he's not just putting on a show. He's really gone into one of his trances." And he should! It was his first Who concert (other than benefit concerts) in eight years! I saw the opening show of their first tour in eight years!

I think it was next that the spotlight came up on John Entwistle and Roger introduced him and said something about the next song. He wasn't very close to the mic so I couldn't hear just what he said. Well, I didn't need to hear him say the name of that song because that first bass note gave it away. "My wife is the death of me. Murdered in cold blood is what I'm gonna be. I ain't been home since Friday night and now my wife, is coming after me!" Wow. I couldn't hear John as well as I would have liked to, but I saw him singing and I heard his famous bass rifts. Ana just grinned and her eyes swelled up as she stared at The Ox.

Not long into the show Roger stepped up to the microphone and said, "Thank you," in his most amazing accent. "And now, we'd like to play for you, a song that we don't play live very much, and it's called I Don't Know Myself." The crowd went wild cheering again, and I just stood dumbfounded. I had never even DREAM'T of this. I just stood and gaped and leaned forward as Pete started up those oh-so-familiar chords to the first Who song that I ever memorized and the first Pete song that I ever bonded with. I closed my eyes and sang on the chorus. I lifted my voice to the top of the pavilion. The man standing next to me was a little curious about this little girl with tears in her eyes singing so loud. Then for the verse I would grow quiet and sing to myself while watching Pete's every move. I had my knee on the chair in front of me and Ana was afraid that I'd make a run for it, but I didn't. I didn't want the security to stop me and interrupt my Pete moment. "Don't pretend that you know me, 'cause I don't even know myself." By the end of the song I was leaning over the stoned person in front of me and I was nearly drooling down his back. I had to forcibly put my tongue back in my mouth and close it up tight.

As if that wasn't enough emotion to last the whole concert, they also played "Behind Blue Eyes." I just gasped and fell backward, almost to my seat, but Ana caught me and told me that I may Not sit down! I thought, "This is the ultimate experience!" Roger sang beautifully, as always, and Pete swayed over his guitar. His eyes were closed tightly and his face scrunched up in concentration. My senses were overloaded, and I don't think that I'll ever know what that felt like again.

They sang "Who Are You." I swear that I saw Roger say away from the microphone that he didn't know the next verse. That was his excuse for Pete's guitar solo. Well, Roger did know the next verse, and Andrew screamed with what I would call "glee," when they performed the less well-known third verse. "I spill out like a sewer hole, yet I still receive your kiss. How can I measure up to anyone now, after such a love as this?"

Next Pete stepped up to the mic with something to say. The crowd hollered forever. They just kept shouting and I felt a little guilty that Roger didn't get the same extended response. Then I gave the loudest guttural "PEEEEEEETE!" shout ever. Waiting for the audience to calm down he started out saying, "Thank you, thank you." We grew quiet because we realized that we were hearing Pete speak to us! He said, "We're very glad to play here, in Chicago, the eleventh, or is it the twelfth biggest city in America-" He was cut off by a huge boo from the Chicago residents, and he responded by saying, "I don't know what the fuck it is. Don't boo me!" He quickly introduced the next song after that. I'm not sure, but I think that the next song might have been 5.15.

May I say, "wow." I've always liked the tune of 5.15, but I'd never really listened to it after the first few lines. Roger, wow. He sounded just like a train. But the highlight of this song was The Most Butt Ultimate Bass Solo Ever. John went on for about ten minutes, just wowing us all. I swear the whole audience was full of suppressed John admirers. Even I realized that I had a huge admiration for him. He was… wow. All I can say is, "Thunder Fingers." And that about describes it. He played all over the neck and body of the bass. That is one bass solo that I would love to hear again and again. They never did play "Boris the Spider," but this solo made up for it. This solo made up for all of the times that all of us Who listeners forgot about John on Bass (which doesn't happen much).

And then… Then… THEN they played "MAGIC BUS" the Supreme Extended Version. I remember when I first heard "Magic Bus" on Live At Leeds and I said to myself, "Wow, there's more to that song than I had thought. It's kinda neat." We-hell, this time it went way beyond "neat"! It was a lot like the Live At Leeds version, only it was even more extended, and it had Zac Starkey. It was Zac's Sven moment. He didn't play the clipity clopity blocks like Keith, he just drummed his mind out! Roger played his harmonica and accompanied Zac's solo. And Pete and Roger went back and forth haggling over price. Roger showed his love of acting as he made the most hilarious faces ever. Pete just let go and had fun with it. "I wanit I wanit I wanit I wanit I wanit I wanit I wanit." "Whellll You CAIN'T HAVE IT!"

They played "You Better You Bet." That was another overload. Hearing that song in concert is nothing like hearing it overplayed on the radio. Pete didn't sing the "Oooo" accompaniment because the audience sang it for him. This was one song that literally every single person in the audience sang along with, including myself. "To the so-ound of old T-Rex…." I expected to see T-Rex materialize right there, but I looked over and just saw Ana. She was singing and staring and seemed to be a hundred miles away. And so I went my own way. "You better love me, all the time now. You better shove me, back into line now!"
You can download for free the live version of this song off of From the Blues to the Bush at musicmaker.com. I'm listening to it now, and I hear the audience and I think, "Wow, that was me."

It was time for their "final" song, so Pete leaned into the microphone and said, "And now we're going to play a little known song." Then he rambled off quickly, "It's called Finger Balls." He took one step back, the lights went down and the wandering blue lights came up as he strummed the first chord to "Won't Get Fooled Again." The crowd went totally crazy with excitement. I just laughed as I thought about the time he was on Letterman and said, "Yes, I'm going to play," he hurriedly whispered the name, "Won't Get Fooled Again," and then he emphasized, "NEW ORLEANS STYLE!" Ah, I leaned back and settled in for a good time on this one. Roger did the rocking in place and Ana and I rocked with him. The guy next to me rocked with him. The whole crowed rocked with him. And Pete rocked with him. It was grand. Pete didn't slide across the stage, in case you're wondering. But he didn't need to. He did jump at the key point, and I'll just have you know that he and I came down on the same beat. It was my happiest moment, the moment where my heart flew up from my body and danced with Pete on that stage.

After their "final" song, Pete leaned in and said, "John 'the Rabbit' on keyboards." Then he casually set down his guitar and walked off. Zac, John, and 'the Rabbit' followed him and Roger stood in front of the microphone. He animatedly looked off stage and looked back at us. Then he said, "Well, I guess that we're going to go off for a bit, but we'll be back. I'll go talk to Pete." Well, you know that Pete can't allow Roger to have the last word at a concert so naturally they did come back. And Roger came back WITH HIS ACCOUSTIC!! I about whizzed right there. I'd hear rumor of Roger building his own guitar when he was a young lad, but I'd never seen him with one. He seemingly thanked Pete for letting him come back on stage, but we all know that he thanked Pete for letting him play the guitar on stage. Pete just smiled and stepped up to the microphone, because Roger had talked enough. Pete said something about this next song being a reassurance for all of those like him, who had kids. Then he stepped back and Roger counted off "The Kids Are All Right." I just thought, "Wow, he means me. I'm all right." I sang along, and on the chorus I sang, "We are all right!"

The last two songs they played were "Let's See Action" and "My Generation." It was truly a Join Together moment and completed my Lifehouse Experience. When they finished, I just sighed and said my good byes. Good bye, Pete. Good bye, Roger. Good bye, John. See you later.

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