Bill Mair Dec 09, 2024

Like thousands of Who fans, I had anxiously awaited the new album from The Who. We were richly rewarded with Quadrophenia, the magnum opus about a mod kid named Jimmy in London in 1964/1965. Although any double album has quite a lot of material to ingest, Quadrophenia is the four sided story of Jimmy's pursuit of his own identity, and among other events, where that identity fits in to the then ongoing Mod movement in Britain. I followed the tale through those four vinyl sides, absorbed by the story and the Who's majestic performances. Much of Lynyrd Skynyrd's supporting set was lost in the cavernous reaches of the venue. Then on came The Who; opening with "Can't Explain" set the stage for the show. You could almost feel the wind on your face and smell the salty air when the sound effects were heard through the massive Heil PA system. Closing the show with "Won't Get Fooled Again", they exited the stage despite a prolonged and deafening call from the crowd for an encore. We had seen an incredible show and we knew it.