[Silverbacks … What has become of our musical heroes? Denizens of The Jungle want to know. Have you been to a concert in the last year or so? If so, who did you see and how was it? Music has always been the touchstone for Our Generation. As Shakespeare said “If music be the food of life … rock on.” SB SM]
Senior Silverback Mark is one of the film society Silverbacks. He hooked up recently with Silverbuck Jake, Silverbelle Whitney, and Silverbabe Elle for a concert by The Who.
Senior Silverback Mark, shown here as Guy Noir, Private Eye, carrying pineapple upside down cake, shows us that he has not lost his keep powers of observation.
Three Generations of Who Fans
by Senior Silverback Mark
On a clear night in Upstate NY-53 years after Woodstock, The Who returned to the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. On hand were this correspondent, Silverback Mark Jewett, Junior Silverbacks Steven Jewett and Jacob Morris, Silverbelle Whitney Morris, and third generation Who fan initiate, one-year old Elle Morris. By the time we arrived there were already something like 20,000 excited fans angling for strategic lawn seats overlooking the covered stage, sipping 16 oz beers and with the occasional waft of wicked weed in the air. The crowd ranged from gray-ponytailed former hippies to dancing toddlers and at least one other baby in our vicinity. When The Who took the stage, the whole crowd stood up and remained standing through most of the show. On stage, these legends of the British Invasion opened with a fully orchestrated “Tommy Overture”-Pete Townsend, a cool septuagenarian still rocking the riffs with his iconic windmill, and Roger Daltrey still singing with the same authority. In place of the two departed original members, they were ably backed by Ringo’s son Zak Starkey on drums, Townsend’s kid brother Simon on rhythm guitar, a bassist, electric keyboardist, assorted violins and brass horns and were able to reproduce their classics as etched in our memory. Other highlights included: “Pinball Wizard”(Don’t try that opening acoustic strum at home), “Who Are You?”, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, “Behind Blue Eyes”and “Baba O’Riley” ended the night. In the crowd, multiple generations danced and cheered, sharing these classics of 60’s and 70’s Rock and Roll. Some of the 50 year old lyrics struck this listener with ironic relevance for today’s political moment: “I’ll tip my hat to the new constitution, take a bow for the new revolution, pick up my guitar and play-just like yesterday, then I’ll get on my knees and pray- We don’t get fooled again!” A night to bond three generations into lasting Who fans. SSBMark
And … these days?