Bourbon Street
March 25, 1996
From: Stephane Giroux (sgiroux@interlink.net)
So I saw the band last night at the Bourbon Street club in Montreal. I can`t say I was too impressed, despite my love for John Entwistle. The club is more like a dance bar with the occasional cover band playing on some nights. The dance floor separated the stage from the lounge area, where people sat and drank their beer. No one ventured on the dance floor despite John`s invitation. And when people did move closer, two security guards pretending to be Secret Service agents firmly told us not to get TOO CLOSE to the stage!!!
The few fans taking pictures were also told to pack it in. Sounds trivial, but it was very anti-climatic. The place is big, but no more than 100 people showed-up. Might have something to do with Oscar night, but the show was announced at the last minute and was poorly publicized.
I was most impressed with John`s equipment on stage. last time I saw The Who was in Syracuse in 1982, and it was quite strange to have such a detailed look on the man and his gears. The set-list was identical to the last few posted on the homepage. I wish he could have played a little more stuff from his past solo records, including Too Late the Hero. The singer (and the songs, for that matter) from The Rock din`t seem to impress the audience, but My Wife and Boris the Spider made their impact. I didn`t like hearing another singer sing Daltrey`s numbers. It made the band sound like a cheap cover band. One exception: The Real Me had true guts and power to it, as did Summertime Blues. The sound wasn`t very good, and I had to put on my ear plugs. A few hecklers asked John to turn on the volume on his vocals, which no one could hear. His answer: get closer to my monitors...
He did have a good sense of humour, and the banter between songs were revealing about the challenges of working as a solo artist in his post-Who career. I just wished he`d chosen a band that`s more up to his own talent.
He stayed to sign autographs after the show. But the two SS wannabees who handled security were so intent in turning the event into a military boot camp that I decided to call it a night before facing another disapointment. On my way out, I saw they were selling the new record and tour programs. There was a $10 premium if you wanted an autographed copy. From a guy who was part of one of the top selling groups in the world, I had to wonder. How cheap can you get.
Sorry, but that`s the way I feel about it.
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