Quadrophenia in the city of light

After I had bought my ticket for the Bruce Springsteen concert in Paris, I checked the web to see if there were any other interesting gigs there around that time. I immediately realized that The Who were playing Quadrophenia there on the 3rd of July, 4 days after the Springsteen concert. At first, I didn't know what to do. 4 days seemed quite a long time. Would I have the money to stay in Paris for a week? So I just forgot about it for a while. But then several things stared happening which seemed to scream at me "You gotta see The Who, you gotta see The Who". First I realized that 2 of my fellow Bruce fans and friends were also big Who fans and one of them would go and see them in the UK. Then I saw them on the 121212 concert, where while I was waiting to see Bruce Springsteen, I was blown away by The Who! Finally, I picked up Uncut Magazine's "Ultimate Music Guide" to The Who. And read it all,from start to finish in just a few days.

 But still, I was cautious. And then, an unfortunate event happened in my life and my reaction to it was "F**k it, I'm gonna see The Who!". So immediately at 4am I logged in and bought my ticket. I would think about the money later.
And so it was that a few months later, I went to Paris, saw Bruce Springsteen, found a nice cheap hostel for the rest of my stay and I was ready for The Who. Not to mention that I gained a few extra days for sightseeing!

So on a rainy-ish and coldi-ish day, I was glad to be in an indoor venue, Palais Omnisports De Bercy, which I had previously visited for a sporting event. Vintage Trouble were the opening act and they were a pleasant surprise for me not to mention (if I'm allowed) appropriate in true mod style. They certainly got our pelvises pushed!

And it was finally time for The Who!

We were of course treated to a complete performance of Quadrophenia with stunning visuals ("as good as those used by Roger Waters" my friend said).

Inevitably the highlights were the ones featuring those who are no longer with us: John Entwistle's solo on "5.15" and Keith Moon's singing on "Bell Boy".

But my personal favourite was the "rain" effect on the final Quadrophenia track "Love Reign O'er Me".

With Quadrophenia finished, it was time for the "and more" bit of the gig. And what a selection it was: "Who Are You", "You Better You Bet" (my personal favourite), "Pinball Wizard", "Baba O'Riley", "Won't Get Fooled Again"... Amazing!

In short, I was right on following my gut instinct and going to this gig!

Setlist

Quadrophenia:

01. I Am the Sea

02. The Real Me

03. Quadrophenia

04. Cut My Hair

05. The Punk and the Godfather

06. I'm One

07. The Dirty Jobs

(Simon Townshend on vocals)

08. Helpless Dancer

09. Is It in My Head?

10. I've Had Enough

11. 5:15

(recording of John Entwistle bass solo on screen)

12. Sea and Sand

13. Drowned

14. Bell Boy

(recording of Keith Moon singing on screen)

15. Doctor Jimmy

16. The Rock

17. Love, Reign O'er Me

(followed by band introductions)

Hits:

18. Who Are You

19. You Better You Bet

20. Pinball Wizard

21. Baba O'Riley

22. Won't Get Fooled Again

23. Tea & Theatre