"The Who Hits Back Tour" - Golden One Center, Sacramento, CA, October 26, 2022

I remember in 1970, my younger sister Michelle joined the Columbia Record Club. Soon, she was receiving cassette tapes in the mail. Some of her choices I didn't like all that much - she was my sister, after all - but we both agreed that "Tommy" was the best. 

I love "The Who," but I ad given up on ever seeing them perform live. Time had moved on. But fate intervened. Friend E.M. caught Covid, and she and G.M. couldn't attend the scheduled Sacramento performance. E. was gracious enough to hand the tickets to me. I invited Joe the Plumber to come along. 

I was really surprised to hear "The Who" were touring at all. Pete Townshend is 77; Roger Daltrey is 78. Zak Starkey on drums (Ringo Starr's eldest son) is 57. Townshend reminisced that he had been playing with Daltrey for 60 years. They were onstage for 2.5 hours with just one break. I think the music keeps them young. 

We really do form our musical taste in our tweens. “The Who” played a crucial part in my youth, especially in the calamitous years of 1970-71, and I kept tearing up, for example, hearing “Tommy” as it should be played, with an orchestra (featuring many NorCal musicians), plus other tunes as well. Here are some of the tunes played at Golden One Center, Sacramento, Wednesday, October 26, 2022.  

I made a YouTube playlist of these videos:

"The Who" - Overture From Tommy/ It's A Boy

 

"The Who" - Tommy - Amazing Journey/Sparks

 

"The Who" - Tommy - Pinball Wizard

 

"The Who" - Tommy - We're Not Gonna Take It

 

"The Who" - Won't Get Fooled Again

And the finale! 

"The Who" - Tommy - Baba O'Riley

Plus, a few pictures: Opening act was "Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs." Mike Campbell was a member of "Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers," and so his band is essentially the successor to the Heartbreakers, and they even played the Heartbreakers' "Refugee."

 

Cease Fires Are Like Knives

Cease fires are like knives: useful tools, but dangerous. If mutually agreeable, cease fires can help promote a peace process, but they can also lock in an aggressor's gains and promote war. Earlier this year, Ukrainians tried cease fires a number of times to help evacuate civilians, but Russia never respected any of them, and killed fleeing civilians instead. 

The recent letter from Progressive Democrats urging a cease fire and direct negotiations over the heads of the Ukrainians (just withdrawn in a display of astonishing weakness), at this moment, helps enable Putin retool for a renewed invasion next year. The most-direct route to peace now is to back the Ukrainians to the hilt as they kick the shit out the invaders and break the Russian war machine. Until Russian will is broken, a cease fire means failure. Only a Ukrainian victory will yield a lasting peace. Only losers, like so many libertarians and conservative Republicans, back Putin. Don't back Putin - ever!

Crazy Video from Ukraine

I'm impressed by this war footage out of Ukraine. Ukrainian tanks meet Russian trucks, face-to-face. As the diarist notes:

People are pointing out how the tank commander almost dies twice, including the sniper bullet ricocheting off the open ammo cover of his machine gun. That’s intense, yes. And then people marvel at the tank running into supply trucks (which are taken out by infantry). What people are missing, however, is that those trucks are towing artillery. That means that wherever this is in Kherson, Ukrainian forces have outrun the front lines and are wreaking havoc in the rear. Remember, artillery sits back at least 10-15 kilometers from the front.

Absolutely insane and chaotic combat footage from UKR tank. Russian convoy runs straight into UKR 25th brigade fighting near Kherson. Date Unknown. pic.twitter.com/a0eoJlhqxm

— D.Emery (@DemeryUK) October 23, 2022

I Just Love What James Gelet Does With His Camera Skills!