Dick Idestan-Almquist
Despite a downpour of almost tropical proportions yesterday Thursday, large crowds of little brave Mods with wet feet and an up-and-coming cold awaited “The Who’s†performance at Gröna Lund.
The English pop group couldn’t have made a better entrance – the rain stopped and the audience got other things to think about. And, from beginning to end it was action. In a furious tempo six or seven songs were played, including the well known “Barbara Annâ€, “Legal Matterâ€, “My Generation†and “Substituteâ€.
The singer, Roger Daltrey, was more careless than usual with his vocals than one has become used to, and Pete Townshend, that often sings backing vocals, hadn’t adjusted his microphone properly. His voice could not be heard as much as could have been possible. Instead, he devoted time to a strange plastic including sundry bum wiggling. The drummer Keith Moon was very sloppy with his lead vocals on “Barbara Annâ€. Otherwise, he played with an incredible ferociousness with a style of drumming not unlike that of Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. The only one that didn’t make any mistakes during the evening was the bass player, John Entwistle. He played with great drive, and the well known bass lines on “My Generation†were letter perfect.
The ones that had come expecting a huge massacre of musical instruments were, most likely, somewhat disappointed. Rather half-heartedly, Peter Townshend threw his guitars to the floor and rather absent-mindedly kicked down his microphone stand. By “mistake†Keith Moon tossed some drum sticks into the audience while Roger Daltrey smacked his microphone against the drum kit without conviction.
It probably wasn’t one of the most inspired performances by “The Whoâ€, and one left feeling somewhat disappointed. But maybe it was an achievement simply to be able to convey such a feeling of action and compression from this venue, where many better-known artists have stumbled.
