![]() ![]() If in fact classic rock fans, as a group, understood irony. And for an audience that will be composed at least in part of unapologetic Trump supporters drinking beer alongside their equally passionate Democratic counterparts, the irony of everyone singing along with “Won’t Get Fooled Again” might be described as delicious. This is the moment when even if you had reservations about seeing a couple of dyspeptic alter cockers reliving their past glory, you will no longer question that these guys are simply the best at what they do.īut is anyone actually listening? Or is it just giddy, classic-rock fetishism?īethel’s brand might be tie-dyed, but we live in a very purple world. The question is if the crowd that comes to this sort of classic rock legacy show will even remember, or care, what the song is actually about.Īs it is, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is the centerpiece of the show, when for a moment they lose the orchestra that carries them through giant swaths of “Tommy” and their other major rock opera, “Quadrophenia,” and it’s just Roger Daltrey and Townshend on stage, Townshend slashing stupendously at his Gibson J-200, and Daltrey fully invested, even after singing it 10,000 times. Nor is it whether their most rebellious post-adolescent theme, “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” is still relevant. Whether the Who, never a sentimental lot in the first place, make reference to that night beyond their current set list-which, as in 1969, leans heavily on their rock opera “Tommy,” albeit now with a very civilized symphony orchestra-is not the question. It earned Hoffman a guitar to the head from Who leader Pete Townshend, who, despite having been dosed with LSD, and being thoroughly miserable at having to play at 5 a.m., continued to lead his band through a blistering set, oozing with their own brand of countercultural revolution writ large. His comrade, White Panther Party leader John Sinclair, was doing a 10-year stretch for possessing a few dollars’ worth of pot. In this case, it was the well-meaning but overzealous revolutionary Abbie Hoffman, who in a moment of pique stormed the stage to deliver a rebuttal to all of the good vibes that were going down. These were the same people who tried to run a pig-an actual 145-pound pig named “Pigasus”-for President of the United States. Back then, their slice of the “three days of peace and music” pie was marred by involuntary acid trips and an on-stage brawl with a prominent Yippie.įor those who don’t remember, a Yippie is sort of an angry, politically charged hippie, but with a sense of humor. “The trick worked - in George’s words, ‘The other guys were as good as gold because he was there.The spirit of rebellion that is baked into the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts-site of the original Woodstock festival-will be put to the test when The Who perform here on May 28, their first appearance in Bethel since the band’s storied performance in 1969. “George knew everyone would behave themselves around Clapton - a classic George power move,” the Rolling Stone piece said. “Then we listened to it back and he said, ‘Ah, there’s a problem, though it’s not Beatley enough.’ So we put it through the ADT to wobble it up a bit.”īut Harrison’s true purpose of inviting Clapton? To lessen the tension. It wasn’t until Harrison invited his best pal Clapton into the studio that they went back to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” “Eric played that and I thought it was really good,” Harrison said, according to Rolling Stone. (Eventually, Harrison released it as a solo artist in 1979.) The song then marinated while they worked on other tracks like the 102 takes of “Not Guilty,” which didn’t make the album. (The early acoustic take was released in a special edition in 2018.) When they got to the song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” they started recording an early “draft” on July 25, 1968, with Harrison playing the guitars and McCartney following along on the harmonium.
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