So you think '21 is gonna be a good year...

So you think '21 is gonna be a good year....

Well, it's not '21...it's '79.  

     Everything that had led up to our arrival at Madison Square Garden in Pete Townshend's limousine, were more than enough to satiate even the most ardent Who fan. Yes, we had been lucky enough to meet Roger Daltrey. We had spend what at the very least, can be called, 'quality time' with him in England. Never, in a million years, did we believe that a few years later, we would be wedged between Pete Townshend and John Entwistle on our way to seeing The Who perform... ...beyond our imaginations.

     So, as we sat in the green room, we tried to absorb the reality of being backstage... part of the very private group that were allowed 'all access' passes. Not 'backstage' passes, ALL ACCESS passes. We were in the company of The Who's top level management, some wives /girlfriends, and assorted personnel that were a part of the tour.

     As much as we'd like to say, we were cool....no way. We were in shock. We had no idea why, we had no idea what would happen next, we didn't know where we were seated for the shows....nor did we think it was wise to inquire.

     There was one thing we knew for sure..the only thing....ONLY thing, we were certain of, was, we were going to see Roger again. Although we had been in touch since we had spent time with him in England...we had not seen him face to face since 1976, and, to put it plainly, we were nervous. We were not only nervous, we were excited...and we were uncertain...we didn't know how he would react to us being there.

     Suddenly, from a distance...we heard that inimitable sound....the throaty laugh we knew came from Roger Daltrey's throat. He had arrived....and within seconds he was going to walk through the door. And walk through the door he did....He looked at us, we looked at him...and his reaction was nothing less than cool. And by cool, we mean cold. He did not meet our eyes with an expression that made us comfortable.

     He saw us, he knew we were there, but you wouldn't know it from his expression, or lack of.  In hindsight, it was such an unnatural response...Think about it, anyone you have spent time with amicably, says hello or gives you a hug when you meet them again....but, Roger Daltrey isn't just anyone.

     You can only imagine our feelings in that moment. We had no idea why our presence was not met with a warm welcome. We suddenly felt so awkward and uncomfortable...and let's not forget the shock of seeing him in the flesh.....with his new haircut! We had not seen Roger with his new look....He had cut off all the the beautiful, long curls he had when we first saw him in Tommy, and was now wearing his hair short.  Needless to say...he was..... still…stunning. He was so beautiful in fact, that we had to lock ourselves in a bathroom, away from everyone else, to let off some of the steam from just the sight of him....

     It is sheer conjecture on our part....we never discussed it with anyone, but we were convinced that he was angry.  We had no idea if he knew why or how we ended up not only backstage, but as part of The Who's 'inner sanctum'.  We were aware of the less than welcoming reception we had received from some of the people there. We could only conclude that they believed we were sleeping with Pete Townshend. 

     The stories of our escapades in Pete's hotel room, and of us piercing his ear, had made it's way through the gossip. We were concerned that we were being labeled as the type of girls that contributed to the whole 'groupie' factor that was part of life on the road for so many rock stars.  That was not the case with us, so the idea of being perceived that way, left us crestfallen.

     We were not there for sex, we were there because we loved The Who...we loved all the components that made The Who the most magical rock band of our time.  Yes...okay.... we were "in love" with them... who wasn't?  But... we were in love with being in love.  We didn't realize it at the time, but,  being best friends and loving The Who, doing it together….well...  maybe that's what "Join Together" was all about.

     Pete had gone off to tune his guitars, and prep for the concert, and at that point, we still had no idea where we would be for the show. For all we knew we'd be sitting in the green room....us and our 'all access' passes.
until next time...