The Who: 8/16/1997

“Quadrophenia” is one of my favorite Who albums, so when I saw they were touring and performing the album in its entirety, I didn’t even hesitate. My friend Jim also wanted to go, so we got the general admission field tickets, which were pretty cheap. We figured we would get there early and snag a decent spot, which was what we did.

Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ was the opening act. I had not seen them before, but I had heard of them. They were good; better than your average opener. But I was definitely stoked to see The Who.

How to describe the energy when the band kicked in to “The Real Me”? Words fail me. John Entwistle was all over that bass with his spider fingers. “The Real Me” was my buddy Jim’s favorite Who song, so he was instantly blown away.

The rest of the show was nothing short of excellent. They played through all of “Quadrophenia” and then returned for an encore which was actually more like a second set. They even tossed in some Who silliness and played a little bit of “It’s a Small World,” conjuring the Disney energy of being in Florida.

But what stands out the most for me about this particular show was the very end… the last note of “Who Are You.” Pete took his guitar and slammed in into the stage. While this was not the wanton guitar destruction of yore, it was the only time I saw Townsend “smash” a guitar on stage. It is one of those iconic rock images that is burned into the collective rock and roll consciousness.

I would see The Who perform Quadrophenia again years later, after Entwistle’s death. That show was great for other reasons, but this one has a warm spot in my heart.

Here is the full setlist. “Long Live Rock!”

Quadrophenia

• I Am the Sea
• The Real Me
• Quadrophenia
• Cut My Hair
• The Punk and the Godfather
• I’m One
• The Dirty Jobs
• Helpless Dancer
• Is It in My Head?
• I’ve Had Enough
• 5:15
• Sea and Sand
• Drowned
• Bell Boy
• Doctor Jimmy
• The Rock
• Love, Reign O’er Me

Encore

• I’m the Face
• Won’t Get Fooled Again
• Behind Blue Eyes
• Substitute
• I Can’t Explain
• It’s a Small World ([Disney] cover) (Partial; sung by Roger)
• The Kids Are Alright
• Who Are You

Bob Dylan and Paul Simon: 9/2/1999

I had seen both of these musical icons before this show, but it was impossible for a music fanatic like me to pass up the opportunity to see them both together.

I got tickets for my wife and I to go to the show, and we made the long drive from Miami up to Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach. We had lawn “seats,” so we were pretty far back. But that was fine. Like I said, I’d seen them both before and didn’t feel the need to be up close.

The details of this show are a little hazy. I have impressions of each of them performing, and I vividly remember the two of them performing together at during Dylan’s encore. I’m pretty sure that Paul Simon played first. Since the two played together during Dylan’s encore, it seems to support my recollection. Also, my wife agrees that she remembers Paul Simon playing first. I know for certain that I enjoyed the show, and thought that both artists played well.

Here are each of their setlists.

Paul Simon Setlist:

• Bridge Over Troubled Water
• Can’t Run But
• The Boy in the Bubble
• The Coast
• Trailways Bus
• Mrs. Robinson
• Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
• Further to Fly
• Graceland
• The Cool, Cool River
• Slip Slidin’ Away
• Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
• You Can Call Me Al

Encore:

• Late in the Evening
• Still Crazy After All These Years

Encore 2:

• Proof
• The Sound of Silence

Bob Dylan Setlist:

• Somebody Touched Me
• My Back Pages
• Masters of War
• Love Minus Zero/No Limit
• Tangled Up in Blue
• All Along the Watchtower
• Just Like a Woman
• Silvio
• The Heart That You Own
• Highway 61 Revisited

Encore:

• Like a Rolling Stone
• It Ain’t Me, Babe
• The Boxer (with Paul Simon)
• That’ll Be the Day / The Wanderer (with Paul Simon)
• Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (with Paul Simon)

Santana with Ozomatli: 10/17/1999

Santana is always great in concert, but this concert was especially nice since he had Ozomatli opening, and members of Ozomatli joined Carlos and his band during their set.

My wife and I went to this show with some acquaintances, another couple who we sort of knew but were not really friends with. The concert was at Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, which is your typical amphitheatre. There are seats in the front half and an open field in the back. We had seats, which was nice.

I was not very familiar with Ozomatli at this time, but they came out and totally rocked. I was really impressed with their sound and energy, and during their last song, they all picked up percussion instruments and walked out among the audience, jamming like a conga line. It was the perfect opener for Santana.

Santana was, as I said, amazing. His tone and the clarity of his guitar work are the signs of a musical virtuoso. He played a great mix of his classic music, as well as songs from his then new album, “Supernatural,” which I think is an incredible album and one I was listening to quite a bit at that time. The only down side about this show was the drive home. We lived in Miami at the time, so it was a bit of a long trek back from West Palm.

Anyway, here’s the setlist. Rock and roll!

• Spiritual / (Da Le) Yaleo / Hannibal (with Ozomatli)
• Migra (with Ozomatli)
• Put Your Lights On (with Ozomatli)
• Santana Sandwich
• Day of Celebration
• Victory Is Won
• Maria Maria (with Ozomatli)
• Europa (Earth’s Cry, Heaven’s Smile)
• Smooth
• Bacalao con pan (with Ozomatli)
• Make Somebody Happy / Get It in Your Soul
• Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen
• Oye como va
• Everybody’s Everything
• Love of My Life
• Jin-go-lo-ba