I Am Still In Awe
14 January 2001
Finishing this film was like finishing the Song Remains the Same for the first time, the performance is emotionally draining and amazing, and you just want to crawl into bed and sleep for 12 hours.

Other than being one of the best Who concerts I've seen, it is also one of the best of the 70's (1970; Isle of Wight). All the performances at the festival were good, especially the Band of Gypsies (Hendrix) and Ten Years After, but the Who performance is without a doubt the best.

Although the concert isn't long, it seems like forever. The concert starts off with the best version of 'Heaven and Hell,' then eases into most of the Live at Leeds songs (Shakin' All Over, Summertime Blues). They also showcase a new song, 'I Don't Even Know Myself,' which showed up a year later on their landmark and arguably their best record, 'Who's Next.' I love how they perform most of the first half of the performance with a 'Water' medley. 'Water' is an indisposable Who track live and is not held back here.

The second half of the performance starts with Pete Townshend asking the audience for silence so they can perform their classic 'Tommy'. Most of the songs from 'Tommy' are featured here. They perform live renditions of the songs with more intensity than is featured on the record, which is rare, seeing as most live performances are inferior to the studio tracks. I would even dare to say that the live 'Tommy' here is better than the 'studio 'Tommy.'' The performance ends with 'See Me, Feel Me' (the 'listening to you' part) that gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. It repeats on and on and gains in energy every time. The Who are nothing short of amazing.

The video and DVD release sound and look so great. I am fortunate that it was released to such superior mastering (or is it re-mastering?). If you look to see a Who concert, let this be the first, and maybe even the last. (Note: Play this one loud as intended.)
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