The Who @ Pittsburgh, PA 1982-09-28

 


LIMITED TIME / LAST TIME

43 years ago today the live debut of Athena!


https://pixeldrain.com/u/dQkHKwAR

The Who
Civic Arena
Pittsburgh, PA
September 28, 1982
Master tape from the ML Archive via JEMS

Recording Gear: Aiwa CM-30 stereo microphone > Sony D6 Walkman

JEMS 2019 transfer: master cassettes > Nakamichi CR-7A azimuth-adjusted transfer > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 (24/96) capture > iZotope RX MBIT+ resample 16/44.1 FLAC > Adobe Audition (tracking and finishing)

Run time: 2:05:37

Musicians:

Roger Daltrey (vocals, guitar, harmonica, tambourine)
John Entwistle (bass, vocals)
Kenney Jones (drums)
Pete Townshend (guitar, vocals)

with Tim Gorman (keyboards)

01. Intro
02. Substitute
03. I Can’t Explain
04. Dangerous
05. Sister Disco
06. The Quiet One
07. It’s Hard
08. Eminence Front
09. Behind Blue Eyes
10. Baba O’Riley
11. I’m One
12. The Punk Meets the Godfather
13. Drowned
14. Naked Eye
15. Cry If You Want
16. Who Are You
17. Pinball Wizard
18. See Me, Feel Me
19. Five-Fifteen
20. Love Reign O’er Me
21. Long Live Rock
22. Won’t Get Fooled Again
23. encore break
24. Athena
25. Summertime Blues
26. Twist and Shout

Welcome back! If you’re just tuning in, the ML Archive is a trove of master recordings made by one of Jared’s oldest taping friends. Sharing them is our gain: his recordings neatly complement the ones Jared made (ML recorded in stereo, Jared recorded in mono). This file set presents the fifth show on the Who’s 1982 tour of North America, September 28 at Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It’s another fine outing with a recording to match.

The performance has plenty to recommend, easily matching the workman-like excellence the Who brought to bear that year. In fact, Jared regarded it as one of the better arena shows of the tour. Early instances where the sound hasn’t wholly taken shape — something Roger Daltrey attributes to coming back indoors after back-to-back stadium gigs — get ironed out quickly. Any such distraction is subtle, and ML’s recording sounds sweet!
 
What you’ll surely notice is the fire Pete Townshend brings to “The Quiet One,” little leads he runs as John Entwistle and Kenney Jones thunder along. How Pete played that song was something Jared listened for every night in 1982, one indicator, he said, of how the balance of the show might unfold (hint: just fine in Pittsburgh — plenty of fine lead guitar throughout!). Townshend is in fine humor, alluding to an all-important change in footwear after “Eminence Front” ends imprecisely (“don’t panic, we’re getting there!” he implored).

Most remarkable is a wonderful, impassioned take on “Naked Eye.” Usually played in the encore, here it falls in the middle of the set, anchoring an outstanding stretch from “The Punk Meets the Godfather” (with “I’m One” tagged at the start) to “Who Are You.” In the encore, the band debuts “Athena,” the first single from the It's Hard LP. It needed work, and the band never really got behind it the way one might assume. But it added variety and allowed for a “Naked Eye” that Jared characterized as “nearly flawless — Glyn Johns, take note!”

Maybe the Who’s longtime producer didn’t tape, but ML did. We couldn’t be happier about that. Once again, BK ran point on steps from acquisition to transfer to mastering. Brother mjk5510 lent an ear to ensure quality control. Thanks to both, my friends at JEMS, and of course to our friend Jared. As field recordings like this circulate far and wide, we know his early contributions are like his friendship: cornerstones. And to ML for a whole new recording and series, thank you! There’s more to come. 

Share it freely, and for free!

 - slipkid68