Who,The Who/CA,USA 1989 Mike Millard First Generation Tapes

The Who’s 1989 Kids Are Alright tour was talked about as a “money-money reunion” and “Pete can’t play electric guitar” at the time, and it can’t be denied that it didn’t get a fair evaluation because it overlapped with the Rolling Stones’ tour. It was only after the tour ended the following year that the video of the “TOMMY” live performance in LA with a luxurious guest was released, and it was finally reassessed as “was it really such a fulfilling live performance?” The 1989 tour was the first time Pete played on stage with an acoustic guitar due to his hearing loss, and moreover, the band mobilized many support members like 80’s stadium rock, which allowed the delicacy and precision of The Who’s albums to be reproduced on stage, but this was not appreciated at all at the time. The “TOMMY” part was the biggest beneficiary of this arrangement. The album itself is very detailed and delicate, and above all, the masterpiece “Pinball Wizard” is centered on Pete playing an acoustic guitar. The greatness of the 1989 tour, which succeeded in bringing the precision of the “TOMMY” album to the stage, has been emphasized over time, and even Pete himself spoke of it as a fond memory of the tour in his autobiography, despite an incident in which he stabbed his hand in his arm. In addition, it was not only the “TOMMY” part that brought a breath of fresh air by him playing the acoustic guitar. In “Sister Disco,” the precise development that was in the studio version was reproduced on stage, and his amazing acoustic guitar solo was superb. Yes, Pete was also a master of the acoustic guitar. Of course, he played the electric guitar properly on songs like “My Generation” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” but the big appeal of 1989 was that he mainly played the acoustic guitar, creating a live sound that had never been heard before. The 1989 tour is highly regarded among enthusiasts, but 10 years ago, the best recordings from Buffalo and Pittsburgh were released by taper Jared Hauser, who is also a member of the JEMS team, using the state-of-the-art DAT deck at the time, and the high sound quality surprised enthusiasts around the world. These were released by UXBRIDGE as “TOMMY REVISITED IN BUFFALO” and “TOMMY’S TRIUMPHANT RETURN”, respectively, and were further released as a set called “THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT TOUR 1989” that was very well received. Since then, new recordings from the 1989 tour were released last week, and the person who recorded them was Mike Millard. As a lifelong fan of The Who, it was only natural that he would participate in this tour, but while his friend Jared used DAT, Millard recorded on cassette with his long-time favorite Nakamichi. What’s amazing is that the recording here was captured with a tremendous sound image that easily surpassed Jared’s. It was a high-quality audience with the Millard style in full swing. When it came to “Who Are You” in the middle of the live performance, it was so enchanting that it would not have been strange if it had been released on a press disc. Since the 1989 tour was a long one, Millard, who used cassettes, missed recording the first half of “Love Reign O’er Me”. However, the quality was so overwhelming that it didn’t bother me at all. And since this was the next stage after the “TOMMY” reproduction and video recording live with the addition of the luxurious guests mentioned earlier, Pete and the band’s performance was solid. The set list, which interweaves Pete’s solo numbers from the 1980s between numerous classics, can only be experienced on this tour. From the legendary tour that reproduced the detailed sound of The Who’s albums on stage for the first time, a shocking Millard recording that could become a new standard is here. This is amazing! Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA, USA 26th August 1989 TRULY PERFECT SOUND Disc 1 (50:07) 1. Intro 2. Overture 3. It’s A Boy 4. 1921 5. Amazing Journey 6. Sparks 7. The Acid Queen 8. Pinball Wizard 9. We’re Not Gonna Take It 10. Eminence Front 11. Let Me Love Open The Door 12 . Face The Face Disc 2 (74:16) 1. MC 2. I’m A Man 3. I Can’t Explain 4. Substitute 5. I Can See For Miles 6. Trick Of The Light 7. Boris The Spider 8. Who Are You 9. Magic Bus 10. Baba O’Riley 11. My Generation 12. A Little Is Enough 13. 5:15 14. Love Reign O’er Me 15. Sister Disco 16. Rough Boys Disc 3 (44:01) 1. Join Together 2. You Better You Bet 3. Behind Blue Eyes 4. Won’t Get Fooled Again 5. Band Introductions 6. Hey Joe 7. Dig 8. Twist And Shout