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My 85 yr old dad, PJ and the Who

KeiranKeiran Posts: 393
edited July 2008 in The Porch
Tonight my 85 year old dad watched the VH1 show honoring The Who in its entirety. Needless to say, rock and roll is just not his cup of tea. But the man knows music and was a drummer in many local jazz bands back in the 30's and 40's. These were his observations.

Eddie was the only singer who seemed to care about the words he was singing. Dad couldn't understand anything he said, but was impressed with Eddie's sincerity.

Pearl Jam's musicians must have some talent playing their instruments as they were able to be accompanied by both a string and a brass section.

The members of Pearl Jam were enjoying their time on stage and appeared to enjoy making music with each other. They were connected.

He really enjoyed when The Who performed "Who are You." He thought it was a pretty song and that they sang and played well. And he could understand most of the words to the song.

For being 85 years old, I thought he came away with a pretty decent sense of why I love both of these bands.

It isn't very often my dad and I get to relate on this level, especially when it concerns rock and roll.
Thanks Pearl Jam and The Who!!
I wish a guy like Eddie, would like me.
Post edited by Unknown User on

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    normnorm I'm always home. I'm uncool. Posts: 31,147
    that's very cool.....:o
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    Thanks for posting

    That's cute, from someone watching alone, I'm glad you got to enjoy it with him :)
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    rtwilli4rtwilli4 Posts: 261
    It's great to share that w/ your dad.

    me and my dad watched it together... some of his comments:

    -now that's what kind of music WE listened too!
    -so THESE are the guys you've been following around all summer... now I see why!
    -I can't hear out of my left ear because of DEEP PURPLE and GRAND FUNK RAILROAD!
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    rtwilli4 wrote:
    GRAND FUNK RAILROAD!

    OMG!! My dad STILL talks about seeing Grand Funk at the Blind Pig...I thought it was just MY dad! That's awesome!!
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    yellowled24yellowled24 Posts: 3,118
    Keiran wrote:

    . Dad couldn't understand anything he said, but was impressed with Eddie's sincerity.
    See, I dont understand half the time either....spot on Dad!! :D
    "....and was very surprised to see that he didnt actually have a recipe for anus-ankle soup." - Big Ed
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    that's very cool! my dad isn't quite as old as yours--he's 63--but he did go to a pj show with me and enjoyed it very much. he loves mccready! maybe it's a tattoo thing--he has just as about as many as mike.
    "and onward goes this thing of ours."

    Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri
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    Keiran wrote:
    Tonight my 85 year old dad watched the VH1 show honoring The Who in its entirety. Needless to say, rock and roll is just not his cup of tea. But the man knows music and was a drummer in many local jazz bands back in the 30's and 40's. These were his observations.

    Eddie was the only singer who seemed to care about the words he was singing. Dad couldn't understand anything he said, but was impressed with Eddie's sincerity.

    Pearl Jam's musicians must have some talent playing their instruments as they were able to be accompanied by both a string and a brass section.

    The members of Pearl Jam were enjoying their time on stage and appeared to enjoy making music with each other. They were connected.

    He really enjoyed when The Who performed "Who are You." He thought it was a pretty song and that they sang and played well. And he could understand most of the words to the song.

    For being 85 years old, I thought he came away with a pretty decent sense of why I love both of these bands.

    It isn't very often my dad and I get to relate on this level, especially when it concerns rock and roll.
    Thanks Pearl Jam and The Who!!

    85 nice genetics god bless him
    Glad he enjoyed

    scott
    10/01/96 9/08/98 9/10/98 9/11/98 8/23/00 8/24/00
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    4/28/03 4/29/03 4/30/03 5/02/03 7/05/03 7/06/03
    7/08/03 7/09/03 7/14/03 <---front row shook hands with ed.
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    5/21/10 9/7/11
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    civ_eng_girlciv_eng_girl Posts: 2,001
    very cute story! :)

    my dad is a jazz-lovin' old-timer as well.... and he would never have sat through it.... heck, he've been asleep long before it started!! :)
    ~~*~~ ...i surfaced and all of my being was enlightend... ~~*~~
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    CityMouseCityMouse Posts: 1,010
    Keiran wrote:
    Eddie was the only singer who seemed to care about the words he was singing. Dad couldn't understand anything he said, but was impressed with Eddie's sincerity.

    this is what I love about eddie, he's really telling a story and communicating.
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    I loved your story and the others about their Dads. My Dad was into sports and I never knew what kind of music he liked.
    Mary Jane
    ~~~~~~
    09/04/2000 Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
    07/01/2003 Nissan Pavilion Stone Ridge, Bristow, VA
    06/22/2008 Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.
    10/27/2013 Baltimore Arena (1st Mariner), Baltimore, MD
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    memememe Posts: 4,693
    Keiran wrote:
    Eddie was the only singer who seemed to care about the words he was singing. Dad couldn't understand anything he said, but was impressed with Eddie's sincerity.

    That's such a sensitive remark. We who know the band well know how true it is :)

    Last night I took my 69 year old Italian dad to a record store in New York City. The Johnny Cash covers CD was playing, so I thought I would buy it for him. He loved all of it, especially "I won't back down". When we came back home I also showed him the Hurt cover on Youtube, and then I pulled out Tom Petty's version of "I won't back down". He didn't like it, of course. Then I pulled out Ed's cover from the Gorge and he was absolutely mesmerized by his voice. I am positive he has heard Ed's voice many times, but yesterday he was so taken. So I moved to showing him the VH1 Love O'er me cover. He liked it, but liked the studio version and the MSG1 version better cause he found the instruments were overpowering Ed a bit in the VH1 one.

    Anyway, I am just crushed that I couldn't get tickets to see Ed with him in NYC :(
    ... and the will to show I will always be better than before.
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    smile05smile05 Posts: 600
    dont even know my Dad,so im not even going down that road. Most of my best mates went with me to Wembley last year, most of them stopped listening after vitalogy but just all said how tight they played, and how they are easily the best live band out there.
    1:Black 2:Corduroy 3:All Those Yesterdays 4:I Got ID 5:Smile

    They can buy but cant put on my clothes
    Throw down my ace in the hole~~~~~~

    Let's go for three in a row, no sorry i can't think of anything thats not funny. - Paul Merton

    London96,Manchester00,Berlin06,London07
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    flyinwhole313flyinwhole313 Posts: 1,651
    Great story.
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    mrbakomrbako Posts: 54
    OMG!! My dad STILL talks about seeing Grand Funk at the Blind Pig...I thought it was just MY dad! That's awesome!!
    Did you or your Dad happen to catch PJ there? I believe my Dad saw Ronnie Milsap in concert.
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    85, no shit! that's cool he's still sharp enough to make those observations and that you guys had that connection!

    my dad was a rock musician in the '60s & '70s and even though i haven't been able to get him into PJ he was definitely impressed by Ed's performance and i think he has a new respect for him now.

    (my mom was breathless :D but Ed does that to the ladies :))
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    Much More Than ThisMuch More Than This Brooklyn, NY Posts: 765
    I can't relate because my father and I are even further apart in our respective musical tastes (to borrow from The Who, think "miles and miles and miles and ...). But an element of effective writing is that it resonates without the benefit of common experience. Well done, Keiran. - Tony
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    Who PrincessWho Princess out here in the fields Posts: 7,305
    Keiran, I love your story! I lost my Dad last year at the age of 79; we were very close. It sounds like you and your Dad have a great connection. I would just encourage you to enjoy all the time that you spend with him, which I'm sure you do. :)
    "The stars are all connected to the brain."
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    Motown322Motown322 Posts: 465
    OMG!! My dad STILL talks about seeing Grand Funk at the Blind Pig...I thought it was just MY dad! That's awesome!!

    Ann Arbor??? I hear the tales of the Pig and the Grande Ballroom in Detroit 40 years ago from my uncle... he's always telling me stories about all the bands he's go see back then, especially the local ones (MC5, The Rationals, Iggy and the Stooges).

    Cool story from the OP... my dad is gonna be 60 next month and I've known him for 33 years and I have absolutely NO IDEA what kind of music he listens to. :D My mom was the big music fan so that's where I get it.
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    Yellow BedwetterYellow Bedwetter NYC Posts: 2,832
    i watched it w/my father as well. We got to reminisce about The Who when we saw them at MSG in 06. Now we're going to see Jethro Tull together next month, then DMB together at MSG in September. I'm fucking psyched!!
    2005: Borgata 2, Philly
    2006: Camden 1&2, East Ruth 1&2
    2008: BONNAROO, MSG1, MSG2, Hartford
    2009: Philly 1, 2, 4
    2010: Hartford, MSG1, MSG2
    2012: Made in America
    2013: BK1, BK2, Hartford
    2015: Global Citizens
    2016: MSG 2 (ISO MSG1)
    EV Solo: NJPAC 2008; Tower Theatre, PA 2009; Hartford 2011
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    AddictedAddicted Posts: 124
    Brought my 63 y/o dad to Boston 3 in 2003 with my 7th row seats.
    hold on to the thread
    the currents will shift
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    OMG!! My dad STILL talks about seeing Grand Funk at the Blind Pig...I thought it was just MY dad! That's awesome!!

    In Ann Arbor? Awesome.
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    decides2dreamdecides2dream Posts: 14,976
    this thread makes me well up with tears......happy, bittersweet tears. :o


    i don't think my dad would love pearl jam, at all.....nor something he and i could share....he really wasn't musical. however, what beautiful and touching stories! if my dad were alive today he'd be turning 95! :eek: i have soooo many wonderful memories of him, he was a great man, and a truly great father. the one pearl jam moment we "share"...is having man of the hour played in milan, on what would've been his 93rd birthday, in his honor. i can only hope those amazing lyrics would touch him. :) the power of music!


    what a great thread...and what a great memories many of you have created with your dads, treasure them!
    Stay with me...
    Let's just breathe...


    I am myself like you somehow


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    i like matt.ci like matt.c Posts: 1,121
    Every time I play Pearl Jam my dad asks what I'm listening to. So my sister and I made him a mix tape and he listens to it in the car sometimes. He really likes Yellow Ledbetter.
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