On June 18, 1967 THE WHO played the Monterey Pop festival. But do you care that five months later on November 17th, they played Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park, KS?
Shawnee Mission South grad John Ritland was there and he answered these questions:
FJ: What's your most vivid memory of the SM South WHO concert?
JR: In a nutshell, my shock at the unbelievable aural and visual power of their performance, and the accompanying disbelief that it was happening in the gym of my high school. A DJ from a local radio station (probably WHB) came out on stage following the opening act (The Bobby Soul Group) and tossed out souvenirs and promo items. The photo of the surging crowd on my website was taken at that time. Then the curtains parted and THE WHO exploded. I remember in particular them performing A Quick One, Boris the Spider, Happy Jack, and I Can See For Miles.
FJ: Did you stick around for the Buckinghams? Was it "kind of a drag"?
JR: Yes, I stayed for the "headliners." I was never a big fan of the Buckinghams, but they actually played pretty decent R&B and Soul for a bunch of white guys. Pity them for having to follow THE WHO that night.
FJ: How accessible were the band members before and after the show?
JR: In hindsight, probably more than I realized at the time. I just didn't pursue it.
FJ: The guy who owned "The Hawk" at KU, I don't remember his name, but his nickname was "The Count", he told me the guys from THE WHO and some South students went out driving muscle cars on the back roads of Johnson County. Any memory of that?
JR: No, I had not heard that, but I don't doubt it. Good story.
FJ: Was the South faculty uptight at all about the show?
JR: I doubt they were uptight prior to the show, but only because they did not know what was coming. However, at the conclusion of THE WHO's set, with the screaming feedback, smoke bombs, pieces of Moon's drum kit rolling in several directions, Daltry thrashing his microphone on the stage floor, and Townshend smashing his guitar over his amplifier, I think it is safe to assume some faculty members were very anxious and nervous.
FJ: Was that your first rock concert? My first show was also THE WHO, but not until 1980 at Kemper arena, with the Pretenders opening. Did you catch that one by chance?
JR: My first rock concert was the Dave Clark Five, before a screaming mob at Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium in 1964. Like the Beatles at the time, they did not have a PA, just small stage amps. You could not hear them. And yes, I did attend the 1980 WHO show at Kemper, but with some sadness as I recall. Keith Moon had died a couple years earlier, and they were never the same without him. Kenny Jones did not seem to be a good fit. Other than the SM South concert, my most memorable WHO concert was in Kansas City's Freedom Palace in July of 1970, shortly after the release of Live at Leeds, and prior to Who's Next. They were at their absolute peak at that time, but were hampered that night by electrical failures. Townshend in his white boiler suit and black boots, Daltry in his Woodstock fringe vest, Entwistle in his skeleton suit, and Moon was just a blur.
FJ: Your web page has a lot of concert snapshots. And it looks like you attended KU. What's your favorite Hoch auditorium concert memory?
JR: John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra was a terrific show. Also, BB King and Bonnie Raitt with Martin Mull was excellent. Both were around 1973 - 1974.
FJ: Any chance you saw the National Lampoon "Lemmings" road show, circa 1974 at Hoch?
JR: No, unfortunately I missed that one. It would have been a rare opportunity to see some of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live. I don't know where I was or what I was doing that evening, but I was in the wrong place for sure.
FJ: Do you still live in the K.C. area?
JR: I live in the South of France. No wait, make that Omaha, NE.
JR: The four photos I have on my website from the WHO concert at SM South were taken by a school staff photographer. A few days after the show, they had a table set up in the hall and were selling 8 x 10 glossy prints for a buck apiece. I bought only these four, most likely because I only had 4 dollars. I would love to see other photos from the
show, and include them on my website. I know they're out there somewhere. And I would like to confirm who took the photos (probably either Clyde Byers or Bruce Zimmerman) and give proper credit. If anyone can direct me to additional photos, or help with the identity of the photographer, please e-mail me at jritland@cox.net.
Shawnee Mission South grad John Ritland was there and he answered these questions:
FJ: What's your most vivid memory of the SM South WHO concert?
JR: In a nutshell, my shock at the unbelievable aural and visual power of their performance, and the accompanying disbelief that it was happening in the gym of my high school. A DJ from a local radio station (probably WHB) came out on stage following the opening act (The Bobby Soul Group) and tossed out souvenirs and promo items. The photo of the surging crowd on my website was taken at that time. Then the curtains parted and THE WHO exploded. I remember in particular them performing A Quick One, Boris the Spider, Happy Jack, and I Can See For Miles.
FJ: Did you stick around for the Buckinghams? Was it "kind of a drag"?
JR: Yes, I stayed for the "headliners." I was never a big fan of the Buckinghams, but they actually played pretty decent R&B and Soul for a bunch of white guys. Pity them for having to follow THE WHO that night.
FJ: How accessible were the band members before and after the show?
JR: In hindsight, probably more than I realized at the time. I just didn't pursue it.
FJ: The guy who owned "The Hawk" at KU, I don't remember his name, but his nickname was "The Count", he told me the guys from THE WHO and some South students went out driving muscle cars on the back roads of Johnson County. Any memory of that?
JR: No, I had not heard that, but I don't doubt it. Good story.
FJ: Was the South faculty uptight at all about the show?
JR: I doubt they were uptight prior to the show, but only because they did not know what was coming. However, at the conclusion of THE WHO's set, with the screaming feedback, smoke bombs, pieces of Moon's drum kit rolling in several directions, Daltry thrashing his microphone on the stage floor, and Townshend smashing his guitar over his amplifier, I think it is safe to assume some faculty members were very anxious and nervous.
FJ: Was that your first rock concert? My first show was also THE WHO, but not until 1980 at Kemper arena, with the Pretenders opening. Did you catch that one by chance?
JR: My first rock concert was the Dave Clark Five, before a screaming mob at Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium in 1964. Like the Beatles at the time, they did not have a PA, just small stage amps. You could not hear them. And yes, I did attend the 1980 WHO show at Kemper, but with some sadness as I recall. Keith Moon had died a couple years earlier, and they were never the same without him. Kenny Jones did not seem to be a good fit. Other than the SM South concert, my most memorable WHO concert was in Kansas City's Freedom Palace in July of 1970, shortly after the release of Live at Leeds, and prior to Who's Next. They were at their absolute peak at that time, but were hampered that night by electrical failures. Townshend in his white boiler suit and black boots, Daltry in his Woodstock fringe vest, Entwistle in his skeleton suit, and Moon was just a blur.
FJ: Your web page has a lot of concert snapshots. And it looks like you attended KU. What's your favorite Hoch auditorium concert memory?
JR: John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra was a terrific show. Also, BB King and Bonnie Raitt with Martin Mull was excellent. Both were around 1973 - 1974.
FJ: Any chance you saw the National Lampoon "Lemmings" road show, circa 1974 at Hoch?
JR: No, unfortunately I missed that one. It would have been a rare opportunity to see some of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live. I don't know where I was or what I was doing that evening, but I was in the wrong place for sure.
FJ: Do you still live in the K.C. area?
JR: I live in the South of France. No wait, make that Omaha, NE.
JR: The four photos I have on my website from the WHO concert at SM South were taken by a school staff photographer. A few days after the show, they had a table set up in the hall and were selling 8 x 10 glossy prints for a buck apiece. I bought only these four, most likely because I only had 4 dollars. I would love to see other photos from the
show, and include them on my website. I know they're out there somewhere. And I would like to confirm who took the photos (probably either Clyde Byers or Bruce Zimmerman) and give proper credit. If anyone can direct me to additional photos, or help with the identity of the photographer, please e-mail me at jritland@cox.net.
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