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 Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting and watching the performances of The Blues Magoos, The Who and Herman's Hermits in St. Petersburg.The Blues Magoos were great as usual and their costumes were really tuff!!! They were electric with many large panels that lit alternatively on a black background decorated with multi-colored scroll designs. When the house lights were turned off the costumes were "outasight". The Who were the most fantastic group I have ever seen on stage. They really turned everybody on. Keith Moon has to be the greatest drummer ever and he actually tears up his psychedelic drum set. As a matter of fact, the whole group tears up everything from mikes to their amplifiers. Pete Townshend threw his flaming guitar thirty feet into the air and let it smash to the stage while smoke billowed from his amplifier and filled the auditorium. The group finished their act by standing on what was left of their amplifiers, waving confederate flags. They were all very nice guys and especially Keith Moon. Herman's Hermits ended the show with their usual antics and the style that has made them famous. They did all their big hits, including Mrs. Brown and Don't Go Out Into The Rain. The only member of The Hermits I had a chance to talk to was Herman himself. AUDIENCE  He obviously enjoys being on the road very much. He said he would rather do a stage show than do TV or movies because the group works better with a live audience.He said the audience determined the success of the show. "If the crowd is good, we are good," said Herman. "If they don't accept us warmly or don't like what we do, we bomb." Herman explained that he is definitely not quitting the group for the movies because he is still young (19) and most young artists hit their peak around 23, so by that time he hopes to be a much better musician. One thing that bothered Herman about America was the attitude of older people toward groups. He feels they do not give groups credit for any talent. If someone has long hair and a guitar a lot of people consider him a "bum" that couldn't do anything else. In England, Herman has just as many older fans as young ones because they accept the fact that a group works for what they get. |
