I saw PF in the Hollywood Bowl (1972), in LA for the DSOTM tour, and then in Anaheim for the Animals tour and finally for TW in LA. In between, also went to a special screening of TW film in SF before it was cut up to be closer to the album, which in my mind hurt the story ... the stuff that had clarified what was most of side 1 and 2 that involved the father and the war. But the idea and thought of Vera Lynn is completely valueless for many listeners today ... that probably even think it doesn't belong there and could be cut along with other bits to make it a single album, not a story or double album!

Of all the musicians, in that band, the two that I enjoyed the most and appreciated the most were the drummer and the keyboard player ... and their work was fantastic, clean and very subtle ... you could not even make out the far out jazz'y bits inside, or the snare'less (thank god!!!!!) drumming by Nick, which was making such an incredible feel to the music ... when all the rest of the drummers in the world went strictly to the snare for time keeping (and copied Bill B senseless), because they were not educated enough to do anything else!

To see them today, and I enjoyed tremendously the video and will get the DVD, would make me cry ... because there was a lot out there in those days, from an artistic perspective that means a lot to me, that is not about dope, or crap ... it's about the spirit of creativity ... something that fans these days don't like because they want the chops and the solos, and couldn't careless for the music anyway!

I admit that, if anything, it will make me cry because I know "their time" (specially for that music!) is gone, and Nick will depart us one of these days, and I will cry some more. At my age, I want to be able to appreciate and honor these folks, and crying in these situations, is more about me, than it is about them, and my way of honoring them is writing these things ... so seeing this again, would be a nice door closing for the music for me, but a sad closing ... because so much of that music is gone, and no one is interested in even trying because that metronome drummer prevents the music from flying away ... and no one gets it ... least of all bands that have the ability to do something about it and instead get another human metronome ... the most disgusting thing in rock music, and a waste of a musician!

Thanks for sharing your memories and thoughts on this. I'll make sure to pay more attention to Mason next time I crank up PF. Thank you again.