When I was a teenager I was full of teen angst and in the midst of all of this The Who released their double album masterpiece Quadrophenia. Quadrophenia was to teen angst what alcohol is to us, and I loved (love) that album. Upon its release The Who went on tour to perform it, but canceled after about the 3rd engagement, long before they got to my city. There was a lot of computerized parts to the music, and when they tried to do it live, -it was a disaster. They announced they would never play Quadrophenia live again. This was around 1974.

Fast forward to 2012/2013 and all the advances in technology, and The Who was now able to play Quadrophenia live. They announced a tour and were coming to my city in early 2013 to play the entire album, at a venue that is 15 minutes walking distance from my home.

While I always drank to excess every day, I really drank to excess when I was having fun. Sure, I drank when things went bad, but the highest consumption always involved the good times. The more fun, the greater the binge. I desperately wanted to go, but I did not. I might have gone if it was on a Friday, but it was a week night. No way was I getting out of that concert with anything less than a 3 day hangover and calling out of work. Impossible. So I did not go. This was almost exactly one year before I discovered TSM. It was all very sad and depressing.

Yesterday my wife came home with a wedding invitation from a colleague at work. Another fun time, -and normally too dangerous for me. A wedding might not be fun enough for a 3 day hang-over, but more than fun enough for me to embarrass myself and my wife in front of her co-workers. For the past decade or so I would have issued a catagorical "no", and my wife would have been quite angry with me that she would have to go alone without her husband. A quarel would likely insue. If I told her the real reason, she would just say: "well, you don't have to get drunk". She of course, never understood, -so instead I would just play the recluse and say I hated social things and preferred to stay home. I would feel awful, -but it was the lesser of the two evils.

But what a change TSM makes! Yesterday I happily said yes to that wedding invitation without the slightest bit of worry, and I am very excited about going. My recluse days are over! And if The Who were ever to return (unlikely), -I could now go there as well.

Thank you, Dr. Sinclair

Clarion, I think The Who are touring right now, actually. I don't know if they are coming to where you live, though,or what the set list is.

That is a sad story: I love music too so I can appreciate how much you hated missing out. But the GREAT part of the story is that you don't have to worry about things like that happening anymore.

Good for you!! Newlife

What a lovely story Clarion ! I am so happy for you - and for your wife !!!

Hugs, Maggie