The Who's TOMMY...from the best seat in the house

[coachmcguirk]

I’m a drummer that was recently hired to play in the “orchestra” for a community theater production of The Who’s TOMMY. If you all are OK with it, I thought I’d write a little blog about my experience here. (I’m going to keep my identity and the production anonymous...at least for now.)

First of all, I have to say that I am REALLY looking forward to playing this show! I am a huge fan of The Who. I saw the movie of Tommy when it was in its initial run in theaters in 1975. (I was just a kid of 9 years old when it came out.) I loved it. I went to the movie because I was an Elton John fan but I also became a big fan of The Who at that time. The very first rock concert that I ever attended was The Who at Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Arizona in October of 1976.

As a drummer, Keith Moon has been a hero of mine since childhood. Over the years I never lost my affection for Keith Moon’s drumming and for the Who, but my tastes also expanded to include a lot of jazz musicians and jazz drummers. It’s interesting how similar Keith Moon is to (jazz drummer) Jack DeJohnette in many ways, but I digress…

I grew up on rock and roll but I am also a trained musician. I’ve studied drumset and other percussion instruments fairly extensively and--truth be told--I am a little worried about that formal training getting in the way.

One thing that I am going through in the early preparation for this gig is a reconnection to that younger part of me that just wanted to play drums like a wild man. As a “schooled” drummer who has spent a lot of time studying great jazz drummers, developing refined technique and economy of motion, I’m concerned about whether I will be able to rock out the way that this show demands.

Which leads to the show…
The cast has been rehearsing for a month or so, but the band joins in at the last minute. We will have our “sitzprobe” (that’s a rehearsal where the cast sings their parts in place—without any staging) this Sunday and then we’ll have 4 tech rehearsals of the whole production before we open next Friday.
 
I have played this show once before. That production featured a teen cast from the local Youth Theater. The kids did a great job and I had a lot of fun, but the show wasn’t completely satisfying for me simply because the kids couldn't sing the parts. “Sensation” is a challenging song for anyone to sing and it is especially challenging for a 16 year old boy who is still going through puberty. And playing drums behind a struggling singer is not a lot of fun. I am really looking forward to the chance to play this show with an older cast that has grown into their voices a little bit more.

At this point—before the rehearsals really begin--I’m obsessing about the music. I’m listening to the original recording, YouTube videos, the movie soundtrack and the Broadway cast recording constantly during my commute to work. (I have a day job.)

From a drumming perspective, it’s going to be a fine line to walk between the various interpretations. My favorite performances are the live performances (Tanglewood for example) after the band had begun playing Tommy before audiences. Those performances are more muscular than The Who’s studio recording of Tommy but they are not nearly as slick and polished as the Broadway cast version.

In mental preparation I’m coming to the conclusion that I can’t play musical theater completely in the style of Keith Moon. The reason: it’s difficult for actors to sing and dance to that unpredictable style of rumbling, frenetic drumming.

My role model for the show right now (aside from Keith Moon, of course) is Scott Devours. Scott did a great job of playing Tommy on tour with Roger Daltrey. He played in a way that was faithful to Keith’s original parts but also not a pure imitation. That’s the spirit that I hope to bring to this show.

I’ll write more as rehearsals begin. Please comment and let me know if you are interested in reading more of this thread.

[mbbab]

Course we are mate, keep em coming.

Cheers!

[Ineedanewname]

May 14, 2014 6:44:30 GMT coachmcguirk said:

I’m a drummer that was recently hired to play in the “orchestra” for a community theater production of The Who’s TOMMY. If you all are OK with it, I thought I’d write a little blog about my experience here. (I’m going to keep my identity and the production anonymous...at least for now.)


I’ll write more as rehearsals begin. Please comment and let me know if you are interested in reading more of this thread.

That'd be an honour. It'll certainly be interesting to hear about something like that from a behind-the-scenes perspective, plus we've got a few tribute band members on board who I'd imagine will be into the more technical side of things.

I'll sticky this thread to keep it at the top of the forum for you.

Looking forward to the updates.

[coachmcguirk]

Tonight I finally had a chance to set my drums up at home just like they will be for the show. I played through the book and ran through the problem areas several times. (This post might get a little drum-nerdy.)

The most challenging piece in the show for me is the Sparks melody every time that it comes up: "Sparks" "Underture/Entr'acte" and a couple of other places.

Keith Moon has a unique voice and it's difficult to imitate his style...but the songs require it. The drums, played a certain way, are part of the melody.

To put my plight into context: as a drummer, I grew up trying to learn to play funky, syncopated, sophisticated, linear grooves like this video of one of my heroes, Steve Gadd:
 

...but if I were to play stuff like that in a Who song, it would stick out like a fart in church.

Keith Moon, didn't play syncopated, linear grooves. His approach was more primitive (and I don't mean that as a pejorative). He often plays layered patterns. The bass drums play a steady stream of 8th notes and the hands play a wash of cymbals or a melody on snare and tom toms over the top of the thumping bass drums. It's a difficult style for me to get comfortable with. Even though I have heard those parts a million times before, I haven't spent much time trying to imitate them. I'm struggling right now, but I am trying my best.

I'm coming to the conclusion that if you get too slick, the drumming can sound a little out of place. Most of my drumming vocabulary sounds out of place.

I suspect that this is why some folks aren't huge fans of Simon Phillips' drumming in The Who. Simon is actually one of my favorite drummers and he has amazing technical skills, but sometimes he sounds too sophisticated and refined for The Who. (I loved it, but I hear that a lot of Who fans didn't.) Zak Starkey, by contrast doesn't have anywhere near the technical facility that Simon Phillips has, but the band sounds very authentic with him on the drums.

The drum score for "The Who's TOMMY" often leaves room for the drummer to decide what to play (for example instead of having a drum fill written note-for-note the drum score might simply say "Drum Fill for two measures"). Because my standard vocabulary of drum licks is out of place, I am trying to come up with parts that will work well and sound authentic every time. It's ironic because Keith Moon's approach had a hefty level of improvisation in it, but in order for me to sound like him, I'll be playing a lot of preconceived parts. In those places, I'm either trying to copy what Keith played or I am quoting another famous Keith Moon (or Kenney Jones) fill. As it is right now, when I play through the show there are parts where I have inserted:
* The opening fill from "I Can See for Miles"
* The fills from the end of "5:15"
* A brief imitation of the solo fills from "Won't Get Fooled Again"
* Kenney Jones' fill from "Smash the Mirror" on the Tommy movie soundtrack (It's an interesting bit of trivia that Kenney played on that song and I think a couple of others on the movie soundtrack)

These drum fills are my own little homage do Keith and The Who...even though the audience will probably never recognize them.

I vacillate back and forth though in my approach to The Who's TOMMY. This is the musical. It's not a tribute band. It's my job to play the book well. It's not my job to be a perfect imitation of Keith Moon. There are parts in the show where the drums have to deviate from the Keith Moon approach in order to support the actors. THere is a musical interlude in Sensation for example that I assume is an extended dance sequence. The drums have to set up the kicks in a way that sounds more like "Hello Dolly" than "Join Together."

And none of this addresses the visual element. I'm told that the band will be onstage in this production. I won't attempt to imitate Keith's mannerism--air drumming during rests, twirling sticks and playing with a weird hooked wrist position. If it were a tribute band, I would strive for the look but since this is a musical and the actors should be getting the attention, I'm going to just play the parts as best as I can with enthusiasm.

I hope all of the drum talk isn't too boring.

The first rehearsal with the cast is this Sunday...

[Jeroen]

Thanks for this. I'm truly looking forward to the next installment.

[coachmcguirk]

Tommy took up a fair amount of my time this weekend.

My wife and kids were out of the house yesterday morning, so I had a few hours alone to work on my parts. While practicing I taped a couple of videos on my cell phone to illustrate some of the things that I wrote in the previous post.

I just turned on the video and started playing, so the discussion isn't the most focused, but essentially, I'm trying to point out that it's a struggle for me to play the sort of layered drumming that Keith Moon did. I'm sure there are drummers on this forum, in Who tribute bands, that are much better than I am at that stuff.

I feel a little bit self conscious about posting a video of myself (how vain, right?) but the point is to share what's going on behind the scenes and to demonstrate a few things that I have noticed about Keith Moon's drumming. 



I also made a video that included some of the Keith Moon and Kenney Jones licks that I will be playing in this production. "Kettle of Fish," Smash the Mirror and I Can See for Miles.


This morning we had our first rehearsal with the cast.

It was a pretty early call--9:00 AM and the load in was especially challenging! For this production the band is on a riser, 10 feet above the stage! It's a pretty impressive set, considering the scale of the venue. We're performing in a hall that seats just over 400 people. It's not a huge room but not tiny either.

The set includes lots of scaffolding and several levels of platforms. It should be interesting to see the cast climb around.

The band is partially obscured by a pony wall, but we are visible to the audience. We're not hidden in an orchestra pit or behind a scrim.  I played one other show in the past where the band was onstage--Rent. I like being out there with the actors. It makes it feel more like one big ensemble and less like the musicians are just hired hands, separate from the actors.

There were a few surprises today.

I'm not familiar with this theater company, but I was told this morning that it's a group that usually performs more conservative and traditional fare. In the past, they were known as the "light opera" company.  I'm told that the patrons are folks that enjoy standard productions like "Fiddler on the Roof" or "The Sound of Music." I think TOMMY is an attempt to garner a new group of subscribers. I'm curious to hear how the audience reacts. I wonder if we are headed for a conflict here?

Another surprise was that we didn't play much today at all. I was expecting that we were going to run the whole show, but there was a lot of technical work that needed to be done, so we only had a chance to play a half dozen pieces...out of 30. That might be something that audience members (and people on this forum) don't realize when they see a local production like this: the budgets are really small so our time is limited. I'm not complaining or making excuses. I'm just pointing out that opening night might only be the third or fourth full run through that the entire cast and orchestra has had together. (The cast has been rehearsing for several weeks, but not with the band.) That's part of the thrill.

I'm not a pro drummer but I like to approach gigs like this as if it were a big time, professional show; so I've spent a fair amount of time practicing my parts. I'm confident that I'll be able to play the show with authority and conviction, even on opening night.

As far as the cast goes. They're solid. It's going to be a really good production.
Tommy has an impressive upper register. Not only can he hit all of the high notes, there were parts where he was embellishing the melody with chord tones that are HIGHER than the written melody. He's definitely a strong high-tenor in the style of Michael Ceveris. He's not a throaty rock and roll singer like Roger Daltrey, but then again who is?

I'll be attending another rehearsal tomorrow but the band is optional--it's another night of technical issues. Then we run the show in rehearsals on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Friday is opening night.

[coachmcguirk]

Tonight's rehearsal was weird.

The band wasn't officially called for rehearsal so only half of us were there. We were expecting to sit around for most of the evening while the production team worked on lighting cues, but we ended up running the show the whole way through.

The weird part?

This:

Only half of the band was there...so that left some holes in the music. That makes for a strange playing experience. On top of that, there were no mics and no monitors tonight. I'm usually pretty good about playing quietly but for this show, I don't want the cast or the director to get used to quiet drums. I think the show demands some assertive drumming and I don't want to give them a quieter option. I don't want them to say, "Can you go back to the way you played it last night?"

But here's why that makes for a really weird rehearsal: I am behind a plexiglass screen. So with no monitors and behind a plexiglass screen, just about the only thing that I could hear was ME. It was really loud but I couldn't wear earplugs because then I wouldn't be able to hear the rest of the band at all. As it was, I could only hear little bits of the other musicians'  parts. I practically had to "play by sense of smell."

The good news: from what I can hear, the cast sounds really good and they are very excited about performing this show. It's a challenge to put this stuff together so quickly but I think all of the pieces are going to fall into place at the last minute. (Fingers crossed.)

PS Is anyone listening? Let me know if you have any questions or if there is any part of the show preparations that you'd like to know more about. (Although my perspective is pretty limited. I'm just the drummer.)

[coachmcguirk]

Irony in the drum score:
The drum music for The Who's Tommy calls for two hi-hats and at least one china cymbal. In real life, Keith Moon often played a drumset with no hi-hats and he rarely included a china cymbal in his set up. ("Who Are You" is an exception. See photo.)

[coachmcguirk]

We survived opening weekend without any disasters!

We opened on 5/23/14 which, coincidentally, was the 45th anniversary of the release of the Tommy album.

Here is a little bit of humor:

The costumes follow a Steampunk aesthetic. They are all outrageous with top hats and goggles on the men and corsets on the women.

Now remember this is community theatre, not Broadway. The only restrooms in the building are down a hallway near the lobby...but the cast can't walk through the theatre to get there, so they have to go out the theater and into the adjacent gymnasium in order to get to the restroom. They have to walk--in full regalia--past basketball games and bleachers full of basketball fans! I don't envy them.

Back to the show... our Tommys are really good--both the kid and adult Tommy are great singers and charismatic performers. The feedback that I hear from audience members is very favorable.

Most of my friends have said that the entire show is too quiet, however we did have one older couple leave at intermission on Friday due to the volume. That's not surprising since this is a theater known for staging Rogers and Hammerstein shows, not rock and roll. Tommy at 45 years old is hardly revolutionary but it's still a surprise for some folks who were expecting "Oklahoma."

[SteveB]

Great story. You've obviously worked really hard to get to where you're happy with your performance.

[coachmcguirk]

We're about halfway through the run, so I thought I would post an update.

IMO the show is going really well.

In my limited experience in musical theater I have learned that sometimes opening night comes along and the production isn't really ready, even though it should be. As a musician, it can be nerve wracking to open a show that isn't well rehearsed.

This show, on the other hand, felt pretty solid in every performance even on opening night. The band is good and we all knew our parts pretty well. The cast is great and they are very consistent in their parts.

There are still challenges for me, even after the second weekend of shows. "Underture" at the opening of Act 2 is a thrill to play, every time we play it. The drum score indicates that the drums should be "barbaric" in that piece. There is even an 8 bar drum solo (more like a long Keith Moon style fill). It's a difficult piece to play and it's even more difficult to play it in a way that sounds stylistically appropriate (like Keith).

"Cousin Kevin" is a blast to play. From a drumming perspective, my approach to that song is more like the movie soundtrack than the original recording. Tony Newman played drums for that song on the movie soundtrack. I let myself get into Cousin Kevin's character a little bit. I play a bunch of chaotic, aggressive drum fills that feel to me like I'm slapping little Tommy around. (Don't worry. No kids were harmed.)

Most of Act 2 is a medley/reprise of I'm Free, Sensation and Pinball Wizard. One of the guitar players likens that part of the show to riding a roller coaster. Once it starts you just have to go with it and you don't even have time to think or breathe until the show calms down again at "Welcome."

Several friends have attended and clearly loved the show.

My wife attended one of the shows on opening weekend. She is not much of a fan of Tommy or The Who (gasp!) and she has perfect pitch (she a violinist) so she's a pretty harsh critic. She told me before the show, "I'll go to support you but, to be honest, this is probably not a show that I would normally choose to see on my own..." After she saw the show, she said, "I really loved it and can't wait to see it again." (Fortunately I have another comp ticket for her.)

The reviews have been generally favorable. A few comments from the local theater blogs:

"'Tommy' Rocks!"

"visually and musically appealing, with a breadth of imagination and depth of commitment"

and my favorite comment so far:
"The five-piece pit band, [lists band members by name] must be given great credit for creating a big, driving sound throughout the show."

[Jeroen]

Congrats man, it sounds like you're giving the show the 'Who-like' 'oomph' it needs. Keep it up! Any more technical and musical details would be appreciated. :-)

[coachmcguirk]

We're heading into our closing weekend. And there is not much to report. There were a few minor glitches along the way, but for the most part, the only drama in this production has been on stage.

I started this blog expecting that there might be some gossipy scandals, major conflicts or horrendous obstacles to overcome, but for the most part the show came together as it was supposed to and the cast was very cooperative, friendly and supportive. The only struggles have been my own challenges in playing the music in a way that, as a fan, I would enjoy hearing it.

I think being a fan of The Who has definitely enabled me to play this show with a level of conviction and energy that the typical musical theater drummer might not bring to it, and I think that has paid off for me. I have gotten a lot of compliments along the way from cast members and from the other musicians.

There are shows Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and a Sunday matinee and then we're done.

[coachmcguirk]

Here is one last little story that I thought was charming...

First a bit of background:
Our cast had one child Tommy and one adult Tommy. (Usually there are two child Tommys...but we ended up with just one AMAZING 11 year old kid who played both the 4 year old and 10 year old Tommy.)

As most of you probably know, in the stage production, child-Tommy appears in the finale, "Listening to You," and integrates with the adult Tommy.

Now also remember that in our production the band is on stage on a 15' high platform. So I am playing drums way up on a pedestal. I'm at the edge of the pedestal (stage left). I am visible both to the audience and to the actors that are standing in the wings waiting for their entrances.

Here is the charming bit:  I noticed over the course of this weekend that throughout "We're Not Gonna Take It" our young Tommy was standing alone in the wings, waiting to make his entrance in the finale. And for the entire song he was looking up at me and air-drumming along! It was really cute to see the little guy down there copying the dynamic shifts and the big drum fills of the call-and-response chorus: "We're not gonna take it..." pah dump bump bump bump pummm pummm!

Not to get too sappy about this, but it was also a moment for me where life imitates art--practically in real time. When I was 11 years old, I was inspired by those very songs to become a drummer. I spent my fair share of time air-drumming just like this little kid air drumming behind/below me. Looking down at the actor was a little bit like looking at a younger version of me. I could relate to the kid in me that gets excited by the loud music, power chords and big flashy drum fills. And then when that song ended, the kid playing young "Tommy Walker" went out on stage and his character integrated with the adult Tommy character. The action on stage practically mirrored what just went on backstage in the seconds before. It was a cool little moment and a great way to end the show.

[slipkid]

Thanks for the thread!

You're a very good drummer. I love hearing others' thoughts on Keith, his style and how it fits in to the Who's music. I taught myself to play by listening to Keith, and so the 'primitive' as you nicely describe it comes naturally to me. I do enjoy drumming in a more traditional style, but there's nowt like hammering out 8ths on the bass drum and pulling off a huge fill.