DATE: Friday, August 22, 1997               TAG: 9708220072
SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E15  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: AMANDA LEEDOM, HIGH SCHOOL CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   50 lines

THE WHO, LOVE OF MUSIC HELP FATHER, DAUGHTER BOND

AS THE SUN disappeared under the trees and a slight coolness in the air whipped across my face, The Who came on stage at the GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater two weeks ago.

Now, I know you're thinking, ``How does this teen-ager even know who The Who is?''

Granted, I was not at the Monterey Pop Festival and I did miss Woodstock by about three decades, but I went to the concert with the knowledge of a few songs from ``Tommy'' and my dad, Tim Leedom, 40, a definite Who fan.

Not many people my age would be caught dead in public with, gasp, their dads, but my dad and I share a common ground: music.

He introduced me to the Doors, Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd and, of course, The Who. Besides, who else was I going to go with?

When we arrived at the amphitheater, I was convinced that I wouldn't see anyone I knew. I was wrong. Mr. Doan, a science teacher at my school was buying tickets in the line next to me. I didn't see any of my classmates, though.

As we walked up to the grassy lawn, I spotted the T-shirts. I noticed one T-shirt that said: ``Quadrophenia: A Way of Life.'' I wondered what it meant.

When The Who took the stage, I quickly learned. The story of Jimmy the Mod unfolded before me in between songs. Jimmy's split personality is called quadrophenia. It's also the title of a Who album.

My first impressions of The Who were mixed. Roger Daltrey looked younger than I imagined. He was dressed conservatively compared to the fringed jacket he wore at Woodstock, but he still can swing a microphone.

Peter Townshend, on the other hand, looked old. He got a big cheer when he went into his famous windmill guitar playing. I'm going to be called a traitor for this, but he can still play the guitar better than anyone in any band in my generation.

The quiet bassist, John Entwistle was, well, quiet.

The Who put on an amazing show with different characters and a narrative that played out in the background. Unfortunately, I didn't know any of the words to ``Quadrophenia,'' but when ``Who Are You?'' was played, childhood memories of me with huge headphones on my small head came rushing back. I sang out loud.

Overall, I'm happy I went to see The Who. Not many kids my age can say that they saw a band that started in the '60s that's still alive and playing today. I wonder if The Who, in 1967, ever thought that 30 years later they still would be playing and that they would help bring a father and daughter closer.

I hope so. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Amanda Leedom is a rising junior at Bayside High.

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