PROUD TO BE A PART OF THIS NUMBER

Saw The Doors Soundstage performances last night. These have been out on DVD for years, but I’m long past the point of spending money on The Doors.

Still, it was an interesting watch.

The first footage was from 1967, before Light My Fire blew up. They performed The End in front of a group of slightly baffled teens and twenties.

The next clip was When the Music’s Over from 1968. Even though there was no audience, Jim played to the camera with that reptilian charisma he had, leather panting and lip licking for a solid 10 minutes.

The last segment was the PBS footage from 1969. This was post Miami, and feels like it. Jim seems drunk, disinterested, and demeaned as he works his way through some old stuff and inconsequential new tunes (Tell All the People, Wishful Sinful).

But he snaps to life about halfway through The Soft Parade, and it’s like seeing a jet fly with one engine out…