THE WHO
AT
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA.
7/3/02
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
The british invasion is clearly not nearly over as the west coast is overrun by those overseas people with their charming funny accents and powerful rebellious rock and roll. God save us all, forget the Queen!! It always makes me wonder how the british folks sound so different when they are singing songs as opposed to how they talk. There are no accents in their musical voices. Paul McCartney has just finished making his rounds about the U.S., the Who is on tour now, and The Rolling Stones are about to take over the states with a complete tour of small clubs, arenas, and stadiums. It leaves us little to wonder about why it was called the british invasion, nothing to be scared about, this is the good kind of invasion. This show did have a somber note though as the audience and band were all in mourning for the loss of our dear friend and countryman John Entwistle, legendary bassist and founding member of the Who. I say "countryman" with all the love my heart can muster and without belying context as in the land of rock and roll there are no borders. John Entwistle died as much of a countryman as any of my fellow Americans, in sin city baby, viva Las Vegas!! A few days before what was to be a landmark performance of two nights of the Who at the Joint, John Entwistle checked in to the Hard Rock Hotel and never checked out. On the day before the Who was to perform in front of a small intimate crowd, the news rocked the world that Entwistle had been found deceased in his room at the hotel.To tell the truth, I never thought this show was going to happen. I figured that it would at best be postponed, if it happened at all. I was shocked, yet delighted to hear that only the two Vegas performances were canceled and the rest of the tour was going to remain as slated. The band was given blessings from Entwistle's family to forego the tour. Dino Palladino, a session musician that has contributed on a Pete Townsend solo album and has also toured with Roger Daltrey, was chosen to honor the emotionless, yet provocative stance of John Entwistle. The tour took on a new theme as a memoriam for Entwistle. The images were saddening and heartfelt as scenes from his life played out on the big screens at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. The show, however, was still "the Who" and they were outstanding, as always. You couldn't feel the bass as much, I think they had the bass turned down from the normal ear drum shattering of Entwistle's thump. When Daltrey and Townsend came out on the stage the air was thick with anticipation and wonderment, they wasted no time to say "I Can't Explain" that's why I'm feeling blue.
The band sounded right on the money and I was lucky enough to see the Who with John Entwistle on two different tours. I thought the stand in was holding his own as the two remaining members of the Who showed no signs of age. At least in respects to their musical prowess, belting out the lyrics and keeping the guitars strings weathered and worn by strumming and picking their timeless licks again and again. Dino Palladino was a "Substitute" for another guy, he looks pretty tall but his heels are high. The rest of the band also deserves a little introduction, sitting in with the Who for this tour is, Zachary Starkey, son of another legendary british invader. With a Beattle's son on the drum kit and Towsend's brother even playing guitar and singing part of a three part harmony for "The Kids Are Alright." The stature of this band was still something to be reckoned with even after the loss of one fourth of this band's original zeal. Can you relate to the next scenario, "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," "Who Are You" when it's just another "Tricky Day" you'd better "Relay" a message that seeing the Who is a "Bargain," call it the best I ever had. Furthermore, let me indulge myself to tell you they're all wasted and out with "Baba O'Riley." They made their way to the "Eminence Front" and stopped to dance in the "Sea and Sand." Ready to go home, everyone there was out of their brain on the "5.15."
Just after "Eminence Front," somebody in the audience must have screamed something loud enough for the band to hear because Pete Townsend responded with, "take as much as you like, just don't give it to 'im" and he pointed at Roger Daltrey. The sound was great, except for a big pop during one of the songs. I guess there was also a problem with one of the stage monitors that we couldn't hear, because right at the end of "5.15" Daltrey remarked through the mike to one of the sound technicians, "There's some kind of feedback on the stage and it's driving us crazy." The show was phenomenal, the only song I didn't hear that I wanted to hear was "Magic Bus" and maybe "Happy Jack." The music was just so loud and in your face. These two guitar men are a rare breed of dinosaurs that still roam the world displaying the nature of their calling to all who would listen, true showmen with a lot show left in 'em. The highlight of the show for me was "Who Are You," this was extra special as Roger Daltrey just sang the first three songs, but he pulled out an acoustic guitar with this beautiful pick guard and accompanied Pete for one of my fav's. Special mention also to "Behind Blue Eyes" as the song was introduced by Pete he mentioned, "This one's a song that says it all there were three of us in the original group that had blue eyes one of those was John Entwistle." The song was moving and disquieting at the same time, a sense of loss was expressed through the body language of the band. Pete did a spectacular extended solo during "You Better You Bet" and totally freaked out the words for "The Kids Are Alright."
The show was more than anyone could ask for and then some as the set list was perfect and the band was tight as could be with a fair amount of avant-garde. Pete was doing his solo during "My Generation" and he was going off in that Townsend way, wailing on his guitar and strutting it all over the stage. He rocked backwards and stumbled and fell only to be miraculously saved by his own stage monitor that he had fallen into, which then haphazardly fell over as soon as it helped him regain his balance, and then he rocked back forward without missing a chord of his solo. If you weren't paying attention to what was happening on the stage, you would have never known that this concert almost came to a crashing halt. It was the epitome of what you want to see in a rock and roll show, spontaneity is live music and don't you forget it...lipsyncers beware, these rockers smash real guitars. My all time favorite Who song is "Pinball Wizard" and it was probably the encore because it stands right up there at the top of everyone's Who song list. They ended the show with "See Me Feel Me" and "Listening to You." A content crowd did not even make a fuss as that long awaited "Magic Bus" pulled out and left the venue from the underground gate. As for me, I still had hopes of being on that bus for a second encore to really send us off in Who style. Never the less, I was still quite content myself as I rambled down to the sound booth to grab a copy of the setlist. Thanks for reading and we'll see ya at the shows.
NICK RUNNING
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