Who's idea was this?

Humdrum 'Quadrophenia' proves weak choice for Townshend and company

By William Friar

STAFF WRITER

LET'S tackle this review by running through the classic "Five W's" of journalism.

In this case, the first four couldn't be simpler. The "Who" is The Who. The "What," "When," "Where" are performances of "Quadrophenia" this past Saturday and Sunday at the San Jose Arena.

Then there's the "Why."

That's a tough one.

"Quadrophenia" is the less successful younger brother of The Who's other rock opera, "Tomny." It tells a vague story about a vaguely disturbed working-class English kid with multiple vague complaints. He roams around England before stealing a boat in Brighton and motoring to a barren island, where  in a drug- and booze-induced epiphany  he learns love is all you need, etc.

At the heart of the opera is a struggle between early-'60s Mods and Rockers, a tale of two youth factions in Britain that was already a dated curiosity when the band created the original concept album in 1973. It is hardly more relevant a quarter century later.

It would be one thing if great music made up for a weak libretto. "Quadrophenia" does contain some beautiful melodies, majestic power ballads and high octane rockers. But the music as a whole, like the story, is rambling and ultimately kind of dull.

The same was true of The Who's performance Saturday night, which gave no clue as to why the moribund project has been resuscitated. The show was generally over-orchestrated, bombastic and lacking in subtlety. The latter was due mainly to a kind of music video projected on giant screens above the stage throughout the show. Between songs, the video's narrator/protagonist fleshed out the skeletal plot of the lyrics one was about to hear. When the show

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RAY CHAVEZ – Staff photos Pete Townshend, fresh from a surprise acoustic appearance at Saturday's Bridge School benefit, continued to forego his electric guitar during the first of two "Quadrophenia" perfomances at the San Jose Arena.

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Despite his de rigueur histrionics, lead singer Roger Daltrey paled in vocal comparison to bandmate Townshend.

Please see Who, B-4