MUSIC

Who rocked Tangerine Bowl in stirring farewell-tour performance

The Who, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and The B-52s in concert Nov. 27 in the Tangerine Bowl, Orlando. No repeat performance is scheduled for the area.

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By Drew Rashbaum

St. Petersburg Times Correspondent

ORLANDO — A marriage of modern video technology and stunning delivery of some of the most brilliant rock 'n' roll music ever produced helped to fulfill the Who's legacy as one of the most riveting live rock acts ever.

Some 64,000 fans squeezed into Orlando's Tangerine Bowl to experience the Who in its only Florida appearance during what is being called the band's farewell tour. Thousands packed up close near the stage, and security people handed out cups of water freely from behind barricades and occasionally hoed down the huddled mass in an effort to help alleviate discomfort and tension. A number of people, unable to withstand the crush, were lifted over the barricades and deposited on the side of the stage. At the outset of the Who's performance, Roger Daltrey implored: "If everyone could just shuffle back a bit and take some pressure off the front…"

Ever since 11 people were killed during a mad rush at the gates before a 1979 Who performance in Cincinnati, efforts have been made to guard against anything like that ever happening again. Still, the Orlando show was general admission, making the crunch at the stage inevitable.

A spokesman for the Orlando police said Sunday there were no major concert-related injuries. However, 250 automobiles were broken into in a stadium parking lot, according to Officer Kenneth Lemley.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts rocked hard for 45 minutes to open the bowl bill, and although group members were pelted with paper cups throughout their set, they kept right on playing. Next up, The B-52s' new wave music went over even less with the upfront crazies: Apparently insulted by the storm of paper cups aimed at them, they left the stage after an abbreviated 25-minute set. Both acts were poor opening fare for the Who.

Just as the sun was setting, the Who took the stage and launched into its classic '60s anthem My Generation. The crowd cheered wildly. A series of video cameras captured much of the onstage action, which was projected closed-circuit onto an enormous screen suspended above the stage. The video made it possible for fans in even the furthest reaches of the stadium to catch close-up glimpses of Daltrey's impassioned vocal delivery and Peter Townshend's acrobatic leaps and trademark windmill pauses at his guitar. Otherwise, the majority of people would only have seen a blur of inch-high figures.

For a large, outdoor concert, the sound was surprisingly clear, each instrument ringing above the din of the crowd. The two-hour show was a balance of old, very old and new music, spanning the group's prolific 19-year career. Material from the band's latest effort, It's Hard — including the title cut on which Daltrey made a rare appearance on guitar, bassist John Entwhistle's Dangerous, Eminence Front, and Cry if You Want — had far more appeal live than on record, but still sounded weak by comparison with the group's older songs. None of the music the Who recorded on its last three albums has the staying power of the works that preceded them.

I Can't Explain, the band's second song of the night, found Townshend immediately going into his patented knees-up leap and high scissor kick, while Daltrey twirled his microphone during instrumental breaks. The stoic Entwhistle — in a red three-piece suit that was a stark contrast to the casual, sleeveless shirts and jeans worn by drummer Kenney Jones (who is a good if somewhat more mechanical drummer than the late Keith Moon) and the other two members — anchored the left side of the stage.

The core members of the Who are being joined for the tour by keyboardist Tim Gorman, who did a fine job with a solo on Who Are You and the all-important intros to Won't Get Fooled Again and Baba O'Riley — both sensational, lengthy works from Who's Next that incited the audience from their opening notes.

In an overall performance of music that makes much of today's new rock seem laughable from its lack of depth, it is difficult to choose highlights: A stirring rendition of Love Reign O'er Me with Daltrey on his knees, and the emotional build ups on 5:15, I Can See For Miles and Behind Blue Eyes; tight ensemble rocking on Sister Disco, Long Live Rock, Tattoo, Pinball Wizard; the songs from Who's Next mentioned above; Townshend's gentle treatment of Drowned. It all worked splendidly.

After an encore of Squeeze Box and Magic Bus, the night was crowned with a world-class fireworks display.

While this tour is being deemed its last, and band members have been rumbling to the press about splitting up altogether, a spokesman for the Who's record label, Warner Brothers, confirmed that the band has contracted for two more albums. One release will probably be a live compilation of music from the current tour, but one has to be a new studio LP.

Above, a sign in the crowd at the Tangerine Bowl Saturday. Right, Roger Daltrey of the Who.

[photo credits:] St. Petersburg Times — Cherie Diez St. Petersburg Times — Cherie Diez

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