2000-08-26-Albuquerque_Journal
Who Still Wizards of Rock
Of the Journal
The Who belong with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones as one of rock 'n' roll's all-time great bands.
The band proved why Friday at Mesa del Sol Amphitheater, a stop midway in a 34-city tour of the United States and England that celebrates their hits.
The Beatles laid the groundwork for pop, and the Rolling Stones set the foundation for hard rock. But The Who may have had a deeper influence on musical trends over the long haul. Certainly its members were more dangerous, both onstage and off.
Punk rock was born of The Who. Punk begat alternative rock. Mix in some rap and you've got today's rock sound. Who, besides Oasis, still sounds like the Beatles?
The Who brought theatrics and movement to the rock stage during the '60s that others have mimicked ever since. The rock opera was a Who invention.
Jimi Hendrix sacrificed his guitars in a religious rite, but Who guitar innovator Pete Townshend murdered them in violent fits of rage and anarchy. (Garth Brooks just plain wasted them. What a shame.)
Millions of guitarists worldwide have borrowed at least some of Townshend's innovations, if not his stage intensity.
Townshend also was a pioneer on the synthesizer. He might have been the first to realize that a synthesizer could add flourish to a song, but it really was a rhythm instrument.
The Who's '70s music dominates classic rock radio.
So the band has a lot to live up to and takes a certain risk by conducting a greatest-hits tour, especially considering that its members are getting up in age. One of their early hits said, "Hope I die before I get old."
Friday's concert affirmed that The Who deserves its reputation. Though some of the songs were more than 30 years old, the entire band performed with a ferocity not seen in many bands half their age.
The three surviving members — Townshend, bass player John Entwistle and singer and consummate screamer Roger Daltrey — were joined by longtime collaborator John Bundick on keyboards and Zak Starkey on drums. If Starkey's name rings a bell, that's not surprising. His dad was in The Beatles, but was not a founding member. You figure it out.
The band walked out onto the sparse stage unannounced.
An enthusiastic crowd dominated by the upper end of the baby boom did not wait for the legendary band to begin playing before granting its first standing ovation. The fans in the expensive seats stood most of the show.
The Who rewarded their adoration with a blistering rendition of "I Can't Explain," which Townshend said was the second single the band recorded.
The song was followed with "Substitute," another early hit that highlights the unique Daltrey and Townshend high harmonic vocal style.
Next came "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," which Townshend said he and Daltrey wrote in 1965, a time of "discovery of music that we all take for granted." During the song, Townshend let go with two scorching leads that erased any fears he had mellowed with age or hearing loss.
The crowd roared with approval each time he uncorked his trademark windmill guitar strumming style. He switched mainly between red and white Stratocasters whenever he broke strings.
While Entwistle remained the stoic, except for his flying fingers, Starkey hit the pads with a fury reminiscent of original drummer Keith Moon. Moon, who made it de rigueur for rock bands to tear apart hotel rooms while on tour, died in 1978 of a drug overdose.
Townshend explained the background of many songs and bantered with the crowd, frequently joking about his, the songs' or the audience's age and the desert locale.
Crowd pleasers were many; highlights included "Behind Blue Eyes," "Pinball Wizard," "Bargain" and "Who Are You."
The Who still creates a wonderful tension live, even when playing a ballad. About 6,000 fans turned out for the show. The rest of you will just have to weep.
