Review: Music

The Who reprises rock opera

By Dan DeLuca

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Last year, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle reunited in London to perform Quadrophenia — Townshend’s worthy-of-revival 1973 rock opera of male teenage angst — and, soon after, brought it on the road, stopping in Philadelphia in October.

It was a surprise, then, to see that the band, which tends to stage a last hurrah every seven years or so, was coming back so soon.

The difference was that, at Wednesday’s show at the Waterfront Entertainment Centre, the band was going to explore its full catalog of explosively intelligent rockers. The ads left it at “the Who: Live in Concert,” though an Electric Factory Concerts spokesman was adamant it would not be a Quadrophenia show. And the E-Centre’s concert line promised “all the hits and more.”

But when the trio — plus drummer Zak Starkey (who does Keith Moon’s legacy proud), guitarist Simon Townshend (Pete’s brother), and a gaggle of horn and keyboard players — hit the stage, it was Quadrophenia all over again. From the crashing waves of “I Am the Sea” to the soaring “Love, Reign O’er Me,” the often-grand piece was played start to finish.

If the crowd was disappointed, it didn’t show it. Instead, audience members reveled in the predictability: When a double LP is performed in sequence, it’s easy to get psyched for what comes next.

There were differences between the Wednesday and October shows. For example, Gary Glitter and Billy Idol, who played the Godfather and Ace Face, were replaced by low-rent subs P.J. Proby and Benjamin Waters.

But the most pronounced difference was in Townshend. Daltrey can be counted on to look like a Greek god and sing with raw emotion; Entwistle stands as still as a statue and plucks thunderous bass runs. But last year, Townshend played acoustic guitar and looked as if he would rather be home counting Tommy royalties.

This time, however, he fired up many a thrilling electric guitar solo, windmilled with glee, and sang “Drowned” and “Cut My Hair” as if they meant something. He looked like an accountant, but carried on like a rocker.

For the encore, the semi-acoustic warhorses “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Who Are You” were joined by three welcome additions. “The Kids Are Alright” was recast with an effective acoustic intro, though it then droned on too long. And “Substitute” and “I Can’t Explain” were brilliantly concise reminders of the mid-’60s, pre-rock-opera Who when the Who was a great pop band.