POP

Who’s Powerhouse Blasts the Fans Away

By Robert Martin

Now that’s rock’n’roll.

For an hour and 40 minutes last night The Who blasted Maple Leaf Gardens with solid, screaming rock that shook the walls and left 19,000 fans only one place to go: on their feet and blown completely away.

While other surviving groups from the British invasion of the Sixties, the Rolling Stones for example, have had to resort to fancy flower-shaped stages and coutourier-designed costumes, extra musicians and pretty makeup, The Who still do it all themselves. Just four musicians Peter Townshend on lead guitar, John Entwhistle on bass, Keith Moon on drums, Roger Daltrey on lead vocals, and enough energy to make the James Bay power project unnecessary.

The Who actually caught their fans napping, and that’s hard to do considering that they were the sole reason for everyone’s presence. People had listened patiently enough through a set by the opening act, Toots and the Maytales, a good reggae group from Jamaica but were still throwing frisbees around the hall when the rights suddenly went down and The Who ran on stage before the crowd had had an opportunity to work itself up to a hysterical pitch.

They were still lighting matches as Moon sommersaulted his way across the stage to his drum kit and Townshend and Entwhistle did about five seconds of tuning in the “that’s close enough, mate. Hit it!” variety and the attack began.

The Who became famous years ago for smashing their instruments during the show. They’ve given that up but their performances are still as brutal as a frontal assault and physically punishing for their equipment. By the second number, Moon was throwing away broken drum sticks. Daltrey banged tambourines together until they shattered. Townshend, in the midst of executing one of his famous flying kicks, booted his microphone right out of its holder without even disturbing the mic stand. Only Entwhistle was still doing his patented imitation of a zombie.

But the visual assault on the senses was only half the battle. The Who’s songs are not what you’d call quiet ballads. They played material from every era of their long and varied career, from Magic Bus to the delightfully filthy Squeeze Box from their latest album, Why By Numbers.

The section that brought the crowd roaring to its feet was A Selection from Tommy as Daltrey called it. Amazing Journey, Acid Queen, Fiddle About, Pinball Wizard, I’m Free and Tommy’s Holiday Camp followed hard on each others heels to the truly amazing climax of See Me, Feel Me with its accompanying laser light show.

Glaring white lights revealed the crowd and the moment felt like the finale, but it wasn’t. The Who topped itself with a howling Summertime Blues and a My Generation medley that included bits from songs like Spoonful. The show finished with a rousing — but then, wasn’t it all? — Won’t Get Fooled Again and another standing ovation that was more like a sustained roar.

Technically the band didn’t miss a lick. The Who has been on the road for almost a month now and they had it all down pat. The lighting was truly superb. The man playing the light board deserves a credit all his own. The only flaw was the occasional bit of feedback from the ear-drum rupturing sound system.

During My Generation, Townshend sang the question “Where are you now?” He needn’t worry. As long as The Who is around, its generation will be around. Fans of good rock’n’roll won’t fade away.

-Globe and Mall, Tibor Kelley

Vocalist Roger Daltrey and guitarist Peter Townshend: a frontal assault.