The Who looks strong on the rebound

By Tom Harrison

With the memory of the Dec. 3, 1979, tragedy that saw 11 rock fans die at a Who concert in Cincinnati, The Who's first date of a new North American tour proceeded without incident Monday night at the Pacific Coliseum.

Like The Rolling Stones, the only other rock and roll band of its status, The Who has had to weather its share of heartbreak.

In spite of a tour of Japan that could have done nothing but boost the group's spirit, Cincinnati continues to haunt the group. Consequently, The Who — Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Kenney Jones, keyboardist John Bundrick and a three-man horn section recruited for live dates — has avoided talking to the media at this crucial point of the tour. The group took to the stage determined to deliver a rock and roll show that re-confirmed for the fans — some of whom had made hundreds of applications for a ticket through a lottery — that the glory of The Who has not diminished.

If anything, in the aftermath of tragedy, which includes the death of drummer Keith Moon in September, 1978, The Who always has re-emerged more resolute.

Monday's concert essentially was the same as that of the five-night stand in New York that last September that reintroduced the band to North America after a layoff of more than two years.

Other than the fact that Townshend is now clean-shaven, the difference between then and now is that the new Who lineup is now an explosive unit captained by a trim, athletic Daltrey.

Townshend uncoiled himself like a tightly wound spring.

Entwistle remains as stone solid as ever.

Jones — the perfect replacement for Moon — provides a reliable foundation and Bundrick, whose interplay with Townshend on the under-appreciated Music Must Change was outstanding, has given the rest of the group tremendous freedom.

With songs of passion and power such as Baba O'Reilly, Behind Blue Eyes, Who Are You, My Generation, See Me Feel Me (which brought a two-minute ovation just past the midway point in a long set) and Won't Get Fooled Again, The Who offered wave upon wave of emotional highs, not of nostalgia, but of the familiarity of songs that are the signposts of a whole culture.

It has been 12 years since The Who played Vancouver. In acknowledging their prolonged absence, Pete Townshend promised that "we'll never leave you alone again."

Monday offered no reason to doubt him.