Who's Return Proves the 'Kids' Are Still (Basically) All Right

By Chris Dafoe

The Globe and Mail

Seven years after The Who played what was to be their "farewell" concert at Maple Leaf Gardens, the British group that once made the Guinness Book of World Records as the loudest band in the world returned to Toronto last night to take one more kick at the proverbial can.

This tour, which began Wednesday night in Glen Falls, N.Y., is putatively in celebration of The Who's 25th anniversary. That said, the question that has hung in the air since the tour was announced was still! Why?

There is no new album. Guitarist Peter Townshend suffers from tinnitus, a hearing disorder which supposedly confines him to playing acoustic guitar. And while the skills of singer Roger Daltrey and bassist John Entwistle have not diminished, that lack of decay is hardly an explanation for dragging the whole show out on the road one more time.

The Who didn't provide any real musical reason for the reunion with their concert last night. The evening opened with a condensed version of the band's 1969 rock opera Tommy, an exercise which only hit its stride at its conclusion.

There followed a selection of past hits, near hits and album radio favorites, crisply and competently presented by the trio and a cast of supporting musicians that included drummer Simon Phillips, keyboardist Rabbit Bundrick, guitarist Steve Bolton, a percussionist, a brass section and back-up vocalists.

The back-up band provided a musical safety net for the trio, thus ensuring that there would be no replay of the band's appalling set at 1985's Live Aid concert. But it also reined in the explosiveness that was The Who's raison d'etre – four guys making as much noise as is humanly possible.

There were, nonetheless, a few sparks, a few surprises. Despite the tinnitus, Mr. Townshend strapped on his trademark Rickenbacker electric guitar and tossed a few crowd-pleasing windmill guitar strokes at the conclusion of Who Are You, the song which concluded the band's first set.

Mr. Townshend also stepped out to play a couple of songs from a forthcoming solo record, delicate, yearning things that would wilt under the sonic assault of his old band.

And while longtime fans may have visions of Vegas at the thought of the classic power trio being backed by what amounts to a showband, the arrangements didn't cheapen any memories and sometimes, in the case of the excerpts from Tommy, added some appropriate punch.

But while the show didn't live up to the worst fears – that this greying trio would fall on their faces – it was clear that the fire in their bellies has long gone cold.

On the other hand, there were 48,000 people who bought tickets to last night's show, many of them kids who grew up hearing the defunct group on rock radio, who were told that this was indeed classic rock.

They bought T-shirts, posters, programs. Tonight there will be another 60,000. And more after that.

And therein lies the answer to the question, a question of math, not music. Mr. Townshend, Mr. Entwistle, and Mr. Daltrey will go home very rich men, relieved that they can still do it without looking completely foolish. But last night's concert gave them no reason to go home proud.

FRED LUM/The Globe and Mail

Roger Daltrey stands in a classic Who pose during concert last night.