BB DETROIT FREE PRESS/THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 1989

NICW YORK -— The aura of history
'Ianpening was as thick as the humidity
I‘tu «day night outside Radio City Mu-
lt llall. ”'l‘onnny" had returned.

the Witt ), the British rock band that
't‘3 'tst‘tl the rock opera as an albutn 20
"en s ago, reawakened their “deaf,
dumb and blind”
pinball wizard,
returning him to

GARY:

GM": , the stage for the

-—.—* first time since
”INS“ 1970.

The 5,000

fans who paid

from $75 to
$1,000 to see
the show, a ben-
efit for autisitc
and abused chil-
dren, were on
their feet for the
opening salvos
of the “Over-
ture" and the
rousing finish of
‘1- 're Not (ionna Take it" ~ and
t,» 71» ot times in between. There
1. '- tlznx's , Roger l)altrey's voice
1i” :wl Hi the latter numbers and Pete
(t‘ ?.sllt’lHl forgot some of the lyrics to
ink . anon" but the performance
‘lit t.|lll't'tl as a major pop eulture
‘i
This “'l‘oninrv" was certainly a
‘tttt It'lll animal than it was when the
t t'i.:tn;il totir-pieee Who thundered
n : 'liL'll it settles oftitnes during 1969-
‘0 .’n;mgenients had been changed
it )lllt‘ songs to accommodate 'l‘own-
lll ml, llaltrey and John Entwistle’s
‘t'tpn-t e entourage, often for the bet-
"i' “lfyesight to the Blind” crackled
in a lastet‘, funkier gate; the instru-
tilt ital “Sparks" soared with synthe-
.~ ‘1, ignitar and bass solos and brassy
‘- I)! I « harts; a head-snapping “Pinball
‘w'i ant" ttnished with a bluesy vamp,
'0' "Sally Simpson” received a gentler
'~~'~tnient than the roeked-up album
' 2 alt tll.
‘ sn tL’ slides projected at the back of
t;tt1e to enhanee the narrative, the
qr , "ll! also altered the song order and
.nttt-tl the turgid “llndertnre” alto-
~ ll‘lt't. And it pointedly paid tribute to
we tli‘ntnnit 1‘ Keith Moon, whose
n .tnn attaek was missed 'l‘uesday, by
taslnng lits image onto the screens
taint: tltt' satlislit‘ “Ilnt‘le l‘irnie."
It all wet Wllll a rapturous response
in .i (l'UVWi whose mix of suits and
1e: and tie—(lyetl shirts testified to
longevity. There were

littttnnv's'

The recently reunited British rock band the Who played its rock opera “Tommy" for
the first time in 17 years Tuesday at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. The 40-
minute piece used a lS-member set of players and projected images.

enough to have seen the Who perform
“'l‘onnny” at the Metropolitan Opera
House and Woodstock in 1969, and
fans younger than the the two-reeord
album. which has beeome one of pop
nntsie’s most durable landmarks.

“I hate to sound elit‘hed, but the
thing is a classic," said Southfield—
hased radio consultant Fred Jacobs,
ereator of the t'lassie roek format that
has helped perpetuate. “'l‘ommy" in
the '80s. “lt was so unique, something
nobody had ever encountered before.
That they've (leeided to do it again is
perfectly acceptable; it’s something
that should be done on some periodic
basis"

Russell film, a symphonic treatment
and a ballet based on Townshend's
tnystieal tale of the impaired youth who
experiences the world through musical
sensations and turns evangelical after a
miracle cure. 'l‘hose treatments have
enhanced “'l‘ornmy's" aura, but they
don't live up to a Who performance of
the piece.

“We shouldn’t have let it go, but we
did," 'l‘ownshend said in an April inter-
view. “I think, now, that it has to be
kept alive."

Added I)a|tre_v, "It took us over at
one point. It was like there was nothing
else to us but "l‘ommy.’ "

Indeed, until
“Tommy," the Who
was known for anthe-
mic singles like “My
Generation” and
“Can’t Explain." Other
rock operas had been
attempted, including
the Who’s own “A
Quick One,” but there
had never been one so
focused and fully real-
ized. “Tommy" raised
the Who to a new plane
of regard.

Daltrey and Who
manager Bill Curbish-
ley proposed the idea
of resurrecting “Tom-
my” as a way of cele-
brating the Who’s 25th
anniversary. Town-
shend liked the charity
aspect; the Who hopes
to raise $6 million from
Tuesday's show, an
Aug. 24 performance
in Los Angeles and
from corporate spon-
sorship from An-
heuser-Busch to bene-
fit the Nordoff—
Robbins Music
Therapy Foundation
lnc., charities for
abused children and
the Rock ’n' Roll Hall
of Fame.

But he also knew
that doing “Tommy"
would send the Who,
which staged a fare-
well tour in 1982, back
on the road for a full-
seale itinerary. “I
knew we'd need a big
band and that it would be very expen—
sive to put on," 'l‘ownshend said. “How
would we make sure the charity would
earn any money? I could see . . . that
the way we would pay for it would be to
tour."

So the Who brought back “Tom-
my," and viee-versa. On Tuesday, an
honr-long set of greatest hits, plus a
cover of Bo Diddley’s “I'm a Man,"
reminded the Radio City crowd that
the Who was about more than “Tom-
my." But on its stadium tour dates, a
40-minute opening blast of “Tommy”
material has reminded the audiences
that the rock opera is still very much a

' “'l‘onnny" has been reinvented by
W W as 0“ 'they'dg" W

part of the Who.
And that’s the way it should be. If

this summer’s tour is designed. as
Townshend said, to “celebrate the
Who and its music," it's only fitting
that much of the hoopla goes to “Tom-
my,” which Tuesday’s performance
re-established as a vital piece of pop
culture heritage.

'I‘irkctsforthe Who 'sjuly 25 cancer!
at the l’tmtiar Silverdame are available
at the box office and Ticketmaster
outlets.

"SPECTACULAR E

****

”BREAMHINKI
Jack Nicholson, 1h

- Gene Sholit, THE TC

"Tl

WIC‘I‘OIII l—liu

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