Who Wears Its Age Rather Well

By J. D. Considine

Sun Pop Music Critic

Reunions are always a tricky situation. On the one hand, there are few things in life that match the pleasure of seeing old friends after a long absence. On the other hand, it's always slightly disappointing to see just how much time has changed things, so that reality no longer jibes with memory.

Such was the case with the Who last night, as the band brought its 25th anniversary "The Kids Are Alright" tour to Washington's RFK-Stadium for the first of two shows last night.

This wasn't the same Who that terrorized the London rock scene a quarter-century ago, of course; Keith Moon, the band's original drummer, died over a decade ago, and surviving members Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle were joined onstage by an extra dozen musicians. More to the point, much of the band's original fire has since dimmed, and despite occasional flare-ups throughout the evening, it was hard to imagine that too many listeners would have mistaken this late-vintage Who for the rough and rowdy original.

But neither was it the utter travesty some fans (this critic included) had feared. Sure the band revived oldies like "Baba O'Riley," "My Generation" and much of "Tommy" in rote performances that seemed distressingly hollow. But it also uncorked some absolute stunners, among them a brassy "5:15," a touching "Marianne with the Shaky Hands" and a fevered "My Wife."

How, then, is this new Who? To its credit, the band wears its age rather well.

Roger Daltrey's voice is as strong and assured as ever 6 as a warm "Love Hurts" proved, his high notes actually sound surer now than in his youth 6 and though his patter and ad-libs tended to corn, it was hard to mind. And, naturally, bassist John Entwistle was as ferocious a player as ever, even incorporating a few new tricks into his massive arsenal of technical accomplishments.

Pete Townshend, however, was a bit harder to gauge. His singing was great, while his stage presence was typically sarcastic. But his instrumental contributions were mixed. On acoustic guitar, he was wonderful, whether thrashing through "Pinball Wizard" or offering a lovely solo rendition of "I'm One."

But when Townshend turned to his electric, it was painfully obvious that this was not the same old Who. Playing through the public address system might save his hearing 6 because of problems with tinnitus, Townshend can no longer use the massive guitar amps that were once a Who trademark 6 but it does not flatter his guitar tone, which was flat and overly compressed. Artificial distortion, sad to say, just can't compensate for Marshall stacks.

Steve Bolton, the designated electric guitarist, did a passable job of impersonating Townshend's sonic snarl through much of "Tommy," but really wasn't given enough to do elsewhere in the show. Drummer Simon Phillips, on the other hand, was about as perfect a replacement for the late Keith Moon as could be wanted; though his playing was rarely as divinely chaotic as Moon's, it was easily rowdy enough to compensate.

The Who will repeat the performance this evening.