The Who’s John Entwistle is leaving such a trail on his first solo tour since 1988. He set out in January to relieve his frustration about not performing, but he has experienced plenty of it along the way.

"It’s fun playing for such a close audience," says the 51-year-old British rocker who provided the thunderous backbone to the Who’s self-styled "maximum R and B."

"But the down side is, my equipment is a little bit too heavy for the clubs. When you do the sound check, the equipment sounds wonderful, but by the time the lights and the P.A. are on, it’s sucking the power and it’s nothing like the sound you originally had."

Entwistle’s road stories also involve lighting men leaving him in the dark between songs and bass guitars that don’t function properly. His solution? Stand with arms folded until the lights are back up, then smash the offending instrument.

"I was a little frustrated with the bass I’ve been using so I figured the easiest way was to end its days. It landed on the floor and it’s now got huge cracks along it," Entwistle says.

"Unusable but sellable."

Impatience leads to strange behavior for the sole Who member noted for standing still on stage. During the tumultuous career of the mod band that rose from the streets of London, Townshend leaped around and smashed guitars, Roger Daltrey flailed his arms as he sang and Keith Moon generally acted like a madman. They supplied the aggressive character of the band, while Entwistle was the strong, silent type — though he wrote some of the band’s heaviest songs.

(As far as Entwistle is concerned, there is "absolutely no chance in hell" of a future Who reunion. "I’m pushing my own career now.")

He says audiences seem to enjoy seeing his band play old Who material, as well as songs from his most recent solo project, The Rock.

Recorded in 1988, The Rock languished after the record company Entwistle was about to sign with ran into legal and financial problems. To coincide with the tour, the album has been revived and released in a limited collectors’ edition with liner notes and original cover art by the bassist. It will be available at Barrymore’s.

Entwistle will perform with a band made up of New York musicians assembled by drummer/producer Steve Luongo, an old friend who encouraged him to tour and helped plan the three-month North American excursion. Guitarist Godfrey Townsend (no relation to Townshend), keyboardist Alan St. Jon, and Luongo make up the group. All four share the vocal duties.

"It feels great," Entwistle says. "I’m dealing with a different P.A., different monitors and different soundmen and lighting men every night, but the rest of it compensates. I’m just glad the audience is smiling. When they’re having fun, so are we."