The Who proves these kids are still all right

By CHARLES PASSY

Palm Beach Post Arts Writer

Why pay homage to a dead king of rock ’n’ roll when a legend lives on?

That was the thought that inevitably came to mind by the middle of The Who’s miraculous performance at the Coral Sky Amphitheatre on Saturday night. This, of course, on the same weekend that thousands were in Memphis honoring Elvis Presley on the 20th anniversary of his death.

True, they’re icons of a different sort: Elvis, the bad boy of ’50s rock; The Who, the guitar-smashing heroes of the next decade. But the point here is that Elvis’ act has long been gone — and what remained of it in his final years was sanitized into Vegas schtick. The Who, despite the death of drummer Keith Moon and the countless breakups and reunions of the other three band members, retain all the fire in their forever youthful bellies.

The Coral Sky concert brought them together for the final date in what may well be their final tour: lead guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey and bassist John Entwistle, backed by an extensive band, including drummer Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr. Even though the original threesome are all 50-plus years old, not to worry: The kids are still all right.

Oddly, the band chose to make a possible last go of it not with their signature work, the rock opera Tommy, but its neglected stepchild, Quadrophenia.

It’s a solid, cohesive piece of music drama, one that was made even clearer here by the use of video projections and characters on stage. (Supposedly, Townshend is considering making a Broadway musical of it, a la Tommy.) The story, told in nearly 20 songs, concerns Jimmy, a disenfranchised youth of the mod ’60s. His struggles are typical of working-class Britain; his attitude is all teenage angst. Some might call it Tommy without the bang and whiz of a pinball machine, but even Beethoven wrote a few nifty symphonies after the Fifth.

And symphonic is the only way to describe the range of this performance. Sure, you could focus on the individual highlights: the finely detailed playing of Townshend on acoustic guitar, the gospel-laden vocals of Daltrey (does the man ever age?), even a blazing solo by Entwistle in the explosive song 5:15.

But it was the depth of the sound that consistently impressed, the layers of musical muscle that came together in one telling number after another. By the time Daltrey concluded the nearly two-hour Quadrophenia segment with the rapturous Love, Concert review Reign O’er Me, one felt truly revitalized.

What’s more remarkable perhaps is that Quadrophenia was just that — a segment. After a brief pause, the band continued with several of their greatest hits, including The Kids Are Alright. Let’s hope the show never ends.