‘THE TWO’ HEATH McCOY CALGARY HERALD

It wouldn’t be a real Who tour unless Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey were at each other’s throats.

Last summer, when the band began its first major roadshow since the death of bassist John Entwistle in 2002 – a tour that brings the band to Calgary for a sold-out show Thursday – the two had a public row over the webcasting of their shows. Townshend wanted to make Who gigs available over the Internet, for a $10 fee that would go to charity. Daltrey balked, saying he felt “exploited” by the idea, and forced Townshend to pull the plug.

Guitarist Townshend responded by blasting the singer on his website blog.

“Roger seems to think when I provide bandwidth for The Who website, and for live streaming, he is being exploited in some way and wants a piece of the future profit. Don’t think there is much chance of profit when it is all aimed at charity.”

Another posting was plain chilly.

“Roger is my partner in The Who. He is not my partner in anything else. We love each other, but we are not regular social buddies like Bono and Edge, we do not discuss or share ideas, and we have no unified joint vision or strategy for The Who or for creative projects in general.”

This was no crisis in The Who camp however. Just business as usual. As Townshend explained: “Roger and I are in full accord about our lack of accord. Always have been.”

Daltrey seemed to admit as much in an interview he gave around that time on Australian TV, saying that relations between the two were better than in the past, when “it used to be a war in The Who.”

For now, he warned: “It doesn’t mean to say we’re going to kiss each other’s arses for the tour, because I’m sure we won’t.”

It’s somehow fitting that if The Who is to continue, Daltrey, 62, and Townshend, 61, should be the last two standing. There’s an argument that without Keith Moon’s anarchic drumming and Entwistle’s towering bass — both died drug-related deaths — The Who aren’t really The Who. Some fans have cheekily dubbed them “The Two.” But the eternal push and pull of “The Two” has been the core of The Who’s magic from the start.

PREVIEW The Who perform Thursday at the Saddledome. The show is sold out.

TOUR

COMING THURSDAY: Pete Townshend talks. The Who guitarist on new songs, TV and his legal troubles. COMING FRIDAY: All the sights, sounds from the Who’s first Calgary concert.

SEE WHO, PAGE E5

Photos, Herald Archive Roger Daltrey, left, and Pete Townshend of The Who admit they have rarely seen eye-to-eye.