Legendary British Rock Band Still Going Strong

Townshend Talks Up Who Tour

Associated Press

Roger Daltrey (left) and Pete Townshend of British rock band The Who perform at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in 1989. They'll play the Verizon Center in Washington next week.

By Jon Bream

McClatchy Newspapers

Fans come away from concerts with indelible memories of a particular song, a rocker’s outfit or something said from the stage. The star, however, may be more likely to remember what happened offstage.

That was the case of Pete Townshend and The Who’s 1970 concert at Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater.

“I remember it well,” the guitarist–songwriter said in an e-mail interview. “But I remember best having dinner after the show with the artistic director and his daughter who had a complete set of Winnie the Pooh stuffed toys. We had played ‘Tommy’ [at the Guthrie] and the director–whose name I have in my diary but that is at home, I’m afraid; could it have been Frank Whiting?–was encouraging me to continue to work on rock opera.

“I think [Whiting] might have been the first to introduce me to the term ‘musico-dramatic work,’” Townshend said.

His latest musico–dramatic work is “Endless Wire,” the first Who studio album since 1982, which closes with a mini-rock opera. On their current tour, which stops in Washington next week, The Who perform 11 songs from the disc, which has received mixed reviews but a “wonderful” reaction from concertgoers, Townshend said.

“Now that more of them are better known by fans it is even easier to present them, but we play lots of old hits, too. It’s a good balance, I think.”

E-mail interviews are about as popular with music critics as Barry Manilow’s music. Townshend, however, was as thoughtful and generous in writing as he has been in past conversations. He thinks this tour is better than The Who’s 2002 trek, which was delayed after the death of bassist John Entwistle from a drug-induced heart attack.

“Having new songs to play is what makes [this tour] special,” he said, “but also we are

WANT TO GO? What: The Who will perform Where: Verizon Center, 601 F St., N.W., Washington When: March 8, 7:30 p.m. Cost: $55, $80, $100, $205 Phone: 202/628-3200 Web: verizoncenter.com, thewhotour.com Tickets: 800/551-SEAT or ticketmaster.com

now used to working without John. We still really miss his amazing sound … but we are developing and evolving in new ways.”

On tour, the British legends are finding a mixture of young and old fans. Connecting with the crowd can be confusing for an over-60 rock star, as was the case recently in Boston.

See The Who, page 19