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Spirit in the sky 
The Who wails in member's memory 
By Fred Shuster
Staff Writer 

Rocking on in the face of loss was the mood on stage
and off Monday as the Who launched its tour with a
replacement base player.
The legendary British rockers played four songs in 20
minutes at the Hollywood Bowl, pausing only to pay
tribute to their fallen comrade, band co-founder John
Entwistle.

"Tonight we play for John Entwistle, the true spirit
of rock 'n' roll," said lead singer Roger Daltrey, who
was dressed all in black. "And he lives on in all the
music we play."

Songwriter Pete Townshend was also dressed in black
and wearing black sunglasses.

The sold-out show Monday at the 18,000-seat Hollywood
Bowl marked the start of what's being called a tribute
tour to Entwistle. The bassist and founding member of
the group died in Las Vegas last week at the age of 57
of an apparent heart attack.

Taking the stage to a loud roar from the crowd at 8:45
p.m. the band kicked into an early hit "Can't
Explain," followed by "Substitute."

Standing in for Entwistle was Pino Palladino, a
British session player who has worked on Townshend's
solo projects and numerous hit records.

The Who's 27-date U.S. tour was to have begun last
Friday, but that show and another scheduled for the
next evening in Irvine were postponed.

Until Entwistle's death, ticket sales, which ranged
from $50 to $500 in some venues, were apparently slow.
Few seats now remain for the tour, which is expected
to gross more than $21 million.

Townshend and Daltrey founded the Who with Entwistle
and the late Keith Moon in 1963. After the 1978 death
of Moon, the group launched a series of reunion tours
with fill-in drummers and last recorded a set of new
material 20 years ago. 


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-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com
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