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review of last night's show



here is a review of last night's show from the tweeter center by the boston 
globe:

The Who knows why its rock lives longBy Steve Morse, Globe Staff, 7/27/2002
ANSFIELD - And then there were two. The two remaining members of The Who - 
Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend - were criticized last month for opting to 
tour so soon after the sudden death of bassist John Entwistle, but tour they 
did anyway. And last night's show definitely suffered from the absence of 
Entwistle, but not as much as some Who purists predicted.  Bassist Pino 
Palladino, who has played in Townshend's solo band, filled in competently, 
though without the flash and power associated with Entwistle. Fortunately, 
though, Daltrey and Townshend lifted their own efforts and made this a night 
to remember despite the lingering squeamishness.
The Who roared out of the gate with early classics ''I Can't Explain'' and 
''Substitute,'' before settling into a rewarding night that had some rough 
spots, but ended on a fiery upsweep with such vintage chestnuts as ''The Kids 
Are Alright'' (with Townshend, looking fit in a tight black T-shirt, jamming 
on guitar like a man possessed), ''My Generation'' (with the line ''hope I 
die before I get old'' taking on an eerie meaning, as Daltrey even rolled his 
eyes while singing it), and the crunching ''Won't Get Fooled Again,'' the 
highlight of the band's appearance at the Concert for New York last fall.
The capacity 19,900 fans wouldn't let The Who leave last night until the band 
had come back (even after the 11 p.m. curfew) to perform such additional 
songs as ''Pinball Wizard'' and ''See Me, Feel Me'' from the rock opera 
''Tommy.''
In other cities, Daltrey has commented on Who bandmate Entwistle, but this 
time it was Townshend. With yesterday's news still fresh that Entwistle had 
traces of cocaine in his system when he died, Townshend said, in somewhat 
persnickety fashion: ''Some of us are still careful about what we eat and 
what we drink. We might not have as much fun as John Entwistle was having in 
Las Vegas; we're pretty sure he was enjoying himself - it's not to be 
recommended.''
Entwistle was remembered more fondly in a photo montage at the end of the 
program. Pictures of ''The Ox,'' as he was known, were flashed on two side 
video screens and the crowd got a chance to pour out, indeed scream out, its 
emotion.
The Who performed on a propless stage, with the accent on the music. Rounding 
out the band was Simon Townshend (Pete's brother) on rhythm guitar, Zak 
Starkey (Ringo's son) on drums (and what an excellent job he did of keeping 
the songs together, even when Daltrey's voice occasionally went out of 
control), and longtime associate Rabbit Bundrick on keyboards.
The concert started with '60s tunes, but moved through every era after that. 
The song ''Who Are You'' was capped with Townshend windmilling on guitar and 
spitting on the stage like a wild man. ''Relay'' was a crunching outake from 
the album ''Who's Next,'', then ''I Can See for Miles,'' ''Baba O'Riley,'' 
and ''Eminence Front'' led to a few songs from ''Quadrophenia'' (with a 
blood-curdling scream from Daltrey on ''Love Reign O'er Me''). And then came 
more nirvana with ''Behind Blue Eyes'' and ''You Better You Bet,'' leading to 
yet another string of classics. (The Who just announced it will return to the 
Tweeter Center on Sept. 27. Tickets go on sale next Saturday.)
Opener Robert Plant warmed up with a tasty set of '60s acid-psychedelic 
covers from his new album, ''Dreamland'' (the Youngbloods' ''Darknesss, 
Darkness'' stood out), before touching some of his Led Zeppelin bases, the 
best being ''Going to California.''
The Who
With Robert Plant
At: The Tweeter Center, last night