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Sunday, July 28, 2002

By Scott McLennan
TELEGRAM & GAZETTE REVIEWER 


MANSFIELD-- Rock 'n' roll is not for the
faint-hearted, at least if you're a member of The Who.
     The Who's emotionally charged tour arrived Friday
to a sold-out Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts.
Those looking for an homage to fallen bass player John
Entwistle, who died last month on the eve of the
tour's launch, instead got some terse words from Who
guitarist Peter Townshend.
     Late into the show, Townshend addressed
Entwistle's passing, first with some kind words about
how he and the bass player knew each other as kids and
went on to form one of rock's most influential acts.
Then Townshend made reference to that day's news of
how Entwistle's fatal heart attack was brought on by
cocaine use. Townshend noted that Entwistle was
probably having fun, but the lifestyle is not
recommended.
     Some of us are still here. Some of us have been
careful about what we eat and drink, he said, making
that reference cover Entwistle and original Who
drummer Keith Moon, who died of an overdose in 1978.
     Townshend then led the band into a storming
version of The Kids Are Alright. Townshend and
singer Roger Daltrey, the last two original members of
The Who, expanded the song with some burning vocal
passages about their early days, looking for music in
the cracks of post-war England. Theirs was clearly a
mission of the soul, one they still take seriously and
one that no human tragedy was going to stop.
     The remainder of the 21-song show for the most
part affirmed The Who's passion for its music.
Townshend, 57, and Daltrey, 58, sounded as good as
ever. The two seemed accepting of the fact that they
are saddled to a particular batch of songs, and that
it is futile to resist the job they have been assigned
by the cosmos. While The Who's catalog is essentially
all about the angry young man, these not-so-young
men have learned how to take their anthem and make it
something more than simple nostalgia.
     Aided by longtime touring members Zak Starkey on
drums and John Rabbit' Bundrick on keyboards, The
Who also had Simon Townshend, Pete's brother, on
backup vocals and guitar, and bass player Pino
Palladino in the lineup. 
     Palladino acquitted himself nicely, getting
cheers for the way he popped with ease the memorable
bass riff from My Generation. Still, without
Entwistle, something was sorely missing from The Who's
sound, especially in the soaring material plucked from
the Quadrophenia album. 
     The Who cherry-picked its catalog to cover all
aspects of its career in the two-hour-plus show. The
band started with mod era hits I Can't Explain and
Substitute. It worked through its more high-minded
material from Who's Next, and Quadrophenia, while
also touching on slick material from the early '80s
such as You Better You Bet, Eminence Front and
Another Tricky Day. Why all three of those songs
were played to the exclusion of something like Magic
Bus is a mystery.
     Townshend and Daltrey had a fiery style all
night. The guitarist did his trademark windmills and
jumps throughout the set, and Daltrey flung and spun
his microphone as if Woodstock never ended. (Hey,
Rog', they make wireless ones now.) Their muscle was
enough to push old faves such as Won't Get Fooled
Again, Who Are You, Love Reign O'er Me, 5:15
Relay and I Can't Explain into the modern era.
     The Who left the stage after burning up a suite
of songs from its rock opera Tommy. Daltrey
perfectly conjured the drama of See Me Feel Me and
Townshend mounted guitar-god glory for Amazing
Journey and Sparks. The old men were alright.
     Robert Plant opened the show, marking his first
night as the special guest for The Who tour. The
former Led Zeppelin singer was in excellent form,
leading his band through a trippy set of
blues-drenched psychedelia.
     The set mirrored Plant's latest album,
Dreamland, as it explored the roots of the singer's
musical journey through the land where the blues, folk
music and rock 'n' roll co-exist. Plant and his band
reached dizzying heights on a reading of Hey Joe and
satisfied the Zep Heads with versions of Going to
California, Four Sticks and Babe I'm Gonna Leave
You.
     Look for Plant to headline his own shows in the
fall, and word is The Who will be back at the Tweeter
Center Sept. 27. 


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