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Look Who is leading this season's new British invasion
By Steve Morse, Globe Staff, 6/2/2002

A cavalcade of British royalty is touring this summer:
The Who, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Robert
Plant, and of course, Ozzy Osbourne. But the act that
could steal the spotlight is The Who, just as it did
at the Concert for New York last fall when it
slam-dunked fellow rock patriarchs (Keith and Mick,
among them) and all the younger acts as well. 

So don't believe Who singer Roger Daltrey when he
says, "We're at the pinnacle of our decline." That's a
great line, but the truth is that the British mods
still have some octane left in the tank. The group is
at the Tweeter Center July 17 (with Plant opening),
and you can be sure the shed will be vibrating that
night.

"I'm falling apart gracefully, but I find that the
stage keeps me in shape," says Daltrey.

The Who will play its hits this summer, but also
"explore material we haven't done very much,
especially from 'The Who By Numbers' album," says
Daltrey. "Going back to that is like being presented
with new material."

And, who knows, assuming the tour goes well, the band
may even make an album of officially new material this
fall. Not bad for a group that has already done a
couple of supposed "farewell tours."

The Who has won many new admirers since its epochal
set at the Concert for New York at Madison Square
Garden, where it upstaged Paul McCartney, Bowie, and
others, especially by playing the Who classic "Won't
Get Fooled Again," which has become a newly adopted
anthem against the terrorist hijackers.

"We questioned whether or not we should do it, but
then we said, `Let's show them what The Who is all
about,'" says Daltrey. "Sept. 11 was a wake-up call
for all of us. We were in a city with a broken heart
and we thought people might want to hear that song.
And that whole night meant a lot to me personally. I
was born during World War II when London was being
bombed."

Daltrey and Who mates Pete Townshend and John
Entwistle have had their differences in the last
couple of decades, but a steadying factor, according
to Daltrey, has been the talent of touring drummer Zak
Starkey (son of Ringo Starr). The band will never fill
the void left by deceased drummer Keith Moon, but
Daltrey admits that Starkey has done a better job than
'80s fill-in Kenney Jones.

"The chemistry wasn't right until Zak came in," says
Daltrey. "He's done a fantastic job. He's an animal on
the drums." 

Future Who plans, he says, could entail releasing a
DVD of the musical "Quadrophenia," as well as a
possible concert of the group's better-known musical,
"Tommy." And the band is continuing to work toward a
movie on Moon's life. "I don't want just a biopic. I
want a dramatized film," says Daltrey. "It has to be
deeper than just a biopic."

For now, The Who will just keep revving up the guitars
and hitting the road. "We've had an incredibly
privileged life," says Daltrey. "And we know this
ain't going to go on forever, so we're going to enjoy
it as long as we can."


=====
- -Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com
Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com

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