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Re: Who Fans Mourn, But Band Plays On
> Pete shouldn't try to justify these things. It's a nightmare. They're
> doing the best thing they know how. Pete said everything is his first
> post: Pray for us.
Now, I don't want to justify their decision to continue - I'm trying to
be supportive, & yet I, too, have some reservations.
Yet the more I think about the decision, the less surprised I am. Let's
look at that checkered past:
1978 Moon's death - The band announces fairly soon after that they
will continue on.
1979 Cincinnati tragedy - The band announces very quickly that the
tour will continue as scheduled.
The only time the band *didn't* continue was in the relative calm of
1983 when Pete decided that was the time to hang it up.
When faced with big-time tragedy, the band seems to have this knee-
jerk reaction that Rock & Roll, & The Who's music, is bigger than
any band member, & bigger than the audience, too. It's the master
they serve.
Now, I don't know if that decision or mind-set is right, or moralistic,
or what. But when you consider The Who's history, it's not surprising.
Pete & Roger (& even John when he was alive) seem to have the at-
titude that Rock & Roll is there occupation. It's not treated as a luxury,
it's their job. And not a job that they begrudgingly perform; they're
happy in their jobs. That's why The Who is a working man's (& wo-
man's) band. Rightly or wrongly, they approach Rock & Roll with a
certain work ethic.
Maybe they're confirming to us again the power of Rock & Roll. The
power of The Who's music. The vastness of it. The enormity of it.
Too big & too important to be diverted by individual suffering & trag-
edy.
Sounds cold, yes. But not surprising.
- SCHRADE in Akron
"I *do* *my* job." - Pete Townshend