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Re: Is this the last tour?



Hi folks--
  I'm a bit confused about the whole last tour thing.  At first, of
course, we all assumed there'd be no tour (after John's death); then, when
Pete & Roger announced the tour would continue, it seemed that this tour
would be it.  Then, after the Detroit show, their manager said in an
interview (at least this is what was posted to the list) that the new unit
would definitely be staying together, recording a new album, and touring
in support of that album (presumably next year or the year after).
  But...in recent posts by many folks, once more there's lots of talk
about this very likely being the last tour, etc.  Where did this come
from?  What is the deal?  I realize probably nobody knows for sure,
perhaps even Pete & Roger, but I was wondering if some fellow posters have
some new info, or what.  Has anyone heard anything to contradict the
post-Detroit-show interview?  Or are folks just assuming that,
despite those comments, the boys will run out of steam & hang it up?
  Besides caring about what happens for its own sake, one reason I ask is
I'm trying to decide whether to catch more shows on the last leg.  If this
is really it, I will; if not, I'll probably wait for the next tour.

Looking for info,
Mike S. in MI

PS--For what it's worth, and this is relevant to another thread that's
been going for a while (to album or not to album), I really would like to
see them record more & keep going in general.  Despite the tremendous loss
of John, they sound fantastic.  Also, in my opinion Pino has already made
tremendous strides towards becoming a stunning, Zak-like (see below)
replacement for John.  Of course, no one can really replace John, just
like no one could really replace Keith; but--most of us seem to think that
Zak is pretty close, doing an amazing job of "channelling" Keith, as many
put it, while also being himself.  I think Pino's made tons of progress in
an analogous way re filling John's shoes, and has done so in just a few
months (aided, no doubt, by playing w/Pete & Roger before).
  What convinced me of this was hearing large chunks of the Detroit show
soundboard recording as I drove back from that show (I had 4th row center
seats).  At the show itself, I couldn't hear Pino very well, and so didn't
have much of an opinion either way; in stark contrast, he was very audible
on the soundboard recording (which many of us, including me, will have in
our paws quite shortly), and sounded startlingly good.  So good, in fact,
I could hardly believe it--and he's only going to get better.  Needless to
say, I strongly recommend that fellow fans buy the Detroit show.
  Another issue that's been raised re recording new material is a worry
that it will somehow do significant damage to the Who's legacy,
reputation, etc.  The only way I can picture that as even vaguely possible
is if a new album were downright bad, and that seems highly unlikely.
After all, a new album won't get made unless they feel like doing so, and
if they feel like it, how bad can it be?  At worst, it might turn out like
FD or IH, which were arguably mediocre (for them), but even there I don't
see those albums as having created any real damage to their rep in any
serious way.  So why would new material?
  In short, it seems to me that their rep is essentially unshakable given
the classics they've already produced, again unless they did something
really tacky--and I just can't see that happening in virtually any
scenario.  Pete & Roger care too much about doing quality music to do
that, I think.  At worst, if they really didn't like how the new songs
were coming along, they'd can it.  And as long as the new album was
reasonably decent, not only would most of us eat it up, but if anything it
might enhance their rep because finally critics would shut up on the
"they're just an oldies band" routine.  Indeed, even with just one new
semi-hit (cf. EF, YBYB), they'd get more new fans involved, a new tour
would do even better than this one has, and they'd have even more
momentum.
  I also thought a recent poster had a good point that, awful as John's
death is, it might actually be easier for Pete & Roger to keep working,
write new stuff, etc. now, because they wouldn't have to deal w/John's
substance abuse problem, which has evidently been pretty bad for awhile.
It is indeed draining to be close to someone who's demonstrably hurting
themselves, and I'm sure took its toll on Pete & Roger.  Don't get me
wrong--obviously, the best of all possible worlds would have John around &
healthy.  But...he was sick for a long time, and that had to be very
difficult indeed.
  So it seems to me that if Pete & Roger want to record new stuff, keep
going, etc. we have every reason to be optimistic.  I was really surprised
to see some posters suggesting otherwise.
  And finally (for now), regarding the "are they the Who" question,
obviously that's a tough one, but IMHO they sure sound like the Who to me,
especially w/Pino's remarkable progress (which, unfortunately, has been
very hard to hear on the large majority of the gigs, with him mixed so
low).  As incredible as Keith & John's contributions have been, the core
of the band is Pete & Roger.  I might not feel that way if Zak hadn't
turned out so well, and if Pino wasn't sounding so good, but given that I
think they're still the Who.  If you'd asked me in advance whether anyone
could really fill in for Keith & John, I would've said it was almost
impossible.  But...I think it's happening right before our eyes &
ears--virtually a miracle, really.
  Well, OK, I've got one last thought.  Many folks have been unhappy with
the basically unchanging set list from show to show.  Of course, I too
would like to see more changes from show to show, but consider this.  We
all seem to be OK with listening to the exact same "performance" on their
albums--over & over.  So what's the big problem with hearing the same
songs from show to show, especially since the PERFORMANCES are definitely
different?  Sure, more variety would be nice, but for some folks the
unchanging set list seems to be a big spoiler.  Why is this such a big
deal?