Great article on Irvine gig in OC Register

[Kimberly Thompson <lomara@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

found here: http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=3028

No one needs to ask who's Who
The Who tour reaches Irvine, with no one merely going through the
motions.

By STEVE FRYER
The Orange County Register

Keith Moon died almost a quarter-century ago. John Entwistle passed away
just three months ago. So, is it really The Who that played at Verizon
Wireless Amphitheater on Sunday night? Or is it A Who?

The truth is, the real Who expired when Moon did in 1978. The firepower
that made The Who the worlds greatest live band was simultaneously
snuffed out.

But given all that surviving original members Roger Daltrey and Pete
Townshend have endured, and the passion they put into their show Sunday
night, they should still call it The Who, no matter what cast of
musicians they have on stage with them. These guys have earned that
right.

What a surprise it was, to see and hear the effort Daltrey and Townshend
put into this show. This had all the makings of a
were-only-in-it-for-the-money gig. But from the opening thrash of "I
Cant Explain" and throughout the 22-song set, which began 15 minutes
early at 8:40 p.m. when opener Counting Crows canceled because of a
members illness, it was obvious everyone was very much into it.

Oh, mistakes, they made a few. The most obvious was Daltrey inexcusably
spacing out and forgetting an entire verse of "Wont Get Fooled Again,"
the final song of the main set.

As the rest of the band exited the stage, Daltrey sheepishly remained to
apologize. "Well, weve done it right before," he said. He also
mentioned the curious smell of manure had something to do with it. "I
thought," he said, "I was back home on my pig farm."

But that was not the funniest monologue of the evening. Townshend, one
of the best ranters in rock history, went on a typically delightful
tirade about the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, the gig that immediately
preceded the bands performance in Irvine  and the hotel at which
Entwistle died. He mixed in a few four-letter words as he went off about
the joints huge pictures of "my dead friends," naming Jimi Hendrix and
Janis Joplin in particular.

For the most part, the music did the talking. Townshend, using only
Fender electric guitars these days, played with ferocity. He blasted his
way through some stinging leads and crunched the chords for some great
rhythm work. Townshend, 57, threw in plenty of his trademark
windmill-arm routine, did a few mini-leaps, some hopping around and
appeared to be having a lot of fun.

Daltrey sounded strong, despite the flubbed lyric. He pushed himself to
hit all of those high notes that are featured in many Townshends songs.
He nailed the scream on "Wont Get Fooled Again," but struggled a bit on
some of the more demanding parts of "Love Reign Oer Me." But the dude
is 57, and its been a long tour, so give him a break.

Of course, Daltrey still looks good and knows it. As one of rocks
all-time preeners, he more than once unbuttoned his shirt to show off
his tanned pecs and flat stomach. His one-inch soles did not disguise
the fact he is not NBA material.

Extraordinarily long-fingered Pino Paladino filled in just fine at
Entwistles position on bass guitar. Zak Starkey, whose dad Richard
played in a band called the Beatles, doesnt have Moons manic energy 
but nobody else does, either. Still, he is a heck of a drummer, and more
than good enough to handle the rigors of Who music.

The set list included several standards  "Baba ORiley," "Substitute,"
"Behind Blue Eyes," a nice medley from Quadrophenia (still the best
album for anyone who was 15 years old in 1973, when it was released),
and "My Generation."

A few seconds into the latter, a 14-year-old standing to my right said,
"This sounds like a punk song." Townshend would have been most pleased
to hear that.

The shows highlight might have been "The Kids Are Alright," which
featured a quiet, strumming middle section during which Townshend sang
about how great it is to have ones own kids. "Just make sure youve got
some spare change." Amen to that. And Daltrey sang "Im still alive/And
still hanging on to the kid inside." Amen to that, too.

The shows encore was a "Tommy" medley that started with "Pinball
Wizard," continued through "Amazing Journey" and "Sparks" and ended with
the "See Me, Feel Me" bit and "Listening To You."

Hey, it indeed has been an amazing journey for Daltrey and Townshend. If
they continue to play with the commitment and energy displayed Sunday
night, there is no reason for that journey to end for them now  as The
Who.