Courier-Post reviews Philly show

[Brian Cady]

http://tinyurl.com/euyk6

The Who's 'dress rehearsal' rocks Wachovia

Tuesday, September 12, 2006
By CHUCK DARROW
Courier-Post Staff

Tuesday night's Wachovia Center Concert was billed as
the kickoff of The Who's 2006 North American tour. A
better description would probably be "dress
rehearsal."

This should not be taken as a slap at the classic rock
titans led by guitarist-composer Peter Townshend and
vocalist Roger Daltrey. Judging by some mid-show
remarks, Townshend would be the first to say, "Amen."

"The old stuff can sound just as crappy and
unrehearsed as the new stuff," Townshend told the
sold-out crowd following a mid-show rendition of "You
Better You Bet" which, to that point, was actually one
of the better efforts of the evening.

Indeed, the concert's first half had all the earmarks
of an opening-night gig. 

The standard material, including the band's
traditional show-opener, "I Can't Explain," "The
Seeker" and a surprisingly early-in-the-set "Baba
O'Reilly," seemed tentative and even, at times, a bit
soft around the edges. That was also the case for the
presentation's first new song, "Good Looking Boy," a
paean to Elvis Presley.

And then there was the program's most interesting
sequence, the 10-minute, seven-segment "mini-opera,"
"Wire and Glass," the centerpiece of Endless Wire, the
band's first album of new songs in more than 20 years
that will be released Oct. 30. 

According to Townshend, it's a semi-fictional work
about a rock band of a generation subsequent to The
Who's that takes its individual personalities from
from Townshend, Daltrey and the unit's two deceased
charter members, drummer Keith Moon and bassist John
Entwistle.

Townshend covered himself and his teammates by asking
the audience for its forbearance before playing the
piece. It was a brilliant strategy, earning instant
sympathy: The work was dodgy as all get out; making
matters worse, at one point, Daltrey's ear-bud
monitors apparently conked out, leaving him to
struggle mightily (and unsuccessfully), with the
melodies.

But glimmers of the diamonds buried within poked
through the rough, in particular during the catchy and
ebullient "It's A Hit," and "Dream Come True," which
references the death of 11 fans in a stampede before
the band's concert in Cincinnati in December, 1979.

And it's a mortal lock the group will absolutely nail
the entire suite when it returns in late November for
its sold-out performances at Borgata Hotel Casino &
Spa and the Wachovia Center. 

Townshend's self-directed sarcasm had an interesting
effect. What had been a program of somewhat mushy and
out-of-step pieces suddenly got on track. 

"You Better You Bet" was followed with the musically
tricky "Who Are You," which snapped, crackled and
popped it way toward being, arguably, the finest live
version of the song Philadelphia has ever witnessed. 

And from there on out, the set steamrolled its way
toward a typically chill-producing pre-encore finale
of "Won't Get Fooled Again." Along the way were stops
at "Fragments," a new composition which Townshend said
was composed by (not on) a computer, and a really cool
"My Generation."

Individually, the players delivered. 

Townshend remains a perpetual motion machine,
skittering about his side of the stage, regularly
serving up the "windmill" style of strumming that is
as iconic as rock music gets. And his lead playing was
inelegant and blunt, but oddly stylish and always
to-the-point.

Daltrey is no longer the klaxon-toned belter of yore.
But like Frank Sinatra before him, he's wisely chosen
not to challenge the come-due toll demanded by the
passage of time, but instead to adapt, transforming
his tone from flashy, defiant brass to mellow,
burnished woodwind. 

And rest assured he's still able to summon ample
amounts of spit and vinegar when necessary.

And of course, an incalculable contribution was made
by drummer Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr's son, who amazed
once again with his sure-handed (and footed) evocation
of Moon's inimitable bashing style.


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

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com