Mesa del Sol review from Albequerque Tribune

["Brian Cady" <cadyb@home.com>]

Available on line at:
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/082600_who.shtml

Great musicians make great music, guitar great Townshend proves it
By John O'Rourke
Tribune reporter

     One by one, they've paraded through Albuquerque this summer, reminding
us of a time when you judged the quality of music by the quality of the
musicians making it.
     Great rock čn' roll guitarists. Steve Howe has been here, and Jimmy
Page. Soon Carlos Santana will perform. For those of us who remember when
rock was new, this summer could be our last chance to truly gorge on guitar
greats.
     On Friday, one of the best of them all -- Pete Townshend -- was at Mesa
del Sol Amphitheatre, playing on yet another tour by The Who, the Rock 'n'
Roll Hall of Fame band that formed in England 37 years ago.
     As he moves through his mid-50s, Townshend looks like a high school
history teacher. The ravages his body has suffered -- substance abuse
problems, hearing impairment -- are well-documented. Still, he steals the
show, even from the other accomplished performers who make up The Who.
     The venerable band played 20 songs in a 2 1/2-hour set, with Townshend
featured most of the time. From the first strains of "Can't Explain" to the
dying chords of "My Generation," Townshend on Friday put his stamp on some
of the best music of the rock era.
     The Who's music is well-suited for virtuoso performers such as
Townshend and bassist John Entwistle. So many of the songs, even the biggest
hits, are unstructured and meander along in search of an ending, offering
the musicians plenty of chances to improvise.
     On vinyl, "Baba O'Riley" ends in cacophony, but in person, Townshend's
soaring guitar work brings the piece to a spectacular ending. Keyboardist
John "Rabbit" Bundrick wasn't with The Who in 1971 when they recorded
"Bargain," so the synthesizer bits he adds to the song are new to most of
us.
     Entwistle is a perfect complement to Townshend because he doesn't
demand the limelight. He is one of the best bassists of the rock era, but he
has always been content to stand stage left at the drum riser, anchoring The
Who's music while allowing Townshend and singer Roger Daltrey to monopolize
the attention.
     So it was Friday -- until Entwistle let loose with a magnificent solo
on "5:15," one of three songs The Who played from their second of two
concept albums, 1974's "Quadrophenia." The other, better concept album --
1968's "Tommy" -- was unfortunately under-represented on the show, with
"Pinball Wizard" the only selection.
     The Who opened with a couple of songs from the dawn of their career,
"Can't Explain" and "Substitute," but otherwise focused on early-1970s
music. Anyone hoping to hear "Magic Bus" went home disappointed. Also,
nothing was offered from the two albums The Who recorded after the 1979
death of drummer Keith Moon.
     The song selection didn't really matter, though, because the various
tunes exist only as a vehicle for Townshend to dazzle with the guitar.
     Here he was alone on stage, tearing up an acoustic guitar on "Drowned."
There he was providing the between-songs banter, something you'd expect
Daltrey to be doing. And everywhere, Townshend was doing his signature move,
the rapid windmill movement of his arm as he strikes his guitar.
     As The Who passes through this country, Townshend is leaving no doubt
that this is, was and always will be his band.
     The Who sent us on our way Friday with a rendition of "My Generation,"
a song Townshend wrote in 1965. And, even though the song is about Mods in
England in a time long gone, it remains relevant today to what The Who
offers musically.
     This generation -- the one we're in -- judges music to be high-quality
if enough profanity can be squeezed into each meter, or whether the alleged
"artists" can work a dance step into the accompanying video.
     Townshend's generation judged music on the quality of the performance.
Quality endures. And so always will The Who.
By John O'Rourke
© The Albuquerque Tribune.

        -Brian in Atlanta
         The Who This Month!
        http://members.home.net/cadyb/who.htm