New York Daily News review of PNC

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

Available online at:
http://www.mostnewyork.com/2000-07-03/New_York_Now/Music/a-72012.asp

Woooooo-Who!
The old guys bring back the glory of their youth
by Jim Farber

There wasn't much reason to expect thrills from The Who's reunion show
Saturday night.
Think about it: A bunch of 55-year-old geezers would be performing
decades-old songs of adolescent defiance, scores of which have been sold to
any Madison Avenue ad man who would have them. True, the group hadn't
launched an official Who tour in 11 years, but they've put in so many
one-off appearances and concept shows (like the "Quadrophenia" tour) that
they now seem about as elusive a concert act as Elton John.
To boot, The Who would be performing songs that still eat up so much time on
radio, they practically rate as biohazards - material that should be buried
for hundreds of years until it can once again seem fresh.
So why was The Who's reunion show at the PNC Bank Arts Center Saturday such
an all-out blast?
For two-and-a-half hours, remaining Who members Townshend, Roger Daltrey and
John Entwistle (backed by drummer Zak Starkey and keyboardist John Bundrick)
whipped through their amazing catalogue with so much edge and joy, it erased
all the baggage the band and material arrived with. In this superfast night,
the group sounded hard and lean, honoring the songs' original vigor.
At one point, Townshend announced, "We're being The Who tonight," as if
describing an actor assuming a role. "If you know what that means, tell us,"
he joked.