The Tour, Toronto, and the Future (Long)

["Neil E. Weissman" <neilweissman@xxxxxxxxx>]

and wanted to throw in my thoughts.  I wanted the dust to settle a little
bit before I wrote my review of the show.  Now that I have some time, here
I go...

Let me start by saying that it was a good show, great when compared to
other bands, but only good as a Who performance.  I am from Philadelphia,
and like many of you from around the country, I made the trek to Toronto
to see what I thought would be an eventful show complemented by some
surprises.  To my disappointment I got none. This was the same standard
show that they had been doing without any of the fanfare and surprises
like the 1982 tour finale.  I compare the 2002 Toronto show to the last
show of the 2000 tour...it could have been more, but was not.

Let me digress.  When compared to other bands, this was a great show, but
by far not a memorable Who show.  Pete and Roger looked tired and in my
opinion were going through the motions...let's get out there, do the show,
and get out of here.  Dare I say that this was a "mail it in" performance.
 The songs did not have the furor and energy as other shows I have seen
(Hershey, Gorge, MSG 8/4, Camden), nor was the crowd that into it.  There
was very little jamming and the songs were not extended or filled.  Take
Another Tricky day for instance, it just skidded to a halt.  The show
seemed to drag in many places, especially in the middle where the
Quadrophenia set did not instill the "fuck you" attitude that I expect. 
As an aside, I did like Pete's little interlude in My Generation.  There
was something missing in this performance.

If this was the last show ever by The Who, it was not a very good one.  I
admit it is unfair of me to expect this band, led by two amazing musicians
in their late 50's to be in top form all the time.  Maybe they bit off
more than they could chew with the 4th leg containing so many back-to-back
shows.  Maybe they were tired from the Boston show the previous night. 
Maybe it was just an off night.  My disappointment was that the off night
should not be the last day of a tour.  By the way they performed, it
seemed from a fans perspective like this was the end.  I know a lot of you
said you liked the show.  I liked it too, I just wanted more and different
songs, more energy, more of an indication that they did not view this as
the last one.

I could get into the whole thing about the setlist never changing, but I
will not...not too much at least.  All I will say is that a band that does
not change its setlist is one that is not taking risks.  That being said,
I cannot tell them what to do not can I truly speculate what they are
thinking as I am not them.  After all, by touring are they not taking a
big risk?  However, if this band wanted to make a statement that they are
going to continue, I did not see it.  Roger said in an interview recently
that they had a few new songs that they had rehearsed but did not play
them due to a risk of bootlegging.  I do not understand that, but that is
OK (Roger, there is not a terribly large bootlegging market).  Further,
they decide to sell 4th leg shows legitimately for charity.  Great idea! 
But, then they play the same songs each night?  That does not make sense
because then, the only market are collecting fans.  If you wanted to
maximize sales, wouldn't you switch things up a little?  Pearl Jam did. 
They also stated that it would be unfair for Pino to have to learn new
songs.  Hmmm.  If he could learn an entire set in a few days, could he
learn a few more in a few hours?  Plus, he accepted the invitation and
resulting challenge to join the band.  Finally, as performers, wouldn't
they want variation?  Most fans do not care about setlists because they
see only one or two shows.  I care because I see more shows and collect.

Regarding specific performances, I am not a big fan of Pino.  I think he
has a session musician quality and the session style in concert.  He does
not seem to be able to lead or follow during any playing that is outside
the basic song structure.  It is not his fault, it just is the type of
player he is.  I do not know if I have captured this thought well, but I
know that Pino is the opposite of Entwistle, about as far away from his
style as you can get.  Pino is a fine musician and could be a good
addition should The Who decide to try to record.  He will be able to lay
down tracks well and add his own touch, something he will need to do.  I
would also like to say that Pino did a terrific job "filling in."  I do
not know a lot about musicianship, but to do what he did deserves some
credit.  Having played with Pete before, he knew many of the songs, but
not all.

I continue to be amazed by Zak Starkey.  Hands down, he may be the best
drummer I have ever heard (I never saw Moon live).  It would be a shame to
never see him play again in The Who.  He seems to get a great "pop" when
he plays, something that works well in this band.

The highlights for the show were where they messed up Won't Get Fooled
Again and seemed to struggle entering Sparks.  I admit, I like the
mistakes and the sound that results.  For instance, after the Won't Get
Fooled Again thing, Pete sang the line for Roger who was trying to pick up
the right line and get back on track.

In retrospect, Toronto marks the end of The Who for me.  I believe that
this is the last time we have seen The Who (as they call it) in this
set-up.  They may do the occasional show as The Who (I see from some posts
that there is a chance for something this winter) and they may even
record.  But, I do not see then doing another tour.  But, plain and
simple, without John Entwistle, this is not and cannot be The Who ever
again.  I liken this feeling to what some of the older fans have said
about Moon, and that The Who died when he did.  I guess these are similar
feelings.

I am going to miss this band both as a recording entity and as a live
band.  I grew up listening to the music of The Who.  I have especially
been fond of their stage show and humor mixing with angst on stage.  I
hope that Pete and Roger have a lot more music in them and I hope to see
them again live soon.  If it ends here, I thank them for a wonderful ride.
 My first show was over 20 years ago and I have been an avid fan for as
long.  They are a remarkable band, one whose music is timeless.  They are
band that rose from so much adversity during their career.  A band that
stands as one of the greats of all time, a band that will forever be
embedded in the history of Rock and Roll.

Thanks for reading...and pardon any spelling or grammatical errors as I
wrote this on the fly.:-)
New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
http://sbc.yahoo.com