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The Who and Why
Legendary band among many that have faced tough
decisions after tragedy
By Spencer Patterson 
<spencer@lasvegassun.com>
LAS VEGAS SUN

Over a legendary career spanning parts of five
decades, The Who has cemented its reputation as one of
rock 'n' roll's all-time road warriors, performing at
small clubs, concert halls and football stadiums
worldwide.

It's safe to say, however, that in all those years,
the veteran band has rarely played a venue charged
with the emotions its members are likely to feel
Saturday night in Las Vegas.

At 10:30 p.m. The Who will take the stage for a
sold-out concert at The Joint inside the Hard Rock
Hotel the site where founding bassist John Entwistle
died less than three months ago.

On June 27, a day before The Who's scheduled Las Vegas
tour opener, Entwistle was found dead in his suite at
age 58. An autopsy later concluded he had suffered a
heart attack Entwistle had been taking medication for
a heart condition and cocaine was found in his system.

As Who fans worldwide mourned the loss, speculation
was that the shocking death of the man known fondly as
"The Ox" might mark the final chapter for a band
famous for its many comebacks.

The Las Vegas show, along with another concert
scheduled two nights later in Irvine, Calif., were
immediately postponed as remaining Who members Pete
Townshend and Roger Daltrey considered their next
move.

Over the years, both had expressed regret over their
decision to continue on as The Who after the 1978
death of original drummer Keith Moon. Many assumed
Entwistle's passing would signal the end of the band.

But less than 24 hours later, Townshend and Daltrey
announced that The Who, and their scheduled tour,
would go on. With longtime session bassist Pino
Palladino taking over for Entwistle, the band played
live just four days after Entwistle's death,
performing July 1 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los
Angeles.

Though the shows since have been well-attended, and
generally well-received, reaction from longtime
supporters has been mixed since the band opted to
carry on.

"The tastelessness is in the timing," was a typical
response a Who fan posted on an online message board.
"I've never thought that this tour was anything other
than a revenue generator. Going forward for the cash
is sad."

Also providing fodder for critics are comments by
Townshend on his official website -- remarks that, to
some fans, sound cold and calculated.

"John's death created logistical and potentially
severe financial problems for us," Townshend wrote in
the diary section of petetownshend.com.

"The Who is not a charity. When we can afford it we do
charity shows as you know. I am not going to apologize
to those who think it's somehow wrong for me and Roger
to want to make money doing what we do best."

Such remarks did not sit well with Tony Fletcher, a
writer who authored a biography of Moon. On
ijamming.com, Fletcher recently offered this opinion:

"I maintain the belief that The Who should have called
it a day under their working name after bass player
and founding member John Entwistle died in June (if
not when Keith Moon died in 1978); I've also expressed
horror that they opted to proceed with their summer
tour despite the fact that John died on the very eve
of the opening show."

Frank Correia, music editor for trade publication
Radio & Records Magazine, said he assumed the band
would go on as The Who, but expected a bit more time
before their return to the stage.

"I didn't think they'd call it quits, but I was
surprised it was so quick," Correia said in a phone
interview. "But it doesn't surprise me at all they are
still calling themselves The Who. It seems to me Pete
and Roger have never really had a problem selling The
Who, so for them to keep the name is not surprising at
all."

Similar to Correia, others in the music industry were
hardly stunned over the way The Who handled
Entwistle's death.

"Am I surprised they went on? No, I'm not," Howard
Kramer, associate curator for the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, said in a phone
interview. "The obligations involved with a tour that
size are huge. There are millions of dollars committed
and hundreds of people involved.

"You can't just pull stakes. To ignore the impact of
commerce in the music business is naive."

Jason Fine, music editor for Rolling Stone magazine,
echoed those thoughts.

"At first I thought, how can they keep going, how can
they play without him?" Fine said during a phone
interview. "With just two of the four guys, is it
still The Who? But the more I thought about it, I
thought, how could they not go on?

"The Who has come and gone so many times, but if they
had given up now, they would never be able to play as
The Who again."

Dealing with death

There is obviously no industry standard for how a band
should react to the death of a member. In fact, over
rock 'n' roll's half-century history, bands have
responded to such tragedies in virtually every
conceivable way.

For some, the loss of a founding member is simply too
much to bear. That was the case for Led Zeppelin in
1980 when drummer John Bonham died in his sleep after
(as legend has it) drinking three dozen vodka shots.

Less than three months later, surviving members Jimmy
Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones officially
announced the end of Zeppelin with a brief statement:

"We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear
friend and the deep respect we have for his family,
together with the sense of undivided harmony felt by
ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that
we could not continue as we were."

Since Bonham's death, Page and Plant have toured as a
duo and played occasionally with Jones, but have never
been billed as Led Zeppelin.

How some other legendary bands coped with death:



The Grateful Dead played on after the deaths of two
keyboardists: Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (liver failure) in
1973 and Brent Mydland (drug overdose) in 1990.
Another keyboardist, Keith Godchaux, died in a car
accident in 1980 after leaving the band in 1979.

But when frontman Jerry Garcia suffered a fatal heart
attack in 1995, the group's Long Strange Trip came to
a permanent end. Though members continue to play live
together as "The Other Ones," the name Grateful Dead
died with Garcia.



Singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain's suicide in 1994 spelled
the immediate demise of Nirvana. Likewise, singer
Shannon Hoon's drug overdose in 1995 proved too much
for Blind Melon's remaining members to overcome. And
Sublime choose to disband rather than attempt to
replace singer/guitarist Brad Nowell after his 1996
drug overdose.



For Joy Division, vocalist Ian Curtis' 1980 suicide
marked both an end and a beginning. Though the
survivors honored a long-standing agreement to disband
if a band member quit or died, eight months later
Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris reunited
as New Order.



Similarly, Andrew Wood's 1990 drug overdose
permanently halted the brief two-year career of
Seattle grunge band Mother Love Band. But Bassist Jeff
Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard continued playing
together, soon forming Pearl Jam with Eddie Vedder on
vocals.

Going forward

More often than not, however, rock 'n' roll bands have
opted to play on after the death of a member. The
length of their break from touring and recording
generally varies, depending on circumstances.

Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd have endured more
tragedy than perhaps any other group. After a 1977
plane crash killed vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist
Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines during a
U.S. tour, Skynard disbanded for 10 years.

Skynyrd also lost guitarist Allen Collins from
complications following a car accident, but the group
returned to the stage and studio in 1987 with Johnny
Van Zant -- Ronnie's younger brother -- on vocals and
Randall Hall on guitar.

Playing on is often the chosen path for many bands:



The Allman Brothers Band has overcome the death of two
founding members and, similar to Skynyrd, continues to
perform to this day. Guitarist Duane Allman and
bassist Berry Oakley perished in eerily similar
motorcycle accidents in 1971 and '72, respectively,
but the group's surviving members plowed onward with a
series of replacement musicians.



For Australian hard-rock outfit AC/DC, Bon Scott's
1980 alcohol-related death threatened the band on the
verge of its breakthrough album. But a month later,
the group returned to the studio with new vocalist
Brian Johnson, recording the classic album "Back in
Black."



Bassist Cliff Burton's tragic death came in the midst
of Metallica's 1986 European tour, when the heavy
metal band's tour bus rolled over on him.

Two days later, surviving members James Hetfield, Kirk
Hammett and Lars Ulrich canceled the remaining tour
dates, giving fans reason to believe Metallica might
no longer exist. After auditioning new bassists, the
group introduced Jason Newsted as its new member a
month after Burton's death, and Metallica continues to
tour and record today.



The B-52s found it impossible to continue quite so
soon after guitarist Ricky Wilson died of AIDS in
1985. The remaining members were out of the public eye
four years before returning with their big-selling
album "Cosmic Thing" in 1989.



Guitarist Hillel Slovak's 1988 drug overdose initially
threatened to derail the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And
after drummer Jack Irons chose to exit the band,
vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea hired a pair
of replacements.



Unexpectedly, drummer Dennis Wilson's 1983 drowning
might have helped reunite founding members of the
Beach Boys, as surviving brothers Brian and Carl
Wilson began playing together again in the wake of his
death.



Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark's 1991 drug overdose
occurred during an imposed sabbatical from the British
band, which replaced Clark with former Whitesnake
guitarist Vivian Campbell.



Along the same lines, the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones
drowned in July 1969, less than a month after he had
officially left the band. Mick Taylor had already
joined as Jones' replacement, and played with the
Stones at their Hyde Park show two days after Jones'
death.



And though many classic rock fans may not realize it,
The Doors' surviving members attempted to carry on
their band's name after vocalist Jim Morrison died of
an apparent drug overdose in 1971. That attempt proved
short-lived, and just last weekend Ray Manzarek and
Robbie Krieger played their first show as The Doors in
nearly 30 years -- with The Cult's Ian Astbury on
vocals.

Losing 'The Loon'

For The Who, Entwistle's death marked the second time
the band has survived the the loss of a founding
member. In September 1978, shortly after the release
of "Who Are You," Moon -- the band's powerhouse
drummer and quirky jokester who was nicknamed "The
Loon" -- suffered a fatal drug overdose.

Townshend, Daltrey and Entwistle struggled with their
ensuing decision, nearly calling an end to The Who
after 14 years together. But after agreeing to
continue, the trio added Small Faces' drummer Kenny
Jones and returned to the road eight months after
Moon's death.

For some, the band has never been the same.

"Many purists will tell you The Who died with Keith
Moon," Kramer said. "So, many of the longtime fans
have already left The Who anyway."

Those who have continued to support the band in the 24
years since Moon's death are left to ponder its latest
decision. And, to consider what it might take before
The Who finally exits the stage for good.

"It think it comes down to the individual group, and
what they decide to do" when they lose an original
member, Kramer said.

"In the case of The Who, it's The Who as long as Pete
Townshend says it's The Who."


=====
-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
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