Jul
16
2006
What's A Clapped-Out Rock Band To Do?
Why, go on tour, of course.
My old buddy Blain just gave me a shout, asked me if I wanted to go the Who concert here in E-town on October 6. I'm a big fan of The Who, so I chose my response carefully. The only answer that made any sense was "No." Why? Why would I NOT want to see one of the greatest rock bands in history?
The Who were four men – Roger Daltrey, Pete Townsend, John Entwistle, and Keith Moon. Two of those guys are dead (Moon in 1980 and Entwistle in 2002, for those not up to snuff on their rock and roll history). So how, by any stretch of the imagination, can the remaining members legitimately tour as The Who? Granted, Townsend was the brains and Daltrey was the soul of the band, but still, in my opinion it's just not The Who without Moon and Entwistle.
Don’t ask me why I cling to some misguided idea of purity when it comes to these guys. I have seen them in concert before – in 1989. That tour was, supposedly, their "farewell" tour. Even then – seventeen years ago – they were old and should have retired. And really, at the end of the day, The Who is/was a band not of my generation. I grew up with and passionately love their music, but I was eight when Moon kicked the can. I was barely ten when the remaining members did their first "farewell tour" (the first of many, as it turned out). So why should I care at all? Because I love rock and roll, and The Who, in many ways, were rock and roll.
This whole thing with The Who raises one very big question: When the hell do 60's-era rock stars become too old to cut the mustard? And shouldn't they just retire already, instead of siphoning valuable concert dollars from younger, more vital bands; make room for a new rock and roll guard? The Stones are still kicking. They're still putting new and fairly good material into the world, and they're still packing stadiums. All of that at 60 years old. I guess when rock and roll is all you know how to do, that's what you do. A physicist doesn't stop being a physicist when he or she turns 60, do they? Especially if they still have valuable insight to offer? Are The Who putting anything new and worthwhile into the world? Does that even matter? We'll have to wait until their new album is released.
I won’t be seeing The Who in concert. Maybe I'll regret not going to the show. At the very least, I'll crank up Live at Leeds on the night of the concert.
