I have seen The Who twice.
The first time was 2002. I had the opportunity to see the band in 1996, but opted to not go. I knew the band was largely going through the motions with regards to performing, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to see the band perform Quadrophenia followed by a few of their hits only have a generally sub-par performance. This was a mistake. I should have seen the band then. Not only would I have seen a decent tour by a band that may not have been in their prime, but at least would have been worth seeing.
“My Generation”
As the band got back to regular performing they seemed to be, as I read about shows and online discussions, recapturing that spark making them one of the greatest rock bands of all time. In 2000 The Who were in the area but something prevented me from seeing them at the time, though I can not remember what.
When the 2002 tour was announced, and the band was reported to have the desire to perform not out of obligation but because they wanted to express themselves musically in front of an audience, well, I made sure to get tickets.
“Love Reign O’er Me”
Then bassist John Entwistle died on the eve of the tour.
In an issue of Rolling Stone before the tour Pete Townsend was asked about one of his trademark moves, the ritualistic smashing of his guitar. His response to the query was interesting in that he said he used to do it for shock value, then it sort of became an obligation. What I liked was he said he was not necessarily open to doing it again, but he wasn’t going to do it just because the audience expects it. I liked this because this meant the band was there for the music, not performing or doing anything out of obligation.
Kyle was able to go with us to see The Who. He had just turned 10, and we had fantastic seats, in something like the 12th row. And it was a good show. The band performed with a lot of life and the set was extensive with plenty of hits and favorites.
“Eminence Front”
At the end of the concert Pete Townsend smashed his guitar. It was the first of only a few times he would do this during that tour. Townsend said in an interview I read a few days later the emotions of being on the road without John Entwistle caught up with and overtook him.
I was so glad to not only have finally gotten to see the band, but also to see this iconic rock move, and to be able to share it with my son, and explain the significance of it to him.
The next time I saw the band was 2008, but that’s another story.
“Pinball Wizard”