Another Fine, Though Not Quite Quintessential, Who Show For Pete's--and Old Times'--Sake -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

The Who

w/ opening act Tal Wilkenfeld

United Center, Chicago

March 10, 2016

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I have derived immeasurable enjoyment and enrichment from seeing great rock artists live in concert.

Ideally I will be able to do so for many years to come, but especially in now much preferring the seated environs of arenas, stadiums and theaters to SRO clubs, halls and festivals, I know of few new rock acts that can fill them like the well-established, long-cherished favorites I predominantly see.

And the truth is, most of those bands are now comprised of senior citizens.

Not that--as many reviews here have effused--the old-timers can't still rock, and often deliver excellent shows far beyond most youngsters of which I'm aware, but who knows for how long?

And the past few months have provided many grim, or simply clear, reminders that it can't be forever.

I'm glad that I made a point of seeing David Bowie, three times in fact, during the first half of 2004, as he never toured after that. One would assume Glenn Frey's death put the kibbosh on future Eagles tours. I never saw Mötorhead but probably should have. The death of Jefferson Airplane/Starship's Paul Kantner reminded that I never saw his bands. And between planning to write this review and sitting down to do so, news came of the death of Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, another legendary classic rock band I never saw live.

Emerson's death has been deemed a gun-inflicted suicide, seemingly as a result of depression exacerbated by a degenerative condition that threatened to curb his extraordinary keyboard skills and end his performing career. 

Back in January, I saw Black Sabbath for the first time, on a tour dubbed The End in part because guitarist Tony Iommi has been battling Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. They were phenomenal, though obviously nearing the finish line (albeit with another Chicago area show booked in September).

Last September, and then less than a month ago, I saw blissfully blistering concerts by AC/DC at Wrigley Field and the United Center, respectfully. But their current tour was just halted with word that singer Brian Johnson--who is 68 yet still quite energized as of the Feb. 17 UC show--was ordered to quit touring immediately or risk completely losing his hearing. The band, which had to replace two other members of their longtime lineup in the last few years, postponed 10 upcoming concerts while they try to find a touring replacement for Johnson, who has fronted AC/DC since 1980 (following the death of previous vocalist Bon Scott).

Another longtime favorite, Rush, who I've seen 9 times going back to 1984, just announced their retirement from the road after legendary drummer Neil Peart hung up his drumsticks due to chronic tendonitis and shoulder problems.

Even Crosby, Stills & Nash, who I've seen with and without Neil Young, now seems to be at least temporarily kaput with Graham Nash stating that David Crosby has treated him like shit and that "there will never be another record or show." Kinda makes me wish I'd gone with my frequent concert pal Paolo to see CSN last year.

Even before the recent rash of classic rock deaths and retirements, a sense that windows could soon begin closing is why--along with great genuine delight derived in the here and now--I made a point of going to see The Rolling Stones last year in both Milwaukee and Detroit, why I go to every Bruce Springsteen show in Chicago, Milwaukee and often other places far beyond and why I've seen Paul McCartney 10 times in locales as disparate as Tulsa, Oklahoma and Paris, France.

It's also why I keep going to see The Who, which despite being down to just Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey from their original legendary lineup, delivered a show I found to be phenomenal in May 2015, which I cited as my 3rd favorite concert of the year.

On their The Who Hits 50! tour, the band--with Pete and Roger long supplemented by Pete's brother Simon Townshend on guitar, Zak Starkey (Ringo's son) on drums, bassist Pino Palladino (who replaced John Entwistle after The Ox's 2002 death) and three other touring musicians--was also booked into the United Center on October 15 of last year.

I didn't have a ticket, but given how great The Who were in May, and that October 15 is my birthday, I probably would have tried to get one if the show hadn't been postponed due to Roger Daltrey coming down with a case of viral meningitis.

Pretty rough stuff for the now 72-year-old singer, who admitted that "there were a couple of days there when I didn’t think I was going to make it."

And all the more reason, beyond everything I chronicled above, why I felt compelled to attend the rescheduled gig Thursday at the United Center.

Granted, the Who's first "Farewell Tour" came in 1982 when I was a high school freshman--my best friend went but I couldn't get a ticket, though have now seen them 10 times in 10 different years since 1989--but as the current tour began Daltrey called it "the beginning of the long goodbye" and stated, "We can't go on touring forever."

So though I wouldn't bet large sums on it, for one reason or another this felt like it could well be my last opportunity to see one of my ten favorite rock artists of all-time, of which only four remain extant (plus McCartney, and to a lesser extent Ringo, still representing The Beatles, and Robert Plant regularly performing some Led Zeppelin classics).

And I'm glad I went, even if--not too damningly, especially as Daltrey is just a few shows into touring after his serious illness--I didn't find The Who quite as resoundingly awesome as I did last May, nor on par with brilliant shows this year by Bruce Springsteen (2), Black Sabbath and AC/DC.

Certainly, especially as this is a greatest hits tour rather than an outing in support of a new album, every song The Who performed was truly a fantastic one. (See The Who's Chicago setlist on Setlist.fm.)

Roger's voice sounded in tune but understandably not all that strong--while noting that I've generally found him to be singing better over the past 5 years than during the 10 before that--so even with the band not matching their past thunder and some iconic musical measures coming off a bit soft and/or sloppy, brilliant songs like "The Kids Are Alright," "I Can See For Miles," "Behind Blue Eyes," "Join Together," "Pinball Wizard," "Baba O'Riley," "Won't Get Fooled Again" and several others were still a joy to hear. (As you can see here, Daltrey nails the scream on the closing "Won't Get Fooled Again," though Pete seems to forget that there's still another verse.)

It was also nice to see Townshend animated and talkative while generally playing strong guitar and handling his vocal parts well, and to learn that "Bargain" is his favorite song on Who's Next. Though as he saluted Chicago for having a "fucking great basketball team!" he might wish to update his stage patter to note the United Center's other primary resident, the current and three-times-in-six-years Stanley Cup champions.

Obviously, Pete Townshend being oblivious to the Blackhawks is no big deal or detraction, and per post-show conversations, many fans in attendance--including Paolo, though we weren't sitting together--likely loved the concert unequivocally.

Again, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, am not saying anything was particularly bad and cannot cogently convey why the show just felt a bit lesser than hoped, but the whole thing seemed a tad too Who by numbers-ish for my tastes.

I am only figuratively referencing band's 1975 Who by Numbers album--especially as the great "Squeeze Box" was sadly dropped from the setlist after being included last year; same for Townsend's earlier first stab at rock opera, "A Quick One (While He's Away)"--but the performance, and even just the overall vibe of the evening, for me rarely went beyond the inherent quality of the included material.

In other words, it wasn't an all-time band at its all-time best, but then many have posited that The Who essentially ended with the death of original drummer Keith Moon in 1978.

I can appreciate that opinion--particularly as it now takes eight musicians to replicate the power of the original four--but if Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey are onstage performing the legendary songs the former wrote and the latter sang, they can damn well call themselves The Who as far as I'm concerned.

And albeit with nothing played on Thursday dating from post-1982, there were numerous moments--most notably on "I Can See For Miles," "Behind Blue Eyes," "You Better You Bet" and Tommy's "Amazing Journey"--when they came close enough to sounding as good as ever.

Cutting Daltrey, and all onstage, some slack just for motoring through two enjoyable hours only a couple weeks into resuming their work after an unexpected hiatus, even on a night a touch shy of sensational The Who aptly served to remind why they are one of the greatest bands in the history of rock 'n roll.

And why I will always be a fan, even after it's no longer acutely possible to see them live.

Whenever that may be.

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Opening the show was bassist/singer Tal Wilkenfeld and her band. They played a nice 45-minute set of material with which I wasn't familiar, but seemingly most of it hasn't yet been released anyway.

While Wilkenfeld is noted as something of a bass virtuoso--she's best-known to me for playing alongside Jeff Beck--she seemed content, perhaps too much so, to let her songs and singing be the primary focal point. The opening set didn't bring the delight Joan Jett & the Blackhearts did in opening for The Who at Allstate Arena in May 2015, but was appreciable nonetheless.

The Kids, of 70, are More Than Alright: Celebrating Anew as The Who Rock Rosemont -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

The Who
w/ opening act Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Allstate Arena
May 13, 2015
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Back in October 1982, early in my freshman year of high school, The Who played the Rosemont Horizon--now known as Allstate Arena--on what was dubbed their "Farewell Tour."

This was back when Pete Townshend had a full head of brown hair, jumped around like a whirling dervish and didn't knowingly suffer from a constant ringing in his ears (a.k.a. tinnitus).

When Roger Daltrey "could still sing a razor line, every time" and presumably--unlike Wednesday night--wasn't asking pot smokers to kill their buzz because he was allergic to the smoke.

And although it was 4 years after original drummer Keith Moon died, it was 20 years before bassist John Entwistle would pass in a Las Vegas hotel room with hookers and blow.

Theoretically, that tour was the end of the real Who--one of rock's greatest bands, which had a phenomenal run since 1964--and was calling it quits "before I get old."

But as I hadn't yet turned 14, and couldn't get tickets, I didn't go. My best friend Jordan did, and I remember it being a huge deal, as the Who were one of the most revered groups among those I knew--it obviously didn't hurt that they sang about "teenage wasteland," or that they were known as the "World's Loudest Band" for playing at 127db or something crazy like that.

The Who had another concert at the Horizon that December, and I remember being just a few callers away from winning tickets in a radio giveaway.

Like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, I figured I had missed out on The Who, being born just a few years too late.

But while 1982 might have marked the end of the true Who--which many would argue had come with Moon's death in '78--"Farewell" didn't really mean forever.

After the Who reunited in 1985 for LiveAid, they would seemingly eventually realize that there was nothing better--or at least more lucrative, in terms of both money and adulation--they could do than be Who they had been.

I first saw the Who in 1989 at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin (thanks to my mom coming to the rescue when a friend got ill). Then again, at other venues, in 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002--just 2 weeks after Entwistle's death--2006, 2007 and 2012.

Most of the time they were really good, or at least good enough for me. With 6 musicians--including Townshend's guitarist brother Simon and drummer Zak Starkey, son of Ringo--now rounding out the sound around Townshend and Daltrey, as long as Pete's guitar playing was energized and Roger's voice was strong, it was always a joy to hear the songs from the Who's glorious catalog.

Such was also the case Wednesday night at the Allstate Arena, formerly the Rosemont Horizon...

...33-1/3 years after I thought I had missed the Who forever.

As The Who Hits 50! tour rolled into town, perhaps a year past true accuracy, what could have simply been a sentimental celebration was truly a kick ass rock concert showcasing one of the best acts in history.

Yes, at 71, Daltrey's voice is far from the brilliant instrument it once was, and in an anti-rock star move, he asked those "smoking Mother Nature" to please extinguish their joints, but like when I saw The Who in late-2012, I found his singing surprisingly good (having found it faltering on earlier tours).

And sure, as he'll turn 70 on May 19, Townshend recently told Uncut magazine: "The shows? I don’t like them. I don’t find them fulfilling. But I’m brilliant at it. I find it incredibly easy. I drift through it."

Which might not be what those paying $154 for prime seats want to hear--though Allstate's cheaper seats were the ones much more sparsely filled, indicating the Who playing Rosemont isn't quite the story it was in 1982.

But if Pete doesn't care, and Roger's roughing it out, and Keith & John are sorely missed, and The Who Orchestra seems a bit at odds with the roar the foursome once made, and it isn't 1982, or 1971, or 1967, you know what kids?

The Who are still alright. And even--compared to most bands today if quite not their old selves--fantastic.

The show started promptly at 7:30 with a terrific opening set from Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.

Now in her mid-50s, Jett is herself a rock 'n roll pioneer, having been in the all-female Runaways while still in her teens. Her set included two songs from that group--"Cherry Bomb," "You Drive Me Wild"--and originals or covers she made famous while fronting the Blackhearts.

These included "Bad Reputation," "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)," "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," "Crimson and Clover" and "I Hate Myself for Loving You."

I enjoyed that she did "Light of Day," which Bruce Springsteen wrote for her 1987 movie of the same name with Michael J. Fox, and would have enjoyed Jett's newest tune, "Make It Back," if the oft-repeated lyric "I hope this train don't fall off the track" didn't make me squeamish a day after the tragic train derailment in Pennsylvania.

But in full, Jett's 40-minute set was quite fun, and the Who took the stage at 8:45pm, opening with "I Can't Explain."

Though their setlists aren't varying much from show to show--see Wednesday's here--The Who have put together an impressive survey of their remarkable catalog.

Having seen Quadrophenia played in full in 2012--and also 1996 & 1997--with just a few greatest hits at the end, it was a pleasure and a great complement to hear the Who mine their full (well, 1964-1982) past with songs like "The Seeker," "Squeeze Box," "Join Together" and "A Quick One (While He's Away)," Townshend's first stab at writing a rock opera.

With Daltrey sounding strong--at times perhaps even too strong--in present tense the Who amply illustrated the brilliance of their past.

Not only were we reminded that Townshend pioneered the rock opera--with bits of Tommy and Quadrophenia including a guest appearance by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder on "The Real Me"--but that as in the case of "The Kids are Alright," "My Generation" and "I Can See For Miles" he penned '60s pop classics as good as anyone before taking leaps forward.

My favorite Who album, Who's Next, was represented by great takes on "Bargain," "Behind Blue Eyes" and the magnificent show-closing tandem of "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again."

Beyond just playing a bunch of songs I loved, this Who concert served to reiterate that this was truly one of the top handful of bands rock has ever seen (and I couldn't help but think about 1966-69 London when the Who, Stones, Beatles, Kinks, Cream, Jimi Hendrix and others were pushing each other to continually break new ground).

I'm not suggesting that this was close to being among the greatest concerts I've ever seen, and it undoubtedly won't wind up being my favorite of 2015.

But over the past couple weeks, I loved--and bestowed @@@@@ or @@@@1/2 on--shows by Manic Street Preachers, The Replacements, the Jesus & Mary Chain and The Waterboys, and I enjoyed The Who well beyond any of those.

I'll always be dubious, but it's been suggested that this might be the last large-scale Who tour. But they're already booked to play Chicago at least once more, on October 15 at the United Center.

Especially as that's my birthday, I might have to be present. For the Who have been a gift that keeps on giving.

Long live rock, and long live the Who.

"Join Together" with the band...

Why Should I Care? Because The Who Still Do -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

The Who
w/ Vintage Trouble
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
November 29, 2012
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Yes, I lied.

Upon seeing the announcement of The Who’s latest concert tour, featuring their playing Quadrophenia in full, I said on Facebook something to the effect of not needing to see them again, fearing that they would now be running on fumes as a live act.

I held fast to this belief all the way up until getting a presale password a few days later. Able to find a seat at the lowest price point, I couldn’t resist buying a ticket for Thursday’s show at the Allstate Arena, where The Who sellout prompted a second gig on Friday.

And no, it is not 1967 or 1969 or 1971 or any other watershed year in the Who’s storied past, when all four original members were still alive and creating some of rock’s greatest, most intelligent and impassioned music.

And yes, what was once the loudest band in the world now has 8 additional musicians onstage to supplement surviving members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.

And no, Roger can no longer “still sing a razor line, every time” and Pete is not the hyperkinetic leaping, thrashing and smashing guitarist he was before turning gray (though he did pull out a few windmills).

But yes, The Who still rock. And I’m quite happy I went.

Photo Credit: Scott Strazzante / Chicago Tribune

Though I never saw the Who in their true heyday—a few friends attended their “Farewell Tour” in 1982 (four years after Moon’s death) at the same venue, but I didn’t—Thursday was my 8th Who show since 1989, and while I’ve liked all of them, this one was just as good as any I recall.

My biggest concern going in was Daltrey’s voice, which seemed to have deteriorated substantially when I saw the Who in 2006 and 2007, and when they played the Super Bowl in 2010. Roger is now 68 and still ripped physically, but he just can’t sing quite like he used to, when he was one of the best vocalists in rock history. But though he wasn’t his glorious old self, he was better than I expected and he’s learned to compensate well for the notes he can’t hit. Thus, his vocals were neither a distraction nor a significant detraction.

Plus, as Quadrophenia is a rock opera, Townshend sings more on it than on most other Who albums, and he sounded pretty good in giving Daltrey a number of respites. Pete’s brother Simon Townshend—part of the Who’s touring band along with bassist Pino Palladino, drummer Zak Starkey, a couple keyboardists and a horn section—also contributed some vocals.

Although the Who did a Quadrophenia tour in 1996-97, even featuring guests like Billy Idol and the now disgraced Gary Glitter on the first leg, the choice to do it again—rather than a full greatest hits show or Tommy or Who’s Next in full—proved to be rather satisfying.

At some point I think Townshend was trying to develop a Quadrophenia musical—akin to Tommy, which in preceding both Rent and Mamma Mia helped to revolutionize Broadway by bringing rock ’n roll and classic songbooks to the musical form—but the performance at Allstate was that of a cohesive song cycle, not a detailed dramatic narrative.

In fact, unlike ’96-’97 when the accompanying visuals portrayed the album’s storyline—made into a 1979 movie—of an angst-ridden, scooter-riding 1965 Mod named Jimmy, the videos now largely portray the legacy of the Who itself. Especially moving was an extended video that played behind Townshend on Quadrophenia’s penultimate song, "The Rock," weaving together imagery from throughout the band’s career—including the deaths of Moon and Entwistle—with that of world events. It was a really good reminder of the Who’s amazing journey and their impact on music and beyond.

If you didn’t know the story of Quadrophenia coming in—let alone the specifics—you likely had no better grasp at the end, though it’s essentially about an aimless and emotionally-addled youth (the title loosely reflects 4-way schizophrenia) who’s looking for a sense of belonging and purpose. But with musical and lyrical motifs reoccurring throughout (“is it me for a moment,” “love reign o’er me” “why should I care”), you didn’t need Cliff’s Notes to appreciate Townshend’s tour de force.

The band got a rousing ovation at the end of the album’s performance, after which Daltrey and Townshend spoke for the first time all night, with Pete explaining that there’s really no place to break during Quadrophenia.

Though both Pete and Roger were amiably chatty while introducing their bandmates onstage, they then steamrolled through five greatest hits that while all amazing songs played well—“Who Are You,” “Behind Blue Eyes,” “Pinball Wizard,” “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again—represented the only part of the show that felt a bit like “Who by numbers.”

For while the full playing of Quadrophenia didn’t allow much in the way of spontaneity, Townshend in particular seemed so energized that any inkling that this tour is mainly about raking in the dough felt erroneous. Even if there are only two Who left and even if they’ve played all these songs many times before, Pete and Roger still appear to love performing their great music for fans who love to hear it. There’s nothing I can really fault about their apparent intent or integrity.

But though the encore songs are likely those that most Who fans most want to hear—and I’m not kvetching about the selection—I’d suggest making the hits portion of the night a bit less rote by rotating in a mid ‘60s gem or two (“I Can’t Explain,” “Substitute,” “Happy Jack,” “My Generation,” “I Can See For Miles,” etc.).

Though it’s not a hit, the night ended appropriately with “Tea and Theatre,” a song from 2006’s Endless Wire album. All the other musicians had left the stage, leaving just Pete and Roger—and the audience with a powerful reminder that two is still much better than none.

Maybe on technical merit, it wasn’t quite a Quadrophenomal performance, but it was close enough for rock and roll of the truly classic variety. And coming on the heels of my meeting Townshend at a book signing on Monday night, it was a thrilling reiteration that though The Who are no longer kids, they’re still quite alright.

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Opening the show was a rock 'n soul band from LA called Vintage Trouble. They were rather impressive, especially singer Ty Taylor, who reminded of James Brown and Otis Redding while not quite being at their level. But The Who's audience rightfully seemed to appreciate Vintage Trouble, and I wouldn't mind hearing a bit more from them.

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Here's a clip of "Pinball Wizard" from Thursday night that I found on YouTube: