Halftime Who

So the Who are playing the Super Bowl halftime show. I’m intrigued and annoyed all at the same time. On one hand, putting aside the successful songs off of Endless Wire, The Who have not been a functional band since John Entwhisle’s death in 2002. They’ve been living off of the fumes of their past glories, or as Pete might put it: “serving as a celebration of our fans and their love for our music.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that! It’s great music, and deserves to be heard again and again. However, Pete’s long since sold out any of the original meaning in those songs, and I note with dismay the coincidence that they’ll be playing all of their CSI theme songs on the same network that broadcasts the show. That’s quite a commercial! On the other hand, The Who still do retain a lot of their musical vitality. Their songs continually throb with power, pushing forward with a propulsive force and energy that lesser bands wish they could conjure up. Townshend still plays a mean axe, and while Daltrey’s voice is ravaged, he can bellow with the best of them.
To be honest, I’m probably just afraid to see them in HD. It’s hard to watch heroes that thrive on energy and youth get old.

...Adding, that while Live at Leeds is the famous album, to me the better live album is Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 because it includes more songs and a complete version of Tommy with Keith Moon. It’s powerful stuff.