Who bass-god John Entwistle, aka The Ox, aka The Quiet One, died this day last year on the eve of The Who's summer 2002 tour. Who fans can fill the void in a few days with the release of the hybrid SACD release, Live at the Royal Albert Hall which will include a bonus disc of four tracks recorded in February 2002 - the last live dates Entwistle would play with the band. (Disregard what you may see on sites like Amazon - Pete Townshend's official Who site insists it is being released July 1.)

It's unlikely the rock world will ever have a musician quite like John Entwistle again. Circumstances these days just aren't conducive to exposing the public to the kind of virtuosic talent the founding fathers of rock needed to make it. It's just not necessary anymore. So you can look at it two ways - The Who continues releasing archival material like this Royal Albert Hall set either to gouge die-hard fans who won't give up on their favorite bands, or they're simply filling a void for those of us who would rather listen to their caliber of musician. I choose to be more optimistic about it - I want more, and having seen the DVD for this set, the performance is a high-quality one, aside from some of the guest stints on the second half (c'mon, Bryan Adams singing "Behind Blue Eyes" - did anyone need this - or an utterly forgettable performance on guitar by Oasis' Noel Gallagher on "Won't Get Fooled Again"?)

I feel somewhat guilty taking pleasure in having seen The Who in Las Vegas last year, as I know that it would not have happened had it not been for John's death. With his passing, the band rescheduled the opening Las Vegas date to September 14, prior to which my in-laws received the option of free tickets to this exclusive club-sized show at the Hard Rock hotel. I jumped at the chance to see one of my favorite bands of all time.

The band pulled off a stunning performance, but it was clear to me from the start that this show was not simply another stop on the tour for them, but a wake of sorts. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend were clearly haunted by thoughts of their lost friend throughout the show. While the whole band worked themselves into a frenzy, the furious performance that night, in retrospect, was a sort of exorcism. Roger pushed his voice to its limits and Pete's trademark windmilling at his guitar was just a little bit more intense. Pete improvised upon the new middle section of "The Kids Are Alright," and it was clear as he approached the section that his emotions were very nearly getting the best of him. "I met this guy . . . he had a horn . . . he became a bassist . . . I tell you that man he was a face . . . he was dressed like a clean fine fellow man. He gave me his hand, I joined his band. We were just eleven years old." Roger, clearly choked up, took his segment, and Pete followed this up by an equally emotional, but simple, solo. As the song drew to a close, it was almost as if the band was confronting his ghost in that very room. During "Amazing Journey," Daltrey improvised, tossing in a reference from Tommy clearly in memory of John - "Captain Walker never came home - and we never expect to see him again." Amazing jouney it was, and with this show The Who seemed to cast off the shadow of Entwistle's passing, but not as if to ignore his presence in the band. No, the Las Vegas show served as the moment when Pete and Roger could come back and tie up the loose ends, and bid farewell - summed up with a quick, away-from-microphone yell from Pete of "See ya, John!"