Not so on The Who At Kilburn 1977.
By this time, thanks to the commercial success of albums like Whos Next, The Who had become a well oiled machine in concert. As such, songs like "Won't Get Fooled Again" as performed in concert are letter perfect, close to the record versions. Meanwhile, songs like "My Generation," which formerly served as launchpads for extended improvisational craziness, are likewise played very close to the vest here.
Keith Moon alone maintains that element of unhinged dangerousness here that once made the Who the greatest live rock and roll band in the world. And they are still heads and shoulders above everyone else here. But you can also start to see that where once there was the sort of chaos that would influence a generation of punk rock bands like the Clash, the polish was starting to settle in.
Interestingly, the bonus disc on Kilburn features previously unseen footage from roughly the same 1969 period as Leeds and Isle Of Wight, featuring some of the earliest performances of the Tommy material. Both the sound and video here vary wildly from decent to barely above that of a bad bootleg. Still, the performances here are good and often great. From an fan's archival standpoint, they are also essential.
The Who At Kilburn 1977 isn't perfect, but comes close enough to make this DVD a must for Who fans. It comes out in stores on November 18.
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