The Who are one of the greatest rock and roll bands in history, and they leave no doubt as to why by laying down killer back to back performances of "See Me, Feel Me" and "Baba O'Riley". Sure, there have been better performances of these classics on most of their earlier live videos, and even on the following year's Live At The Royal Albert Hall DVD, but even on a bad day this is some pretty amazing music.
As cries of "Ox" and "Boris" fill the air, John Entwistle takes over the show momentarily with his comical Who's Next ditty, "My Wife". Although not much of a singer, this song showcases why Entwistle was regarded as one of the greatest rock bassists in the world. You'll get no argument from me. He absolutely hammers this fact home on the next song, "5:15", when he rips off his famous bass solo from that great song. Again, it did not compare to the otherworldly bass solo he performed at the Royal Albert Hall show, which many consider one of the greatest live rock bass solos of all time.
From there, they continue on with more greatest hits, which are highlighted by an extended blues-jam version of "Magic Bus", before closing out the set with the all-conquering "Won't Get Fooled Again". "Magic Bus" was loose and fun, featuring a killer harmonica solo from Daltry, and was one of the few performances to ignite any real passion and spontaneity out of the band all night. The encore takes you all the way back to 1965 again, beginning with "The Kids Are Alright", and then ending things with their powerful, punk-prototype anthem "My Generation", both taken from the band's superb debut album My Generation. "My Generation" was especially rocking this night, thanks to some fiery guitar work by Townshend near the end of the song, but unfortunately it was too little, too late. As a whole, the performance left me a little disappointed.
Other than the problems with the spotlights completely washing out the picture, the video was generally sharp and clear, and showcased the intense and colorful light show well. The performance was filmed well, and gave you the feeling of being at the show. A good variety of camera angles provided all of the essential close-ups of each musician during key solos, and also provide some nice sweeping shots of the entire stage show, as well as around the arena. Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio tracks were both offered, and neither sounded particularly great. There may have been a mastering problem with this disk, since the music being played during the menus was loud and thunderous, but the main feature had to be really cranked to extract a decent sound. The bass guitar and bass drums sounded especially weak.
Article comments