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.
Article comments
1 - Temple A. Stark
OK That's just scary. It'sa been a year !!!!!!!!
I saw The Who about a week later at the Gorge at George in Washington state.
The good pics and commentary are here.
2 - Tom Johnson
Those early shows must have been very emotional for the band and fans. I can't imagine having seen them literally just days after John's death. Pino Palladino's one of the absolute best bassists in the world, but having someone else stage-right must have been very difficult for those long-time fans, the ones who were there for the Keith Moon days, to handle.
I don't know whether you're interested or not, but you can order a copy of the show you saw. A bit pricey, but a great keep-sake. I actually forked out the cash for FOUR of these shows (for the few "rarities" they played at various shows.)
3 - Eric Olsen
Therer is nothing wrong with carrying on, but I think they should call it something else to acknowledge the importance of the missing half of the band, and they were a real band where the sum was far greater than the parts.
I am also still really pissed at John for being such a dumbass at such an advanced age.
4 - Temple A. Stark
$16 isn't pricey. No way. And I am a little disappointed - I thought you were talking about the Gorge show. :)
Oops - nevermind 16 pounds sterling IS "a bit pricey"
5 - Temple A. Stark
I didn't even scroll down - I didn't even think they wold bother - but, yep, The Gorge concert is there.
Thanks for getting me there.
6 - Tom Johnson
Eric: I too would probably rather see the future works be issued under something else, maybe just under their own names. In fact, that might be a better suggestion, since they wouldn't have the weight of The Who's legacy on them. They'd be free to perform whatever they wanted live - it wouldn't have to be a greatest hits show like any Who show is likely to be now. Given Pete's stubborn personality, I doubt it's likely anything they do will be called anything but The Who. But, like I said, I think that what they come up with might just live up to the moniker. Pete's got a lot of demons to work through after the past year . . .