The Who - My Wife (Newcastle 1971)

The above video is probably a better version of The Who playing "My Wife" then their 1979 performance in New Haven, which I posted here. Of course, in 1971 drummer Keith Moon was very much alive. The song comes from a concert done at the Odeon in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, U.K.

Jeff Beck - "Beck's Bolero"

Let's go back to 1966 when Jeff Beck got together with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Keith Moon, and Nicky Hopkins to record "Beck's Bolero." The song wouldn't be released until 1967 before eventually coming out on Beck's album Truth in '68. John Entwistle was supposed to play bass on this recording, however, he backed out at the last second which allowed John Paul Jones to step in. Keith Moon had only a few hours to record this song because The Who's roadies would be looking for him, so he wore a disguise into the recording session. At the time, Moon and Entwistle were unhappy with the constant arguments between Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey and considered leaving The Who and forming a new band with Jimmy Page. Fortunately, Moon and "The Ox" stayed put.

The Who - My Wife (New Haven 1979)

I'll stay in 1979 with The Who singing "My Wife" at the New Haven Coliseum, which has since been demolished. "My Wife" is a very clever song penned by bass player John Entwistle, which appeared on the 1971 album, Who's Next.

Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love (2007 Reunion)

A little over three years ago Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and Jason Bonham got together at the the O2 Arena in London for a one-off show in a tribute to the late Ahmet Ertegun, the founder of Atlantic Records. Talk of a DVD has run hot and cold since the concert, however, there is always YouTube. The bottom video of the band playing "Whole Lotta Love" seems to have the better audio quality, but either way they are both pretty good.

The Who - Sparks (Boston 1979)

It's Boston, but not from 2002. Still, it's a solid "Sparks" by The Who in 1979. Kenney Jones mans the drum kit.

Led Zeppelin - Custard Pie

Led Zeppelin performing "Custard Pie" off of Physical Graffiti (1975). The opening track of the album and a song that gets overlooked on a record filled with heavyweights such as "The Wanton Song," "The Rover," "Ten Years Gone" and "Kashmir."

The Who - Amazing Journey/Sparks Kansas City 1975

This might as well be called the "holy smokes" version of The Who's "Amazing Journey/Sparks." I never tire of hearing this song, in particular, the "Sparks" section. The above video contains only the audio, but so what? It still is as good as it gets!

Led Zeppelin - Black Dog (2007 Reunion)

A pretty good video of Led Zeppelin performing "Black Dog" at their reunion show in 2007. The song, of course, opens up the band's 1971 album, Led Zeppelin IV.

Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused (2007 Reunion)

OK "Dazed and Confused" might have been the grand highlight of Led Zeppelin's reunion show in 2007, although there are quite a few songs that can also get consideration for that honor.

Roger Daltrey Discusses Last December's Throat Surgery

I came across a very interesting story about Roger Daltrey talking about having surgery around last Christmas to fix a vocal problem. Apparently, it was an issue that could have become cancer. If you want to read the story click this. I'm unable to post any of the videos here, but the story also includes a four-part interview with Roger discussing the surgery, his career, the future, etc. The videos and story are courtesy of CBS Los Angeles.

As usual with Roger, he is lending his efforts, along with Steven Tyler and Julie Andrews who also had the same surgery, to raise money for a charity that helps people that literally have no voice.

The Who - Naked Eye/Let's See Action/My Generation Blues

The Who in 1974 playing at the Charlton Athletic Field start off the concert's finale slow with "Naked Eye" before stepping things up and getting into "Let's See Action" and then capping things off with a blues version of "My Generation." This comes off a CD offered a couple of years ago as a perk to joining TheWho.com.

The Great Led Zeppelin Countdown Results

Q104.3's Carol Miller asked fans for their top three Led Zeppelin songs. So here's what the fans said are their favorites; #1 may surprise you. I'm not a big fan of lists for a couple of reasons. For one, people usually get pretty nasty when you have a debate over such things and secondly, lists have have a tendency to diminish. For example, you don't see "The Rover" on this list, so does that mean that it's a bad song? Of course not.

I must admit I voted a few times. I can't remember exactly, but it was some variation of "Achilles Last Stand," "Ten Years Gone," "Stairway," "Hey Hey What Can I Do," and there may have been another song or two. For me, when it comes to The Who and Led Zeppelin there are just too many great songs to narrow it down. By the way, Carol Miller "Gets the Led Out" every weeknight at 8 during her show and during the Jim Kerr Morning Show at 8.

#15 - Tangerine
#14 - Immigrant Song
#13 - Black Dog
#12 - The Ocean
#11 - The Rain Song
#10 - Over the Hills and Far Away
#9 - Ramble On
#8 - Dazed and Confused
#7 - Since I've Been Loving You
#6 - Whole Lotta Love
#5 - When the Levee Breaks
#4 - Ten Years Gone
#3 - Achilles Last Stand
#2 - Stairway to Heaven
#1 - Kashmir

Roger Daltrey vs. Simon Cowell

Looks like Roger Daltrey had a few things to say about Simon Cowell. Here are a few of the quotes courtesy of The Sun.

"He's made a good industry out of it, but it's belittled the power of music. He wouldn't know what the "X Factor" was if it bit him on the b******s."

Incidentally, Simon Cowell is the "brains" behind America's Got Talent, as well. Contractually he is not allowed to appear on the show because it is on a different network than America Idol.

Robert Plant Joining The Who for Benefit

I wrote in a prior post that The Who, Jeff Beck, Blondie’s Debbie Harry and former Verve singer Richard Ashcroft will be playing a charity concert at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London on January 13, 2011. I wondered if Robert Plant would join the lineup and in fact he has. It seemed likely that this would happen as it comes on the eve of Plant bringing his Band of Joy to the northeast of the U.S. Those tour dates are here.

Robert Plant and Band of Joy Touring The Northeast

I'm very much interested in this tour and I'm almost certain I will be in attendance at one of these shows:

Tuesday, Jan. 18: Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville, N.C.
Wednesday, Jan. 19: Peterson Events Center (University of Pittsburgh), Pittsburgh, Pa.
Friday, Jan. 21: Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Saturday, Jan. 22: Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Ont.
Tuesday, Jan. 25: House of Blues, Boston, Mass.
Wednesday, Jan. 26: Tower Theatre, Upper Darby, Pa.
Friday, Jan. 28: MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort & Casino, Mashantucket, Conn.
Saturday, Jan. 29: Beacon Theatre, New York, N.Y.
Tuesday, Feb. 1: D.A.R. Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, Feb. 2: Memorial Auditorium, Raleigh, N.C.
Friday, Feb. 4: North Charleston Performing Arts Center, North Charleston, S.C.
Saturday, Feb. 5: Fox Theatre, Atlanta, Ga.
Monday, Feb. 7: Ovens Auditorium, Charlotte, N.C.
Tuesday, Feb. 8: War Memorial Auditorium, Nashville, Tenn.
Wednesday, Feb. 9: War Memorial Auditorium, Nashville, Tenn.

Jimmy Page Touring?

Jimmy Page said here that he will be doing some shows next year and he is desperate to be doing something. I can only imagine someone as talented as Page needs to be and should be out there. I'm very curious to see who he teams up with. Although, I've heard things from Page before that have never come to fruition so this may be just talk.

Pete Townshend & Rachel Fuller - Sunrise

I recently auditioned for America's Got Talent and sang the song, "Sunrise," which is off of The Who's 1967 concept album, The Who Sell Out. This version is a bit different, but I still like it, although I prefer Pete singing the song on his own. The above performance took place in 2007 at the annual South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas where Townshend was the keynote speaker.

Pete Townshend and Paul Weller Rehearsing "Sunrise"

I came across a cool video of Pete Townshend and Paul Weller rehearsing the song "Sunrise." Apparently this was before the charity show The Who did at the Royal Albert Hall in 2000. Weller joined The Who onstage at that show and did "So Sad About Us," which the latter half of this video shows them practicing. If you don't know Paul Weller's music, you are definitely missing out. By the way, that entire concert was posted here.

The Who - Sunrise

It's not a song you will hear played on the radio, but it's as good as you will get when it comes to Pete Townshend's writing. "Sunrise" comes off of the 1967 album, The Who Sell Out. More about the significance of this later.

The Who Live 2000 at the Royal Albert Hall

The Who's work in raising money to fight cancer and for other good causes is well-documented. Let's go back to a show that the band did in 2000 at the Royal Albert Hall which featured guests such as Eddie Vedder, Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, and Bryan Adams among others. It's available on DVD and CD. This was the first year of the annual series of shows that take place at the Hall and benefit the Teenage Cancer Trust charity. There are many highlights of this show, but for me, John Entwistle's bass solo in "5.15" stands out. The above YouTube video is the entire concert. The YouTuber that posted the video went out of his or her way and broke down where you can find each song.

0:00:00 - I Can't Explain
0:02:34 - Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
0:07:14 - Pinball Wizard
0:11:13 - Relay
0:19:30 - My Wife
0:26:55 - The Kids Are Alright
0:34:36 - Bargain
0:41:30 - Magic Bus
0:51:32 - Who Are You
0:58:39 - Baba O'Riley
1:05:29 - Drowned
1:11:54 - Heart To Hang Onto
1:16:53 - So Sad About Us
1:21:14 - I'm One
1:24:31 - Behind Blue Eyes
1:28:20 - You Better Bet
1:34:12 - The Real Me
1:40:34 - 5'15
1:52:43 - Won't Get Fooled Again
2:02:24 - Substitute
2:05:48 - Let's See Action
2:11:10 - My Generation
2:16:39 - See Me Feel Me

The Who, Jeff Beck, Blondie Doing Charity Show

Gibson.com, among other websites, is reporting that The Who, Jeff Beck, Blondie’s Debbie Harry and former Verve singer Richard Ashcroft will play a charity concert at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo in London on January 13, 2011. The show will raise money for KILLING Cancer, a charity that funds Photodynamic Therapy, or PDT, a little-known cancer treatment that uses laser light to weaken cancer cells.

My question is will this show include Robert Plant who is in the midst of lining up concerts for the winter, including a recently announced stop in Pittsburgh. Plant, who shares the same management as The Who, said he is in full support of the campaign.

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience in Stamford

Jason Bonham brought his Led Zeppelin Experience on Wednesday night to Stamford, Connecticut and the Stamford Center for the Arts, which is a mere 40 miles north of Madison Square Garden where his father John and the mighty Led Zeppelin ruled so often in the 1970s.

The show started promptly at 7:30 with the opening drum roll of “Rock and Roll” sending folks who were milling about in the lobby running for their seats. From that point on the energy inside the 1,500 seat theater ebbed and flowed throughout the first set. Jason came out from behind his drum kit a few times during the opening half of the show to talk to the crowd; explaining the format of the concert, where the idea came from and the difference between John Bonham the father and “Bonzo” as the world knew the great Led Zeppelin drummer who died when Jason was 14 in 1980.

James Dylan was solid on vocals throughout. While Dylan wisely did not try to copy Robert Plant, his singing still paid homage to one of rock’s great frontmen. Other than Jason Bonham’s frantic drumming, guitarist Tony Catania stood out for me the most. His guitar work was brilliant as he alternated on some songs such as “Stairway to Heaven” between a double necked guitar and an acoustic six string. He broke out the bow during “Since I’ve Been Loving You” which received an enthusiastic response from the crowd. Bassist Michael Devin (Whitesnake) and keyboardist Stephen LeBlanc also were good, though less spectacular.

One of the more touching moments of the night was watching Jason perform “Moby Dick” as the giant video screen behind him showed a clip of Bonzo playing the same song. You couldn’t help but get choked up. The videos were spaced out perfectly during the concert and were never a distraction. In addition, there was some old footage shown of Jason playing the drums with his mother and father looking on.

A 15-minute intermission followed “Moby Dick” and then the second half of the show ensued with the crowd really revved up. The majority of the people in attendance stood throughout the second half of the performance with some people dancing in the aisles. The fans were a mixed bag ranging from the very young (I saw some kids that couldn’t be more than 12) to some older folks (mid-60s) and everything in between.

I didn’t know what to expect heading into the concert – I’ve read some pretty nasty and unfair criticism of Jason for even doing the tour in the first place - but it exceeded my expectations by a mile.

Jason Bonham definitely made his father proud on this night.

The Setlist:
1 - Rock and Roll
2 - Celebration Day
3 - Bring it on Home (Intro)
4- Black Dog
5 - Your Time is Gonna Come
6 - Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
7 - Dazed and Confused
8 - What is and What Should Never Be
9 – The Lemon Song
10 - Thank You
11 - Moby Dick
12 - Good Times Bad Times
13 - How Many More Times
14 - Since I’ve Been Loving You
15 - When the Levee Breaks
16 - The Ocean
17 - Over the Hills and Far Away
18 - I’m Gonna Crawl
19 - Stairway to Heaven
Encore
20 - Kashmir
21 - Whole Lotta Love

Roger Daltrey Considering Live Solo Album

Roger Daltrey (pictured on the right) reportedly taped all of his 2009 solo tour and now producer/guitarist Frank Simes (pictured on the left) is sifting through the material with the hope of putting together a best of. Daltrey did some songs on the tour that The Who rarely performed live such as "Tattoo."

The Who - Amazing Journey/Sparks Fillmore East

My search for great versions of "Sparks" takes me back to 1969 - the "Tommy era" - and a performance at the Fillmore East. I think Pete Townshend's guitar is begging for mercy at the end of this one, while Keith Moon absolutely wallops his drum kit.

I also like the video below from Buffalo in 1979. I've mentioned this elsewhere, but Pete does something different from 2:23 to 2:30. He seems to be playing something that sounds very similar to the opening riff of U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name." By the way, that U2 song didn't come out until 1987.

Some day I'd like to upload The Who playing this song in Boston during the 2002 tour. Daltrey shreds the tambourine and an inspired Pete shows why he is absolutely a master of his craft.

Jimmy Page Book Sells Out

A limited number of copies of a book on Jimmy Page's life in pictures has sold out. OK, so what? Well, the book - which hadn't even hit bookstores yet - was priced at around $750. Only 2,500 copies were made of the picture book, which Jimmy Page favored as opposed to an autobiography. Page has kept a very low profile over the last couple of years. Really since the Led Zeppelin reunion at the 02 Arena in late 2007, Page has been a bit reclusive.

Led Zeppelin - Boogie With Stu

For whatever reason this Led Zeppelin classic has been stuck in my head lately. Rolling Stones' piano player Ian Stewart joined in and played with the band on this one, which is off of the Physical Graffiti album (1975). It's different than what you might expect from LZ, but still works. According to the Wikipedia article, Robert Plant played guitar while Jimmy Page played mandolin. Click this to listen.

Roger Daltrey/The Chieftains - Behind Blue Eyes

As a followup to my last post, if you want a really "pretty" version of "Behind Blue Eyes" you could go with Roger Daltrey teaming up with The Chieftains and singing the song on Jay Leno's show back in 1992. As I alluded to in the last post it's not about "pretty" for me, it's about the genuine emotion. Of course, if you're looking for anger, frustration and sadness exuded to a tee you might as well go back to the original. Daltrey said that his dog died the day The Who first recorded this song for the 1971 album Who's Next. But I've been looking for live stuff and for a specific reason. More on that at another time.

The Who - Behind Blue Eyes

I've been looking for a version of "Behind Blue Eyes" that really "fits" - I'll have more on that at a later date - but I think I've found it. This 2005 performance is of Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey in New York at Gotham Hall for Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope, an annual children's charity fundraiser.

For me, the emotion expressed in Roger's singing is real and extremely heartfelt. The amazing thing about these guys is that Pete wrote the song and then Roger brings it to life. The video quality is decent, nothing great. But that's fine for me. I'm not into everything having to be remastered and touched up to be "perfect." That Gotham show should be available on DVD because Pete and Roger really put on a superb performance from the few videos I have seen.

Pete Townshend Signing Autographs in New York

I stumbled across this video of Pete Townshend signing autographs in New York City outside of the luxurious Carlyle Hotel. I give Pete credit, I don't think I would have been as patient. These were obviously guys that were going to sell the stuff Pete autographed on eBay or whatever.

Roger Daltrey's Good Work Continues

Roger Daltrey officially opened up a unit for teenagers with cancer in Birmingham, U.K. Daltrey spearheads the Teenage Cancer Trust which raises money to build these wards specifically for teenagers. For more click this.

Led Zeppelin Covered

There are many Led Zeppelin cover bands out there. One, though, that I am looking forward to seeing is Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience which is coming to the New York area next month. Bonham has put his own band together and is going out on the road in tribute to his father, John, the late drummer of Led Zeppelin. I've read mixed reviews so far and it hasn't been against the performances. No, most of the criticism is against Bonham doing anything in the first place. Some of the comments are pretty nasty and quite harsh. I'm open minded to it and I most likely will have a review for another Website. I'll post the link if that comes to fruition.

New Led Zeppelin Book

Stephen Davis is set to put out another Led Zeppelin book, which is a followup to "Hammer of the Gods," released originally in 1985. "LZ-75" chronicles the band's 1975 tour. Davis says he recently found some notebooks that contained his writing about that tour. I wonder if it will be as over the top as "Hammer" and if it will receive the same kind of attention? I've read that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant hated "Hammer" because it was so sensational and made the guys look like not such great people. The new book comes out next month.

Pete Townshend - The Shout/I Put a Spell on You

Nice to find a live version of Pete Townshend singing "The Shout," a song he penned that is on Another Scoop, and "I Put a Spell on You" which is on Pete's Deep End Live album that featured David Gilmour. The latter is a Jay Hawkins song. The video is of a solo performance in 1996 at the Fillmore West.

Led Zeppelin - Something Else

You will never hear this song on the radio, but it's a great one. "Something Else" is an Eddie Cochran/Sharon Sheeley song that Led Zeppelin covered and is on the BBC Sessions album which came out in 1997. Seemingly all of the British bands covered a Cochran song; the Who most notably did "Summertime Blues," while "Something Else" was performed by many bands including The Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

The first video is the audio from the BBC Sessions. The second video is of a concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

The Who - Love Reign O'er Me

It's been two years since The Who toured the U.S. and recently Roger Daltrey said the band will do something next year. I figure it will be like 2002, where they'll do maybe 30 shows in the U.S. and some in the U.K. If the tour is in the spring or summer I could see them doing one of the festivals in addition. I like the idea of an "albums" tour; doing something different each night, but I get that's a lot of work. Roger even said he would like to do Quadrophenia one night, Tommy the next and then a "greatest hits" show mixed in.

For me, if they come to this area I'm there. Selfishly I'd like to see Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey take a time out while on their tour and play the site of Woodstock, now known as the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Pete has played on the site since the original show in 1969, but Pete and Roger together have not. An acoustic show in an intimate setting - I think the place holds a few thousand - could be filmed for DVD or whatever and I think it would go over pretty well. Don't get me wrong I love seeing Pete and Roger with Zak Starkey and the guys, but just Pete and Roger might turn out to be something pretty special.

Anyway, the above video of "Love Reign O'er Me" is from that tour in 2008 when the band made a stop at the IZOD Center in New Jersey, which is sometimes called the Meadowlands Arena. I was at that show; great times.

The Who - Heaven and Hell (Tanglewood 1970)

At some point in the late 1970s, I believe, The Who began to open their shows with "I Can't Explain." But during the "Tommy Era," the band kicked off live performances with "Heaven and Hell" which was written by bass player John Entwistle. The above video is the song synced up with the footage of the concert at Tanglewood in 1970. For a while, the band opened with another Entwistle song, "My Wife."

The Who - Another Tricky Day

Let's go back to 1981 when The Who played Rockpalast - a German t.v. show that features live music performances. The above video is of the band singing "Another Tricky Day" which is off of Face Dances. Former Faces/Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones is on the drums; having taken over Keith Moon's spot following his death in 1978. John Entwistle's stellar bass playing is quite evident throughout this song. At the 1:56 mark the camera zooms in on "The Ox," who as always is dressed to the nines and playing a very cool looking oak-colored bass with a spider web on it.

Pete Townshend News

For what it's worth a poster on TheShout said that he had it on good authority that Pete Townshend (pictured above with Roger Daltrey, Michael J. Fox and his wife Tracy Pollan and Derek Jeter) has "had talks with a major music publishing company with a view of doing something with his entire catalogue." I'm not big on saying "my sources tell me" or "sources close to the situation say," but there are certain posters on TheShout who are pretty reliable. The person added that some songs could be released for the first time. I've mentioned before how much I love Pete's solo work, particularly his demos on the Scoop albums so this news is pretty exciting for me.

The Who By Numbers Artwork

Speaking of The Who By Numbers in my previous post, it was John Entwistle who did the cartoon work on the album's cover. The Who Live in Boston 2002 DVD features a segment on some drawings John did of Elton John, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and other notable rock stars. I'm a few days late, but John would have turned 66 on Saturday. John Entwistle is sorely missed.

Robert Plant Interview

It's over a half hour long, but Robert Plant gives a very interesting interview to Studio Q. Plant discusses his latest project; Led Zeppelin; his musical roots; and takes a slight dig at Black Sabbath and Wham! If you want to hear it, click this.

Keith Moon & Ringo Starr

Classic and very funny footage of Keith Moon and his buddy Ringo Starr joking around. Ironic, that Moon taught Ringo's son, Zak, how to play drums and that Zak would eventually play drums with The Who. The question comes up from time to time what Moon would have been like had he lived. For me, I think Moon could have become an actor and done comedies. He was just a naturally funny person.

"The truth as you want to hear it? I can't do that. You couldn't afford me."

That's classic Keith and I may use it at some point.

I suppose I should add that the first few seconds of the video may offend some and probably isn't suitable to watch at work.

Jimmy Page Discusses Led Zeppelin III

The Who did an album called The Who By Numbers in 1975 that often gets overlooked by some of their fans. Rolling Stone said at the time it "may have been their greatest album in the face of their personal problems." Some referred to it as Townshend's "suicide note." But songs like "Squeeze Box" and "Blue, Red and Grey" are not maudlin in any sense.

Led Zeppelin also had an album that many people overlook and that is Led Zeppelin III. Jimmy Page discusses the band's third album here. Zeppelin II featured "Whole Lotta Love" and Led Zeppelin IV featured "Rock and Roll" and a little song called "Stairway to Heaven," so I could see how some people skip over their third installment, plus many people describe III as Zep going acoustic. But III features some really great songs such as the bluesy "Since I've Been Loving You" and if you really want to rock out, "Out on the Tiles."

One of John Entwistle's Last Sparks

John Entwistle would be celebrating his 66th birthday this Saturday. In remembering the great "Ox" we go back to 2002 when The Who did three warmup gigs in their home country in preparation for an upcoming Teenage Cancer Trust Concert. Two took place at Portsmouth Guildhall and one occurred at Watford Colosseum; the above video is from Portsmouth. John died in the summer of 2002.

Pete Townshend & Rachel Fuller Play Charity Show

Pete Townshend and his girlfriend Rachel Fuller recently performed at a charity show for adults suffering from Down's Syndrome. For more click here.

I'm glad to hear Rachel, a classically trained pianist, is again performing. Last I heard she was writing a play. Of course, I'm always happy to see Pete doing what he does best. That it's for a good cause is no surprise, Pete's work with charities has been well-documented.

The Who Live at Leeds Being Re-Released

The Who will be re-releasing Live at Leeds next month and it will include a concert the band performed the prior night at Hull City Hall. The band's performance at the University of Leeds in early 1970 is legendary and clearly a must for any classic rock fan. The original Leeds album includes blistering performances of "My Generation" and "Summertime Blues" and also one of their best renditions of, yep, you guessed it "Sparks."

The original tapes of the Hull concert which were once thought to have been lost were recently found. More on the album can be found here.

“Hull was a better gig than Leeds. I remember it like it was yesterday, although in retrospect Live At Hull doesn’t really trip off the tongue!” - Roger Daltrey

Daltrey Playing With Brian May?

While Roger Daltrey prefers to play with Pete Townshend, he has thrown out a few names recently of people he would like to work with, including Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. However, the name that seems most likely is Brian May, formerly of Queen. Bass player Neil Murray, most noted for his work in Whitesnake and Black Sabbath, added fuel to speculation of some sort of collaboration by writing on his Facebook page:

"It's always fun to play a couple of songs with Roger Daltrey, Brian May and Roger Taylor! :-)"

John Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980)

Tomorrow will mark 30 years since the passing of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, clearly one of the greatest rock drummers ever. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones called it quits after Bonham's death. The three reunited for Live Aid (with Tony Tompson and Phil Collins on drums) and a benefit in London three years ago with John's son Jason on drums. Rumors persist that there will be future one-offs or even a reunion tour, but in all likelihood it seems doubtful.

Pete Townshend's Best Solo Albums

Gibson.com recently wrote about Pete Townshend's greatest solo albums, while naming the type of Gibson guitar Pete used on each one. For me, White City: A Novel is probably my favorite - that is if you are excluding The Scoop albums. "Give Blood," "Face the Face" and "Secondhand Love" received the most play on popular radio, however, my favorites off of the album are "Brilliant Blues," "Night School" and "White City Fighting." The album features David Gilmour playing guitar on many of the tracks, Mark Brzezicki (drums), John Bundrick (keyboards), and bass players Pino Palladino, the venerable Chucho Merchan and Phil Chen.

I saw Chen play with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger over the summer. He's really good and he's really loud. In many ways I prefer Chen over Palladino, but Pete and Roger wanted to go with a quieter bass player after John Entwistle died, so I get why they chose Pino.

Roger Daltrey and Jimmy Page Teaming Up?

Roger Daltrey told TheWho.com in an exclusive interview - just posted on the Website - that he would love to work with Jimmy Page. Daltrey said here in February that he would like to work with the legendary guitarist, possibly on a blues album. Last I read, Page was working on an album with "guests," but he didn't elaborate any further. Page, Robert Plant and The Who all shared the same manager, Bil Curbishley and Trinifold Management, up until this past June when Jimmy Page told reporters he had signed with IE Management. In the interview, Daltrey also mentioned Pete Townshend is working on some new material and that they will be on the road next year, possibly with a re-worked Quadrophenia and/or some of Pete's new stuff, if that materializes.

Robert Plant and Band of Joy - Cindy

At the beginning of the month Robert Plant and Band of Joy played a couple of songs at the Americana Awards and Honors Showcase in Nashville. One of the songs was an old American folk song, "Cindy," or "Cindy, I'll Marry You Someday," which is what it is called on the Band of Joy album. The second YouTube video contains the album version.

Incidentally, Band of Joy is (according to Wikipedia):
Patty Griffin – vocals and guitar
Buddy Miller – guitar and vocals
Darrell Scott – vocals, mandolin, guitar, accordion, pedal, lap steel and banjo
Byron House – bass
Marco Giovino – percussion

Robert Plant and Band of Joy in New York

Robert Plant and Band of Joy played a special show at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on September 12. Apparently the concert was announced a week before and was done to promote the Band of Joy CD released on September 13. The setlist is below. Click here to listen to the concert which aired on NPR. By the way, I am really enjoying the new CD and Patty Griffin is fast becoming one of my favorite female vocalists.

Setlist
Monkey
House of Cards
Please Read the Letter
Misty Mountain Hop
Rich Woman
Trouble
12 Gates to the City
Kings Horses
Satisfied Mind
Move Up
Satan
Central Two O Nine
Angel Dance
Houses of the Holy
Down to the Sea
Tall Cool One
Gallows Pole
-------------------
Harms Swift Way
Rock and Roll
Goodnight

Keith Richards On Led Zeppelin

Although I consider myself a fan of the Rolling Stones, I disagree strongly with Keith Richards' sentiments here that "Led Zeppelin is Jimmy Page." I'm not sure why, but Zeppelin has been criticized heavily by rock critics and some of their contemporaries throughout their career. Pete Townshend didn't like their music, although he did say he liked them as people. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, etc. all seemed to have issues with the mighty Zeppelin.

Another example of the disdain for LZ is when the band's manager Peter Grant met Bob Dylan and introduced himself:

"I'm Peter Grant, manger of Led Zeppelin," said Grant.
"I don't come to you with my problems," replied Dylan.

The Who - "Amazing Journey/Sparks" London Coliseum

I haven't posted a version of "Sparks" lately so here we go. The above performance is of The Who at the London Coliseum in 1969. The band released a two-disc DVD a couple of years ago called The Who: Live At Kilburn (1977), which contains the Coliseum show as well. Many think that Pete's guitar work is at its finest during the Coliseum show. Regardless of whether it is his best or not, this performance of "Sparks" is definitely right up at the top with performances at Woodstock, Leeds and Isle of Wight. This concert takes place during Pete's boiler suit days, when he decided it was too much trouble to dress like the hippies so he went with the simple boiler suit.

Pete Townshend's Happiest Songs

So what are Pete Townshend's happy songs? Did he ever have a "Walking on Sunshine" moment? Townshend's music often contains twists and so even if the beat is uptempo and feels happy, a glance at the lyrics will show that it really isn't happy at all. Some of his happier songs that come to mind are "No Road Romance," "All Shall Be Well," "Stardom in Acton," "Ask Yourself," "Squeeze Box," "A Friend is a Friend," and for me "Long Live Rock" which opens with:

Down at the Astoria the scene was changing,
Bingo and rock were pushing out X-rating,
We were the first band to vomit in the bar,
And find the distance to the stage too far,
Meanwhile it's getting late at ten o'clock,
Rock is dead they say,
Long live rock.

Pete Townshend's Saddest Songs

A poster on a Pete Townshend message board a while back asked what is the saddest song written by Pete Townshend. There were some good ones mentioned. For example, "Melancholia" which contains the line: the sun is shining, but not for me. That one was done by The Who on The Who Sell Out (1967). Another suggestion was a Townshend solo called "Never Ask Me." A song that opens with "I passed her once, I passed her twice, Your first reply just seamed as cold as ice, You never ask me, If you love me."Ouch!

For me, it is "Unused Piano: Quadrophenia" which is on Pete's Scoop album. There are no words, just Pete playing piano.

Dressed Up Just Like Like The Union Jack?

I recently heard the Rolling Stones song "Get off of My Cloud" and although it wasn't the first time I have listened to the song, some of the lyrics jumped out at me:

Then in flies a guy
Who's all dressed up just like the Union Jack
And says I've won five pounds
If I have his kind of detergent pack?

I don't know of many people that were dressed up during that time in a Union Jack coat other than Pete Townshend. So was Mick Jagger singing about Pete? Hard to know really. Wikipedia doesn't mention anything about it. I do know that The Who and Rolling Stones were playing the same scene in London around the time the song was written (1965). Pete was and is a huge Rolling Stones' fan. But the "detergent pack" reference would make more sense if the song came out around the time of The Who Sell Out album in 1967. It would be a worthwhile question - at least to me - for Pete and/or Jagger.

Led Zeppelin - "In The Light"

I voted in the "Great Zeppelin Countdown," however, my three songs could change tomorrow. One song that is - in my opinion - one of Led Zeppelin's greatest is "In The Light" off of LZ's Physical Graffiti album. Wikipedia says the band never played it live because John Paul Jones could not replicate the synth sound he got in the studio on stage. The article also says that Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes played it when they toured in 1999.

The Great Zeppelin Countdown

I was listening to Carol Miller's "Get the Led Out" on Q 104.3 and she said they are doing a countdown of the top Zep songs ever. Click this for the Website. I expect "Stairway" to be #1, so my curiosity is more with what follows it. I'm not a big fan of lists, but I am interested to see what songs the fans like. I know, for me, "Achilles Last Stand" and "Ten Years Gone" should be in the upper echelon.

Remember!

Tomorrow, of course, will be the ninth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001. I won't be on the computer tomorrow in all likelihood, but I will remember and pray for those that were murdered on that day. I will never forget the bravery of the firemen and cops and the regular people that helped each other out. I try to put out of my mind certain politicians that took credit for their "bravery." I'll ignore, to the best of my ability, the politics that will take place tomorrow. Shame on them.

About a month after 9/11, a great concert was put on for the first responders. The Who put on this memorable performance of "Won't Get Fooled Again." I will never forget a fireman handing Roger a fire chief's hat. Daltrey handed it back to him and said he wasn't worthy of wearing it. Class act.

Roger Daltrey Honoring Troops

Roger Daltrey has put together a concert for this Sunday night in the U.K. which will raise money for British troops injured while fighting in Iraq.

Roger had this to say:

"It is astonishing to me that people's attitude to our permanently injured troops can be equally divided. 'They know what they're signing up for when they join,' has been a phrase I've heard during the last few months while trying to raise support for... the concert. While I appreciate that a lot of these people are fiercely opposed to the war, to carry opposition of it into opposition to the support of our injured troops is an anathema (sic) to me... We as a society have a responsibility to the young men and women who have paid a very high price for the politics of this country. It's far too easy to say the war was not in my name, because we have to accept that rightly or wrongly it was. The decisions of the British government are our responsibility. We voted them in... "

For more click this.

One Expensive Book

A limited number of copies of a book on Jimmy Page's life in pictures is coming out soon and it will cost you big: approximately $685. Page initially wanted to do a picture book as opposed to an autobiography, but now he says that a book about his life may still be a possibility. Gibson has more here.

Remembering Keith Moon (August 23, 1946-September 7, 1978)

My first post in a while....

Keith Moon died on this date 32 years ago. I always like watching the way Keith interacted with the other members of The Who, particularly Pete Townshend, during live performances. This video of the band performing "Water" at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 is a prime example.

The Who - Big Boss Man

I came across a concert that The Who did in Passaic, N.J. in 1979. Above is the audio of the band performing "Big Boss Man," which is a cover of a song written by Luther Dixon and Al Smith, and although covered by many, is most notably done by Jimmy Reed. By the way, if you don't know the late Jimmy Reed, check out "Shame Shame Shame" here.

Robert Plant's New Song

Robert Plant is releasing an album with his revived Band of Joy. Rolling Stone has a clip of one of the songs, "Angel Dance,"which can be heard by clicking this. The album comes out in September. The rumors of a Led Zeppelin reunion tour are basically dead at this point. Recently, drummer Jason Bonham said a Led Zeppelin reunion with a different lead singer was considered. I think other than one-off concerts there will never be a full-fledged tour.

The Who - "Amazing Journey/Sparks" from Houston 1975

When The Who played The Summit in Houston, Texas in 1975, some believed and still believe it was the band's best concert ever. For me this is very debatable. I'm not sure how you can look at a career that has spanned nearly 50 years and say one performance is the definitive moment, however, this concert is really good. It's out there as a bootleg on DVD, but really, the band's management should consider having this cleaned up and released as an "official" DVD.

Regardless, the show contains a stellar performance of "Sparks." Pete Townshend was definitely on that night. I've never seen Pete have a bad performance, but some are better than others and this is one of those occasions.

The Who - "Amazing Journey/Sparks" at Tanglewood

I was forwarded this video of The Who performing "Amazing Journey/Sparks" at Tanglewood in Massachusetts in 1970. I never grow tired of comparing and contrasting performances of "Sparks" and it doesn't matter what era the performance comes from; they all hold up in my opinion.

The audio is courtesy of Wolfgang's Vault and it was synced up with some old video of the concert. The quality of the audio and video are perfect. It might not be a bad idea for the band's management to consider putting together a full-length DVD of this concert.

The Who News

Thanks to Roger Daltrey and his charity Teenage Cancer Trust, another cancer ward for teenagers has been opened. This one is in Newcastle, U.K. according to this story. Nice job. In a world of hearing stories about celebrities and politicians constantly getting into trouble, it's good to hear something positive.

Oh and I came across this article about the various Gibson guitars Pete Townshend has used over the years.

I read that The Smothers Brothers announced their retirement this week. The above video is a memorable performance of "My Generation" by The Who on the show.

Happy Birthday Pete Townshend!

Happy 65th Birthday to Pete Townshend! I only have maybe a handful of pop culture stars that I consider “heroes” and Pete is definitely one of them. I came across this video of Pete performing “Blue Red and Grey,” a song from The Who By Numbers album, which although I won’t/can’t say is the band’s best album, it is the one that resonated with me the most when I first heard it from start to finish, which wasn't until 1998.

Pete Townshend On John Entwistle's Importance

Pete Townshend - rock's thinking man - gave some interesting insight into the significance of John Entwistle for The Who. A fan wrote into The Who's Website and asked the following:

"Roger has been quoted as saying that John's volume was a problem in the later years due to his deafness. Did this have any impact on yourself during rehearsal/on stage at all? It always makes me laugh that Roger always stood in front of John's amps then said he was too loud!"

Pete's response:
"I always felt John was more important in the Who as a musician than Roger. (Ed: steady now). Maybe he was more important than Keith or me. He was certainly a better musician. So although I sympathized with Roger’s predicament, I also knew that Who fans worshipped John, and his sound, in a way that indicated an understanding of John’s real genius.

John was never too loud for my taste. I have had more trouble over the years with noisy drummers. However loud someone plays, all I care about is that they listen, so Roger is right on two counts. When John started to go deaf he couldn’t listen quite as well, and started to guess, and sometimes his guesses were wrong. And Roger could not simply turn up his volume, but if he did manage to get louder on stage it was often his vocal screams that hurt my ears, not loud bass. Let’s be honest, we were loud, maybe too loud, but the music, the period, the whole message we carried required absolute concentration from the audience. We used volume to guarantee that."

John's playing is perfectly exhibited in the above YouTube video from the Royal Albert Hall in 2000.

Favorite Bridges

I'm temporarily off of my "Sparks/Underture" fascination for the moment and am now onto great bridges (the contrasting piece of the song) that Pete Townshend included in his music; primarily with The Who but he did have some good ones in his solo work, as well.

There are a few that stand out for me. The first is from "The Song is Over" off of Who's Next. The bridge part begins at the 2:35 mark.

"When I walked in through the door,
Thought it was me I was looking for,
She was the first song I ever sang,
But it stopped as soon as it began."

Overall, this song has mostly a triumphant, rejoiceful feel, however, it tails off at the end and gets a bit more somber. There is a segment in Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who where the closing part of the song is played - "this song is over, I'm left with only tears, I must remember, even if it takes a million years" - while showing clips of the dearly departed John Entwistle. One clip shows the band on stage and John's image fading while Pete and Roger make some comments about how much John is missed. It goes without saying that this part definitely tugs at your heartstrings.

The next bridge comes from "The Punk Meets The Godfather" off of the Quadrophenia album.

"I have to be careful not to preach
I can’t pretend that I can teach,
And yet I’ve lived your future out
By pounding stages like a clown.
And on the dance floor broken glass,
The bloody faces slowly pass,
The broken seats in empty rows,
It all belongs to me you know."

I remember very well this part being sung by Pete Townshend when I first saw the band at Madison Square Garden in the summer of 1996 and I was absolutely mesmerized. By the way, the "I have to be careful not to preach" line should be a mantra for some people in our government and our media.

The last bridge comes from"However Much I Booze" which if off of The Who By Numbers.

"Then the night comes down like a cell door closing
Suddenly I realize that I'm right now, I'm on the scene,
While sitting here all alone with a bottle and my head a-floating,
Far away from the form and the conscience going on with me,
And on with me, and I don't care what you say,
There ain't no way out,
There ain't no way out."

Personally, Numbers could be my favorite album by The Who, if I were to declare a favorite, which I can't/won't. Most songs from the album contain lyrics that are as heartfelt and genuine as you are going to get, which doesn't necessarily mean they are sad. Although the aforementioned song was too personal for Roger Daltrey to sing and thus Pete handled the honors. I would probably describe By Numbers as the band's most "poetic" album. I don't think anyone could find anything somber or melancholic about the song "Squeezebox."

The Who - Dogs

Since we are on the eve of the Kentucky Derby, here is a song called "Dogs" which is a 1968 single by The Who about greyhound racing (not horse racing, but whatever). The song mentions the greyhound, Yellow Printer, who according to this article is considered one of the fastest greyhounds ever. I'm surprised "Dogs" was not on The Who Sell Out album as it kind of fits the mode of that record. The lyrics are comedic and of course, the guitar, bass and drums are brilliant. I wish I had the capability of isolating John Entwistle's bass playing because when you turn this song up, you can really hear how different 'Wistle's playing is from any other bass guitarist.

Led Zeppelin - Tea For One

"Tea for One" is a rarely-if-ever played Led Zeppelin song off of their Presence album and the band's second boxed set. It's a good, soulful, bluesy song about homesickness. I thought about "Tea for One" the other day after I heard Q104.3's Carol Miller play "Baby Come on Home," which wasn't even released until Boxed Set 2 in 1993. Both are great songs!

The Who - Underture

Continuing on the subject of “Sparks/Underture” from my previous posts here and here, the above is a YouTube video with the studio version of “Underture” being played and accompanied by some pictures of The Who throughout their years together.

Although "Underture" is on the Tommy album, the music actually first showed up on the latter portion of “Rael 1,” which is off of The Who Sell Out; an incredibly sophisticated album which deserves multiple listens. Pete Townshend's art school background is on full display on Sell Out, so for some people that only know The Who through Who's Next, they may not initially "get" Sell Out.

When you listen to “Underture” it is quite clear that there’s a lot going on. I think it is definitely one of Pete's best and most complex compositions, however, it's probably also a song that people foolishly skip over when they listen to Tommy. I also think that it is one of those rare songs that every time I listen to it, I hear something new that I hadn't heard before.

The first part I love is around the one minute mark, which is where the heavy bass moves into some frenetically tight drumming – an oxymoron in most cases, but not when your drummer is Keith Moon. Basically, it sounds as though a machine gun is being fired, but there is not a hint of sloppiness to Moon's drumming, just ferocity. I can envision Moon going around and around on his massive drum kit and making sure he doesn’t leave one component of the kit untouched. His drumming is equally as fierce at the 2:33 and 7:33 marks.

The song slows down around 6:38 and seems to bide its time for about 30 seconds or so before hitting the climax and then fading.

I found a demo of "Underture" on YouTube (of course), which was released on Pete's demo collection, The Genuine Scoop. Here is a link to it; an amazingly rich sound; which, for me, only Pete Townshend could and can achieve. Not even an orchestra can match the genius that is Pete Townshend.

"Yes, the Who can help you find God. But then so can surviving a terrible plane crash." –Pete Townshend

The Who - Sparks (1980)

I stumbled across this version of “Sparks” on YouTube which is from a show The Who did in Kansas City in 1980. That means that Kenney Jones was on the drums.

This version displays a bit more of the rawness that is a hallmark of the song, as opposed to "Sparks" in Buffalo which I discussed in my previous posting.

Just to set the record straight, “Sparks” is really an amalgam of “Underture” and “Sparks;” both off of the Tommy album. The build and climax of this song which is capped off by Pete’s "birdman" is right out of "Underture" and isn't in the studio version of "Sparks." But since these live versions always grow out of the end of "Amazing Journey," I suppose it is more user friendly to call them "Sparks." The track listings of any live album The Who ever did always lists the song as such.

The Who - Sparks

One of the best parts of a Who concert is when the band plays a combination of "Underture/Sparks" from their Tommy album. I've listened to many different live versions of the song and I would rank them all good to great. Even a version from the 1989 tour in Glens Falls is really good, although some fans don't like it because it lacks a bit of the song's usual latent aggression.

The Who Live in Boston 2002 DVD finishes really strong with "Amazing Journey/Underture/ Sparks/See Me Feel Me" and then "Listening to You." That DVD's "Sparks" has become known as the "Iwo Jima Version" where Pete Townshend goes into a thing about Captain Walker hanging out with General MacArthur in Iwo Jima. In Tommy, Walker is reported missing and presumed dead. Eventually he shows up later on in the story.

Back to "Sparks." Some of the other performances of the song that I like are The Who at Georgetown in 1969 which is incredible and of course I can't discount the versions of "Sparks" at Woodstock (1969), Isle of Wight (1970) or Leeds (1970) which are all out of this world.

Recently, though, I came across the above video. Pete does something different from 2:23 to 2:30. He seems to be playing something that sounds very similar to the opening riff of U2's "Where The Streets Have No Name." By the way, that U2 song didn't come out until 1987.

Pete Townshend - Join The Air Force

Pete Townshend touts the positives for joining the air force in the above P.S.A.

The Who - My Wife

Continuing off of my last post....

Pete Townshend wrote the overwhelming majority of Who songs. In fact, he not only wrote the lyrics, but he wrote drums for Keith Moon, guitar for himself and bass for John Entwistle. Pete would make a demo of a song and then bring it to the band. The Who would either give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down. This is much different than what The Who's contemporaries would do. Most bands generally featured at least two principal songwriters; i.e. Lennon/McCartney or Jagger/Richards. John Entwistle, though, did contribute some very good songs for The Who. One of which is "My Wife." I found this video on YouTube of the song being performed by the band in Cleveland in 1975 with "The Ox" on lead vocals. Funny enough, none of the songs John wrote are sung by any of the other band members. Also, here is a sample of some of the classic lyrics from "My Wife" below.

My life's in jeopardy
Murdered in cold blood is what I'm gonna be
I ain't been home since Friday night
And now my wife is coming after me

Give me police protection
Gonna buy a gun so
I can look after number one
Give me a bodyguard
A black belt Judo expert with a machine gun

Pete Townshend - Begin The Beguine

The range of what Pete Townshend can sing and make his own has never surprised me. From Another Scoop he sings "Begin the Beguine," which had previously been reserved for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire. Pete is a great singer and has many weapons in his arsenal; he can sing melodically as he does here and also does on "Sunrise" or he can go for the more somber, reflective style as he does with "However Much I Booze." Townshend, though, didn't sing lead very often in The Who as he had his kind-of-sort-of buddy Roger Daltrey doing the honors.

Begin The Beguine - Pete Towns...

Pete Townshend - Behind Blue Eyes

Pete Townshend discussed "Behind Blue Eyes" in the above video and what the song is about and how it's meaning has evolved for him over time. When the band recorded the song originally in 1971 for Who's Next, Roger Daltrey said his dog had died that morning so for him the song took on a very distinct meaning.

The Shout - Pete Townshend

The Shout - Pete Townshend

Many Who fans have been asking what is next for The Two after last month's performance of Quadrophenia at the Albert Hall. Roger Daltrey has some solo dates coming up and Pete is hard at work on a musical. Still, nothing has been said about a future tour. For me, although I would love to see them again live, I also wish Pete would release some more stuff from his archives. For example, the great 1975 concert in Houston which is on YouTube.

That may be a pipe dream so I will gladly accept another Scoop-style album, which were a series of albums that Townshend put out which were made up of demos that for one reason or another did not make it onto Who albums. “The Shout” is from Another Scoop and is one of those highly emotive songs that is a Townshend trademark. I think it would have fit in pretty well on The Who's By Numbers album or Townshend's solo album, Empty Glass.

Night School - Pete Townshend

Recently I came across White City on YouTube. White City: A Novel was a solo concept album released by Pete Townshend in 1985 and is somewhat autobiographical. The basic premise of the story is about someone that becomes successful and returns back to the city they grew up in and found it to be run-down and filled with racial tension. I vividly remember buying this CD, however, I never got to see the one-hour film until just recently. The album featured David Gilmour, Pino Palladino, Simon Phillips, Mark Brzezicki, John "Rabbit" Bundrick and the man, myth and legend, Chucho Merchan. Pete’s daughter Emma also provided backing vocals for “Night School.” The above video is a much different version than what appeared on the album.

Getting Ready for Halftime

This is a pretty cool video of the crew setting up for The Who's Super Bowl halftime show. Approximately 600 people set everything up and then broke it all down. Amazing how they are able to put this type of stuff together and got it all done without any sort of serious panic.

The Who at The Royal Albert Hall

The Who last night wrapped up this year's series of Teenage Cancer Trust charity shows at London's Royal Albert Hall with a performance of the album, Quadrophenia. Here is a link to all of the songs which were posted on YouTube. Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder was a surprise guest at the show, as was Kasabian singer Tom Meighan. Additionally, there was a brass and string section.

This is the 1oth anniversary of the benefit, which is headed up by Roger Daltrey, and so there were 10 shows. The Who did the final show, but the other concerts featured some good performers as well, such as Noel Gallagher and Them Crooked Vultures, among others.

So far the Quadrophenia concert has received favorable reviews. The U.K.'s Times Online had this to say:

"Daltrey sang with his emphatic touch, while Townshend played acoustic and electric guitar with a combination of finesse and aggression."

Meanwhile, Rolling Stone raved about Townshend in their review:

"His playing was virtuosic, moving, on “5:15″ between bluesy licks, shredding solos and savage power chords, but also, more crucially, fueled by an enduring rage. The climactic one-two punch of “The Rock” and “Love Reign O’er Me” was drama worthy of this storied, 19th century venue."

Going into last night there was talk of the band touring Quadrophenia this fall. We'll see. The main issue is Pete's hearing. As you can see from the photo below, drummer Zak Starkey's set is enclosed by plexiglass, however, that was done during Roger's solo tour, as well. Incidentally, Starkey isn't using the cool bullseye cymbals he used at the Super Bowl, perhaps the N.F.L. trademarked them? Anyway, Pete was reportedly going to test out a new device last night for his hearing. Hopefully, things worked out fine. But I think Townshend had an idea ahead of time that it was not going to be an issue. I suspect the band will be announcing a tour similar to what they did in 2002; 20-25 dates in the U.S. in late summer and early fall. I don't think Pete wants to do a long tour like they did in 2006-2007.

Pete Townshend Interview in Premier Guitar Magazine

Always a great interview, Pete Townshend doesn't disappoint in Premier Guitar Magazine here, or does he? When asked about the future Townshend states that there are no plans for a tour at the moment and also discusses his latest project:

"Floss is not a new Who album. It is a musical play. Some of the music might work for Roger and me; I am still working on it. I reckon I have another year to go writing."

Townshend also talks about his hearing:

"I don’t use in-ears on stage. Not yet. I have just been introduced to a new microprocessor- controlled system with three transducers in each ear. They sound amazing. But the Chinese might hack into my gig… I have started wearing hearing aids in the past months. The new ones are incredible. Tiny. The only way to protect my hearing would be to stop playing music. I get the most problems from long periods of studio work, which is how I compose. So I am nervous about the future right now."

For me, Pete has given more than enough already and anything he does going forward is gravy. What's most important is that he takes care of his hearing, which he appears to be doing.

Pete Townshend and The Grateful Dead

I came across this video recently of Pete Townshend jamming in 1981 on a couple of songs with the Grateful Dead.

This reminds me of a story Roger Daltrey told once of a jam session that broke out under the stage at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. Daltrey claims that Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones, Mama Cass, George Harrison, Pete Townshend, Keith Moon and Janis Joplin - he mentioned a few others but I can't remember who at the moment - were jamming away to an extended version of "Sgt. Pepper."

Pete denied the session ever took place. Perhaps he really doesn’t remember due to some drugs taken that weekend or maybe it’s because Townshend loves to needle Roger. If such a session did take place, what a shame that there is no film of it.