Jed Gottlieb
Last night, at an almost full TD Banknorth Garden, the Who played “Baba O’Riley,†possibly the greatest, most glorious, most epic rock song ever written, with all the requisite bluster and bombast. The band was on, the crowd felt it, the result was a perfect rock ’n’ roll moment.
But that doesn’t mean the kids are all right. The kids - who stayed home to download their Young Jeezy and Taylor Swift and “Womanizer†- don’t much care for rock. It’s the adults who are all right with the Who.
The crowd, most of whom were born between 1960 and 1980, weren’t nearly as effusive as they should have been (Chardonnay and golf claps are for the Eagles). But the night was as rock ’n’ roll as any Garden party can be.
The Who began with a few quick ones including “I Can’t Explain†and “The Seeker,†No prog-rock embellishments, these were just as punchy and tight as the London swingers remember.
After reliving their mod past, maestro Pete Townshend and still-brilliant bulldogish frontman Roger Daltrey rocked by the numbers. “Who Are You†into “Behind Blue Eyes†hit with a Herculean thud, reminding everyone this was the band that invented stadium rock.
Sure, not the “same†band. Keith Moon and John Entwistle can’t be replaced. Ringo’s kid Zak Starkey can play, but the absent menace of Moon is glaring. Without the Loon, the set sadly never teeters on the brink of imploding. Pino Palladino is a bassist’s bassist but doesn’t have the Ox’s blunt brilliance.
But Daltrey can still sing like a kid and Townshend windmills through those guitar chords with pints of piss and vinegar to spare. “Getting In Tune,†“Won’t Get Fooled Again,†“My Generation†and a superb “Love Reign O’er Me†were dead-on.
The one very wimpy moment came during an ill-advised “Real Good Looking Boy.†The Who’s tribute to Elvis sounded like a lame outtake from “The Joshua Tree.â€
