Who Dat?

the sound sucked but most of the big acts suck on the super bowl. Stones were even worse a few years back. Pete townsend looked FAT, and there for the pay check. Daltry cant hit the hi's anymore but hey, he 60+? the stage show was cool from the overhead blimp :)

I don't rember the super bowl having a half time worth remembering except for the dirty one years back. I'm sure the super bowl brings in an act that caters to their crowd, older folks who have done well for themselves, who grew up listening to the Who. I always thought Vegas was the final nail in a bands career, but now it's the super bowl in my opinion.

I thought they did well. Time is tough on us all. It must be really tough to go on stage like that in front of millions who will always compare the band to (and judge them against) the Young Who. And the format of the show does not help at all. How do you choreograph a 40 year career in 12 minutes? Bravo, Daltrey. Bravo Townshend.

I thought they did well also...Though I read this morning that the rhythum tracks were pre-recorded. I don't know how they do that and have it sound and look as good as it does.
Still...nothing against Zack Starkey, but I miss the incarnation with Simon Phillips on drums....he drove that band...next best thing to Keith Moon!

I thought they did pretty well also, although, no one can replace The Ox. The killer bass was missing. I also thought Ringo's kid, Zak, played very well and came pretty darn close to replicating Moon's style/feel.

They kicked ass.

I looked at Pete and thought..Geeez he's old.
Then I looked in the mirror.
Bravo for still rockin.
Maybe not as well as 30 years ago, but then...

I admire them for playing.. but was sadly bored by the selection of music.. I mean really, how many times have we heard them.. I felt sad in a way that that's what they had to offer after all these years.

Pete is a personal hero, Keith and John were the toughest rhythm section in rock. They did pretty good without, those are mighty big shoes to fill. I thought Pete and Roger rocked the house pretty good for some geezerz..@ Bill yes they are the same old songs, but, they are friggin' anthems of our ggg…generation, that's kind of the definition, i played those songs so much you could see through the vinyl.

@ Raf, were you "in the house"?

No, I was not "in the house". The stadium is about 30 miles (or maybe less) from my house. I tried to get my home theatre system to the tailgate party, but decided to enjoy it at home instead.

Plus, Pete's tummy flash/wardrobe malfunction was much better on HDTV!

@Jon.. I agree that the songs are anthems of a ggggggggggeneration, but imagine it's 1967, you're 16 years old, watching the Super Bowl and having the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra play at half time..My dad would have loved it.. I'm not sure I would have.
The times they should be a-changin'.
It just all felt too safe and comfy..

thats a funny scenerio billy! :)

This is my favorite safe and comfy lyric ever.

I woke up in a Soho doorway
A policeman knew my name
He said "You can go sleep at home tonight
If you can get up and walk away"

I staggered back to the underground
And the breeze blew back my hair
I remember throwin' punches around
And preachin' from my chair

chorus:
Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
'Cause I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)

I took the tube back out of town
Back to the Rollin' Pin
I felt a little like a dying clown
With a streak of Rin Tin Tin

I stretched back and I hiccupped
And looked back on my busy day
Eleven hours in the Tin Pan
God, there's got to be another way

I know there's a place you walked
Where love falls from the trees
My heart is like a broken cup
I only feel right on my knees

I spit out like a sewer hole
Yet still recieve your kiss
How can I measure up to anyone now
After such a love as this?


- Rock is Dead, Long Live Rock!

This gives weight to my developing theory that Billy doesn't like ANYTHING.

sorry B17, but the who did not kick ass last night!it was nice to see that they were alive
and wanted to rock

Brannon.. I suggest you get the album, put on headphones, crank it to 11 and listen until you are comfortably numb.
And yes, the whole performance, while wonderful for geriatrics, presented an old-hat uninspired set of music.
At least I don't mind if you liked it.

Wait. It was a joke. We were debating whether or not the Who kicked ass or sucked. I would take the liberty of saying what I said if I didn't count you as a friend and therefore felt comfortable enough to say it.

I did not mean for it to be offensive. I am sorry.

np

And I do get where you are coming from. The Superbowl halftime acts have been somewhat safe ever since we all got a peek a Janet Jackson fake nipple. The family friendliness is so very wholesome when its all said and done.
There is a part of me that felt it wasn't truly rock and roll if Pete didn't show us his nipple. Er. . maybe not.

I've been thinking about the performance, and I have concluded that The Who have a problem created by their own success. They have reached a legendary status very few artists will ever know. They are by all accounts rock royalty, in the company of Zep, The Stones, The Beatles, Clapton, etc.

BUT... They are defined by the music they created 40 years ago (My Generation was released in 1965). Quadrophenia, which was released in 1973, was the highest reaching of any Who album released in the US. They released one album in 2006 (who knew?), but before that there was nothing after 1982.

The problem is that the band members have aged, but the music we hear has not. When we hear "Won't Get Fooled Again", we think of revolution, "fighting in the streets", and young guys tearing up the stage! That's not who they are anymore. They have not created any new music to grow with them, and redefine them as they have aged.

Other artists, like Clapton, have. Clapton's music is constantly evolving, and it tells his life story. I see Clapton now and there is a long string of music that bridges his present with his past. But with The Who, there is no bridge -- just an instant transporter ride back to a much younger Daltrey and Townshend. So when we see them now, we're surprised by the wrinkled faces and grey hair. It's a shock.

Smile and grin at the change all around me...

Daltry and Townshend needed each other to be what they were. So it was/is with the Stones, Beatles and Zepplin. All of these groups and partnerships soured through the years and changed the dynamic that made them legendary. Even as there is reconciliation, things are never the same. Relationships make or break a band.

Clapton only needed to stay clean.

Good point. It's tough to handle this fortune and fame. Everybody's so different, I haven't changed.

Damn, you guys are all serious about this shit. ok, the Who was the best super bowl band ever! Pinball wizard was the 43'rd song i learned on guitar at age 12 and one half and i learned to play the intro of We wont get fooled again on organ because i did not know it was pre-recorded back in the day :)

See if you can find the blog where Kompozers rated the top rock bands of all time

I'll have to have my agent get back to you guys on this one……...

Agent? I'll have my nurse text you my response.

well, what did you think.. I was gonna take care of myself?

someone has to give me my meds, push the wheelchair, lock the doors, unbuckle the restraints, you know... the tough stuff.

AND. . epiphany! Thats what the movie Spinal Tap is really about. Deep man. Really deep.

We are being baited into a conversation that contains only rock lyrics. I think its safe to say, time to open fire.

Are you gonna rap that up Pete?

Nope

I didn't see this particular Who performance, but to me it is very simple: to see the people who wrote those songs (well, half of them anyway) perform them is always a thrill. Contrary to a few of the comments here, I don't mind if the songs are old and I have heard them a million times, it is still a thrill.

And by the way, don't you think Da Vinci's paintings are sooo 14th century. We have already seen them so many times, why do they insist on showing them? :).

Townsend, Daltrey, Entwhistle and Moon deserve a lot of respect, they earned it.

My 2 cents

B

I missed it last night but I heard Behind Blue Eyes on the radio on the way to work this morning -
And my dreams they are as empty
as my concience seems to be
and thought man, Townsend can write a short story with 2 lines.

There is a fantastic documentary about the who. A couple of promoters started filming their live shows when they were just kids and kept filming throughout the years.

The comeback show in Vegas, the one that Entwhistle had a coke and hooker induced heart attack the night before was the first leg of a tour Townsend and Daltry did to help the old bass player get out of bankrupcy.

That documentary will make you appreciate what outstanding human beings Daltry and Townsend are.

well, speaking only for myself, I certainly have a ton of respect for not only Townsend, Daltrey, Entwhistle and Moon.. but anyone who's lasted as long as they have. I still love their music, always have. Although I'm sure they actually play some other songs besides the iconic ones they performed, I would wager that the folks that decided on which songs to play (assuredly more than just the performers) wanted to be sure that the music was in fact, well known and well liked.. yes, a bit comfy and familiar for the audience. As for the Leonardo analogy.. It's not about how many times I've seen them. But DaVinci surely wasn't still painting the same pictures as an old man that he did in his 20's. If he had, no one would have paid any attention to him.
I'm not in any way dissing what the Who have done, but I would have been far more entertained by hearing what's on their minds now.. not 40 years ago.

Aw shucks, I was so proud of that analogy :). You do have a point, Sir Willam :)

The analogy is still really good, Bjorn. The music The Who produced is truly a work of art. And you're right -- to see the people who wrote those songs perform them is always a thrill. Seeing young Zak Starkey on the kit was cool too. The entire experience was more than just the sounds and visuals.

By the way, how cool would it be to see Zak, Julian, Dhani, and James together?

Add Blankit and you've got something there

Nobody mentioned the painted cymbals that the drummer had...that was cool!

First off, I'm a genuine old-school Saints fan from the days of the bag-head wearin' aint's. I thought I'd be on my death bed if/when the Saints ever made it to the big one, much less win it. GEAUX SAINTS. Now,

Thought all the big air guitar strokes took away from the performance. If you're gonna hold a guitar, at least turn the volume down and hit the strings. Looked like a B-Movie punch. Dug the set list.

Dug the light-up stage. Cool. Enjoyed the drummer, but lament that the era of ACTUALLY COOL rock stars is gone versus the stylest-induced sensitive new-age rocker who drinks bottled water and gets plenty of rest.