Even now, with only two survivors who are both past their prime, the Who can still pull off a spectacular show. The memory of seeing the bloody terrible Las Vegas concert on TV recently was still fresh so I was half-expecting a bit of car crash TV, but the Superbowl half-time show was magnificent.
It is not just the music but the sheer spectacle of that remarkable stage, and the audacity of the NFL to have it all in the half-time interval, not to mention the technical achievement of getting that stage set up, performed on and struck again in about twenty minutes. I think it took a lot longer to get the band set up for Live 8 and that was a comparitively bare stage.
The word ‘awesome’ is over-used and has lost much of its original meaning now but I think it is appropriate for that display. I am not ashamed to admit that I had a pretty big lump in my throat watching it, and I am glad I recorded the Superbowl so I could watch it on the big TV and not have to rely on the relatively tiny YouTube clips below.
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I’m not a great fan of The Who—I don’t own a single recording by them—but I’d be an idiot to pretend they aren’t an outstanding live act. I saw this from The Kids Are Alright for the first time a few days ago and grinned in admiration.
Have you seen this video?
It is the same performance but only showing Entwistle and with only his audio feed too. Absolutely stunning. It really shows what they are missing now as a two-piece.
I have Zak Starkey and Simon Phillips do admirable Moon impressions but Entwistle was truly irreplaceable.
I only have a greatest hits CD of the Who, and used to have Live at Leeds on vinyl so not the biggest fan, but I have a few DVDs that I enjoy re-watching every now and then.