Friday, February 12, 2010

Who Were Those Guys?

The exodus is here; the happy ones are near; Let's get together before we get much older... (The Who - Baba O'Riley)

When I first heard that The Who had been selected to play the Superbowl halftime show I was a bit nervous. I thought that they might not be able to pull it off and stumble in front of over a hundred million television viewers. The halftime show has become a must play for the elite elder statesmen of rock; The Rolling Stones, U2, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Paul McCartney. The Who certainly were an elite band, but with only one album's worth of material released since 1982 (almost 30 years) and with only 2 of the original 4 band members still living, I think it is fair to say they are passed their prime. However with all that said, I believe The Who pulled it off!

Although the song choices were predictable (I guessed their set list before I heard any news), I was pleasantly suprised at Roger Daltrey's still powerful vocals and Pete Townshend's stage presence. I thought both looked great for men in their mid-60's. Also, late great drummer Keith Moon could never be replaced, but Ringo Starr's son Zac Starkey is the perfect drummer for the band (much better than Kenny Jones who played drums immediately after Moon's death). Starkey adds the punch and energy. Additionally the stage was awesome.

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