Who bass-god John Entwistle — aka The Ox, aka The Quiet One — died on this day 10 years ago on the eve of the Who’s summer 2002 tour.
It’s unlikely the rock world will ever have a musician quite like him again. Circumstances these days just aren’t conducive to exposing the public to the kind of virtuosic talent the founding fathers of rock needed to make it. It’s just not necessary anymore.
To be honest, I felt somewhat guilty taking pleasure in having seen the Who in Las Vegas just after Entwistle’s passing, as I know that it would not have happened had it not been for his death. With his passing, the band rescheduled the opening Las Vegas date to September 14, 2002 — prior to which my in-laws received the option of free tickets to this exclusive club-sized show at the Hard Rock hotel. I jumped at the chance to see one of my favorite bands of all time.
The Who pulled off a stunning performance, but it was clear to me from the start that this show was not simply another stop on the tour for them, but a wake of sorts. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend were clearly haunted by thoughts of their lost friend throughout the show. While the whole band worked themselves into a frenzy, the furious performance that night, in retrospect, was a sort of exorcism. Roger pushed his voice to its limits and Pete’s trademark windmilling at his guitar was just a little bit more intense.
Pete improvised upon the new middle section of “The Kids Are Alright,” and it was clear as he approached the section that his emotions were very nearly getting the best of him. “I met this guy … he had a horn … he became a bassist … I tell you that man he was a face … he was dressed like a clean fine fellow man. He gave me his hand, I joined his band. We were just eleven years old.” Roger, clearly choked up, took his segment, and Pete followed this up by an equally emotional, but simple, solo. As the song drew to a close, it was almost as if the band was confronting his ghost in that very room.
During “Amazing Journey,” Daltrey improvised, tossing in a reference from Tommy clearly in memory of John: “Captain Walker never came home — and we never expect to see him again.” Amazing jouney it was, and with this show the Who seemed to cast off the shadow of Entwistle’s passing, but not as if to ignore his presence in the band. No, the Las Vegas show served as the moment when Pete and Roger could come back and tie up the loose ends, and bid farewell — summed up with a quick, away-from-microphone yell from Pete of “See ya, John!”
The band, of course, choose to carry on after John’s death, and in many ways it’s still a controversial move. A lot of fans feel this is a slap in the face to them, and to an extent they could be correct. It’s hard to see the Who as the Who with only “the two” on board, but I think you have to look at it from a different angle.
This isn’t a money-grab: These guys aren’t exactly desperate for cash, what with their songs having been featured over the last years in Claritin and Nissan ads, with “Who Are You” as the theme to CBS’ enormously successful CSI and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” on CSI: Miami. No, it really appears that these guys have continued to do it because they really feel the spirit of the band is there.
And maybe, just maybe, the best way for Pete and Roger to move on from the past is simply to carry on. After all, saying goodbye isn’t the hard part. Survivors pick up the pieces of the lives left behind and put them back together in a way that allows everyone to just get on with it. Maybe putting the Who to rest would have been the easiest way for Pete and Roger to get on with it. But maybe it’s not the best way.
See ya, John!
Setlist: The Who, The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, September, 14, 2002:
I Can’t Explain
Substitute
Anyway Anyhow Anywhere
Who Are You
Another Tricky Day
Relay
Bargain
Baba O’Riley
I’m One
Sea And Sand
5:15
Love, Reign O’er Me
Behind Blue Eyes
You Better You Bet
The Kids Are Alright
My Generation
Won’t Get Fooled Again
Encore:
Pinball Wizard
Amazing Journey
Sparks
See Me, Feel Me
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