The Who: Live in Boston captures the legendary band during their 2002 American tour, which began with the death of John Entwistle, singer-songwriter and superior bass player whose complex lines and thunderous sound was integral to the Who’s brilliance.
Vocalist Roger Daltrey and guitarist-leader Pete Townshend soldiered on (drummer Keith Moon died in 1978), and Live in Boston finds the rock & roll survivors in passionate if slightly distracted form. Surrounded by old friends (John “Rabbit” Bundrick on keyboards, Zak Starkey on drums, Pete’s brother Simon Townshend on vocals and guitar) and shored up by Pino Palladino on bass, Daltrey and Townshend sizzle during the bedrock numbers (“I Can’t Explain,” “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere”), touch on the crucial early ’70s stuff (“Baba O’Riley”), but catch fire on mini-suites from Tommy and Quadrophenia. Townshend rambles, sometimes unattractively, between numbers, and even Daltrey gets peevish with the crowd. But considering the pressure they were under, their performance is miraculous.
1 I Can’t Explain
2 Substitute
3 Anyway Anyhow Anywhere
4 Who Are You
5 Another Tricky Day
6 Relay
7 Bargain
8 Baba O’Riley
9 Sea And Sand
10 5.15
11 Love Reign O’er Me
12 Eminence Front
13 Behind Blue Eyes
14 You Better You Bet
15 The Kids Are Alright
16 My Generation
17 Won’t Get Fooled Again
18 Pinball Wizard
19 Amazing Journey / Sparks
20 See Me Feel Me
21 Listening To You
Special Features
1. Art Gallery
2. Pete Townshend – Interview
3. Roger Daltrey – Interview