The Who at halftime

[unfun75]

Ringo's boy got as much face-time as Pete and Roger. Good for him! He's a great drummer.

As for The Who, I thought they were good. "Won't Get Fooled Again" has one of the greatest rock-n-roll moments with the post-breakdown scream and Pete's subsequent windmills, so that's always fun to see.

[JohnnyB]

Zak's kit was completely badass. I want those Zildjians!

Yeah. They reminded me of something.

[DavidE]

Anyone who thought that was good never saw the Who in the day. What a pitiful caricature of what they were. Vocals unable to reach the range required. How many windmalls in a 10 minute performance? Only half the band there anyway being propped up by a backing band who was carrying the show, for what it was.

It's okay to not die before you get old but stop performing stuff that doesn't carry well on bloated old men. Gracie Slick said it best: no one wants to see a grandmother hopping around on stage.

Or even saw them in the 80's. I thought Roger sounded ok. I thought Pete sounded awful vocally and guitar wise. I don't care what they look like, but I didn't think Pete sounded up to his standards.

[GaryT]

I don't know what to say about that.

First thing I thought of.........Gregs thread with Paul Stanley.

I thought the Vocals were so so. John is sorely missed also.

[tommy p]

Did they play My Generation at halftime. If not, I must have heard it in a commercial. Either way, I think I heard "hope I get old" as an altered lyric.

[mkadowaki]

Anyone who thought that was good never saw the Who in the day. What a pitiful caricature of what they were. Vocals unable to reach the range required. How many windmalls in a 10 minute performance? Only half the band there anyway being propped up by a backing band who was carrying the show, for what it was.

It's okay to not die before you get old but stop performing stuff that doesn't carry well on bloated old men. Gracie Slick said it best: no one wants to see a grandmother hopping around on stage.

You mean The Who had more energy and vocal range at age 25 than 65?

Stop the fuckin' presses!

When Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton & co. did their reunion concert at Carnegie Hall in 1964, the audience marveled at how well they still played in their mid-50s. What the surviving members of The Who did today in a stadium setting was little short of phenomenal.

Hell, even Zak Starkey turns 45 this year.

that's the point. Those guys sounded good. You can age with jazz, blues, even country. You lose credibility trying to Pull off angry young man stuff when your old and bloated. Might be nice for you guys who didn't get a chance to see them in their prime but sad fir the rest if us...

[JohnnyThunders]

Anyone who thought that was good never saw the Who in the day. What a pitiful caricature of what they were. Vocals unable to reach the range required. How many windmalls in a 10 minute performance? Only half the band there anyway being propped up by a backing band who was carrying the show, for what it was.

It's okay to not die before you get old but stop performing stuff that doesn't carry well on bloated old men. Gracie Slick said it best: no one wants to see a grandmother hopping around on stage.

Couldn't agreee with you more. It was horrible! Pete should have never opened his mouth and then it might have been just ok. And what's with the Fender product placement shit and the high tech stage? I always wondered where all the old rock bands go to die? Now I know, the SuperBowl!

[Ethan]

And what's with the Fender product placement shit and the high tech stage?

No "product placement," they used the rigs they have been using live for the last 10+ years...

[hamersandstrats]

Did they play My Generation at halftime. If not, I must have heard it in a commercial. Either way, I think I heard "hope I get old" as an altered lyric.

"Hope I get old before I get old?"

I love the Who-favorite band ever-missed the halftime show as I was putting my son to sleep. Rocking at their age is definitely inspiring.

Did Pete have his Boss SD-1 going into his Fender amps?

[burningyen]

I thought they sounded fantastic! Maybe a few steps off their old pace, but relative to other bands out there, they rocked! Roger and Zak kicked ass especially.

[LefThanDed]

No "product placement," they used the rigs they have been using live for the last 10+ years...

More like franchised vertical integration:

CBS

CSI

WHO

[serial]

I'm a big Who fan and I thought that show was a bit embarassing. Maybe because VH1C has been running a ton of great Who stuff leading up to the SB, but I've seen them a couple of times (unfortunately never with Moonie) and they were always better by far. The last time was a couple of years back and Pete sounded a LOT better. His vocals were wayyyy up in the mix and should have been buried, his guitar was sloppy as hell and he was "sounding" notes before playing them-almost like he was lost. The light show was kind of cool, but I think it made them look even worse. Daltry's scream on WGFA sounded like it was pre-recorded-it certainly had a ton of effects on it.

Hey, they're getting up there in age, but it's kind of tough to see your idols as a mere shell of their own greatness. Would have liked to have heard a better song selection, but at least they didn't do that godawful "Tea With Me" shit. Ugh-that's almost as bad as "Tears in Heaven".

Well, ok, nothing's that bad.

[BubbaVO]

Wheres James Caan when we need him??

Trud dat!

[gregc]

It was good. It was what it was............ and it was good~

[GaryT]

Serial I agree.......I seen them in Bpt CT at Harbor Yard which is an outdoor Semi-Pro Baseball stadium. It was 06 and at the end of the Endless Tour

They put on solid show and Pete was impressive. I spoke very briefly to him before he went on-stage. And he said he was gonna tear it up. And he did. But they also played a regular song set and much more of their very early songs. Magic Bus, Behind Blue Eyes, etc. By far it was not a greatest hits medly

I get the impression from seeing the Super Bowl show that they just didn't put the time in practicing. They put on a very solid show a few years back.

Also Pete has made a comment back then about the band. He was quoted as saying [and it hit the Newspapers] that this is NOT the old WHO. Not anywhere near the old band. I didn't save the original article but it was on those lines that he was quoted. Yet while it was not an early 70's Keith.John WHO. They were certainly much better than last night. The same band been playing together since the 90's. So I would think its more to do with preparation than ability.

I agree that certain genres of music are much more acceptable with Seniors/aging musicians playing. Such as Blues and Jazz. But its more than than. If "age" was the case then no-one would have spoke as highly as they did about McCarthy, Prince and Bono/U2 and their recent Super Bowl performances. Never mind countless other playing which list is too long to mention.

MOF when they put the line-up together that appeared last night at the SB. They were initially hesitant to call themselves the WHO. Pete didn't what to use the name. Ultimatly it was Roger that talked him into using the original band name.

[specialk]

I always wondered where all the old rock bands go to die? Now I know, the SuperBowl!

Unfortunately, +1. This from a longtime Who fan.....

[elduave]

Bellys? Couldn't sing? Sloppy?

Some of y'all just don't get it. My advice to you is...

GoPoundSnow AT ElDuave DOT BeatIt

Great halftime show from a great band.

Loooooovveed it!

[GaryT]

You know what though. Its a difficult thing to survive the loss of 2 members in a 4 or 5-piece band. Damn your losing half the band.

Look at the bands in the past that Lost ONE member and could not put it back together. Led Zepplins a good example amoung many others.

You know you have that chemistry thats a hard thing to find. You cut half that out and replace it? Its never really the same. Hard enough to loose Moon. Many sleep on just how Great a musician John was. I think back on the Who and I hear the machine gun playing of Keith Moon and the solid bottom of John Entwistle.

As soon as Won't Get Fooled Again comes to mind I hear the drumming. Tell me you don't hear Moon playing when you think of that song?

[tommy p]

"Hope I get old before I get old?"

No, I think it was "don't wanna die, I hope I get old" or "don't wanna die before I get old".

[mkadowaki]

To be fair, as I understand, Townsend is nearly deaf with tinnitus, so it's probably hard for his ensemble playing.

It's also an issue of the "posturing". McCartney has a different demeanor when playing now. Songs like Hey Jude are ageless themselves. He maintains a dignity.

But when you got one move left (windmill, no more jumping mid-air splits, underatandably) and you go to it continuously, with your gut hanging out, it gets old.

Same thing when Mick was up there several years ago. Still thin and in shape, but the fat under his upper arms flopping in rhythm to the song...

Old is not the criterion. Clapton/Winwood were incredible last year and at Crossroads in 07.

The Who WERE great but they SUCKED yesterday.

[princeofdarkness56]

I really was not expecting much and I'm afraid they played down to my expectations. I thought the vocals were bad from both of them. Still I imagine playing in that format is very hard. Everyone one is expecting you to come out of the gate with a bang and most bands need a song or two under their belt to get warmed up. Maybe three or four if you are in your 60's and don't record or really play together anymore. And with a band like the Who, who have such a huge amount of material, you sort of have to play the greatest hits melody in a short time frame which I am no fan of. There are some older rockers who can play with energy and passion. I would love to see McCartney, Cooper, Elton John or even the Nuge play at the super bowl. Those guys are still in the game IMO because they still write and record new material. With the Who, they seemed like somebody pulled them off the shelf and tried to dust them off.

[Hamer of the gods]

WHO...DAT!

[pi_hole]

I missed it, but judging from the comments, I gather that they didn't pre-record it the way Prince did?

[Cary]

To be honest, I thought the guitar tone was terrible and the playing a bit sloppy. Plus it was mixed poorly with Pete's guitar drowning out everything else at times. It was still good to see them still rocking though - Beats the crap out of having to sit through Brittany Spears or some rapper.

The funny thing was my son commented that they were "old". I said that I thought they looked old when I saw them 27 years ago; then again at that time, they were younger than I am now

[santellavision]

I liked the show. Sure, it wasn't a coked-out 'Live at Leeds' show, but it rocked. I saw them about 10 years ago on their striped-down tour, just a 4-piece tour. That show kicked all kinds of butt for energy. I was blown-away.

Pete is still my hands-down favorite songwriter. Hundreds of great songs.