The Who Rocks America 1982

This decades-old concert was captured on video in order to preserve what was going to be the Who's final performance before they retired from touring. Of course, that did not happen, and some of us wish this tape did not happen, as well. The concert film is shot on video in front of thousands of screaming fans in Toronto, Canada. I guess when they rocked America, The Who meant NORTH America. The concert lasts almost two hours, and the lads give it all they have- and that ain't too much. The group includes Roger Daltrey on vocals and some guitar, Pete Townshend on guitar and some vocals, the late John Entwistle on bass and some vocals, Kenney Jones replaces the late Keith Moon on drums, and Tim Gorman is trapped behind a bank of keyboards.

The film opens with what can only be described as a lethargic version of "My Generation." "Can't Explain" follows, and the group looks tired and unprepared. "Dangerous" wanders all over the place, and I noticed the film suffers from a terrible sound mix, as Townshend's microphone seems to be set lower than the others'. On "Sister Disco," Townshend sings but Daltrey's trademark microphone throwing is way off. Director Namm cuts to Entwistle a lot as Roger chases his prop around the stage. Namm also has a habit of using then-state of the art video effects when things slow down, and they do nothing to enhance the viewing experience. "The Quiet One," written about Entwistle, is next and it has a bluesy feel to it that seems to wake everyone up. "It's Hard" finds Daltrey on guitar, and things definitely improve as they pound through "Eminence Front" and "Baba O'Reilly." And along came a spider...

Entwistle proudly announces that "Boris the Spider" took just eight minutes to write- I doubt it was that long. The song is terrible, and the build-up to this point is quickly lost. "Drowned" is better, as Daltrey does some awesome harmonica playing. "Love Ain't for Keeping" is average, but Daltrey continues his streak with some decent gu...