Thirty years ago this fall, The Who ventured out on what they said would be their final tour
As so often happens, it was a case of famous last words. Instead of retreating from the road and focusing on recording some albums in the studio, the band's 1982 album It's Hard proved to be the last new album for nearly a quarter century.
On October 9, 1982, several friends and I ventured to Toronto in a decrepit VW Bug (is there any other kind?) to see the band live for what we thought would be the last time. It was a fantastic show, and the band continued on through the fall, finally wrapping up the tour with a show at Maple Leaf Gardens that broadcast live on TV and simulcast on one of the Toronto FM rock stations.
We all know how those famous last words about a farewell to touring turned out. Three decades later, with John Entwistle having joined Keith Moon in succumbing to drugs, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend are on the road again with a batch of backing musicians. While Pete and Roger have been the heart of the band for half a century, I find myself having a hard time seeing this as The Who anymore.
I still love the band's music and consider much of it some of the greatest rock ever made, but I won't be in attendance as they roll into Joe Louis Arena in Detroit tonight.
