The Kids Were Alright

The Who weren’t always quite as good as people think. From 1964 ’til 1971, they suffered from a tinny sound and a vocalist, Roger Daltrey, who yelped more than he sang. Then came Who’s Next, and Daltrey’s voice metamorphosed into a hyper-masculine growl: the sound of the blues, if blues...

By Brandon K. Thorp

November 13, 2008

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The Who weren’t always quite as good as people think. From 1964 ’til 1971, they suffered from a tinny sound and a vocalist, Roger Daltrey, who yelped more than he sang. Then came Who’s Next, and Daltrey’s voice metamorphosed into a hyper-masculine growl: the sound of the blues, if blues had been invented by white Liverpudlian dock workers or factory hands from Birmingham, instead of black American journeyman. At the same time, guitar/mastermind Pete Townshend learned how to make his guitar sound big, not just on stage, but on record as well. And then The Who rocked until hyperkinetic drummer Keith Moon was killed by depression and booze in 1978. But for seven years, The Who just kept getting better — as rockers and pop songwriters, if not as the “concept artists” that Townshend often wished they could be. If you could see only one Who concert from that era in its entirety, you’d probably want to see one from 1977.

The Who at Kilburn: 1977 is that concert (the tour would turn out to be Keith Moon’s last as well). The band originally shot the show to excise bits for the career-spanning flick The Kids Are Alright, and only now is the whole thing being released. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Cinema Paradiso (503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale). Tickets cost $9. Visit fliff.com for more info.
Sat., Nov. 15, 2008

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