The Who's Halftime Super Bowl Performance

I had a strange feeling when I heard The Who would be halftime performers for this year’s Super Bowl. A band that presented diametrically different possibilities: on one hand, they were a band that at their prime would have utterly destroyed a gig like that one Sunday night. On the other hand, half of the band’s driving force is no longer with us, rendering the band as a brand name instead of a virile machine.
There is another factor to the equation of if they would be a worthy performer, and it was immediately pointed out by wife, who sat down on the couch next to me and went “Pfft! They’re old.”
They are indeed old. Daltry can no longer hit “the note,” Townshend’s windmill looks like he’s nursing a torn rotator cuff, and their credibility seems incredibly tiny as-like I stated before-over half of the band’s driving force is….
You get the idea.
I was immediately drawn to Zac Starkey. The dude is a handsome bastard and that kit he was playing-clear acrylic shells with Who bull’s-eye cymbals-was awesome eye candy.
And the light show was fantastic. I remembered a similar feeling when I saw this same line up a few years ago; how far have we come where the lighting/art director has become a critical component in the Who’s live attack?
Meet the new Boss.
Now meet his Technical Director.
The band didn’t embarrass themselves-they just embarrassed their heritage. This certainly wasn’t the band they originally envisioned, was it? And I have a strong feeling their younger selves would have shuddered at the thought of someone older than their parents would be singing about a teenage wasteland.
It was a tidy set, limited by design to allow for any danger. You don’t know how much I was gunning for a quick guitar smash from Pete at the end-just a quick acknowledgement of the chaos of their earlier years, the cherry on top to all of the Mod imagery swirling around the lights.
But it was not to be. A post performance rub down was not part of the contract terms, I guess.
As a spectacle-a successful halftime show-I’d give it a passing grade. It was well behind the stunning Prince performance from a few years ago, but ahead of Tom Petty’s tepid medley.
But as a fan, one who wants younger generations to understand that The Who for many years were the best band working, their halftime performance was an utter failure. It didn’t motivate anyone to examine the band long play statements, and it did nothing to hint at their live prowess.
I suppose it’s too much given their age, but you’d think that they’d want to retire in front of the biggest audience of their career the same way they entered it: dangerously.
Won’t get fooled again.