The Who and Why

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Sept. 13, 2002 | 9:22 a.m.

Over a legendary career spanning parts of five decades, The Who has cemented its reputation as one of rock 'n' roll's all-time road warriors, performing at small clubs, concert halls and football stadiums worldwide.

It's safe to say, however, that in all those years, the veteran band has rarely played a venue charged with the emotions its members are likely to feel Saturday night in Las Vegas.

At 10:30 p.m. The Who will take the stage for a sold-out concert at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel the site where founding bassist John Entwistle died less than three months ago.

On June 27, a day before The Who's scheduled Las Vegas tour opener, Entwistle was found dead in his suite at age 58. An autopsy later concluded he had suffered a heart attack Entwistle had been taking medication for a heart condition and cocaine was found in his system.

As Who fans worldwide mourned the loss, speculation was that the shocking death of the man known fondly as "The Ox" might mark the final chapter for a band famous for its many comebacks.

The Las Vegas show, along with another concert scheduled two nights later in Irvine, Calif., were immediately postponed as remaining Who members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey considered their next move.

Over the years, both had expressed regret over their decision to continue on as The Who after the 1978 death of original drummer Keith Moon. Many assumed Entwistle's passing would signal the end of the band.

But less than 24 hours later, Townshend and Daltrey announced that The Who, and their scheduled tour, would go on. With longtime session bassist Pino Palladino taking over for Entwistle, the band played live just four days after Entwistle's death, performing July 1 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

Though the shows since have been well-attended, and generally well-received, reaction from longtime supporters has been mixed since the band opted to carry on.

"The tastelessness is in the timing," was a typical response a Who fan posted on an online message board. "I've never thought that this tour was anything other than a revenue generator. Going forward for the cash is sad."

message board. "I've never thought that this tour was anything other than a revenue generator. Going forward for the cash is sad."

Also providing fodder for critics are comments by Townshend on his official website -- remarks that, to some fans, sound cold and calculated.

"John's death created logistical and potentially severe financial problems for us," Townshend wrote in the diary section of petetownshend.com.

"The Who is not a charity. When we can afford it we do charity shows as you know. I am not going to apologize to those who think it's somehow wrong for me and Roger to want to make money doing what we do best."

Such remarks did not sit well with Tony Fletcher, a writer who authored a biography of Moon. On ijamming.com, Fletcher recently offered this opinion:

"I maintain the belief that The Who should have called it a day under their working name after bass player and founding member John Entwistle died in June (if not when Keith Moon died in 1978); I've also expressed horror that they opted to proceed with their summer tour despite the fact that John died on the very eve of the opening show."

Frank Correia, music editor for trade publication Radio & Records Magazine, said he assumed the band would go on as The Who, but expected a bit more time before their return to the stage.

"I didn't think they'd call it quits, but I was surprised it was so quick," Correia said in a phone interview. "But it doesn't surprise me at all they are still calling themselves The Who. It seems to me Pete and Roger have never really had a problem selling The Who, so for them to keep the name is not surprising at all."

Similar to Correia, others in the music industry were hardly stunned over the way The Who handled Entwistle's death.

"Am I surprised they went on? No, I'm not," Howard Kramer, associate curator for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, said in a phone interview. "The obligations involved with a tour that size are huge. There are millions of dollars committed and hundreds of people involved.

"You can't just pull stakes. To ignore the impact of commerce in the music business is naive."

Jason Fine, music editor for Rolling Stone magazine, echoed those thoughts.

"At first I thought, how can they keep going, how can they play without him?" Fine said during a phone interview. "With just two of the four guys, is it still The Who? But the more I thought about it, I thought, how could they not go on?

"The Who has come and gone so many times, but if they had given up now, they would never be able to play as The Who again."

Dealing with death

There is obviously no industry standard for how a band should react to the death of a member. In fact, over rock 'n' roll's half-century history, bands have responded to such tragedies in virtually every conceivable way.

For some, the loss of a founding member is simply too much to bear. That was the case for Led Zeppelin in 1980 when drummer John Bonham died in his sleep after (as legend has it) drinking three dozen vodka shots.

Less than three months later, surviving members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones officially announced the end of Zeppelin with a brief statement:

"We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were."

Since Bonham's death, Page and Plant have toured as a duo and played occasionally with Jones, but have never been billed as Led Zeppelin.

How some other legendary bands coped with death:

The Grateful Dead played on after the deaths of two keyboardists: Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (liver failure) in 1973 and Brent Mydland (drug overdose) in 1990. Another keyboardist, Keith Godchaux, died in a car accident in 1980 after leaving the band in 1979.

But when frontman Jerry Garcia suffered a fatal heart attack in 1995, the group's Long Strange Trip came to a permanent end. Though members continue to play live together as "The Other Ones," the name Grateful Dead died with Garcia.

Singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain's suicide in 1994 spelled the immediate demise of Nirvana. Likewise, singer Shannon Hoon's drug overdose in 1995 proved too much for Blind Melon's remaining members to overcome. And Sublime choose to disband rather than attempt to replace singer/guitarist Brad Nowell after his 1996 drug overdose.

For Joy Division, vocalist Ian Curtis' 1980 suicide marked both an end and a beginning. Though the survivors honored a long-standing agreement to disband if a band member quit or died, eight months later Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris reunited as New Order.

Similarly, Andrew Wood's 1990 drug overdose permanently halted the brief two-year career of Seattle grunge band Mother Love Band. But Bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard continued playing together, soon forming Pearl Jam with Eddie Vedder on vocals.

Going forward

More often than not, however, rock 'n' roll bands have opted to play on after the death of a member. The length of their break from touring and recording generally varies, depending on circumstances.

Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd have endured more tragedy than perhaps any other group. After a 1977 plane crash killed vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines during a U.S. tour, Skynard disbanded for 10 years.

Skynyrd also lost guitarist Allen Collins from complications following a car accident, but the group returned to the stage and studio in 1987 with Johnny Van Zant -- Ronnie's younger brother -- on vocals and Randall Hall on guitar.

Playing on is often the chosen path for many bands:

The Allman Brothers Band has overcome the death of two founding members and, similar to Skynyrd, continues to perform to this day. Guitarist Duane Allman and bassist Berry Oakley perished in eerily similar motorcycle accidents in 1971 and '72, respectively, but the group's surviving members plowed onward with a series of replacement musicians.

For Australian hard-rock outfit AC/DC, Bon Scott's 1980 alcohol-related death threatened the band on the verge of its breakthrough album. But a month later, the group returned to the studio with new vocalist Brian Johnson, recording the classic album "Back in Black."

Bassist Cliff Burton's tragic death came in the midst of Metallica's 1986 European tour, when the heavy metal band's tour bus rolled over on him.

Two days later, surviving members James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich canceled the remaining tour dates, giving fans reason to believe Metallica might no longer exist. After auditioning new bassists, the group introduced Jason Newsted as its new member a month after Burton's death, and Metallica continues to tour and record today.

The B-52s found it impossible to continue quite so soon after guitarist Ricky Wilson died of AIDS in 1985. The remaining members were out of the public eye four years before returning with their big-selling album "Cosmic Thing" in 1989.

Guitarist Hillel Slovak's 1988 drug overdose initially threatened to derail the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And after drummer Jack Irons chose to exit the band, vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea hired a pair of replacements.

Unexpectedly, drummer Dennis Wilson's 1983 drowning might have helped reunite founding members of the Beach Boys, as surviving brothers Brian and Carl Wilson began playing together again in the wake of his death.

Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark's 1991 drug overdose occurred during an imposed sabbatical from the British band, which replaced Clark with former Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell.

Along the same lines, the Rolling Stones' Brian Jones drowned in July 1969, less than a month after he had officially left the band. Mick Taylor had already joined as Jones' replacement, and played with the Stones at their Hyde Park show two days after Jones' death.

And though many classic rock fans may not realize it, The Doors' surviving members attempted to carry on their band's name after vocalist Jim Morrison died of an apparent drug overdose in 1971. That attempt proved short-lived, and just last weekend Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger played their first show as The Doors in nearly 30 years -- with The Cult's Ian Astbury on vocals.

Losing 'The Loon'

For The Who, Entwistle's death marked the second time the band has survived the the loss of a founding member. In September 1978, shortly after the release of "Who Are You," Moon -- the band's powerhouse drummer and quirky jokester who was nicknamed "The Loon" -- suffered a fatal drug overdose.

Townshend, Daltrey and Entwistle struggled with their ensuing decision, nearly calling an end to The Who after 14 years together. But after agreeing to continue, the trio added Small Faces' drummer Kenny Jones and returned to the road eight months after Moon's death.

For some, the band has never been the same.

"Many purists will tell you The Who died with Keith Moon," Kramer said. "So, many of the longtime fans have already left The Who anyway."

Those who have continued to support the band in the 24 years since Moon's death are left to ponder its latest decision. And, to consider what it might take before The Who finally exits the stage for good.

"It think it comes down to the individual group, and what they decide to do" when they lose an original member, Kramer said.

"In the case of The Who, it's The Who as long as Pete Townshend says it's The Who."

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