While many internationally known rock groups have performed in San Diego over the decades, it’s likely that none has a connection to the city as strong as English rockers The Who. The four-man band “” originally consisting of guitarist Pete Townshend, singer Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon “” first hit the city in 1968,and have been regular visitors since.
The musicians have also spent time in San Diego individually. Entwistle performed in the area several times and was even a presenter at the 1992 San Diego Music Awards. Meanwhile, Townshend has had a close connection to La Jolla Playhouse since the early ’90s, performing benefit concerts for the venue and world-premiering the play version of the rock opera “Tommy” there.
Nearly 40 years since the band’s first visit, Father Time has taken his toll, with both Entwistle and Moon passed on to the Great Rock Festival in the Sky. However, the remaining two members have been reinvigorated, finding new life in the old combo. Currently on tour in support of a new album, “Wire & Glass,” the band stops in at the ipayOne Center on March 1.
Legendary DJ Jim McInnes has spent the last 30 years on the local airwaves, a good portion of that time spinning Who discs. For him, the reason for their continued success is obvious. “They are a name-brand, first of all,” he said, “but good songs are timeless.”
McInnes cites “Pictures of Lily” and “Substitute” as some of his favorite tracks, but he feels it’s in a live setting that the band truly excels.
“When they’re on, they’re the most powerful band I’ve ever seen,” McInnes said. “Pete Townshend is an eccentric genius. His guitar playing can be jaw-dropping.”
McInnes has had run-ins with numerous celebrities in his career, but not the Who, though he did stand next to Entwistle at the San Diego Music Awards a few years ago.
“He wasn’t as tall as I expected,” McInnes quipped.
Noted music producer Sven-Erik Seaholm (Beat Farmers, Via Satellite) has no difficulty picking his favorite Who song: “Baba O’Reily.”
While citing the band’s music as groundbreaking, he also noted its imagery played a huge part in the early appeal. “They managed to embody all things rock star while simultaneously remaining true to a higher artistic vision musically,” Seaholm said. “So you’ve got Townshend’s iconic windmill guitar thrashing, Daltry’s shirtless vocal bravado as well as Moon and Entwistle’s storied excess, [all] in service of amazing song cycles like ‘Who Are You.'”
Bob Tedde of top area covers band Rockola actually performs the occasional Who song, including show stopper “Behind Blue Eyes,” which he said is just as cool now as it was 30 years ago. Playing classic rock tunes nightly has given Tedde insight into why so many rock fans of all ages gravitate to The Who’s sound.
“It’s the songwriting,” he stated. “The songs are not only arty and cerebral, but they’re melodically durable.”
While The Who of today isn’t quite the same powerhouse of its prime, the band remains an intense, vital group. Mixing a healthy portion of well-known numbers with a new album in its entirety, the group is still going strong more than four decades after its inception.