DVD Review

As if the recent release of the Cheap Trick Budokan DVD wasn’t enough of a Christmas treat, The Who camp have suddenly stepped up to the plate with this jewel of a stocking stuffer. Yet another great live show from the late 70’s which has sat in the vaults for far too long.

In 1977 filmmaker Jeff Stein was hard at work compiling footage for what would become his legendary documentary on The Who, The Kids Are Alright. While in the midst of his work, Stein realized that while there was plenty of footage of the band playing live in the 60’s, after 1970 footage became pretty scarce. He knew that some sort of new concert footage would have to be shot in order to make the film seem complete. The band agreed and they set up this intimate concert in Kilburn to fill the gap. Six cameras shot the show in glorious 35mm, with the sound recorded to sixteen track audio. Meanwhile, five hundred lucky fans got to watch the proceedings in the small venue.

So this is about as far from a single video camera concert bootleg as you can get. In fact, I would compare it to The Last Waltz and Stop Making Sense as far as sound and image are concerned. And those films where helmed by Martin Scorsese and Jonathan Demme respectively, so this document is certainly no slouch in the quality department.

So why did all this footage sit on the shelf for about 30 years? Because the performance The Who gave was considered sub-par at the time. The band hadn’t performed live for over a year when they reconvened for this show, and the lack of practice shows. Plus, drummer Keith Moon’s partying lifestyle was obviously catching up with him in both the weight and speed departments. The one time hurricane behind the drum kit had certainly slowed to a tropical storm at best.

No where is this more apparent than on “Who Are You,” which is completely flubbed. It’s almost painful to watch Moon struggling to find the beat as Pete Townshend repeatedly tries to signal where the accents should be. But Townshend is far from perfect on this outing as well, as many of his solos meander into nowhere and lack the fiery intensity of his playing during the Live At Leeds era. Meanwhile Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle do their best to hold the performance together.

The overall performance was considered so lackluster by the band that they eventually arranged another small show to re-shoot live footage for the film. Some of the Kilburn footage ended up in The Kids Are Alright, but most of it was set aside for dust collection.

So why is it worth checking out now? Because the one factor the band, their management, and Stein had neglected to notice at the time is that this performance was downright magical. Perhaps not a prime example of The Who performing at their manic peak (see The Who Live At The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 for an apt visual document of that) but it is a timeless document of the band in their mid-70’s rock star glory -just months before the death of Keith Moon.

The sloppiness almost adds to the charm. The stage bickering, Moon demanding that the band play “Tommy’s Holiday Camp,” so he can get his vocal showcase, Townshend getting pissed at a roadie and pushing an amp head off it’s speaker cab towards him, and of course the ever angry guitarist’s admission to the crowd at one point that “Well this wasn’t worth fucking filming, Stein…Might as well send the cameramen home.”

The overall vibe is that of a well-attended practice. The looseness of the performance kinda clicks with the smaller venue though, so in a way it really works. Townshend seems more concerned with his stage antics than actually hitting the right notes, but that ain’t exactly a bad thing here. His air assault (especially at the beginning of “Won’t Get Fooled Again”) is certainly goosebump worthy for longtime Who fans. The guy is just going off for the cameras during this entire shoot, and his energy propels both the film and the performance. And if you’re a fan of his trademark move, you’re in for a treat. He delivers enough windmills to make Denmark jealous.

As for the songs, highlights include “Baba O’ Reilly,” “My Wife,” “Shakin’ All Over,” and a blazing “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” The latter is also notable for it’s hypnotic laser show, which may look even cooler here than it did in The Kids Are Alright. The set is also somewhat heavy on Live At LeedsTommy numbers show up elsewhere.

The DVD is coupled with another live show by the band recorded at the London Coliseum in 1969. Though it is a great night for the Who in their heyday, the quality of the sound and image both detract from the viewing experience. It’s certainly worth a watch, but it’s obvious as to why this was thrown in as a freebie. The true gold here is the Kilburn set which, at the time, was probably regarded as bronze at best. It captures the greatest live rock band EVER on an average night – and that ain’t a bad sight to behold.

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