The Who returning with first album in decades

Entwistle died on the eve of a brief Who tour of the United States that was organized, in large part, to make money so the bassist could maintain the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle to which he was accustomed, Townshend said.

The guitarist agonized during a sleepless night over whether the tour should be canceled in Entwistle’s honor, or whether he and Daltrey should press forward.

He thought back to his parents’ generation, for whom duty meant putting their lives aside to fight World War II. He concluded his own duty was to everyone else involved in the undertaking — the crew, the promoters, the fans who had bought tickets and were looking forward to a night out.

The first performance was at the Hollywood Bowl and “it was a riot,” Townshend said.

“We missed John, of course, but we were able to go on without him,” he said. “I thought, hell, people die, things change and it’s OK. I suppose I thought then that maybe I could make a Who record under these changing circumstances and maybe I can say to people that it’s not the old sound or the old machine ... At that moment, I knew we would make a Who record.”

Another incentive? While Townshend said he enjoys the old hits, he couldn’t stand the idea of another Who tour with nothing new to say musically. The band has just begun a 15-month concert tour all around the world, its largest ever.

Besides the familiar sight of Daltrey twirling his microphone and Townshend’s windmill motion with the guitar, the onstage Who also includes Zak Starkey, the longtime replacement for the late drummer Keith Moon, and Townshend’s brother Simon on guitar.

Same old, same old
Much like another long-lasting rock partnership between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the relationship between Daltrey and Townshend is famously complex. They have a deep personal bond and will forever be joined in rock history, but there are moments when they drive each other nuts.

“We’re very different,” Townshend said. “I think I’ve changed over the last 12 years. I’m much happier and content and much less pressured about everything in my life. Roger sees himself at the center of a great mystical circus. He exalts it. He doesn’t understand that you have to write every day and suddenly you’ll come up with something good. He tends to describe things as magic. If he only knew.

“I think we’ve arrived at a good place and it’s very good to be working with him at the moment,” Townshend said. “He’s doing a fantastic job.”

Daltrey, who wasn’t made available for an interview, said in a statement: “When John died, it changed the balance of the band. Pete and I are at two opposite ends of the globe and John was the equator. Something happened. And it has given us a whole new edge.”

Daltrey was reportedly unenthusiastic when Townshend gave him a copy of his story, “The Boy Who Heard Music,” but later came around to embracing it when it was used as the framework for half of the new album.

It is about an aging ‘60s rocker, Ray High, watching from a sanatorium as neighborhood kids form a band and follow the trajectory of success that he once had. It’s poignant hearing the Who perform it, singing about how music “makes me strong” and “long for a place where I belong.”

“In some ways it’s the same old story,” Townshend said. “I really haven’t changed my tune in many, many years.”

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