The true Beach Boys only live in Brian Wilson's head and are synchronized nicely with his voices.

the rock and roll footprint these 'old guys' have made is remarkable. that these two 'old guys' even survived the greatest rock and roll era is unbelievable. to me its like sitting next to my parents (or grandparents)and hearing stories about the past. those days are gone but we still have the connection with those that lived it. im grateful for that! are they in their prime? no. but not many (if any) bands since have been able to reach the heights the who did. even at this stage in their lives, they can hang with just about anyone out there. not bad for pushing 70. and here we are blogging about it. im a gen x-er so you arent talking about my generation. im so thankful that these icons didnt die before they got old.

Sorry. Probably a bit off topic but I couldn't resist. I just happened to notice next to your blog that the Walworth County Fair just announced their headliners. Should I assume you won't be going to see the Beach Boys?

The world is a sadder place without Burl Ives.

I heard that next year they are going to feature The Folksmen, The New Main Street Singers, and Mitch & Mickey.

In the music business, names are property and "whoever" owns the rights can use them as they please.

emac - It's true a lot of bands are using names despite the lack of original members but that doesn't make it right. For example, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston touring as The Beach Boys always drives me nuts. The Beach Boys without a Wilson brother in sight, especially Brian? What a joke. If it was billed "Mike Love Presents the Music of the Beach Boys", it would be a little more truth in advertising.
The movie "A Mighty Wind" made fun of this phenomenon when a folk festival featured The New Main Street Singers, who had only one member (out of about 10) that was original from the 1960's.
Anyway, if Paul and Ringo ever tried to bill themselves as The Beatles, the outcry would be tremendous. The only time they revived the name, they used a vocal tape left behind by John.

When Townshend's shirt came out and revealed his Wisconsin goiter, it ruined my evening.

True re: how great Sprinsteen is. On the other hand, though: no Dylan, then no Sprinsteen.

Mark Twain,
Your Springsteen comment doesn't even merit a response. Anyone who is that clueless about the Boss's long, incredible, varied library is beyond hope.

Jim- I am sure if they were playing Beatles material McCartney and Starr would bill as the Beatles. Lynyrd Skynyrd only has one surviving member and they are still billed as Lynyrd Skynyrd. If you take the time to look around you will find this is case with a lot of bands that are still playing.They have earned the right to use their name.

Scott - You know what part of my beef is? That they billed themselves as "The Who" rather than Daltrey & Townshend. To me, that's like Paul and Ringo doing a show and calling themselves The Beatles.

I enjoyed the show. I saw the Who several times in their heyday in the '70s, and this show wasn't on that level. But that's no surprise. The kids are in their 60s now, after all. You gotta adjust your expectations a bit. The earlier Sinatra comment was spot-on. The voices aren't as strong. The band isn't as tight. The theatrics aren't as wild. But it's the Who, for God's sakes, or least half of them. And they're still doing it. And the songs are still great. And the moments of sheer rock ecstacy - Townsend's windmill, Daltrey's scream - still bring chills and wide smiles to this old fan. Long live the Who.

Knuckle - Well put.
emac - Breathe, buddy, breathe....and maybe read the blog again.

Sheesh! BIG brain cramp. (Huge slap on forehead).

The Who playing on the Big Screen of my mind is the “Who’s Next” Who, circa 1972, all in their mid-twenties, at the zenith of their epic rock prowess. Physically, The Who at Super Bowl XLIV is scattered wreckage of their former selves, the result of a 50-year Battle Against Being Hassled By the Man. Sure, Daltrey and Townshend no longer command breathtaking leaps of vocal and guitar virtuosity, but they are pushing 70. Even Sinatra could barely hold a tune when he was that age. But you know what? We still loved Sinatra, and he packed houses and commanded respect up until his last breath. And I still love the Who - even at their Super Bowl performance – because they still have it in them to Stick It To the Man. It brought chills. For the naysayers, I'd suggest revisiting their revered Woodstock performance in 1969 or listen to Live at Leeds. It’s pretty clear the performances are 90% mindless, unbridled, wreckless enthusiasm and 10% musical ability. It’s that 90% of the equation that always defined The Who. And the 10% was pretty damned good, too.

SwissChick: you might know him better as Ringo Starr...

I thought it was awful and clouded my memory of The Who. It was not a good performance. The light show out did the music and vocals...

Alot better then some pop divas or whinny country crap.

Richard Starkey.

Who's his father? Brain cramp.

Zak's father is another one of the "old guys" so I doubt Jim has much respect for him either. I think a large part of the difference from past superbowl performances was the lack of a thousand people on the field during the performance and their scripted responses to the acts.

It did seem a strange choice for the Super Bowl, but don't be so hard on Townshend and Daltry. There were some rough edges, but that's always been the case with them. That younger fellow back on the drums was Zak Starkey. You may have heard of his father.

Pete Townshend is a musical genius, Roger Daltrey is probably one of the top 2 or 3 rock vocalist of our times. And the fact that they are still creating new music speaks volumes. Being 50 and still playing music on the weekends myself, I take offence to your "old guys playing rock and roll" comment. The Who, The Stones and Eric Clapton made rock and roll what it is today. All the "kids" playing music today cut their chops playing tunes by the Who and many of the other "old guys". Sure we may drop a tune down a step from time to time, but we still play with the same passion as we did when we were younger.

I agree with you.

I usually choose the team I'm rooting for based on their colors. This time, though, I actually wanted the Saints to win, and their colors are pretty awful!

Not gonna lie...the Sound of Music Sing-a-long had a rowdier performance. :)

Beth

Saw Crosby, Stills and Nash a couple of weeks ago. Still absolutely AWESOME! But, you are correct.....a big WHO? for The Who. I thought it was very sad and painful to watch.

As a Boomer, I too thought that these guys should have stayed home. What happens next year? Will we see "KISS" come out in wheel chairs and walkers?