The Who - 1981-03-28 - Another Tricky Day (Rockpalast)

[broadband0118]

I have to disagree with some of you. I love this band so much and saw them on this tour a couple of times. Not their finest hour by any means. Townshend was sometimes pissed (not here), but I remember at Leicester he was fucking out of it playing 'Roadrunner' for about 30 minutes while he could hardly stand up.

[massiveham]

who would have thought that the 'oo mattered in '81? funny that this and the ox's last roar twenty years later would seem so essential to us now. on this night, now band worked harder!

[massiveham]

@massiveham of course i meant "no band'

[PrankZabba]

0:43 Nice Camel Toe Roger

[4to88strings]

As much as I loved Keith Moon, I have to say this was The Who at their best

I saw them on this tour in a sold out Astrodome. 1 of the best shows I've ever seen. I still have the Tshirt that I've long since outgrown. I just can't throw it away. Rog and Pete's vocals never sounded better. Big John was amazing as always, and KJ was an awesome replacement for the late Loon. Entwistle is a huge influence on my bass styling. Still hard to believe he's gone. Musician extraordinare. RIP Keith and John

[Idiglove77]

@4to88strings I've heard this before,an I think,how can it be their best,but as much as I love Keith too,and that era,I'm a big fan of this period '79 onwards. and this is a great live track. As for John,nothing to be said,his name says it all. So jealous you were here. Buy ya beer for that Tee!ha!

Regards.

[4to88strings]

@Idiglove77 What size R U?(:>) Really that would have to be a helluva beer.

Maybe a case of Belgian Ale eh? The story. I was playing bass in a band in Dallas and on an a night off drove100mi to friends house then another 250mi to Houston for this show. Friend pulled some strings and got great seats. Steel Breeze opened OK, Billy Squire came out and sucked (people were actually booing) WHO rocked for about 3 hrs. I think the tickets were $20 and that was a lot back then. T was $5! GT! Later.

[4to88strings]

@Idiglove77 Oh and when I say 1 of the best shows, U must understand, we were seeing show bands like WHO FLOYD YES KISS Todd Rundgren ZAPPA TULL RUSH ELP Moody Blues Alice Cooper KANSAS and so many others in their prime. I'd put WHO FLOYD  ELP Rundgren YES on top and maybe SANTANA. John Maclaughlin+Mahavishnu Orchestra+ Jeff Beck would also be right up their too. Beck's Blow By Blow tour. Freakin' awesome!! BUT tickets are too damn high now. $200+ for "OK" seats is BS.

[rockinroller7]

It's true, the Ox always had his fingers moving. No getting stuck on one note on the neck of any bass he played, and he gathered over 400 in his lifetime.

Pete didn't sound very shallow in this number either.

Very hot evening it seems.

Peace.

Rock

[Chargergirl35]

Who are you BITCHES!!!

[massiveham]

always makes me smile and rock.... definitely their post-moon peak. playful and raw!

[monkeytrousers]

I'm sorry but Kenney Jones get no love. He's awesome here!

[sharpclay]

@monkeytrousers Kenny Jones IS awesome. Many Thanks from Florida for mentioning it.

[tsparker11]

Damn right!  Fuc|<ing rock-n-roll!!!

[stretch9er]

ENTWISTLE IS THE SHIT!!... ALAYS WUZ... REST IN PEACE JOHN

[azcarf44]

Yet another example of a great Who song that sounds even better live. This band was the real deal! Entwistle, as usual, boogies through the song like a steam train. Townshend's elegant aggression is on display here in spades. Jones, what a great drummer, and sadly never got his proper due. Daltrey, the tough, ever adaptive singer to one of the most challenging songwriters popular music has ever produced.

[zimmcat]

why is he wearing a suit

[rpoberhausen]

@zimmcat

Both Roger and Pete have said that John had a real passion for expensive and unusual clothing - check out the old "skeleton" costume in the Isle of White days. He was actually known to be very excentric in this regard, expensive clothes, expensive wine, etc.

[dominiccarter77]

@rpoberhausen not to mention the expensive cars he had,and he never learned to drive.

[GilesBoganski542]

Grab the audio from this clip at thetunify doht cohm.

[RefinnejLincoln]

Wow, amazing! Genius at work- the Who!

[ordolight1]

You all really used to do concerts? I would like hear the radio every 3 days, "6 people died at the last Who concert." And, that's all I would ever hear on the radio when I was like 12 or 13 so I was glad when Pete left you all, it seemed like some maddening event I wanted no part of. Pete, is it too late for me to file insurance on all of them people, huh?

[smautomat]

The last truly great Who song, in my opinion.

[marcdenis]

@smautomat

This is a very good song but Eminence Front was released after this, it's one of their more popular songs and better imo

[RubHerSoul1]

@smautomat Hmm. yeah, i agree. There were a few off It's hard but not in the league of this song i suppose. Happened to the Stones with Waiting on a Friend which came out the same year as this. I miss 1981.

[ezrhino100]

this is a great song. but it just wouldn't fly today. there isn't a good FM sound anymore.

[Twotontessie]

Great song. Cool to see it played live.

[misterthingy]

I've always thought this was a very strong song from Pete during this period. I also liked Kenney Jones, but I don't feel they made good use of his skills. Bringing him on board was an opportunity to take the band in a whole new direction, which never happened, for some reason.

[PappyHab]

Ha, its funny but the beginning actually sounds like something that may have come off of Quad. This version that is.

John's Bass is so prominent here.

[Stolehome66]

That is smokin' live version. Seems like everything I've ever seen from the Rockpalast is really good.

[johnskosty]

Great version. Great concert. Thnx for posting it and others from same(!)

[englishboy66]

WOW, this was the gig which I saw live on the old grey whistle test at 15 years old!!!!!!! I was hooked and been a who fan ever since . Kenny Jones definatley treated unfairly by Who historians. Thanks for posting totally agree with Lee above!!! long live rock

[johnskosty]

Too true re: Kenny Jones. You can never replace everyone's "original lineup" but I thought he filled those big shoes of Keith Moon's quite nicely. They were as tight as ever, live.

[5150zac]

i love this song and the album verson

[fasima]

Lightyears away from the best gigs with Kenney..

[knuckle9]

This is probably their best gig with Jones

[machdaddy78]

John Entwistle has always been the brightest star in the who. This is a great live version of this song. All to often the camera is never on john when he is just bringing it. No offense to Pete but he just wasn't the show back then. John did all the heavy lifting in this tune.

[kramerbassplayer]

@machdaddy78 Entwistle is the man!!!

[zockerfuzzy]

the who played that song only 3 times live. pete is smokin a doobie while playin his incredible funky guitar which a friendly man from the audience handed him over 3 songs before

[wooka9]

really only three times ? i take it from that tour, do you know what the other two gigs with this were ?

the ox rules !!

[zockerfuzzy]

im not really sure, don put me on this, i think san diego an the third one i dunno

[chiswellgreen]

Great punchy version. John's bass is exemplarary { as usual }. One of my faves from the later years.

[MetallicBill]

I love the song, it's timeless and sadly largely ignored as a radio friendly song

[ox092]

One of my favorites on this album next to Its in you.

[jdg62269]

IS that Kenny Jones on drums?

[jorghad6]

great rock n roll died out in the nineties.

sure they're are some bands that are good that are still around, like Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Paramore, Dance Gavin Dance etc. but there will never be another Who or another ACDC or another Beatles no matter what anyone says

[nick1137]

@jorghad6

yeah no one will suck as much as ACDC did

[RubHerSoul1]

@jorghad6 Damn Straight. Every decade except the seventies produces rock bands with less vitality than their influences and less staying power. Oh, there are a few gems in the rough every now and then, but if you're old enough to remember, you notice the newer acts aren't as godlike. Now anybody can form a band with one good lp in them and coast for about 3 or 4 more and yet still be regarded as important. because they lasted even that long.

[Murreh]

@jorghad6 Rock and Roll didn't exist in the 1990's.

[rajbeast]

a great 80's rock song!!!!!!

[foppa123]

It's Hard is also a great record.

[foppa123]

Wish this version of the Who made more records.

[sharp1972]

i agree those two albums with kenny i still enjoy today,,classic material

[kanemura93]

I agree with you, I like the studio version of this but this version is better in my opinion...I like the slightly faster pace right here

[JamesHartBassist]

Agreed... Kenny gets a lot of negative attentions simply because he's not Keith. But my honest opinion is those 2 albums were the peek of John, Roger and Pete's skill and talent as writers and performers... and Kenny suits the music perfectly.

[amorrisseyprodromou]

im glad they finally released this officially. i had the bootleg but it still feels nice to have an official copy

[massiveham]

still sounds as good as the bootleg i bought in '82 ("save the who" for collectors info). easily one of their best extended codas!! john's boogie groove perfectly compliments pete's sputtering solos. what synergy on this night...rare sight from the k. jones era; pete wanders upstage to the drums at 4:55 and his bopping looks uncannily like vintage 1970 pete. almost as if he expected to meet moonie there. very strong performance of a song that has aged better than anyone thought it would.

[foppa123]

looks like they had fun here

[rajbeast]

they did

[rjmdrum]

I agree with the previous posters here This is an overlooked period of a lot of well written intrumental stuff and the bass line for this isw terrific. Entwistle was an underrated bass player and this proves it.

This song sounds good at this tempo as well as at its slowere original tempo.

Thanks for posting

[clashwho]

Entwistle is not an underrated bass player. He's about as revered as it gets, and deservedly so.

[MetallicBill]

@clashwho AKA ThunderFingers, obviously, for a reason

[JMB30]

Eh ????? John Entwistle was voted bassist of the millenium

[biff0101]

The OX's bass lines just rock in this classic!!

[rajbeast]

true that!!!!!!

[rupagoswami]

Some songs on "Face Dances" - this one and "Daily Records" - are sadly overlooked.Truly great work.'Good to see Pete in his "Mick Jones period"!! Thanks for posting it.

[rupagoswami]

SPOT ON,ROOP!

[fasima]

Great performance. Weren't on their last leg at all, brilliant on recorda nd live. Their last two records are for everybody more so than ever and FD is way better than WAY..

[suckwy78]

respect

[buchananstreet]

fantastic! even almost better than the studio version

[dewslife33]

This is mighty fine. Full respect to Mr Kenny Jones, he was the right drummer for The Who during this period of their history.

[ZeropointZero70]

i agree. for the first time, we heard what the Who would sound like with an actual timekeeper with a groove. Of course their last 2 lps weren't in the same league as their earlier ones, but given that they were on their last legs , they're not bad at all. Strictly for Who fans though.

[AirGuitarChampion]

to be honest i prefer the 82 album its hard to their 75 album the who by numbers

[ZeropointZero70]

Wow! A true die hard fan! I like It's Hard a lot too, and Face Dances. They were never bad records, it's just they get the shaft because Moon is not on 'em, which is nobody's fault. I always contended that the songs Pete wrote would be the same songs with or without Keith. Who by numbers is brilliant, but a bit of a downer as it was Pete's "suicide note" lp in a sense. In fact the lp titles for both records should have been reversed given the subject matter, don't you think?

[FluffMyGarfield]

I love this song! The bass is just...wow.

[WhoMoonDaLoon]

The Who really changed their style in the 80's

[pheyenally]

this absolutely kicks ass.

[Jmeister109]

sure does

[huggablehowie]

Absolutely a kickass tune!

I give it a 5+++

[64delftlover]

Not to be nasty but how did the discussion of attire come up when it's about this amazing band continuing to make great music well after their "prime". No windmills or smashing instruments, but still great none the less..

[ThemanfromZambodia]

I dont think anybody meant any harm it is just most people are used to seeing the 1970s WHO attire since they had 7 or 8 tours and only 2 and a half tours wearing this garb in the 1980s.

[u2jams]

WOW! I HAVE TO WATCH IT AGAIN! Entwhistle is purely amazing.

[mrskeithmoon]

this is an awesome concert. i got it on the directv on demand thing and its amazing!!

[petezeppelin]

its great that townshend was a more rhythmic player so entwistle could carry the melody and show us all how amazong he was

[Mystifier122]

I like the original band best but Keith Moon was gone and the 70's were over. They moved on and made some good music with Kenney Jones, although it was overshadowed. This song is excellent, so is You Better You Bet, Emminence Front, Athena, It's Hard, etcetera..

[l2string]

"We all take it in the end, you gotta get use to it" Pete Townsend slips another one in. Sorry I could'nt help it.

[redarmynick]

Pete was using an 80's era Schecter PT that was put together by his guitar tech. I came across one for my first real guitar while in college in 87. It's awesome and is not at all related to the guitars Schecter makes now (which are still good). Schecter, back then, was a parts company out of Ft. Worth. The thing rocks with two dual coil pups that can be split so you can have single coil (strat) sounds or humbucker (les paul) growl. They're hard to find, even though Schecter has reissued.

[kanemura93]

Amazing Song! How could this be "bad" like some people say? It might not have the "amazing hit!!" stamp on it but it is a great song in my opinion...of course it is being lift up by Daltreys stunning looks :)

[amorrisseyprodromou]

roger looks like he's wearing abercrombie or some stupid designer store brand shirt. lol

[ThemanfromZambodia]

or it could be a shirt from The Gap, Structure, Chess king (before your time) or something off the sale bin at banana republic. That style was quite popular in the early 1980`s. trust me it was one of the more tasteful selection available at the time.

[mbandarra3]

Relax, this video is twenty seven years old. These guys didn't give a minutes thought to abercrombie or any stupid designer store outfit. They set trends, or discarded them. By the way, how did you dress three decades ago?

[amorrisseyprodromou]

i wasn't making fun of it, i was just pointing out that its interesting how the stuff at the designer clothing stores are the same stuff that people wore 30 years ago

[kellalizard]

Face Dances didn't get enough recognition. I know it wasn't the same style of Who stuff as before, but Face Dances along with It's Hard had some great songs on.

I can't believe it when people say the 80s for The Who was a terrible time.

As for Pete's guitar...I'm really not a fan of telecasters. But anything Pete likes, fair enough, guy. Love you.

I love this song, its so great.

[rapidrampuri]

love this song nice work great music the who rocked all th e time

[shugabuns]

ace song

[Jellogel]

they always sounded great when they all sang togther

[russell111]

does anyone know what knid of guitar pete townshend is using there?

[umtrader]

it's a schecter tele

[cwcheergirl1]

Custom Built Schecter "telecaster type" with 2 humbuckers

[amorrisseyprodromou]

can you buy those?

[ThemanfromZambodia]

The guy that was in charge of Schecter QC is named Tom Keckler. He has a repair shop in Memphis.

[sidedoorjohnny]

go to guitar center and check for a schecter pt-standard, it's about as close as your gonna get

[ackerlaw2004]

That's what its all about, fella.

[baltrey]

Awesome video. The Who on a Roll!