| Los Angeles came alive when VH1 came to
town to honor a rock institution: The Who. The network’s third
annual VH1 Rock Honors, staged July 12 at the Pauley Pavilion
on the campus of UCLA, was the first time the show celebrated the music
of just one band. And oh, what a celebration it was!
The Rock Honors itinerary follows that younger artists
come on stage and play the songs of the honoree before the main event.
To that end, every band came to bat and hit their marks. The Foo Fighters
opened the night with “Young Man Blues” and the classic
“Bargain” from Who’s Next. Pearl
Jam held nothing back when it came to delivering supereb versions of
“Love Reign O'er Me” and “The Real Me,” both
from Quadrophenia.
The Flaming Lips played a Tommy medley
and Incubus fired off a couple of early Who singles, "I Can See
For Miles" and "I Can't Explain." To keep things loose
and fun, Tenacious D, featuring Jack Black and Kyle Gass, plucked out
a spunky rendition of “Squeeze Box.”
The Who, of course, blew the roof off with a slew of staples
including “Baba O'Riley,” “Who Are You,” “Won't
Get Fooled Again” and “My Generation.” Throughout
the night, Adam Sandler, Sean Penn, David Duchovny and other celebrities
made the introductions, while taped tributes from luminaries like Sting,
Coldplay and Billy Idol, along with vintage Who film clips, filled in
the gaps.
Speaking with reporters, including Vintage Rock, on the
red carpet before the show, Roger Daltrey felt that John Entwistle and
Keith Moon, the gone-but-never-forgotten rhythm section of the Who,
were “here tonight, here in spirit.”
Pressed about a follow-up to the Who’s 2006 album,
Endless Wire, their first studio album in over two
decades, the singer said it all depends on Pete Townshend. “You
never know what he’s writing,” he said. “It might
be a rock opera or it might be a Who album.”
Townshend feigned surprise about the possibility of a
new Who album. “What new album?” he smirked. Asked about
the influence that the Who has had on America, the guitarist unveiled
an impish grin before blurting out: “I stole your music!”
Tickets sales from the concert benefited the efforts of
various charities including The Double O Charity, Teenage Cancer Trust,
The VH1 Save The Music Foundation and select VH1 Classic Rock Autism
organizations.
You can catch VH1 Rock Honors: The Who on VH1,
VH1 Classic and MHD. Select performances, as well as celebrity interviews
and other clips from the event are online at Rock.VH1.com.
~ Shawn Perry
VIntage Rock Videos: The Who Perform
"Baba O'Riley" on VH1 Rock Honors | 
