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Tommy Live (DVD)
The Who
Rhino, 2006
http://www.thewhotour.com
REVIEW BY: Benjamin Ray
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 07/28/2006
All this time, Tommy was a way for Pete Townshend to exorcise his personal demons. The line “See me feel me touch me heal me” is a cry out to Pete's own mother, and “Cousin Kevin” is a combination of everybody who ever bullied the Who's main songwriter. And the sexual abuse at the hands of Uncle Ernie? Don't ask, but if you get this DVD, Pete will tell anyway.
There is also a concert here too, but it adds very little to the deep canon of Tommy performances, especially if you've seen the movie and heard the Isle of Wight show. So after watching it once, you'll turn on the DVD commentary, featuring Townshend and Roger Daltrey commenting on the reasons the songs were written and how they form the story of a deaf, dumb and blind boy who becomes a pinball genius and a Messiah-like figure to a mob of half-wits.
Yes, it still makes no sense 35 years later, but by this point, nobody cares anymore. The market for this is baby boomers who grew up with the original 1969 album and fans of 80s nostalgia who want to buy this for the special guest stars who randomly pop up.
This DVD, separated from a dual package of Quadrophenia, is the 1989 performance in Los Angeles of the entire Tommy album, and only that album. However, the songs are thrown somewhat out of order and a few are missing, but nothing too important. The problem is, Daltrey ends the concert by saying “We're just getting started,” implying there are more songs to come – but none do! The show is barely over an hour, hardly worth whatever you pay for this DVD.
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