LIVE IN TEXAS '75

I really wasn't expecting much when I stumbled on this video. It had a rather low-budget look about it coming from such a high profile band. Turns out, this is an excellent document of the band at the end of their period of peak ability and relevance. Just around the corner, Moon's decline and Pete's apathy towards the band would render them far less vital in my opinion, but that is not yet an issue here in Houston in November, 1975. Moonie is still working magic and Pete is still very much engaged, both appearing to be delightfully sober and in good spirits, although Pete has a few moments where one detects that moodiness. This is very much an exciting and powerful and well-rounded performance of a variety of their material.

The presentation and visual of this show is going to divide people. What you are going to see here is remarkably bare-bones, nuthin' fancy, basically zero "stage show." You will see four men standing on a stage that is no more extravagant than a high school gymnasium. It feels like it was filmed by a high school theater group using their cameras from a perch in maybe the 10th row. Almost zero lighting, almost zero fast-edit shifts, almost zero....everything, except music. For some viewers who are used to concerts having to be huge "events" with a big show and lots of excitement from things beyond music, this show may turn them off or bore them silly. If you *need* a show, you will be bored. For those of us who don't give two sh-ts about the stage show nonsense, this is exactly what a concert should be, a document of musicians playing together. The focus is the music, the quality of interplay, and to a lesser extent, how much you relate or connect with the band.

So having established that this is an old school, no-nonsense gig that is only about music, the question becomes how well do they deliver. Quite well, actually. The reviews of the tour were mostly positive, and Entwistle noted that "Moon and the Who reached their live performance peak during the tour." This film pretty much proves that to me: gutsy, aggressive, emotional, raw, and even playful at times. There are some nice moments captured here where Keith playfully badgers John, jokes around, and where Pete gives his "little speech" announcing the end of his drinking career. Sadly, while Keith was very good and behaved on this night, the wheels would begin coming off the wagon as the next year went on. His behavior became more erratic and dangerous, and his final public concert was less than a year away. They should have hung it up when Keith died and moved on, as Zeppelin had the class to do when Bonham died. Instead, Townshend/Daltrey chose to keep milking the name in a situation they've admitted wasn't very enjoyable. This wasn't the Grateful Dead where all of the members enjoyed each other and enjoyed jamming for their fans each night in a positive communal setting that made sense to continue. Anything but, yet they chose to continue the charade.

All that said, this last stand on film transcends such criticisms as they clearly deliver the goods, a well-chosen mix of material dating back to the '60s right up through the current album. In my view, there's too much Tommy, my least favorite, and not enough Quadrophenia and By Numbers, but that's just a taste thing. I love the chunky punch that Pete gives the old '60s hits, and I loved the reserved yet committed performance John gives to "Boris the Spider." I loved the defiant embellishment they still managed to find on material they've played a million times. I truly was surprised at how good this video ended up being given that it flies below the radar of some of their other projects. If you are a Who fan and you don't mind the lack of a "stage show," then this really is an essential title to own.

Share this THE WHO review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to Finnforest
• Report this review (#3127166)
• Buy THE WHO music online with PA partners
• Show all THE WHO MP3/Stream
• Go to THE WHO page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Live in Texas '75 page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for THE WHO related discussions