The Who Tour 2002


The Who Tour 2002 was a tour by The Who, partially in support of the DVD . It was the first tour the band did without original bassist John Entwistle, who died the night before the North American tour was to begin; the group decided to complete the tour with the help of bassist Pino Palladino, who continued playing with them until 2016.

History

After a single appearance in 2001 at The Concert for New York City in October, The Who began the new year with a series of shows in England that culminated with two charity dates at the Royal Albert Hall in London. As in 2000, these benefited the Teenage Cancer Trust. A full-scale tour of North America was then planned, with Pete Townshend's brother Simon added to the lineup to help with backing vocals and rhythm guitar.
After rehearsals in England, the group travelled to Las Vegas for the first scheduled date, only to have Entwistle's death from a heart attack the night before throw the tour and the band itself into question. Townshend and singer Roger Daltrey concluded that the tour should continue and secured the services of Pino Palladino, a seasoned session and live bassist who had worked with Townshend on past solo projects. They contacted him in Philadelphia just as he was planning to travel back to the United Kingdom.
The first two dates were rescheduled and the tour commenced with an emotional show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on 1 July after only two days of rehearsals. The group eventually played 27 dates over four legs, often wearing black and paying tribute to Entwistle. The tour finished at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on 28 September.
"Because of the power of the shows," Townshend wrote on his website, "and their financial success in a slightly depressed marketplace, there are those who conclude that I will naturally continue to perform with Roger under the Who banner. There are those, who perhaps think they know me a better as a grouch, a spoiler, a self-obsessed creative, an insecure and pretentious, self-styled artist, who conclude that now it is all over." Ultimately, however, the band continued to play with this lineup for several years.

Live Releases

Live material from 2002 has appeared on the following releases:
Additional Members

January–February UK Dates

The set list for the short series of United Kingdom dates early in the year was similar to what was played in 2000, but a longer selection of Tommy material included the first performances of "Amazing Journey", "Sparks", and "I'm Free" since the 1989 tour; the second show in Portsmouth also featured the "Overture" and "It's a Boy". The band also revived cover tunes that had been part of their act years before, namely "Summertime Blues", "Baby Don't You Do It", and "Young Man Blues". As these were the last shows the group played with John Entwistle, they were also the last in which they performed "My Wife" and "Boris the Spider".
Here is a fairly typical set list for these shows :
  1. "I Can't Explain"
  2. "Substitute"
  3. "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere"
  4. "I Don't Even Know Myself"
  5. "Amazing Journey"
  6. "Sparks"
  7. "Pinball Wizard"
  8. "I'm Free"
  9. "My Wife"
  10. "Who Are You"
  11. "Getting In Tune"
  12. "Behind Blue Eyes"
  13. "Drowned"
  14. "Baba O'Riley"
  15. "You Better You Bet"
  16. "5.15"
  17. "Won't Get Fooled Again"
  18. "The Kids Are Alright"
  19. "Summertime Blues"
  20. "Young Man Blues"
  21. "My Generation"
There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour. Some other songs were played which are not in the above lists:
The set for the North American tour was modified to include the first performances of "Another Tricky Day" since 1981, along with "Eminence Front" and a Quadrophenia segment now including "Sea and Sand" and "Love, Reign o'er Me". The encore was a Tommy medley, with "See Me, Feel Me" performed regularly for the first time since 1989. The group had rehearsed both "Join Together" and "Music Must Change" before John Entwistle's death, but neither made the set list for the tour. Towards the end of the tour, Townshend further developed the Entwistle tribute song "Old Red Wine", adding lyrics that would appear when the song was recorded for the Then and Now studio version. There was very little variation in the group's act throughout all four legs of the tour, most likely due to their having a new bass player.
Here is a fairly typical set list for these shows :
  1. "I Can't Explain"
  2. "Substitute"
  3. "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere"
  4. "Who Are You"
  5. "Another Tricky Day"
  6. "The Relay"
  7. "Bargain"
  8. "Baba O'Riley"
  9. "Eminence Front"
  10. "Sea and Sand"
  11. "5.15"
  12. "Love, Reign o'er Me"
  13. "Behind Blue Eyes"
  14. "You Better You Bet"
  15. "The Kids Are Alright"
  16. "My Generation"
  17. "Won't Get Fooled Again"
Encores:
  1. "Pinball Wizard"
  2. "Amazing Journey"
  3. "Sparks"
  4. "See Me, Feel Me"
There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour. Some other songs were played which are not in the above lists: