Half time show?

Maybe it's just me, but my ears haven't aged enough to make up for the lousy singing and playing the Who did in the half time show.

What did you think?

I actually caught that, too. There was a show of their's on VH1 classic last night - but I didn't watch it so I don't have anything to compare as to whether it's just age catching up with them (age + many years singing takes a toll on anyone's voice) or just a bad show.

I caught that part too. They were actually not bad for not having performed together for a long time. Daltry's voice is kinda toast though, he does some narration and I have seen him on his own TV show (Extreme History with Roger Daltrey) and his voice is getting more and more raspy as he ages. All in all, it wasn't too terrible considering the long term disconnect (musically speaking) between Daltry and Townshend.

I thought that was one of the best concerts at halftime that I have ever seen! Those guys are in their 60's, aren't they? At least Townsend didn't just stand there. Granted, Daltry's voice was ok, but nothing great.

Who was the drummer?

That was SOOO sad. We just sat there making comments. They can't sing like they did 20-30 yrs ago and IMO the one on the guitar looked like a 50 or 60 yr old trying to be a rock star and not doing a good job of it.

I will admit that Mick Jagger is the only "old" one that still can act 1/2 his age and get away with it. The rest really need to retire permanently. They've made enough by now.

Originally Posted by Whisky'sDad

Who was the drummer?

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Zak Starkey, I think.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

That was SOOO sad. We just sat there making comments. They can't sing like they did 20-30 yrs ago and IMO the one on the guitar looked like a 50 or 60 yr old trying to be a rock star and not doing a good job of it.

I will admit that Mick Jagger is the only "old" one that still can act 1/2 his age and get away from it. The rest really need to retire permanently. They've made enough by now.

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"The one on the guitar"?? You mean Pete Townsend? He IS like 60 years old.

I don't think any singer who is 60 years old can sing like they were 30.

Isn't Zak, Ringo's son? If so, he does have talent and took after his father.

Originally Posted by Whisky'sDad

I don't think any singer who is 60 years old can sing like they were 30.

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I think there may be some soul singers who come pretty close - it's not really a genre I listen to, but have heard some in their late 50s and 60s that sound great.


While not yet 60, Glenn Hughes and Joe Lynn Turner are two vocalist that have been singing for a long time and still sound just as good as they did in their 20s and 30s - if not better. But again, both of them are also strongly influenced by soul and that had some effect on how they always sang.
Hard rock and metal (specifically power and progressive metal types that really push their voices) takes a toll pretty quickly, even if the vocalists have had a lot of training. You'll start hearing a change in their voices around 30s-40s.

Considering their age, I didn't expect them to sound like they used to, and I don't think Roger Daltrey did a bad job, but I was really sad for PeteTownsend.

You know what's funny, though? I was only watching the Superbowl for the half time show and the commercials. I ended up watching the game and enjoying it! I could have changed the channel because my husband fell asleep!

Originally Posted by Whisky'sDad

"The one on the guitar"?? You mean Pete Townsend? He IS like 60 years old.

I don't think any singer who is 60 years old can sing like they were 30.

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Townshend is 64, Daltry is 65.

And yes, there are singers who can sing as well at over 60 as they could when younger - BB King, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Cat Stevens, Ray Price, Etta James; in fact, Clapton sings better now than he did years ago and so did Bob Dylan - now you can understand what he is singing, and he is in tune. Ian Tyson also improved with age until he got sick a couple of years ago, and lost his range. Robert Plant lost his range through disuse, as did Daltry, John Fogarty and many others that took an extended break.

I thought they did great, yeah Townshend may have been a bit over zealous with the arm roundabouts, but they sounded great and the stage setup was awesome! I think they played to the CSI generation of knowing the Who, which they are so much more than. It was the most spectacular show half time Super bowl has had yet, I prefer it over Janet Jackson nipple flash while singing with Justin Timberlake for the first time any day!

I thought it was great. For being around as long as they have, I thought the show was fantastic. It totally was a CBS/CSI show, with some "Pinball Wizard" and a couple of others thrown in, but I got a kick out of seeing it, and I'm a huge fan of The Who.

Although I miss Keith Moon. He brought something truly unique to the group, and listening to their recordings of the 70's, Keith Moon's drums were omnipresent. He was a major part of what made them who they were.....his drumming style was insane and wonderful.

I like that it's Ringo's son, though, behind the drumkit.