By: David Schultz

Pete Townshend's rock opera Tommy has been a multi-platinum selling album, a 1975 star-studded Ken Russell movie, a magnificent concert set piece and a Tony winning Broadway musical. The existence of so many different variations begs one question: what more can be done with The Who's saga about a deaf, dumb and blind kid that sure plays a mean pinball. Surprisingly, there's an answer: release The Who's guest star laden 1989 concert performance from Los Angeles' Universal Ampitheatre and add modern-day commentary from Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.

Not that either has aged badly, but the DVD is notable for how young everyone looks; Roger Daltrey has a full set of hair and Pete Townshend, well, he has hair. Musically, there's nothing to quibble with; by the late eighties, the surviving members of The Who, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and John Entwistle could do Tommy in their sleep. Nonetheless, the performance captured on the DVD, complete with a full horn section, captures an inspired performance. From Townshend's jawdropping acoustic guitar work in "Overture" that opens the show to the finale of "We're Not Gonna Take It," Tommy Live is a fine document of the late eighties version of The Who.

The Who's rock operas have always been good vehicle for guest appearances; their 1996 recreation of Quadrophenia featured well-placed cameos from Gary Glitter and Billy Idol. Like the film, The Who turn over a handful of Tommy's songs to the capable hands of others. Steve Winwood, with a dated eighties spiky buzzcut, handles the preacher's "Eyesight To The Blind," tearing through an all-too-brief guitar solo. Taking her cues from Tina Turner, Patti LaBelle delivers "Acid Queen" with an assertiveness that Townshend never intended for the character. Elton John reprises his role as the Pinball Wizard, sadly dressed more conservatively than in the movie. While Billy Idol became the sadistic Cousin Kevin by simply showing up in his normal clothes, Phil Collins, who in 1989 was making a serious foray into acting, went overboard in dressing for the part of the pederast Uncle Ernie.

The DVD extras are sparse: a set list; a photo reel and a commentary track. However, Townshend's contributions to the commentary track make the DVD worth the effort. Rather than reduce Daltrey and Townshend to disembodied voices prattling on over the concert, the DVD superimposes each one along the side of the screen. The occasional disconcerting images of Daltrey or Townshend sharing the screen with their younger selves does not diminish the strength of their annotations. While Daltrey offers some interesting insights, it's Townshend's thoughts that are the most illuminating. With years of hindsight, Townshend reflects on Tommy's place in rock history, the sociological circumstances that brought Tommy's themes about and the narrative devices he tried to employ. One of Townshend's most illuminating stories involves the relationship between the inspiration for "Sally Simpson" and a near-disastrous double bill that The Who played with The Doors. Tommy Live makes good use of modern DVD technology: if at any point you feel Townshend's getting to pompous, with one button you can turn him off and just listen to one of the greatest bands in rock history.

Labels: Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, The Who